Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of me, the author. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 3: The Beginnings of Rivalry
The room was relatively dark, the only source of light being the glow from the ten small monitors on the wall in front of Commander Mercury's work station. Mercury was watching these monitors closely, observing different parts of the world, only four of them remaining locked on what they were observing. "Hmhmhmhmhm... Very soon, Isaac," said the commander, "You shall learn the meaning of the word 'terror'."
The door opened, and Cyrus marched toward Mercury, a bit of rage in his eyes. Mercury turned to face him, his mouth curling into a twisted smile. "What can I do for you, sir?"
Cyrus glared at him. "I'll tell you what you can do! You can explain to me why it is that you have yet to send a unit to Iron Island!" He was furious.
"It's all under control, sir," Mercury explained, "It just takes a while to prepare the prototype for transportation. We have to make sure that it's properly locked down... unless you would rather the unit be killed by it when they hit some turbulence and it activates." Mercury chuckled at that idea. Cyrus was only getting angrier. "Don't make me angrier than I already am, Mercury!" he sputtered at him, "I'd hate to have someone of such a high rank in Team Galactic's forces executed."
"Yes, sir," replied Mercury. He then turned his attention back to one of the monitors. "One thing still is a slight concern to me, though." Cyrus looked at the screen that he was watching. Mercury continued, "That one there..." He pointed to the man on the screen, who had just stepped outside of the small house and was now talking with the Lucario that followed him.
"What about him?" asked Cyrus.
Mercury turned his chair to his computer and was searching for a file as he responded. "I did some research on him, and apparently," he pulled up the file, "he is an extraordinary trainer. He was even asked by Byron a few years ago to become a Gym Leader. He's also a great fighter on his own, and is an Aura Guardian." Cyrus shook his head, saying, "Don't worry about him. If he tries anything, your machine will make short work of him."
Mercury watched the man take a glass case containing a Pokémon egg out of his bag. He rolls his eyes as the man hugs the case lightly. "Ugh... great, another one of THOSE people," he muttered under his breath. But something about that egg was giving Mercury a bad feeling about the situation. One thing was for sure... the man had to be eliminated. "But sir, are you sure that we shouldn't just get him out of the picture to be on the safe side?" Mercury asked.
Cyrus shook his head again. "Only if he proves to be as much a threat as Isaac, which I highly doubt will be the case."
"Yes, master Cyrus," Mercury replied, reluctantly. Cyrus then left him to his work. When Mercury was sure that Cyrus was out of earshot, he muttered, "I don't know how many more of those I can say without gagging... especially if this 'Riley' person puts a dent in my plans. Heh... Just you wait, Cyrus... my ultimate creation will ensure that I never have to take orders from anyone ever again... I just need to get confirmation on whether he's..."
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After Isaac and his team had finished their breakfast, they placed the dishes in the sink and rinsed them. They then made their way outside to warm up and begin the training. As Isaac stepped out of the house, Riley hid the egg back in his bag, stowing it away before Isaac saw.
Isaac's team warmed up a bit differently this time. Amy was absorbing sunlight to gather as much energy as possible for later use. Staraptor was demonstrating his speed and agility as he zipped through the air. Empoleon had gone into the water and was warming up with Aqua Jet. Valerie and Victor were sitting side-by-side, meditating. Lucario was getting warmed up as well, unleashing a barrage of melee attacks at the target he saw in his mind's eye. After five minutes, everyone was ready to begin.
"Alright, it's time to start the training," Riley addressed to everyone. He waited until he had their attention before continuing. Lucario took his place next to Riley.
"A few things that are good to know about Steel types," he continued, "even if you already know some of them. First, most Steel types aren't that big on speed, with a few exceptions like Lucario. But what they lack in speed, they make up for in defense." Isaac was nodding along as Riley spoke, listening carefully, regardless of whether he already knew the information. He wanted to be sure that he didn't miss any detail that would help in the future for the Gym battle. Riley went on, "But there is still something that you need to watch out for... their attack patterns. Though they move slower, their movements are surprisingly unpredictable."
Isaac was a little confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Riley unclipped a pokéball from his belt. "Allow me to demonstrate," he replied. He tossed the red and white sphere into the air, and after the flash of light faded, a Metagross stood in front of the group, an expression of confidence apparent on its face. "Or rather, let Metagross here demonstrate," said Riley. Lucario takes his fighting stance as he watches Metagross. "Just show them a basic example," Riley told the two fighters. Lucario runs at Metagross, not running too fast so they can still see him, as this was a visual demonstration. Metagross raised his front-right leg, preparing to slam it down onto Lucario's head when he got in range. Lucario dodges at the last second, jumping to the left. He then had to adjust by spinning in the air to evade a second attempt at the slam to the head by Metagross. As he landed, Metagross was already rotating in the air, its legs held out to attack as he moved forward, catching Lucario off guard. Metagross stopped just before he would have hit Lucario.
Isaac was amazed that a Pokémon like Lucario, who can move swiftly in a fight, could be caught off guard by the movements of a slower moving one. Riley chuckled, saying, "I can tell by your expression that you weren't expecting that to happen." Isaac could only nod to respond. What he had found strangest about all this was that he could see Metagross's movements, but it didn't register until just before Metagross would attack.
"Allow me to explain," said Riley, "Steel types move slow enough where they can constantly keep moving to prepare for the next attack. Because of this, their opponent is focusing on the attack that is coming at them, drawing attention away from the attack being formed."
"I see," said Isaac, "So basically, if they have to dodge one attack, they have to be completely aware of the Steel type's motions." Riley nodded and continued his little lecture. "And also because of this unpredictable attack pattern, they will generally wait for the opponent to make the first move. It's best to start off with a projectile attack, then move in when they are stunned." Isaac took note of this, and realized he would have to change his battle strategy quite a bit for this upcoming fight.
"Well, that's all the advice I have for before we start," said Riley, "Time to begin."
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Commander Mercury picked up the communicator and activated it, then placed it to his ear. After a few seconds, the person he was contacting answered.
*Yes?*
"How much longer until the prototype has been properly locked down?"
*It shouldn't be too much longer, sir.*
"You are trying my patience. You are fortunate that it isn't my decision whether you continue to live. If it were up to me, you'd have been disposed of a long time ago."
*I'm working as fast as I can, Commander.*
"Apparently you're not. I'll just send some... motivation for you to work faster." Mercury ended the call and set the communicator down. "When will they learn," he asked himself, "that when I tell them to do something, they better do it?!" Mercury then unclipped a pokéball from his belt and tossed it into the air. It released a Torterra, who roared when it opened its eyes.
"Head down to the loading docks. It seems we have a slacker," said Mercury. Torterra smirked and set off to "motivate" the workers. Mercury then turned his attention back to the monitors, watching the screen that showed Isaac instructing his Pokémon as they trained. He noticed that Riley was supervising and giving the occasional pointer. Mercury switched the monitor to give the audio as well. "Great job, Staraptor!" said Isaac, as Staraptor weaved through the boulders that made an aerial obstacle course, kept aloft by Valerie using Psychic. Mercury watched this in disgust.
"Encouragement during training makes a Pokémon not work hard enough," he said, "No wonder his team is so pathetic." Mercury watched the scene more closely. He then realized that Isaac's battle strategy was changing. "Preparing for the Gym battle, no doubt," he said, chuckling. "The Pokémon League... just something to give trainers false hopes and dreams. True strength needs no award or title to be proven. The strong shall conquer, and the weak will always fail."
