Dr. Namba sat in his chair, smiling as he stared at the screen. In his hand, he held the Sea Spirit Gem from Maya's staff, spinning it slowly between his fingers. With this, he could set his plans in motion.
From the door, Butch and Cassidy ran in and saluted "Sir, we've been monitoring. It seems some trainers are fighting the robotic Cloyster and Tentacruel, along with the grunts positioned around the island."
Namba didn't look worried. He rolled the orb in his hand, "Is Wallace still not fighting?"
"Yes. The monitor you planted on him shows he hasn't touched any Poké Balls," Cassidy confirmed.
"Then what's the problem?" Namba asked casually. "My inventions, Dr. Namba No. 4 and 3, will take care of them. And Dr. Namba No. 5 is here in the base."
Butch blinked at his indifference but shook his head, "Well, that's not all. We saw some of our grunts in the submarine taken down. It seems the girls escaped and they're fighting back."
Namba simply looked at them, "Then take care of them," he said, tossing two Rage Crowns at them, "You can use those. They'll give your Pokémon a boost in strength."
Butch and Cassidy nodded as they took the Rage Crowns and turned to leave, "It shall be done, Dr. Simba."
"It's Namba!" Dr. Namba yelled as Butch and Cassidy ran out of the room. He sighed, then sat back in his chair, gazing at the gem and smiling.
"Well, at least everything is going according to plan. Lugia is at its weakest. This will be our best chance to take it." Then he smiled and turned his chair around to face a cage in the room, "Don't you agree? This is all thanks to you~"
Inside the cage was a small white creature, Silver, the baby Lugia, already captured and held. It looked at Namba and whimpered, "Ggggiii…"
Silver flapped its tiny wings, trying to resist, but the energy-draining field around the cage shimmered ominously. Every movement sapped its strength. The baby Lugia let out another weak cry, "Giiiii…"
Namba stood and slowly approached the cage, crouching to eye level with the legendary Pokémon, "You're still young... still unaware of your true potential," he murmured. "But that's what makes you useful. No resistance. No rebellion. Just raw, untamed energylready to be extracted."
"But not yet. After all, with you and this gem, we hold the keys to reunite you with your parent very soon. But until then, maybe we should have some fun. I've been looking forward to seeing how legendary Pokémon react to my inventions."
He turned to a table and pressed a button. Mechanical arms extended from the sides, grabbing Baby Lugia and holding it down. Namba approached with a cruel smirk, holding up a needle.
"Let's take some blood for testing… and finally answer the age-old question, do legendaries bleed~?"
Baby Lugia could only cry as Namba drew closer.
—
Meanwhile, above water...
Explosions rocked the docks as bolts of energy lit up the sky. The Cloyster and Tentacruel mechs loomed over everything, firing Hydro Cannons and Toxin Beams at anything that moved.
And not only that, there were Team Rocket members battling against trainers and police officers. Each of them wore strange crowns that made their Pokémon furious, increasing their power and aggression.
That wasn't even mentioning the destruction caused by the robots, or the fate of those caught in the blast range.
"Get back!" Officer Jenny shouted, dragging a wounded ranger behind cover as another blast sent concrete shrapnel flying, "Keep them away from the crowd!"
Trainers were already rallying, at least those who hadn't fled immediately. They were trying to fight back, but things looked grim. The strongest fighters were likely still underwater, and Wallace wasn't able to call out his Pokémon.
Not to mention Daisy, Lily, and Violet didn't come here to battle or do anything like that, so they hadn't brought any Pokémon. That left only Yellow and Brock as the ones who could stand against the robots.
"Daisy! You and your sisters, get the civilians to the west exit and hide there too!" Brock barked as he threw out his Golem, Steelix, and Crobat. The Pokémon leapt forward, joining the battle.
"Don't have to tell us twice!" Daisy squeaked, yanking Lily and Violet after her, "C'mon, girls glam sprint!"
Yellow was kneeling beside a dazed child, helping him to his feet as Chuchu kept watch, "It's okay… you're safe now. Go with them," she whispered, gently pushing the boy toward the retreating crowd.
Chuchu sparked beside her, "Chu…"
"I know," Yellow said, narrowing her eyes. She turned to Brock, "Ash told us to handle it. So we handle it."
