Equestria. Ponyville. The Pokemon House. The Pokemon Festival. Afternoon.
Approaching the Pokemon House was none other than Team Rocket. More specifically, Matori and her group, Matori Matrix. They arrived here before Nightmare Moon's group, coming from the south. Should they come from the North, it would grab too much attention from everyone else enjoying the Pokemon Festival.
"There it is. The Pokemon House." And speaking within the helicopter in the sky was the leader of the Matori Maxtrix herself and the secretary of Giovanni. Matori.
"It does look cosy. Any Pokemon would love to live here and feel at home, no doubt. Which makes it a goldmine for us." This was a perfect opportunity for Team Rocket. The Pokemon House was the most open area with Pokemon that they currently knew of. The next one was the Frenzy Forest, of course.
To prepare for this massive haul of Pokemon, not one, not two, but three helicopters showed up. Although, they had fairly long appearances to look like regular helicopters. Within then, Matori's entire team grabbed objects from cases that would help guarantee their success. It was all a matter of executing it properly. These Team Rocket cases possess technology that Team Rocket have never used before. But with the ever-changing landscape of both worlds thanks to the Rift's power, it wasn't too surprising.
Krookodile, who was the current guardian of the Pokemon House, was always on full alert, even when hanging out with the Pokemon. And being the guardian, that bad feeling he sensed before was now within the vicinity of the Pokemon House. Flying-Types would soon notice the helicopter along with everyone else here.
However, Team Rocket would not drop from above to get up close to the Pokemon. Instead, they would drop something from the helicopter. By tossing some sort of pipe out of the helicopter, Team Rocket unleashed a flash of light that was perplexing to the eyes. All the Pokemon here got a glance at the light.
"K-Krookodile!" They all found themselves stunned as the light from the pipe went off. Only Matori and her team were exempt because of the protective headgear they already wore. Protected by the light, the first part of their plan was a success. Blinding the Pokemon and bewildering them was a great way to catch them off guard. However, they knew they had to hasten themselves as this blindness would not last forever.
Krookodile had one eye open already.
Once the Pokemon were blinded, Team Rocket unleashed more objects, mainly to restrain them. These cubes were dropped from above before then transforming. These cubes then transformed into cages, having the width to catch a plethora of Pokemon.
"Dile!" Seeing the cubes fall and transform, Krookodile acted as fast as he could. He used Stone Edge, unleashing a barrage of crystals that flew out of his body. This barrage of crystals would meet with the cages, crashing directly into them including the cubes that had yet to transform. However, upon meeting with them, Stone Edge did not work at all.
Those cages would not break, stunning Krookodile. Why was this the case? The Pokemon began scattering with the Flying-Types being the first to soar away, attempting to avoid these raining cages. However, some of them found themselves being caught by the cages which would soon drop them down as if they were made of gravity.
Pokemon from below would also be caught as some of them barely managed to avoid the falling cages. Even when the cages dropped, they made loud crashing sounds of metal which would vibrate across the ground. Krookodile almost received one before jumping out of the way.
Matori and her group watched as the cages successfully caught many Pokemon. However, it wouldn't be just the Pokemon that were threatened. The standard animals of this world were also caught in cages. They tend to hang around with the Pokemon but now was the worst time for that to happen.
For Angel Bunny, his tiny appearance allowed him to jump through the cages and fre himself. This was the one advantage he and the the animals had over the Pokemon. Since they were smaller than the Pokemon, Angel Bunny and some birds could easily leave the cages which were made for the Pokemon, travelling through the gaps. Though, some of them took some extra muscle to break free.
Matori cared not for the standard animals. She was here for the Pokemon after all. Animals wouldn't be worth anything to her as they did not possess any magical powers that would be beneficial. Matori then saw how Krookodile was grabbing as many Pokemon as he could before the cages could reach them. That one Krookodile was already preventing them from getting all of the Pokemon here.
"Ooh. I want that Krookodile for myself." Matori said before holding out a visor. This visor was used to scan Pokemon for one thing. To see if they were Wild or Not. The scanner picked up a gigantic number of Wild Pokemon across the Pokemon House, however, the only one who wasn't Wild and had a Trainer was Krookoddile. "Tch. Already caught? That's fine. It's a good time to test out our newest creation. Bring out the special Poke Ball."
"Roger!" The grunts exclaimed before grabbing yet another object from the cases. It was a Poke Ball that had a Team Rocket Symbol on it, even having the colours of their outfits. A Poke Ball like this already existed within their organization. However, this Poke Ball had mechanical chip lines around it, distinguishing it from the original.
She had to get in close for this one Krookodile as the helicopter descended, manoeuvring past all the other cubes that came raining down. Krookodile hastened himself as much as he could, throwing some of the Pokemon away to diminish some weight, just so he can carry the next.
Matori wanted Krookodile on his own if she wanted to catch him. From how he was moving, Krookodile was the most troublesome Pokemon here without a doubt. Using one of the various objects inside the box, Matori held up a pen-shaped object, triggering it to go off.
This pen-shaped object emitted a soundwave that only the Pokemon could hear and to an extent the animals. It was there for all of them to hear, throwing the plethora of creatures off balance.