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Victor fell to his knees, exhausted from training so hard. That was the last of Isaac's team to go through the rigorous workout, meaning that training was over. "Alright," said Riley, "that's enough for now." Isaac nodded in agreement, and proceeded to take some supplies from his pack. He took out a first aid kit, along with various medicines and herbs. Riley was a little shocked at that amount of medical supplies Isaac pulled out from his bag.
"Where did you get all of this?" he asked.
"Bought it," Isaac said, simply. "I always think about the health of my friends first, so I'm always prepared for any type of injury or illness that might occur." Riley watched as Isaac examined Victor and Staraptor first, as they had been injured the most. Staraptor had injured his left wing at the end of his training. Isaac hadn't taken care of it right away because it hadn't appeared too serious at the time. It had gotten worse as Victor's training went on. "I didn't realize that was this bad, Staraptor," said Isaac as he carefully looked over the wing. Staraptor winced a bit in pain. Isaac grabbed a Full Restore and opened the top, pouring a fine powder into it. He then put the top back on the Full Restore and shook it to mix the powder. He sprayed the injury, and within 10 seconds Staraptor was able to move his wing without it hurting.
Riley was left speechless. Isaac had taken the most powerful healing item there was... and increased its power further. "H...How...?" was all that Riley could manage.
Isaac looked back at him and said, "I studied medical tomes when I was young. As a result, I was able to look at the effects of different medicines and herbs, and experimented to come up with more powerful salves, potions, and antidotes." Isaac then started looking over Victor, who had several scrapes along his arms from trying to cut boulders that were coming at him and missing. He also had drained his energy to keep up. Isaac sprayed the remainder of the Full restore on Victor's arms. The cuts and scrapes healed quickly, and Isaac gave him a few Sitrus berries to restore his energy. Victor thanked him before he joined the rest of the group. Riley could only stare in awe as Isaac tended to his team's injuries swiftly.
"Ok, let's take a short break before we battle," said Riley, "Give yourself some time to mentally prepare. I only say that because this won't be an easy battle." He smiled at that, before adding, "And I mean that for the both of us."
Isaac smiled, and Riley and Lucario went to a spot out of sight from him. Victor stepped closer to Isaac and asked, "So... which one of us will be fighting?" Valerie gave Victor a stern look, as if to say, "Is that really all you can think about?" Even so, Valerie was curious as well... they all were. Isaac thought for a moment. He figured that he should choose one of the three that he planned to have fight at the Canalave Gym; Empoleon, Staraptor, and Victor.
Isaac cleared his throat before he said, "Well, I think that... Staraptor should fight this one. I want to see Close Combat in a battle so that I can think of a strategy for the Gym." Victor groaned a little, disappointed that he, who was "clearly better suited for the fight", wasn't chosen. Valerie gave him a punch to the arm, saying, "Isaac knows what he's doing. Besides, you'll get your chance to fight at the Gym." She frowned a bit, as if something was wrong, but quickly shook her head back to normal.
Isaac didn't like it when she frowned like that. It usually meant that something was troubling her, but she considered it to be not that important. The usual result was that she wouldn't talk about it, and eventually it would become a big problem. "You okay, Valerie?" asked Isaac.
Valerie nodded and said, "Yeah... I just suddenly felt really tired." She blinked a few times and shook her head back to normal again. Isaac had a feeling that wasn't the only problem, but he decided to not bother her about it for now. "Alright," said Isaac, "Just take it easy." Valerie leaned against a nearby boulder, frowning a little every few minutes. Isaac made a mental note to take her to the Center when they got back to Canalave City.
Riley returned, a look of determination in his eyes. Isaac smiled as he saw this. He could tell that it was going to be a tough battle, which excited him and made him more anxious to get it started. "Are you ready, Isaac?" asked Riley, as he took his place opposite Isaac on their battlefield. Isaac nodded, and with that, Staraptor moved in front of him, and the others got to a safer spot where they wouldn't be in the way. Riley sent out Metagross, and Lucario went off to the side of the battlefield. He raised a paw, preparing to start the fight. Lucario looked at Riley, then at Isaac. He then brought his arm down quickly.
"Begin!"
Isaac didn't give a command. He wanted Metagross to make the first move. Riley chuckled, saying, "Alright, I'll play along. Metagross, start it off with Bullet Punch!" Metagross leapt at Staraptor, an arm glowing as he approached. Isaac was quick in thinking of a plan, though. "Staraptor, use Quick Attack to evade!"
Staraptor took flight, and with great speed he dodged the punch just in time. Metagross had planned on this happening, and spun himself around with his psychic energy before he landed, slamming his attack into Staraptor's side. Staraptor recovered, and flew to a height where he thought that Metagross wouldn't be able to reach him.
Riley chuckled. "You can't get away just by flying higher. Metagross, use Psychic!" Staraptor was held in the air by the attack, then was sent plummeting toward the ground. He tried to break free of the hold, managing to spread his wings enough to slow his descent and soften the impact. He quickly got back up, and charged at Metagross.
"Alright," said Isaac, "It's time to try it out. Use Close..." He suddenly went wide-eyed, looking toward the water, then up at the sky. "Wait! Time out!"
Staraptor slowed down and landed a few feet from Metagross. Everyone looked in the direction Isaac was looking. Isaac clenched his hands into fists, as he said, "What could they want with this island?" Victor immediately got into his battle stance. "Team Galactic is on its way here?!" Isaac nodded in response. A helicopter was heading for the island, carrying a large, metal crate. Riley would ask Isaac how it was that he sensed their approach, but now was not the time. "Well, they're not getting on the island," he said, raising a hand to the helicopter, pointing his palm at it. A few sparks of blue flashed around his hand, and a small orb started to form.
Riley fired the orb before Isaac even had the chance to ask what it was or how he was even doing this, aiming to just knock the propellers out, not to destroy the helicopter. Just before the sphere would have hit, a barrier went up around the helicopter and the sphere exploded when it made contact with it. Riley cursed under his breath.
The helicopter prepared to drop the crate, and as soon as it was lined up and low enough, the locks released the crate, and it landed with a loud thud that shook the ground. One of the grunts poked his head out and looked down to make sure that the crate had landed right. The helicopter landed a short distance from it, and Team Galactic grunts hurriedly climbed out, unclipping pokéballs from their belts and sending out their Pokémon. A member of Team Galactic who appeared to be of a higher rank stepped out, and he told the grunts to stand down. The man then sent out a Rhyperior, which roared as it opened its eyes. Isaac stepped forward, and with an angry look asked, "What are you lot doing here?"
The man responded, "We've been sent to destroy you, as well as take control of this island."
Isaac closed his eyes and shook his head. "Figures." He opened them and glared at the man, saying, "If you leave now, then no harm shall befall you... stay, and I will FORCE you to leave." The man just stood there, laughing. "I'd like to see you try," he said.
Riley stepped forward, his hands glowing a little. He said as he took a fighting stance, "I'm going to fight too, Isaac." Isaac looks up at him and nods. "Just be careful, Riley." The man ordered his Rhyperior to attack, and the Rock type ran forward. Isaac tightened his focus and Riley started charging another of the orbs in his hand. The Rhyperior brought its arm back, preparing to punch, and Riley fired the orb when it was too close to evade, hitting it square in the chest. Rhyperior was sent skidding back, but remained on its feet, picking up a nearby boulder and throwing it at its two opponents. Isaac stood in front of Riley and threw his arms in front of himself. He caught the boulder, skidding back a few feet. Rhyperior's eyes widened a bit as Isaac threw it back at an even greater speed, and had to cross his arms in a defensive stance. The boulder shattered when it collided, and Rhyperior stumbled back a bit, and froze in fear as Riley already had another orb charged, this one larger than the previous.