Brock nodded grimly, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Well…" Yellow scratched her cheek nervously. "Probably not, because I'm thinking about running away. But if I've learned anything, then…" She reached for her Poké Ball belt and pulled out two more Poké Balls, "We have no choice, do we?"
Brock nodded, "Everyone else is handling the Team Rocket members. We'll deal with the robots, and hope Ash gets out of there soon."
Yellow took a breath and nodded as she released Dody the Dodrio and Gravvy the Golem.
Her hands trembled slightly as she faced the towering Cloyster mech, its metallic shell gleaming with an unnatural sheen. The mechanized beast hissed steam as it retracted its cannon barrels and rotated to aim squarely at her.
"Gravvy, [Dig]! Dody, use [Double Team]!" Yellow shouted.
Gravvy slammed into the ground and vanished below while Dody blurred into motion, creating multiple clones that raced alongside him as he charged forward.
The robot fired, a torrent of high-pressure water tore through the clones, shredding them, but the real Dody darted onward, unharmed.
Brock wasn't idle either, "Steelix, [Stone Edge]! Golem, protect the civilians! Crobat, keep the Tentacruel robot distracted!"
Steelix slammed his tail onto the ground, sending jagged rocks flying toward the Tentacruel mech as Crobat zipped through the air, covering its sensors.
Meanwhile, Dody finally got close and leapt into the air.
"Now, please use [Jump Kick]!" Yellow called. "And Chuchu, quick, [Thunderbolt]!"
Dody flipped midair and delivered a flying kick into the Cloyster robot's side, actually denting its metal body,
At the same time, Chuchu rubbed her cheeks and unleashed a surge of electricity. Since the mechs had emerged from the ocean, water still clung to their surfaces, and the blast enveloped them both in a burst of bright yellow light.
The machines reeled and short-circuited for a moment. Then, they stood back up, their robotic eyes glowing ominously.
"Oh… this isn't going to be fun…" Brock said dryly as he braced for the next round.
—-
Meanwhile, still on the observation stand, Wallace was watching everything unfold. He clenched his fists, he was stuck. He still couldn't do anything, But he wouldn't let that stop him.
If he couldn't fight, he could at least provide support.
And if he couldn't use his own Poké Balls… no one said anything about using others' After all, as a Champion, strong Pokémon are only half the trainer.
He scanned the battlefield and saw trainers struggling against Rocket grunts, He smiled, then leapt off the tower to join them.
—-
Misty, Nessa, and Maya were sprinting through the submarine, their main goal clear: retrieve Maya's Sea Spirit Gem.
Misty and Nessa didn't fully understand its importance, but Maya was adamant. If they didn't get it back, something terrible was going to happen.
As they turned a corner, they skidded to a stop, two Team Rocket members blocked their path.
One had yellow hair, the other green, Butch and Cassidy.
"Well, well," Cassidy sneered, arms crossed, "If it isn't Cerulean's little mermaid and Galar's poster girl. And look, Maya, the Priestess of nothing."
Butch cracked his knuckles, "You ladies took a wrong turn. This is a restricted area."
Maya instinctively stepped back, but Misty and Nessa moved in front of her without hesitation.
"Move," Misty growled, her eyes flashing. "We're not here to play games, Footch."
"IT'S BUTCH!" Butch shouted, clenching his shaky fist.
"Yeah, whatever you say, Hooch. We don't have time," Nessa added.
Butch bit his own fist in frustration, but Cassidy ignored him.
"That's cute," Cassidy said, pulling a Poké Ball from her belt. "Unfortunately for you, we are."
Nessa reached for her belt, "You really want to do this in a metal tube under thousands of feet of water?"
"I like those odds," Butch grinned. "You act like every member of Team Rocket doesn't have a way to get out of here. If this 'meral tube' breaks, you're the only ones in trouble."
Maya's grip tightened on her satchel, "We don't have time," she whispered, her voice trembling. "If they delay us too long—"
"You're not getting to the Sea Spirit Gem," Cassidy snapped, having overheard. "I have no idea what Namba wants with it, but you're not getting it."
"Fine. I guess we're doing this the hard way," Misty said, holding up a Poké Ball.
"Fine by me," Cassidy smiled.
"Go, Starmie!"
"Drednaw!"
