//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Pokemon the Movie: Total Eclixie the Heart // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// In a dark unknown place, a figure sat on a large throne, his eyes staring at a bunch of large computer screens. On them were series of numbers and blueprints, which were all being focused on. That is, till a beeping sound went off, causing him to press a button in his chair. "Report." he said as the screens now showed the three teens that had been chasing the girl, their Pokémon partners standing in the corner at the same time. "Forest here," the green haired teen replied. "Pyron, checking in." the redheaded teen said next with crossed arms. "Cecelia, reporting for duty." the blue haired girl finished. The figure sighed at this. "For your sake, you'd better have good news for me." In response, the three teens all gulped as Forest started, "Well...we were able to track Sunset down." "And?" "We had her, but uh...something happened with the target." Pyron added as he slightly looked away. "We believe the energy build-up you were talking about has started happening," Cecelia told him next. "Sunset's bag began to glow before unleashing a blast of energy, which knocked us all unconscious." Forest nodded at this. "When we came too, Sunset and the target were gone." The figure sighed at this before turning to another computer, his fingers typing in a rapid fury. "Of course they were. No matter. If the energy is building, then it will soon hatch. We're running out of time." "We will get it back sir. Please, just give us another chance." The figure let out a low growl, "You better get it back!" the figure then glared back at the screens, "You three are lucky that the egg's energy is very distinctive and easy to pick up! Are you at the location the energy blast occurred?!" "We are," Cecelia replied, nodding. "Then I'll lock in on your location and scan for the energy, which should allow me to pick up the trail." He turned back to the computer, a ping soon happening. "Got it. It seems to be leading to a city several miles away." "Send us the coordinates," Forest told him. "Just follow the river you're beside right now. I'll send you the Z.Z Flyers to get you there quicker. Once you've arrived, use your Gauntlets to track the energy readings." "Right. We won't let you down sir." The figure's eyes narrowed at this, only to slam down his fist with a loud bang. "You better not! If you know what's good for you, you'll get me that Pokémon!" The figure told the three on screen. With that, he switched off the computers and phased into the darkness. Forest, Pyron and Cecelia all sighed as the screens on their wrist mounted devices went dead. "Come on," Forest told the other two as they and their Pokémon began to head towards the city. "We can't afford to let her get away." "Yeah...the boss can be scary when he's angry." Pyron added, "If we don't get her soon, who knows what he'll do to us." Cecelia shook her head at this, "She got the drop on us last time, but she won't do it again. We'll find her, subdue her and take back what's ours." "Then let's get going," Forest said before looking up at the sky and smiling. "Perfect timing." Pyron and Cecelia glanced up and also smiled, all now seeing three strange objects, one green, one red and one blue, fly up to them. They appeared to resemble flying saucers, as they were large metal disks with a round top. The objects slowly descended in front of the trio, which they all tapped their Gauntlets, causing the saucers to beep before transforming. The rounded tops opened up, allowing a pair of ski pole like devices to fold out. The three then returned their Pokémon before climbing onto the disks, all on their matching colors as they grabbed the handles. They switched them on and the devices buzzed to life before slowly lifting them up into the air. "Let's go!" "Here we come Sunset," Cecelia added. "Hope you're not too banged up after last night," Pyron finished, only for Forest to snap his fingers. "That's right!" "What's up?" Cecelia asked. "She would have likely been hit by that blast at point blank range, meaning she was hit just as hard as us." "So?" "So how did she get all the way to the city on her own, while likely being injured?" Forest asked back. A click went off in Cecelia's brain. "She couldn't have, unless she had help!" "Exactly! That means we should also assume that whoever helped her will likely get in our way. It's also possible that Sunset doesn't have the target at all, and someone else found her and took it from her." "Which situation is better for us?" Pyron asked. Cecelia shook