Isaac looked toward the Rhyperior's trainer and said, "I offer this to you again: leave this island." The man was both angered and shocked by Isaac and Riley's power. "Rhyperior, use Hyper Beam!" the man ordered, and at once, the powerful Rock type charged the attack. He fired the beam once it reached full power. Amy was quick to react as she jumped in front of Isaac and Riley, and having stored up sunlight ahead of time, fired a Solarbeam at the Rhyperior's attack. It not only canceled the Hyper Beam out, but continued on and blasted Rhyperior.
Rhyperior fell to the ground, defeated. Isaac smiled and approached Amy, then knelt down and placed a hand on her back. "Thank you, Amy," he said to her, "I don't think that I would have been able to stop that one." Amy smiled and then went back with the rest of the group. Isaac glared at the member of Team Galactic. "This is your last warning. Leave now."
"Alright, enough of this! Let someone strong fight them."
Isaac looked up toward the source of the voice. There, on a hovering platform that was floating down to the ground, was a man. He wore black pants and a black coat that had a bright yellow "G" centered on his chest. His light brown hair was slicked back, and he was staring at Isaac with his red, disgust-filled eyes. He jumped down from the platform and started slowly walking toward Isaac, his gaze never shifting from him.
The member of higher rank shook in fear as this mystery person walked. "C...Commander Mercury?! Wh... What are you doing here?"
Mercury stopped in front of the man, not turning toward him as he spoke, "I'm in charge of this operation now... you are to stand down and wait for my orders." The man nodded and joined the grunts on the sidelines. Commander Mercury smirked at Isaac, saying, "I must admit... your strength is incredible." He cackled before he continued. "But you are not invincible... and I have a way to defeat you." Mercury then turned to one of the grunts.
"You! Bring out my creation..." he ordered.
The grunt replied, "B...But sir! Isn't your machine prone to-" He fell silent as Mercury was almost instantly in front of him with a knife at the grunt's throat.
Mercury was ticked. "Don't question me, fool! I'm not in the mood for explaining my reasons... So, just do as I say!"
Gulping, the grunt replied, "Y...Yes sir..." Mercury took the blade away from his throat and the grunt hurried to the large, metal crate that had been dropped on the island.
"Oh, no ya don't!" Riley yelled, firing another of his orbs at the grunt. Mercury dashed and caught the orb, then crushed it. He said angrily, "You fool! Do you want all of us to be killed?!" Isaac didn't like the sound of that... a machine that could kill them all if it was activated from the shockwave of a small explosion? And just thinking about what kind of damage could be done with someone from Team Galactic controlling it was enough to make Isaac shudder.
The grunt made it to the crate and entered the password on the keypad. The red, flashing light next to the keypad glowed a solid green, and the locks released. The roof of the crate slid back, and the sides folded down. Inside the crate was bizarre-looking machine. It appeared to be some kind of large battle suit, with a cockpit toward the top of it that was only big enough for one person. Mercury walked up to the machine, stopping once in front of it. He then gave the activation code and the cockpit opened. Mercury quickly jumped into it and the door closed as he sat down. The machine sprang to life as he took control of it. Mercury tested the machine's movements to make sure that everything was working properly.
Isaac and Riley watched as this strange machine took a fighting stance. Commander Mercury cackled at their horrified expressions and said, "Scared? You ought to be!" He laughed more and let go of the controls for a moment to crack his knuckles before grabbing them again and smirking at Isaac. "Tell you what, Isaac," said Mercury, "I'm so confident that my creation can defeat you... I'll give you one minute of free hits." He got a twisted smile on his face. "I won't attack you, and I won't defend... You have sixty seconds."
Isaac went wide-eyed and dashed at the machine with great speed. He jumped and threw a punch at the glass that stood between him and his twisted adversary, but to his surprise, the glass didn't even crack. Isaac pushed down on it to get above the cockpit and brought his leg down as hard as he could in a heel-drop, yet the glass still did not shatter. He jumped back, a look of fear on his face. Isaac turned to his team, and they needed no more encouragement to give him a hand. Valerie and Victor used Psychic on the machine to try to pull the it apart; Amy used Magical Leaf at the limbs; Empoleon fired a Hydro Pump at the cockpit, while Staraptor charged a Hyper Beam, preparing to fire it when Empoleon's attack ended.
The machine's durability was incredible, as it took everything that was thrown at it without getting a scratch. Riley stepped forward, charging another of the orbs. Lucario walked up next to him and started charging an Aura Sphere. At that moment, Empoleon's attack ended, and Staraptor fired the Hyper Beam to take its place, while Riley and Lucario fired their spheres as well.
Mercury just laughed as the onslaught of attacks seemed to have no effect. His machine started to glow, and he cackled. The machine, with a wave of its arm, canceled them out. "Time's up," said Mercury, a sneer on his face, "I'm going to enjoy this."
Isaac was shaking in fear, his fists clenching tighter, but stood his ground. His eyes widened as the machine dashed forward at a speed that rivaled his own, and he tightened his focus. The machine, however, changed its path and was presently making its way toward Isaac's team. "Leave them alone!" Isaac shouted as he ran after it. The machine was too quick, and got Amy in its grasp before turning and landing a punch on Isaac, sending him skidding along the ground. He stood up as he came to a stop, and sprung forward again, this time moving faster. The others stayed out of the machine's reach, but were attacking it with everything they had, trying to free Amy.
Mercury was smirking at their futile attempts to damage his creation, which began to glow again as the attacks hit. After the attacks stopped, Mercury's battle suit vanished, then reappeared a short distance behind Isaac's team. "How is it...so fast?" asked Victor. Mercury looked at the Gallade and explained, "My creation is unlike any other machine. You see... it is able to absorb the energy from Pokémon attacks. It then converts the energy into a usable form. This energy can then be used by the battle suit anytime the controller wishes, to increase its speed and strength." He cackled before adding, "To put it simply, by attacking this machine... you're making it stronger!"
Amy screamed in pain as the machine started to tighten its grip around her. Isaac ran at it again, yelling, "Let her go!" He felt a strange energy flowing through him as he neared Mercury's creation. In the rush of anger, he lost sense of what he was doing, Amy's cries of pain the only thing he could hear. Isaac leapt at the machine, landing on the arm that had Amy in its grasp, and Amy's screams became louder, as the pressure increased around her. Isaac panicked and tried to loosen the hold on her by pulling the machine's hand open, but it wouldn't budge. Tears rolled down his face as he used all his strength, trying to free Amy, but to no avail. Isaac's eyes widened as he heard a crack and Amy cry out again as she flinched.
Isaac was now consumed by rage, and with strength that he would never have thought possible, tore the machine's hand apart. He caught Amy and rushed her over to the others, handing her to Valerie without a word before turning back to Mercury's creation, looking directly at the commander with a cold expression. Mercury was furious, as he shouted, "You damaged my creation! How dare you?! Do you have any idea of how long it took me to get just one of these prototypes built?!" The machine picked up a rather large boulder with its other hand and threw it at the group. Isaac raised his arms up, preparing to catch it, and the boulder froze in the air, a dull, blue glow surrounding it. After a few seconds, the glow vanished, and the boulder fell to the ground. The glow surrounded Mercury's machine, and the sound of metal twisting and being pulled apart rang out.
The glass dome that protected Mercury cracked and shattered, and the commander had a look of fear. He leapt from the cockpit, landing on his feet and took a few steps back from his creation as it began to fall apart and finally explode. He crossed his arms in a defensive stance and was thrown back from the explosion, landing on his back with barely a scratch on him.