"Sableye!"
"Mightyena!"
As Butch and Cassidy's Sableye and Mightyena emerged, the girls noticed they were wearing strange headbands, but there wasn't time to question it. The battle was on.
—
Underwater…
Ash swam with a rebreather on, holding tightly to Vee, who was in his Vaporeon form.
Vee pulled him swiftly through the ocean currents while Ash focused, searching for Misty's Aura, the one he was most familiar with, to locate the submarine.
He found it.
Ash sent a telepathic message to Vee's mind, "[Go deeper and travel northeast.]"
Vee nodded, "[Alright, count on me,]" he replied, speeding up and following Ash's guidance.
They swam toward the distant outline of the submarine, until Ash suddenly sensed something.
A presence, or rather, the absence of one.
His eyes widened, "[Dodge to the left!]" he ordered.
Vee swerved, just in time. A massive shadow tore past them.
It was the Robotic Lugia, gliding like a metal nightmare through the water, Its glowing red eyes locked onto them, and the words Dr. Namba No. 5 were engraved on its armored neck.
Ash narrowed his eyes. Vee looked ready to fight, but Ash raised a hand to stop him.
Instead, he grabbed two Poké Balls from his belt and hurled them forward.
Out came Blastoise and Gyarados, both veterans of countless battles. They immediately sized up the situation and smirked.
Ash sent another message, loud and clear, "[Take care of it, and don't hold back. It's a robot, so rip its head off.]"
Blastoise and Gyarados grinned wickedly.
They shot toward the Robotic Lugia, water churning violently in their wake, Blastoise latched onto its arms, locking them down, while Gyarados coiled his massive body around it and bit hard into its shoulder, dragging the machine deeper into the abyss.
While Blastoise and Gyarados fought deep in the water, Ash and Vee made it to the submarine's exterior. There was no obvious entrance, so they went with the next best thing.
Ash focused his Aura into his arms, muscles tensing with blue light before he punched straight through the metal, tearing a hole open in the sub's hull. He crashed inside with Vee right behind him.
Inside, a random grunt holding a tray of sandwiches turned just in time to see Ash land, and got immediately kicked across the hallway, slamming into the wall and dropping like a rock.
Water began rushing in through the breach, but Ash calmly snapped his fingers, "[Ice Beam]."
Vee turned and fired a cold blast, sealing the hole shut with thick ice. The flow stopped instantly. Ash adjusted his gloves and looked around.
Pikachu popped out of his Poké Ball with a shiver, hopping right back onto Ash's shoulder, clearly not thrilled to have been inside in the first place.
A squad of grunts down the corridor spotted them and immediately dropped into fighting stances.
Ash didn't even blink. He just picked up the dropped sandwiches, "Pikachu, deal with it."
Pikachu grinned, leapt forward mid-flip, and unleashed a scorching [Thunderbolt]. The corridor lit up in yellow light, and the entire sub shook from the impact. The grunts crumpled, unconscious, before any of them could reach for a Poké Ball.
—
Elsewhere in the submarine…
Misty and Nessa were still locked in battle with Butch and Cassidy, and it was not going well.
Whatever those strange headbands on Sableye and Mightyena were, they made the Pokémon faster, stronger, and more ruthless. The way they moved, erratic and savage, was unnatural.
"They're too aggressive," Nessa muttered, ducking behind Drednaw as a wave of dark energy from [Snarl] swept past.
"They're sloppy too," Misty said, narrowing her eyes. "Let's turn that against them."
Starmie spun rapidly, launching glowing [Swift] stars in all directions. At the same time, Drednaw lunged with [Jaw Lock], trying to clamp down on Sableye, but the ghost slipped away, cackling as it flickered through the shadows.
Mightyena followed with [Crunch], but Starmie evaded, barely, but at the same time a flash of [Confuse Ray] danced through the hallway, and Starmie faltered, hitting itself against the floor
"They're playing dirty," Nessa said.
"I've seen worse." Misty cracked her neck. "Force them into the corner. I'll cover you."
Nessa nodded. "Drednaw, [Rock Tomb]! Cut off their retreat!"
With a crash of stone and splintering steel, Drednaw bit into the submarine's wall. The collapsing metal and rubble narrowed the corridor, boxing in Butch and Cassidy.