her head at this, "It doesn't matter. Either way, we just have to get the target and blow away anyone who gets in our way!" Pyron smirked at that. "Aw yeah, I'm totally up for that! Whoever's got that egg better hope they get rid of it before we arrive! Heh...nobody's stopping us from getting our hands on it! NOBODY!" "Achoo!" Flash sneezed, sniffing his nose before rubbing it against his sleeve. "Classy," Twilight grumbled as she sat next to him. "Sorry, couldn't help it." Doc chuckled at this, "You know what they say about sneezing. Somebody must be talking about you." "Eh, its probably that guy I beat earlier," Flash replied as he put his arms around his head. "I bet he's telling his friends about how awesome I am." "Sure, that's likely it." Spike commented as he played with Peewee. "Smart aleck," Flash grumbled as he sat back in his chair and looked around the room for what felt like the hundredth time. After arriving in the large city they were in, they had quickly found the nearest hospital and had deposited their mysterious new travelling companion into their care. Now they were in the waiting room, waiting to hear whether or not she would be okay. Twilight was reading one of the magazines they had while the bag she had taken from the girl rested by her feet. Doc was also reading a magazine, a mechanic's one, while Spike was sitting on the floor scratching Peewee's belly. Springe was also here, though he was in the corner playing connect four against himself. Flash then let out a sigh, "Aw man, how long's it gonna take?" "We have to be patient Flash. These things take time." Twilight replied as she flipped another page. "Time? How much time?" "Excuse me?" They all turned to see the nurse that had gone into the ER with the girl. "And that would be the prefect amount of time," Flash remarked as he stood up and moved over to her. "What can you tell us?" "Your friend's gonna be okay. She's got a few scrapes and a bump on the head, but the biggest issue is the amount of fatigue she appears to be experiencing. A few day's rest and she'll be perfectly fine." "That's good," Twilight said before looking down at the bag. "Do you mind if we see her? I'd like to give her this bag back." "Of course," the nurse replied before motioning them to follow. As they walked behind her, they passed by a window and suddenly heard something. Spike then moved over to the window and looked outside, soon spotting a bunch of people littering the streets, all of them carrying banners and pushing carts around. "What's going on?" He asked as the others looked out the window as well. The nurse just giggled at this. "Obviously you're not aware of the Eclipse Festival." "Eclipse Festival?" She nodded at this. "Yes. Its a special festival the city's holding in honor of the solar eclipse that's taking place this Saturday." "Solar eclipse?" Spike asked while tilting his head. "Isn't that when the sun blocks out the moon?" Flash also asked. "Moon blocks the sun," Doc corrected him. "Right, yeah...so there's a festival happening for it?" "Yes. It'll be a big celebration, followed by a watching event in the town square." "Sounds like fun. Maybe we can stick around and watch it?" Spike asked as he turned to his sister. "I don't mind," Twilight replied before turning to the others. "How about you all?" "I'm up for it." Flash remarked with a smile. "Sound intriguing. I would love to see the eclipse." Doc commented while nodding. "I'm glad you'll be going. Now, should we go see your friend?" the nurse asked, getting three nods in return. As Sunset began to come to, the first thing she felt was a throbbing headache. She let out a moan as her eyes began to open, only to slam shut when the light above her burned her retinas. "Ohhh...." she moaned as she sat up and reopened her eyes. Soon rubbing them, she blinked at the now white ceiling above her, "What is-where am I?" She slowly tried to get up, her eyes glancing around. She then noticed her jacket on a nearby chair before rubbing her head in pain, "Ohhh...how did I get here?" Her head started to look back into her memories, only for her brain to click, "Oh no! My bag!" she looked back at the chair, which she noticed didn't have her bag. She started to glance around, starting to hyperventilate as she tried to find the bag, "Where is it?! Where's my bag?!" Her panic only stopped when she heard the sound of a door opening. "Oh, you're awake." She spun around and saw a group of people enter the room, one of which was holding her bag. Sunset's eyes narrowed as she leapt out of bed, "THIEF! Give me back my bag!" She ran towards the girl, only for the blue haired