Isaac looked back to see the others staring at him in complete amazement. Isaac had to admit that he himself was confused as to what just happened, but this wasn't the time to think about it, as their attention snapped back to Mercury, who sent out his Torterra. The enraged commander glared at Isaac as he said, "My beautiful creation... destroyed... You're a dead man, Isaac... YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!!!"
Staraptor moved in front of Isaac, prepared for battle. Mercury nodded to his Torterra, who tightened his focus as he watched Staraptor. "Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" Isaac told Staraptor, and the determined Flying type took off at Torterra, wings glowing. Torterra made no effort to counter, defend, or dodge, instead just allowing himself to be hit by the attack. The second he was hit, however, the spikes on his shell started glowing a dull red. Isaac had never seen an attack that charged like that. He called Staraptor back to him, being cautious of the strange technique. He didn't give another command, as he was both scared and intrigued at what would happen when the attack was fully charged.
Mercury got a twisted smile on his face as he sent out an Absol, which immediately got into its battle stance, growling at Isaac and Staraptor. "What's the matter, Isaac?" Mercury taunted, "Frightened by Torterra's technique?" He laughed at Isaac before he finished, "If you won't attack him... then I guess Absol here will have to!" Absol prepared to use Razor Wind, while Torterra's spikes were glowing brighter. Before Isaac could give another command, however, the attack was fully charged, and Absol launched it at Torterra.
"Wh... what are you doing?!" Isaac asked the cruel commander. He couldn't believe that there was a person that would have their own Pokémon attack each other during a battle. Torterra's spikes were now glowing white, and it opened its mouth to start collecting energy in it. His mouth began to glow as the energy built up. "Now, Torterra!" Mercury ordered, "Ring of Suns!"
"What?!" Isaac was alarmed and confused. He had a bad feeling about this...
Torterra fired the attack rapidly in short bursts, creating fifteen basketball-sized spheres of energy that surrounded Isaac and Staraptor in a circle. "Don't make any sudden movements," Mercury said with a sneer, raising his hand up, ready to snap his fingers. Isaac and Staraptor stood still, and Isaac looked back at the others, telling them to stay put. He looked at Mercury again with an expression of anger.
Mercury smirked before giving his explanation. "By combining Solarbeam with energy from an opponent's attack, Torterra is able to create the orbs you see before you. Then, by adding energy from his own lifeforce, he is able to control them."
"But how?" Isaac had to know how Mercury had developed such a horrible technique. "How did you discover this?" He was also trying to stall so that he could think of a plan.
"This technique is the result of months of experimentation on him, combined with countless hours of training and calculations... none of which a mind as dull as yours would be able to understand," said Mercury, "Now, it's time for you to die, Isaac... Shame you had to stand against team Galactic." Isaac looked back at his team, and then to Riley and Lucario. He shook his head, telling them, without words, not to intervene... he had a plan.
Mercury, however, saw this as the time to strike, and he snapped his fingers. The spheres flew at Isaac and Staraptor, closing in fast. Isaac closed his eyes, as he realized that it was too late to do anything, and waited for what was sure to happen a split second later...
The spheres were suddenly deflected toward the sky, and exploded after traveling 100 feet up. Isaac quickly opened his eyes to see what the reason was, but found nothing. He looked at Staraptor, who shook his head to say that it wasn't him. He looked at Torterra and Absol in time to see them collapse. Mercury had a slight look of fear, obviously just as confused as Isaac. Isaac put this bizarre occurrence out of his mind and said, "Now... Mercury was it?... I suggest that you and your 'friends' leave this island, quickly." Mercury withdrew his Pokémon and looked at Isaac angrily as he walked back to the platform.
"Mark my words," he grumbled as he stood on the platform, "I will create a new machine." He noticed that Isaac had gotten cut on his arm from one of the shards of glass that flew off when the battle suit was destroyed... but the fact that it was bleeding is what interested Mercury. "And it will be stronger then the prototype." By this point, Mercury was the only member of Team Galactic left on the island. "And... I must thank you, Isaac," he said as he reached into his coat, grabbing a small vial.
Isaac frowned. "For what?"
Before Isaac had time to react, Mercury dashed forward and collected a bit of blood from him in the small vial, then ran back to the platform. "For your contribution to my research," said the commander as he laughed and hit a button on the panel in front of him. The platform teleported Mercury away. Isaac was turning to look at the rest of the group again, when something caught his attention.
At the highest point on the island was a hooded figure, looking down at him. The figure was too far away for Isaac to get a good look at his face, and vanished a split second after he had been spotted. Riley followed Isaac's gaze and asked, "What's up there, Isaac?"
Isaac shook his head. "Nothing." He didn't want to be questioned, so he quickly changed the subject. "So Riley, when should we resume our battle?"
Riley smiled and said, "Actually, Isaac... we won't be finishing our battle."
Isaac and his team stared in disbelief. "Why are we not going to finish?" asked Isaac. Lucario got the same smile that Riley had on his face as he answered, "Because we can tell that you are more than ready to take on Byron... and also the fact that the training is not what we actually do." Isaac was very confused now. Riley explained, "We were testing you... to see if you were the right person to take care of," he pulled out the case containing the Pokémon egg, "this egg."
Isaac got a little angry at that, but it didn't show on his face. "I am sorry for tricking you, Isaac," Riley continued, "If it helps, I wasn't lying to you with those battle tips." Isaac had to be sure, and looked back at Valerie, who nodded and was observing Riley's mind, which told Isaac that he was indeed telling the truth. Looking back to Riley again, he asked, "Well... do you think I'm the right person to take care of the egg?" Isaac walked over to his bag and stopped, staring at his medical supplies... or what was left of it. Most of it had been destroyed during the fight with Mercury. Isaac looked back at Amy, who was trying to be as still as possible, her injuries quite painful. He had to get her to the Pokémon Center soon, but the boat that would take the group back to Canalave City had not arrived yet.
Isaac walked over to Valerie and told her to take Amy and the others to the Center, and to have Nurse Joy help Amy. "Wait for me there afterward," Isaac finished. Valerie nodded, and the rest of Isaac's team gathered around her before being teleported away.
Isaac turned to look at Riley again. "So... am I the right person?"
Riley nodded in his response, "I don't have a doubt in my mind that you are the person we've been looking for." Isaac smiled back, "Then I'd be more than happy to take care of the egg, and the Pokémon inside once it hatches." Riley handed him the case before saying, "That egg was given to me by a good friend of mine, who asked that I find 'a trainer, pure of heart' to take care of the egg."
Isaac looked at the egg more closely. The majority of its surface was a light blue color, a black stripe around the middle. Isaac's eyes widened a little as the egg moved slightly... not a lot, but still noticeable. It was as if the Pokémon inside was responding to his presence. "How long have you had this egg for, Riley?" Isaac asked. Riley thought for a moment. "About two months," he replied.
"So, it's close to hatching," Isaac said, watching the egg subtly move and occasionally give a tiny jump that was barely noticeable. He smiled, wondering what Pokémon was contained within the shell.
The boat arrived at the dock, and the captain stepped out. Isaac saw this and looked to Riley. "Thank you for the training, Riley," he said, "It's too bad we didn't get to finish our battle, though." Riley chuckled, saying, "I'm sure we will meet again someday. When that day comes, I want you to show me how strong you've become." Isaac smiled and nodded, then he went down to the dock and boarded. He turned around and waved to Riley as the boat started back for Canalave City.
As the boat fell out of sight, Lucario turned to look at Riley. "Do you think," he began, "that we should have..."
Riley shook his head. "Some things... are best left unsaid. Now we can guarantee that little Pokémon will live a happy life... not 342-9X's..."Chapter End Notes:Now, wasn't that actiony?