Starmie zoomed through the falling debris, casting [Light Screen] just in time to block another [Snarl].
Cassidy frowned. "You're not half bad."
"Too bad we're better," Misty fired back.
"Mightyena, [Crunch]!" Butch snapped.
The dark-type lunged again, but this time it was blindsided by a sudden [Hydro Pump]. The blast sent it crashing into a wall, howling.
Misty smirked. "Never forget who's got the range."
Despite their differences in style, Misty's calculated tempo and Nessa's direct force, their unintentional rhythm was starting to click. The chaos actually worked in their favor, making them unpredictable.
"Starmie, [Rapid Spin]! Aim for the ceiling!"
Starmie launched upward in a blur, slamming into exposed piping overhead. A hiss of steam erupted, shrouding the hallway in a fog that cut Cassidy's line of sight.
"Drednaw, [Rock Tomb] again, box in Mightyena!" Nessa yelled through the mist.
Drednaw slammed the floor, forcing jagged rocks to rise and trap the dark-type even tighter.
Chunks of metal flooring and panels wrenched upward around Butch's Pokémon, trapping it.
"You think fog and rocks are gonna stop us? Mightyena, [Shadow Fang]!" Butch barked.
But even in the chaos, Misty and Nessa didn't falter.
"[Hydro Pump], now!" Misty shouted.
Starmie unleashed a blast of water that caught Sableye mid-lunge, slamming it hard into the wall.
"Drednaw, [Iron Defense] and brace!" Nessa commanded.
Mightyena's shadowy fangs struck, but Drednaw's fortified shell held strong, it barely flinched.
Cassidy snarled, "You're stalling!"
"We're winning," Nessa corrected with a grin. "Now, [Jaw Lock]!"
Drednaw snapped forward, sinking its jaws into Mightyena's head and thrashing it violently. Mightyena struggled, howling, but couldn't break free. After several seconds, Drednaw spat it out, and clattering next to it was the broken, chewed-up headband.
Before Butch or Cassidy could react, Misty called, "[Confuse Ray]!"
But she wasn't aiming at Sableye. She aimed directly at the remaining headband.
The swirling ray of ghostly energy struck, and sparks burst from the device, it shorted out, glowed for a second, and then fell off entirely with a sharp clink.
Butch and Cassidy stood frozen, blinking in shock.
Misty cracked her knuckles with a smirk. "So… what was that about stopping us? You want to keep going? Because we're more than happy to indulge~"
—-
Meanwhile…
Dr. Namba sat in his lab, eyes glinting behind his glasses as he stared at the data readouts. Silver, the baby Lugia, was strapped to a metal table, squirming and crying out, terrified.
"Fascinating," Namba muttered, adjusting a dial. "If I can use this... yes... that could work."
He rolled across the floor in his chair to the control panel and glanced at Silver. A sinister smile curled his lips.
"Don't worry. For what it's worth, you'll have your parent soon. But first, I want to see what happens when this is introduced to your physiology. It's for the sake of humanity, after all. You Pokémon exist to serve us."
Just then, the door creaked open. A man stepped in, wearing a service hat and holding a tray of sandwiches.
"Your sandwiches, sir," the figure said calmly, waking up beside him.
Without even looking, Dr. Namba grabbed one. "Good. Don't expect a tip. I'm busy, so leave."
He reached for a red button on the console.
"Oh, well in that case," the delivery man said, smiling faintly, "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
With a sudden movement, he flipped the tray and smashed it into Namba's face.
The scientist staggered back, clutching his nose. "Why, you! How dare you! Who are you?!"
The figure tossed the tray aside and pulled off the cap. It was Ash.
He stepped forward, "That's none of your business. Now, are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?"
"You—!" Namba growled.
But before he could finish, Ash drove a swift kick into his stomach, folding him over.
Ash grabbed him by the collar and yanked him upright. "Since you won't play nice... I'll just make you spit out what you've already eaten."
Then he brought his foot down in a brutal axe kick, slamming it onto the back of Namba's head and driving him to the ground with a sickening crack.
Namba coughed, dazed, eyes fluttering.
Ash crouched down, grabbing the back of his head and forcing him to look up.
"I'm not done with you," Ash said coldly. "You want to have fun? Let's have all the fun you want, together."