boy to jump in front of her. He quickly grabbed Sunset around the waist and pulled her away from the girl, his grip too strong for her to break. "Stop that! Let go and give me my bag!" "Hey!" He called out, "We weren't trying to steal your bag." "Then why do you have it?!" Sunset asked as she struggled. "Give it back now!" Twilight shook her head at this, "We found you with it. I was keeping it safe until you woke up." "Well I'm awake now, so hand it over!" "Hey!" The youngest of the group yelled as he pointed at her, "We saved you! If it wasn't for us, you'd be floating down a river somewhere and in way worse shape than you are now!" The oldest of the males nodded at this. "He's correct. So how about a little appreciation?" Sunset glared at the two teens, then at the one holding her before sighing as she stopped struggling. And as the teen let her go, she moaned, "I'm sorry for lashing out, and I am thankful for what you did." She held out her hands, "but can I please have my bag back?" The girl nodded before giving it back, Sunset quickly grabbing it and peeking inside. She then breathed a sigh of relief as she zipped the bag back up a second later. "What's in there that's so important?" The youngest teen asked. The girl nudged him, "That's none of our concern. She doesn't have to tell us if she doesn't want to." "And I really don't want to," Sunset grumbled as she put the bag on her side. The blue haired teen shrugged at this, "Eh, that's okay then. My name's Flash by the way, Flash Sentry." "I'm Twilight Sparkle," the girl said before tapping the youngest on the shoulder. "This is my brother." "Spike's the name." "And I'm Doc." Flash then knelt down and patted the Riolu next to him on the head. "And this is my partner, Springer. "Riolu!" "And Peewee." "Terra!" "I'm Sunset Shimmer," she replied as the nurse then stepped up to her. She then began to push her towards the bed, forcing her to sit down. "Now you stay here and rest. I have a few more tests to run now that you're awake." Sunset shook her head at this. "Oh, you don't need to do that. I actually need to be going now." "Absolutely not!" the nurse harshly shrieked, pointing at Sunset. "You're staying right there until we decide you're good to go!" "And how long will that take?!" Sunset barked back. "As long as it needs to," she replied, crossing her arms. "You were in bad shape when they found you young lady. You are in no condition to go anywhere!" Sunset sighed at this, only for her eyes to go wide as another thought entered her head. "Wait...what day is it?!" "Monday. Why?" Doc asked. She breathed a sigh of relief. "So I still have five days left..." "Left until what?" Spike asked next, only to snap his fingers, "Oh wait, you're talking about the eclipse thing, aren't you?" "Yes, I am." "You thinking of going to the festival?" "Festival?" Sunset asked, tilting her head at the question. "That's enough questions," the nurse said before turning to the others. "I'm going to have to ask you all to leave her be for now." She then glanced at Sunset. "I'll be back in a moment and we can start doing those tests." "Right...okay." Sunset replied as she watched them leave the room. As they did this, Flash spoke up, "So...what do you guys think?" "She's hiding something," Doc replied, rubbing his chin in thought. "The question is 'what'?" "And why was she so protective about her bag?" Twilight added. "Maybe if you had let us look inside, we would-OW!" Spike yelped as Twilight flicked his ear. She glared down at him. "I told you Spike, its rude to look in other people's bags." Flash then knelt down next to Springer, "Did you manage to get a good sense of her aura?" "Ri," Springer nodded. "So, what did you feel?" "Ri, Riolu, Rio." Flash hummed at this, "Fear and annoyance?" Doc nodded at this. "The annoyance is probably because she's stuck here, but what could she be scared about?" "Maybe she's scared we're gonna find out what she's up to and hand her over to Officer Hard Case?" Spike guessed. "Now let's not jump to those kind of conclusions," Twilight replied as she tapped her foot. "Just because we don't know anything about her doesn't mean we should suspect her of anything. She hasn't done anything truly suspicious, or-" But before she could say another word, a loud banging sound suddenly rang out. Noticing it was coming from Sunset's room, the group all looked at each other before turning to and making their way to the door. Flash then went inside, only to find the room empty, "What the heck?!" "Where'd she go?" Spike asked next. "The window!" Doc pointed at it, the viewpoint now open. "But we're three stories