Who is this mysterious new character? When will the egg hatch? Is Amy going to be alright? Stay tuned to find out..
The door opened, and Cyrus marched toward Mercury, a bit of rage in his eyes. Mercury turned to face him, his mouth curling into a twisted smile. "What can I do for you, sir?"
Cyrus glared at him. "I'll tell you what you can do! You can explain to me why it is that you have yet to send a unit to Iron Island!" He was furious.
"It's all under control, sir," Mercury explained, "It just takes a while to prepare the prototype for transportation. We have to make sure that it's properly locked down... unless you would rather the unit be killed by it when they hit some turbulence and it activates." Mercury chuckled at that idea. Cyrus was only getting angrier. "Don't make me angrier than I already am, Mercury!" he sputtered at him, "I'd hate to have someone of such a high rank in Team Galactic's forces executed."
"Yes, sir," replied Mercury. He then turned his attention back to one of the monitors. "One thing still is a slight concern to me, though." Cyrus looked at the screen that he was watching. Mercury continued, "That one there..." He pointed to the man on the screen, who had just stepped outside of the small house and was now talking with the Lucario that followed him.
"What about him?" asked Cyrus.
Mercury turned his chair to his computer and was searching for a file as he responded. "I did some research on him, and apparently," he pulled up the file, "he is an extraordinary trainer. He was even asked by Byron a few years ago to become a Gym Leader. He's also a great fighter on his own, and is an Aura Guardian." Cyrus shook his head, saying, "Don't worry about him. If he tries anything, your machine will make short work of him."
Mercury watched the man take a glass case containing a Pokémon egg out of his bag. He rolls his eyes as the man hugs the case lightly. "Ugh... great, another one of THOSE people," he muttered under his breath. But something about that egg was giving Mercury a bad feeling about the situation. One thing was for sure... the man had to be eliminated. "But sir, are you sure that we shouldn't just get him out of the picture to be on the safe side?" Mercury asked.
Cyrus shook his head again. "Only if he proves to be as much a threat as Isaac, which I highly doubt will be the case."
"Yes, master Cyrus," Mercury replied, reluctantly. Cyrus then left him to his work. When Mercury was sure that Cyrus was out of earshot, he muttered, "I don't know how many more of those I can say without gagging... especially if this 'Riley' person puts a dent in my plans. Heh... Just you wait, Cyrus... my ultimate creation will ensure that I never have to take orders from anyone ever again... I just need to get confirmation on whether he's..."
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After Isaac and his team had finished their breakfast, they placed the dishes in the sink and rinsed them. They then made their way outside to warm up and begin the training. As Isaac stepped out of the house, Riley hid the egg back in his bag, stowing it away before Isaac saw.
Isaac's team warmed up a bit differently this time. Amy was absorbing sunlight to gather as much energy as possible for later use. Staraptor was demonstrating his speed and agility as he zipped through the air. Empoleon had gone into the water and was warming up with Aqua Jet. Valerie and Victor were sitting side-by-side, meditating. Lucario was getting warmed up as well, unleashing a barrage of melee attacks at the target he saw in his mind's eye. After five minutes, everyone was ready to begin.
"Alright, it's time to start the training," Riley addressed to everyone. He waited until he had their attention before continuing. Lucario took his place next to Riley.
"A few things that are good to know about Steel types," he continued, "even if you already know some of them. First, most Steel types aren't that big on speed, with a few exceptions like Lucario. But what they lack in speed, they make up for in defense." Isaac was nodding along as Riley spoke, listening carefully, regardless of whether he already knew the information. He wanted to be sure that he didn't miss any detail that would help in the future for the Gym battle. Riley went on, "But there is still something that you need to watch out for... their attack patterns. Though they move slower, their movements are surprisingly unpredictable."
Isaac was a little confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Riley unclipped a pokéball from his belt. "Allow me to demonstrate," he replied. He tossed the red and white sphere into the air, and after the flash of light faded, a Metagross stood in front of the group, an expression of confidence apparent on its face. "Or rather, let Metagross here demonstrate," said Riley. Lucario takes his fighting stance as he watches Metagross. "Just show them a basic example," Riley told the two fighters. Lucario runs at Metagross, not running too fast so they can still see him, as this was a visual demonstration. Metagross raised his front-right leg, preparing to slam it down onto Lucario's head when he got in range. Lucario dodges at the last second, jumping to the left. He then had to adjust by spinning in the air to evade a second attempt at the slam to the head by Metagross. As he landed, Metagross was already rotating in the air, its legs held out to attack as he moved forward, catching Lucario off guard. Metagross stopped just before he would have hit Lucario.
Isaac was amazed that a Pokémon like Lucario, who can move swiftly in a fight, could be caught off guard by the movements of a slower moving one. Riley chuckled, saying, "I can tell by your expression that you weren't expecting that to happen." Isaac could only nod to respond. What he had found strangest about all this was that he could see Metagross's movements, but it didn't register until just before Metagross would attack.
"Allow me to explain," said Riley, "Steel types move slow enough where they can constantly keep moving to prepare for the next attack. Because of this, their opponent is focusing on the attack that is coming at them, drawing attention away from the attack being formed."
"I see," said Isaac, "So basically, if they have to dodge one attack, they have to be completely aware of the Steel type's motions." Riley nodded and continued his little lecture. "And also because of this unpredictable attack pattern, they will generally wait for the opponent to make the first move. It's best to start off with a projectile attack, then move in when they are stunned." Isaac took note of this, and realized he would have to change his battle strategy quite a bit for this upcoming fight.
"Well, that's all the advice I have for before we start," said Riley, "Time to begin."
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Commander Mercury picked up the communicator and activated it, then placed it to his ear. After a few seconds, the person he was contacting answered.
*Yes?*
"How much longer until the prototype has been properly locked down?"
*It shouldn't be too much longer, sir.*
"You are trying my patience. You are fortunate that it isn't my decision whether you continue to live. If it were up to me, you'd have been disposed of a long time ago."
*I'm working as fast as I can, Commander.*
"Apparently you're not. I'll just send some... motivation for you to work faster." Mercury ended the call and set the communicator down. "When will they learn," he asked himself, "that when I tell them to do something, they better do it?!" Mercury then unclipped a pokéball from his belt and tossed it into the air. It released a Torterra, who roared when it opened its eyes.
"Head down to the loading docks. It seems we have a slacker," said Mercury. Torterra smirked and set off to "motivate" the workers. Mercury then turned his attention back to the monitors, watching the screen that showed Isaac instructing his Pokémon as they trained. He noticed that Riley was supervising and giving the occasional pointer. Mercury switched the monitor to give the audio as well. "Great job, Staraptor!" said Isaac, as Staraptor weaved through the boulders that made an aerial obstacle course, kept aloft by Valerie using Psychic. Mercury watched this in disgust.
"Encouragement during training makes a Pokémon not work hard enough," he said, "No wonder his team is so pathetic." Mercury watched the scene more closely. He then realized that Isaac's battle strategy was changing. "Preparing for the Gym battle, no doubt," he said, chuckling. "The Pokémon League... just something to give trainers false hopes and dreams. True strength needs no award or title to be proven. The strong shall conquer, and the weak will always fail."
__________________________________________________________
Victor fell to his knees, exhausted from training so hard. That was the last of Isaac's team to go through the rigorous workout, meaning that training was over. "Alright," said Riley, "that's enough for now." Isaac nodded in agreement, and proceeded to take some supplies from his pack. He took out a first aid kit, along with various medicines and herbs. Riley was a little shocked at that amount of medical supplies Isaac pulled out from his bag.