up," Twilight commented as the group went over to it, only to look down as see Sunset shimmying down a drain pipe and landing on the ground below. The girl then looked up at the window, staring at them before rushing off. Spike turned to Twilight with a smirk. "That suspicious enough for you?" Twilight rolled her eyes as Flash pulled out a Pokeball before tossing it into the air, releasing his Chickling, Skyler. "Chick?" Flash pointed at the fleeing Sunset, "Skyler, follow her!" "Chickling!" Skyler screeched before shooting off towards the direction he was shown. "Come on, let's follow her!" Flash yelled as he ran out of the room, the others soon following. Sunset ran through the streets as fast as she could, clutching her bag tightly as she whimpered, "Have to get away....have to keep moving! I just hope its not too late." But it seemed that the universe was against the girl this day, as in that second, a fireball shot out of nowhere and struck a festival stall she was running by. KABOOM! She barely managed to stop herself from being blasted off her feet as the stall exploded. And as she looked up at where the fireball had come from, she spotted the source, "Pyron." The redheaded teen smirked as he hovered above the girl, his Vipeacon coiled around his body as its tail end started to fume smoke. "Nice to see you again Sunset. I see you managed to keep the egg safe for us." Sunset glared as she held the bag closer to her chest, "I didn't keep it safe for you." "Now, now," Sunset turned to see Cecelia flying right behind her, her Reptidal standing on a roof next to her, "Let's all be civilized about this. Just give us what we want, and we'll be happy to leave you be." "Never!" Sunset screamed as she clenched the bag, "You'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands!" "Don't think we won't take you up on that offer," she turned again to see Forest float down a few feet away from her. His Stagrowth stepped up next to him, horns primed for battle. "You're outnumbered Sunset, so do that smart thing and hand it over." Sunset just shivered at the sight, unable to find a way to escape. "No...I won't-" "Gust!" yelled a voice, a powerful windstorm following as it kicked up a cloud of dust. Everyone was blinded by the whirlwind, coughing as the dust filled their lungs. "What's going on?!" Forest yelled as he shielded his eyes. "I can't see a thing!" Pyron cried. "Me either!" Cecelia added. Sunset was also blinded, but before she could act, she felt someone grab her hand. "Come on," she heard a familiar voice speak out, soon pulling her out of the cloud. And when the dust finally cleared, the three teens and their Pokémon looked around and saw that Sunset was gone. "Where'd she go?!" "Calm down Pyron," Forest told him as he looked down at his Gauntlet. "I'm still picking up the energy reading. She won't escape." He started up his Z.Z Flyer and started to ascend, "Let's go!" Sunset breathed a sigh of relief as she caught her breath in the back alley she was in. Flash and his friends were there with her, also catching their breath. "Who were those guys?" Spike asked. Sunset shook her head, "No time to explain. I have to get out of here, quickly." "Why? What is-" "There you are!" They looked up and saw Forest staring at them, Stagrowth beside him. "RUN!" Sunset screamed as she started running in the opposite direction, the others following after her a second later. "Oh no you don't! Energy Ball!" "Stag!" The Pokémon cried out as a green ball of energy appeared between its horns, which it then flicked at the group. "Aura Sphere!" Flash ordered, as Springer created his own little ball of energy. "Riolu!" He yelled as he spun around and tossed the sphere at Stagrowth's, the two colliding and causing an explosion. "Augh!" Forest yelped as the shockwave forced him and Stagrowth back. As this happened, the others rushed out of the alley wat, only to hear another voice. "Incinerate!" A fireball hit the ground in front of them, a explosion following as it knocked them back. And as they fell, Pyron and his Vipeacon appeared before them as the trainer yelled, "Again!" "Vipea!" Vipeacon raised its tail, which shot a fireball out like a cannonball. "Gust!" Flash ordered, Skyler flying in front and beating his wings. The gust pushed the flames back to its source. "Whoa!" Pyron yelped as he pulled his Z.Z Flyer away, only for the fireball to explode and send him flying. "Augh!" "This way!" Sunset called out as they started running in the opposite direction. She then spotted a sign that gave her hope. "The train station! That's it!" But as they ran towards the station, Cecelia and her Reptidal landed in front of them, a huge smile on her face. "Aww...so close. Reptidal, use Aqua Break!" "Rep!" Reptidal screeched, bum-rushing the group with a created blade of water. "Steel Wing!" Skyler shot forwards, wings glowing as the two connected, their attacks now clashing. The impact knocked both back, only for Springer to hop over Skyler with a single glowing paw. "RIOLU!" He leapt at the Reptidal before thrusting his paw into its chest, a full-powered Force Palm hitting the Pokémon at full power. The attack knocked the creature off its feet, making Cecelia yelp as her lizard flew into her. "Come on!" Sunset yelled as they rushed past the now pinned trainer. They ran onto the platform, just in time to spot a train as it began to pull away. Sunset's eyes became laser focused as she ran towards it. "Hey! Wait!" Twilight screamed. "No time!" Sunset cried as she raced after the moving vehicle, reaching out to grab the railing of the final car. She managed to grab it and pulled herself on before looking back at the others. "Oh no you don't," Flash said as he reached out and grabbed the railing. Springer leapt up onto his back and jumped onto the car, the others soon doing the same. Twilight, then Spike, and as they reached the end of the platform, Doc managed to grab hold as well. But as they all got on, Sunset just blinked at the sight, "Oh...you made it." She then let out a groan, her tone now dripping with sarcasm, "Yay." "Yeah...we did." Flash panted as he pointed at her, "Now...how about...an explanation?!" Sunset just gulped at this, only for her eyes to go wide as she looked back at the train station. There in the distance was the three teens again, all on their flyers as they started to chase the train. "You're not getting away Sunset!" Pyron roared, "Give up now!" The group all gasped at this, seeing they were now trapped. Sunset shivered at the sight, only to look down as she saw a glow coming from her bag. Seeing this, a bulb went off in her head, "That's it!" She then went up to the railing, unzipping the bag as she yelled, "You want it?!" she pointed the bag at them. "Then here, TAKE IT!" Suddenly, a blast of light burst from the bag. The attack flew towards the trio, all of them gasping as they tried to dodge. But it was too late. "AAAAaaahhhhh!!!" they all yelled as the blast barely missed them, only to cause an explosion a second later, knocking them all off their Z.Z Flyers. They cried out as they hit the dirt, their figures soon disappearing in the distance. "And that's that." Sunset commented as she zipped her bag back up, only to see Flash and the others all glaring at her. She then let out a series of nervous chuckles, "So uh...I'm guessing you have a lot of questions." The four humans and three Pokémon frowned at this. "Ahh!" Sunset cried as she was pushed into the box car, landing on a seat as the group glared at her, Doc shutting the door behind them. "Alright, you! Talk!" Flash yelled as he pointed at her. "Who were those guys?!" Spike asked next. "Why were they chasing you?" Doc added. "And what are you hiding in that bag?" Twilight finished. Sunset looked down at the bag, her lips quivering as she kept her mouth shut. She looked slightly away, causing them all to sigh or growl. Seeing this, Doc spoke up, "Listen here young lady! The way I see it, this can only mean two things. You're either a criminal who stole something, meaning we just became accessory, or those guys were trying to steal something that's yours, meaning we can help you." "So just tell us what's going on!" Twilight added, her finger now pointing directly at the bag, "And what's in that bag of yours?!" Sunset looked back up, unable to find a solution. As such, she let out a long sigh. "Fine...." she began to unzip her bag, soon pulling it open to show what was inside. "What is that thing?" Flash asked as they stared at the object in the bag. "Is that...a Pokémon egg?" Twilight added as she looked it over. "Yes..." Sunset replied as she showed it to them. The egg was half black and half white. One side was white with a black sun shape on it while the other side was black with a white crescent moon shape. Sunset then let out another sigh, "Inside this egg is a Pokémon that the world hasn't seen for a thousand years. It has amazing powers, which is why those three are after it. They uh...they work for a man who wants to use that Pokémon's power for some...really evil stuff." The whole group raised their eyebrows at this, Spike then asking, "And you know this, how?" Sunset sighed one more time. "Because like those three, I used to work for that man. His name is...Doctor Mechano."