"Where did you get all of this?" he asked.
"Bought it," Isaac said, simply. "I always think about the health of my friends first, so I'm always prepared for any type of injury or illness that might occur." Riley watched as Isaac examined Victor and Staraptor first, as they had been injured the most. Staraptor had injured his left wing at the end of his training. Isaac hadn't taken care of it right away because it hadn't appeared too serious at the time. It had gotten worse as Victor's training went on. "I didn't realize that was this bad, Staraptor," said Isaac as he carefully looked over the wing. Staraptor winced a bit in pain. Isaac grabbed a Full Restore and opened the top, pouring a fine powder into it. He then put the top back on the Full Restore and shook it to mix the powder. He sprayed the injury, and within 10 seconds Staraptor was able to move his wing without it hurting.
Riley was left speechless. Isaac had taken the most powerful healing item there was... and increased its power further. "H...How...?" was all that Riley could manage.
Isaac looked back at him and said, "I studied medical tomes when I was young. As a result, I was able to look at the effects of different medicines and herbs, and experimented to come up with more powerful salves, potions, and antidotes." Isaac then started looking over Victor, who had several scrapes along his arms from trying to cut boulders that were coming at him and missing. He also had drained his energy to keep up. Isaac sprayed the remainder of the Full restore on Victor's arms. The cuts and scrapes healed quickly, and Isaac gave him a few Sitrus berries to restore his energy. Victor thanked him before he joined the rest of the group. Riley could only stare in awe as Isaac tended to his team's injuries swiftly.
"Ok, let's take a short break before we battle," said Riley, "Give yourself some time to mentally prepare. I only say that because this won't be an easy battle." He smiled at that, before adding, "And I mean that for the both of us."
Isaac smiled, and Riley and Lucario went to a spot out of sight from him. Victor stepped closer to Isaac and asked, "So... which one of us will be fighting?" Valerie gave Victor a stern look, as if to say, "Is that really all you can think about?" Even so, Valerie was curious as well... they all were. Isaac thought for a moment. He figured that he should choose one of the three that he planned to have fight at the Canalave Gym; Empoleon, Staraptor, and Victor.
Isaac cleared his throat before he said, "Well, I think that... Staraptor should fight this one. I want to see Close Combat in a battle so that I can think of a strategy for the Gym." Victor groaned a little, disappointed that he, who was "clearly better suited for the fight", wasn't chosen. Valerie gave him a punch to the arm, saying, "Isaac knows what he's doing. Besides, you'll get your chance to fight at the Gym." She frowned a bit, as if something was wrong, but quickly shook her head back to normal.
Isaac didn't like it when she frowned like that. It usually meant that something was troubling her, but she considered it to be not that important. The usual result was that she wouldn't talk about it, and eventually it would become a big problem. "You okay, Valerie?" asked Isaac.
Valerie nodded and said, "Yeah... I just suddenly felt really tired." She blinked a few times and shook her head back to normal again. Isaac had a feeling that wasn't the only problem, but he decided to not bother her about it for now. "Alright," said Isaac, "Just take it easy." Valerie leaned against a nearby boulder, frowning a little every few minutes. Isaac made a mental note to take her to the Center when they got back to Canalave City.
Riley returned, a look of determination in his eyes. Isaac smiled as he saw this. He could tell that it was going to be a tough battle, which excited him and made him more anxious to get it started. "Are you ready, Isaac?" asked Riley, as he took his place opposite Isaac on their battlefield. Isaac nodded, and with that, Staraptor moved in front of him, and the others got to a safer spot where they wouldn't be in the way. Riley sent out Metagross, and Lucario went off to the side of the battlefield. He raised a paw, preparing to start the fight. Lucario looked at Riley, then at Isaac. He then brought his arm down quickly.
"Begin!"
Isaac didn't give a command. He wanted Metagross to make the first move. Riley chuckled, saying, "Alright, I'll play along. Metagross, start it off with Bullet Punch!" Metagross leapt at Staraptor, an arm glowing as he approached. Isaac was quick in thinking of a plan, though. "Staraptor, use Quick Attack to evade!"
Staraptor took flight, and with great speed he dodged the punch just in time. Metagross had planned on this happening, and spun himself around with his psychic energy before he landed, slamming his attack into Staraptor's side. Staraptor recovered, and flew to a height where he thought that Metagross wouldn't be able to reach him.
Riley chuckled. "You can't get away just by flying higher. Metagross, use Psychic!" Staraptor was held in the air by the attack, then was sent plummeting toward the ground. He tried to break free of the hold, managing to spread his wings enough to slow his descent and soften the impact. He quickly got back up, and charged at Metagross.
"Alright," said Isaac, "It's time to try it out. Use Close..." He suddenly went wide-eyed, looking toward the water, then up at the sky. "Wait! Time out!"
Staraptor slowed down and landed a few feet from Metagross. Everyone looked in the direction Isaac was looking. Isaac clenched his hands into fists, as he said, "What could they want with this island?" Victor immediately got into his battle stance. "Team Galactic is on its way here?!" Isaac nodded in response. A helicopter was heading for the island, carrying a large, metal crate. Riley would ask Isaac how it was that he sensed their approach, but now was not the time. "Well, they're not getting on the island," he said, raising a hand to the helicopter, pointing his palm at it. A few sparks of blue flashed around his hand, and a small orb started to form.
Riley fired the orb before Isaac even had the chance to ask what it was or how he was even doing this, aiming to just knock the propellers out, not to destroy the helicopter. Just before the sphere would have hit, a barrier went up around the helicopter and the sphere exploded when it made contact with it. Riley cursed under his breath.
The helicopter prepared to drop the crate, and as soon as it was lined up and low enough, the locks released the crate, and it landed with a loud thud that shook the ground. One of the grunts poked his head out and looked down to make sure that the crate had landed right. The helicopter landed a short distance from it, and Team Galactic grunts hurriedly climbed out, unclipping pokéballs from their belts and sending out their Pokémon. A member of Team Galactic who appeared to be of a higher rank stepped out, and he told the grunts to stand down. The man then sent out a Rhyperior, which roared as it opened its eyes. Isaac stepped forward, and with an angry look asked, "What are you lot doing here?"
The man responded, "We've been sent to destroy you, as well as take control of this island."
Isaac closed his eyes and shook his head. "Figures." He opened them and glared at the man, saying, "If you leave now, then no harm shall befall you... stay, and I will FORCE you to leave." The man just stood there, laughing. "I'd like to see you try," he said.
Riley stepped forward, his hands glowing a little. He said as he took a fighting stance, "I'm going to fight too, Isaac." Isaac looks up at him and nods. "Just be careful, Riley." The man ordered his Rhyperior to attack, and the Rock type ran forward. Isaac tightened his focus and Riley started charging another of the orbs in his hand. The Rhyperior brought its arm back, preparing to punch, and Riley fired the orb when it was too close to evade, hitting it square in the chest. Rhyperior was sent skidding back, but remained on its feet, picking up a nearby boulder and throwing it at its two opponents. Isaac stood in front of Riley and threw his arms in front of himself. He caught the boulder, skidding back a few feet. Rhyperior's eyes widened a bit as Isaac threw it back at an even greater speed, and had to cross his arms in a defensive stance. The boulder shattered when it collided, and Rhyperior stumbled back a bit, and froze in fear as Riley already had another orb charged, this one larger than the previous.
Isaac looked toward the Rhyperior's trainer and said, "I offer this to you again: leave this island." The man was both angered and shocked by Isaac and Riley's power. "Rhyperior, use Hyper Beam!" the man ordered, and at once, the powerful Rock type charged the attack. He fired the beam once it reached full power. Amy was quick to react as she jumped in front of Isaac and Riley, and having stored up sunlight ahead of time, fired a Solarbeam at the Rhyperior's attack. It not only canceled the Hyper Beam out, but continued on and blasted Rhyperior.
Rhyperior fell to the ground, defeated. Isaac smiled and approached Amy, then knelt down and placed a hand on her back. "Thank you, Amy," he said to her, "I don't think that I would have been able to stop that one." Amy smiled and then went back with the rest of the group. Isaac glared at the member of Team Galactic. "This is your last warning. Leave now."
"Alright, enough of this! Let someone strong fight them."
Isaac looked up toward the source of the voice. There, on a hovering platform that was floating down to the ground, was a man. He wore black pants and a black coat that had a bright yellow "G" centered on his chest. His light brown hair was slicked back, and he was staring at Isaac with his red, disgust-filled eyes. He jumped down from the platform and started slowly walking toward Isaac, his gaze never shifting from him.
The member of higher rank shook in fear as this mystery person walked. "C...Commander Mercury?! Wh... What are you doing here?"
Mercury stopped in front of the man, not turning toward him as he spoke, "I'm in charge of this operation now... you are to stand down and wait for my orders." The man nodded and joined the grunts on the sidelines. Commander Mercury smirked at Isaac, saying, "I must admit... your strength is incredible." He cackled before he continued. "But you are not invincible... and I have a way to defeat you." Mercury then turned to one of the grunts.
"You! Bring out my creation..." he ordered.
The grunt replied, "B...But sir! Isn't your machine prone to-" He fell silent as Mercury was almost instantly in front of him with a knife at the grunt's throat.
Mercury was ticked. "Don't question me, fool! I'm not in the mood for explaining my reasons... So, just do as I say!"
Gulping, the grunt replied, "Y...Yes sir..." Mercury took the blade away from his throat and the grunt hurried to the large, metal crate that had been dropped on the island.
"Oh, no ya don't!" Riley yelled, firing another of his orbs at the grunt. Mercury dashed and caught the orb, then crushed it. He said angrily, "You fool! Do you want all of us to be killed?!" Isaac didn't like the sound of that... a machine that could kill them all if it was activated from the shockwave of a small explosion? And just thinking about what kind of damage could be done with someone from Team Galactic controlling it was enough to make Isaac shudder.
The grunt made it to the crate and entered the password on the keypad. The red, flashing light next to the keypad glowed a solid green, and the locks released. The roof of the crate slid back, and the sides folded down. Inside the crate was bizarre-looking machine. It appeared to be some kind of large battle suit, with a cockpit toward the top of it that was only big enough for one person. Mercury walked up to the machine, stopping once in front of it. He then gave the activation code and the cockpit opened. Mercury quickly jumped into it and the door closed as he sat down. The machine sprang to life as he took control of it. Mercury tested the machine's movements to make sure that everything was working properly.
Isaac and Riley watched as this strange machine took a fighting stance. Commander Mercury cackled at their horrified expressions and said, "Scared? You ought to be!" He laughed more and let go of the controls for a moment to crack his knuckles before grabbing them again and smirking at Isaac. "Tell you what, Isaac," said Mercury, "I'm so confident that my creation can defeat you... I'll give you one minute of free hits." He got a twisted smile on his face. "I won't attack you, and I won't defend... You have sixty seconds."
Isaac went wide-eyed and dashed at the machine with great speed. He jumped and threw a punch at the glass that stood between him and his twisted adversary, but to his surprise, the glass didn't even crack. Isaac pushed down on it to get above the cockpit and brought his leg down as hard as he could in a heel-drop, yet the glass still did not shatter. He jumped back, a look of fear on his face. Isaac turned to his team, and they needed no more encouragement to give him a hand. Valerie and Victor used Psychic on the machine to try to pull the it apart; Amy used Magical Leaf at the limbs; Empoleon fired a Hydro Pump at the cockpit, while Staraptor charged a Hyper Beam, preparing to fire it when Empoleon's attack ended.
The machine's durability was incredible, as it took everything that was thrown at it without getting a scratch. Riley stepped forward, charging another of the orbs. Lucario walked up next to him and started charging an Aura Sphere. At that moment, Empoleon's attack ended, and Staraptor fired the Hyper Beam to take its place, while Riley and Lucario fired their spheres as well.
Mercury just laughed as the onslaught of attacks seemed to have no effect. His machine started to glow, and he cackled. The machine, with a wave of its arm, canceled them out. "Time's up," said Mercury, a sneer on his face, "I'm going to enjoy this."
Isaac was shaking in fear, his fists clenching tighter, but stood his ground. His eyes widened as the machine dashed forward at a speed that rivaled his own, and he tightened his focus. The machine, however, changed its path and was presently making its way toward Isaac's team. "Leave them alone!" Isaac shouted as he ran after it. The machine was too quick, and got Amy in its grasp before turning and landing a punch on Isaac, sending him skidding along the ground. He stood up as he came to a stop, and sprung forward again, this time moving faster. The others stayed out of the machine's reach, but were attacking it with everything they had, trying to free Amy.
Mercury was smirking at their futile attempts to damage his creation, which began to glow again as the attacks hit. After the attacks stopped, Mercury's battle suit vanished, then reappeared a short distance behind Isaac's team. "How is it...so fast?" asked Victor. Mercury looked at the Gallade and explained, "My creation is unlike any other machine. You see... it is able to absorb the energy from Pokémon attacks. It then converts the energy into a usable form. This energy can then be used by the battle suit anytime the controller wishes, to increase its speed and strength." He cackled before adding, "To put it simply, by attacking this machine... you're making it stronger!"
Amy screamed in pain as the machine started to tighten its grip around her. Isaac ran at it again, yelling, "Let her go!" He felt a strange energy flowing through him as he neared Mercury's creation. In the rush of anger, he lost sense of what he was doing, Amy's cries of pain the only thing he could hear. Isaac leapt at the machine, landing on the arm that had Amy in its grasp, and Amy's screams became louder, as the pressure increased around her. Isaac panicked and tried to loosen the hold on her by pulling the machine's hand open, but it wouldn't budge. Tears rolled down his face as he used all his strength, trying to free Amy, but to no avail. Isaac's eyes widened as he heard a crack and Amy cry out again as she flinched.
Isaac was now consumed by rage, and with strength that he would never have thought possible, tore the machine's hand apart. He caught Amy and rushed her over to the others, handing her to Valerie without a word before turning back to Mercury's creation, looking directly at the commander with a cold expression. Mercury was furious, as he shouted, "You damaged my creation! How dare you?! Do you have any idea of how long it took me to get just one of these prototypes built?!" The machine picked up a rather large boulder with its other hand and threw it at the group. Isaac raised his arms up, preparing to catch it, and the boulder froze in the air, a dull, blue glow surrounding it. After a few seconds, the glow vanished, and the boulder fell to the ground. The glow surrounded Mercury's machine, and the sound of metal twisting and being pulled apart rang out.
The glass dome that protected Mercury cracked and shattered, and the commander had a look of fear. He leapt from the cockpit, landing on his feet and took a few steps back from his creation as it began to fall apart and finally explode. He crossed his arms in a defensive stance and was thrown back from the explosion, landing on his back with barely a scratch on him.
Isaac looked back to see the others staring at him in complete amazement. Isaac had to admit that he himself was confused as to what just happened, but this wasn't the time to think about it, as their attention snapped back to Mercury, who sent out his Torterra. The enraged commander glared at Isaac as he said, "My beautiful creation... destroyed... You're a dead man, Isaac... YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!!!"
Staraptor moved in front of Isaac, prepared for battle. Mercury nodded to his Torterra, who tightened his focus as he watched Staraptor. "Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" Isaac told Staraptor, and the determined Flying type took off at Torterra, wings glowing. Torterra made no effort to counter, defend, or dodge, instead just allowing himself to be hit by the attack. The second he was hit, however, the spikes on his shell started glowing a dull red. Isaac had never seen an attack that charged like that. He called Staraptor back to him, being cautious of the strange technique. He didn't give another command, as he was both scared and intrigued at what would happen when the attack was fully charged.
Mercury got a twisted smile on his face as he sent out an Absol, which immediately got into its battle stance, growling at Isaac and Staraptor. "What's the matter, Isaac?" Mercury taunted, "Frightened by Torterra's technique?" He laughed at Isaac before he finished, "If you won't attack him... then I guess Absol here will have to!" Absol prepared to use Razor Wind, while Torterra's spikes were glowing brighter. Before Isaac could give another command, however, the attack was fully charged, and Absol launched it at Torterra.
"Wh... what are you doing?!" Isaac asked the cruel commander. He couldn't believe that there was a person that would have their own Pokémon attack each other during a battle. Torterra's spikes were now glowing white, and it opened its mouth to start collecting energy in it. His mouth began to glow as the energy built up. "Now, Torterra!" Mercury ordered, "Ring of Suns!"
"What?!" Isaac was alarmed and confused. He had a bad feeling about this...
Torterra fired the attack rapidly in short bursts, creating fifteen basketball-sized spheres of energy that surrounded Isaac and Staraptor in a circle. "Don't make any sudden movements," Mercury said with a sneer, raising his hand up, ready to snap his fingers. Isaac and Staraptor stood still, and Isaac looked back at the others, telling them to stay put. He looked at Mercury again with an expression of anger.
Mercury smirked before giving his explanation. "By combining Solarbeam with energy from an opponent's attack, Torterra is able to create the orbs you see before you. Then, by adding energy from his own lifeforce, he is able to control them."
"But how?" Isaac had to know how Mercury had developed such a horrible technique. "How did you discover this?" He was also trying to stall so that he could think of a plan.
"This technique is the result of months of experimentation on him, combined with countless hours of training and calculations... none of which a mind as dull as yours would be able to understand," said Mercury, "Now, it's time for you to die, Isaac... Shame you had to stand against team Galactic." Isaac looked back at his team, and then to Riley and Lucario. He shook his head, telling them, without words, not to intervene... he had a plan.
Mercury, however, saw this as the time to strike, and he snapped his fingers. The spheres flew at Isaac and Staraptor, closing in fast. Isaac closed his eyes, as he realized that it was too late to do anything, and waited for what was sure to happen a split second later...
The spheres were suddenly deflected toward the sky, and exploded after traveling 100 feet up. Isaac quickly opened his eyes to see what the reason was, but found nothing. He looked at Staraptor, who shook his head to say that it wasn't him. He looked at Torterra and Absol in time to see them collapse. Mercury had a slight look of fear, obviously just as confused as Isaac. Isaac put this bizarre occurrence out of his mind and said, "Now... Mercury was it?... I suggest that you and your 'friends' leave this island, quickly." Mercury withdrew his Pokémon and looked at Isaac angrily as he walked back to the platform.
"Mark my words," he grumbled as he stood on the platform, "I will create a new machine." He noticed that Isaac had gotten cut on his arm from one of the shards of glass that flew off when the battle suit was destroyed... but the fact that it was bleeding is what interested Mercury. "And it will be stronger then the prototype." By this point, Mercury was the only member of Team Galactic left on the island. "And... I must thank you, Isaac," he said as he reached into his coat, grabbing a small vial.
Isaac frowned. "For what?"
Before Isaac had time to react, Mercury dashed forward and collected a bit of blood from him in the small vial, then ran back to the platform. "For your contribution to my research," said the commander as he laughed and hit a button on the panel in front of him. The platform teleported Mercury away. Isaac was turning to look at the rest of the group again, when something caught his attention.
At the highest point on the island was a hooded figure, looking down at him. The figure was too far away for Isaac to get a good look at his face, and vanished a split second after he had been spotted. Riley followed Isaac's gaze and asked, "What's up there, Isaac?"
Isaac shook his head. "Nothing." He didn't want to be questioned, so he quickly changed the subject. "So Riley, when should we resume our battle?"
Riley smiled and said, "Actually, Isaac... we won't be finishing our battle."
Isaac and his team stared in disbelief. "Why are we not going to finish?" asked Isaac. Lucario got the same smile that Riley had on his face as he answered, "Because we can tell that you are more than ready to take on Byron... and also the fact that the training is not what we actually do." Isaac was very confused now. Riley explained, "We were testing you... to see if you were the right person to take care of," he pulled out the case containing the Pokémon egg, "this egg."
Isaac got a little angry at that, but it didn't show on his face. "I am sorry for tricking you, Isaac," Riley continued, "If it helps, I wasn't lying to you with those battle tips." Isaac had to be sure, and looked back at Valerie, who nodded and was observing Riley's mind, which told Isaac that he was indeed telling the truth. Looking back to Riley again, he asked, "Well... do you think I'm the right person to take care of the egg?" Isaac walked over to his bag and stopped, staring at his medical supplies... or what was left of it. Most of it had been destroyed during the fight with Mercury. Isaac looked back at Amy, who was trying to be as still as possible, her injuries quite painful. He had to get her to the Pokémon Center soon, but the boat that would take the group back to Canalave City had not arrived yet.
Isaac walked over to Valerie and told her to take Amy and the others to the Center, and to have Nurse Joy help Amy. "Wait for me there afterward," Isaac finished. Valerie nodded, and the rest of Isaac's team gathered around her before being teleported away.
Isaac turned to look at Riley again. "So... am I the right person?"
Riley nodded in his response, "I don't have a doubt in my mind that you are the person we've been looking for." Isaac smiled back, "Then I'd be more than happy to take care of the egg, and the Pokémon inside once it hatches." Riley handed him the case before saying, "That egg was given to me by a good friend of mine, who asked that I find 'a trainer, pure of heart' to take care of the egg."
Isaac looked at the egg more closely. The majority of its surface was a light blue color, a black stripe around the middle. Isaac's eyes widened a little as the egg moved slightly... not a lot, but still noticeable. It was as if the Pokémon inside was responding to his presence. "How long have you had this egg for, Riley?" Isaac asked. Riley thought for a moment. "About two months," he replied.
"So, it's close to hatching," Isaac said, watching the egg subtly move and occasionally give a tiny jump that was barely noticeable. He smiled, wondering what Pokémon was contained within the shell.
The boat arrived at the dock, and the captain stepped out. Isaac saw this and looked to Riley. "Thank you for the training, Riley," he said, "It's too bad we didn't get to finish our battle, though." Riley chuckled, saying, "I'm sure we will meet again someday. When that day comes, I want you to show me how strong you've become." Isaac smiled and nodded, then he went down to the dock and boarded. He turned around and waved to Riley as the boat started back for Canalave City.
As the boat fell out of sight, Lucario turned to look at Riley. "Do you think," he began, "that we should have..."
Riley shook his head. "Some things... are best left unsaid. Now we can guarantee that little Pokémon will live a happy life... not 342-9X's..."Chapter End Notes:Now, wasn't that actiony?
Who is this mysterious new character? When will the egg hatch? Is Amy going to be alright? Stay tuned to find out..