"K-Krookodile!" Krookodile dropped some of the Pokemon because of this, covering his ears. This also allowed some of the cubes to capture the Pokemon who previously avoided them. Eventually, the cubes would drop in numbers as they were limited after all.
But even with the cues finally coming to an end, a handful of Pokemon had been caught and fewer numbers of them remained free. Krookodile included.
"That'll do for now." Out of Cube Cages, Matori and her group would finish up the rest from here. They had the numbers to do so. With helicopters descending, the ladders dropped as the soundwave from Matori's object got closer. The Matori Matrix descend via the ladder's usage, meeting with all the remaining Pokemon with Poke Balls already empty and ready to capture whoever was unlucky to be struck by them.
Krookodile eyed Matori and her group with a vicious stare, only for Matori to have a cocky smile on her face, fearless in front of him. She would soon turn off the sound just to swap the pen out for another Poke Ball. This time, it contained one of her Pokemon. "Dile...!"
"We'll wear you down some more and then finish up our big haul!" Right then and there, Matori and her team unleashed their Pokemon to assist in this crime. Team Rocket was coming at full force for this capture. And from what they've accomplished so far with the items they've utilized, victory could be within their sights.
Celadon City. Team Rocket Headquarters. Giovanni's Room. Afternoon.
And sitting patiently in the most important room in this secret base that was hidden somewhere in Celadon City was the Boss of Team Rocket, alongside his Persian. Giovanni.
He was already aware of Matori's current mission while holding out a list in this dark room with minimal light. The light source beamed on the lister and parts of Giovanni's body as he gazed at an option of items that fit perfectly with what Matori's group had used.
Supersonic Pen.
"I have to thank you two for lending us some of his equipment. They truly feel like they come from the future with how useful they are. And the Pokemon Black Market has gone through an impressive development." Giovanni spoke as the items came from none other than two individuals. Pokemon Hunter J and Team Plasma's expert scientist Colress.
"It was nothing." Hunter J spoke. "Most of the items I picked out came from the voice that's with me. I guess it's somewhat of a spirit."
She referred to Twilight's Desire which was still with her. Twilight's Desire and J worked together with the Desire mainly being the one to give commands while J took the advice. Hunter J couldn't argue against the Desire since not only did it know about Twilight Sparkle herself and her weaknesses, but it also possessed her vast intellect, despite not having a physical body. It was only a sparkle.
"But mine are objectively better." Colress stepped in. "The Pokemon Black Market cannot compare to my Power of Science at all. Especially since you have my Protean Gauntlet that I put up for sale once."
"Whatever. It's useful either way." Hunter J held up the Protean Gauntlet.
"Speaking of which, does Ghetsis know about this, Colress? Still in the dark?"
"Lord Ghetsis probably would be fine with this. He wasn't one for working with others before but now, that won't be an issue anymore. That strange dimension truly did something to him when he was in there."
"I expect great things from him especially with what I've heard from Equestria. I believe Team Rocket and Team Plasma can benefit from each other perfectly. After all, it was your team that mimicked our Mewtwo Project." Giovanni brought up the dual Mewtwos that currently existed in the world.
"Oh, that. You made it clear that it was easy to bring new Pokemon into existence with just a DNA sample. And here I was worrying that many factors went into making clones. Granted, there are, but not when gathering a sample. What do we do about those two Mewtwo, actually?"
"Both Mewtwos are far too smart to be under our full control. Even if we capture them and have them on our side, they have the will to resist."
"Let me catch them." J said. "Since you'll have problems controlling them, best to just keep them as statues. I'll gain a huge profit from it. How's that?"
"You'd probably lose the second you came in contact with one of the Mewtwo." Colress shook his head. "That gauntlet won't protect you at all. Not even that supposed voice in your head."
"Hmph!" J sneered at Colress before turning away.
"We'll talk about that later. Right now, I'm expecting Matori to make an outstanding return with new Pokemon from the Pokemon House. And potentially, Frenzy Forest. And if not..."
"If not, let me chime in." J pointed at herself. "I'll strike when the iron is hot. Believe me."
Kalos. Lumiose City. Afternoon.
The nearest gateway had been found. After travelling in the van to close the longer distances, Nightmare Moon, Hollow and the lesser-respected Team Rocket group of Jessie, James and Meowth showed up at Lumiose City.
"There. Lumiose is the best possible gateway. It'll take us to Saddle Lake and close to Whitetail Wood. That way, we can get there quicker." Hollow pointed out, driving Team Rocket's van.
"Excellent." Nightmare Moon said before opening the door. Even when the van was still moving, she chose to open it, but for an alicorn, this kind of scenario wasn't dangerous for her. "I will get a head start and meet you all there."
"Are you sure?" Hollow asked.
"Positive? Plus, you're not thinking of driving this thing through Ponyville, are you? Leave it behind at a reasonable position and then come by foot."
"I don't think we can come by foot..." Jessie groaned, still feeling tired even when her team had the chance to rest. Although, it was minimal rest.
"Stay in here for a while then. Darkrai, Xatu, Musharna, Frillish and I will handle this. Oh, and you as well, Hollow." Quickly flying out of the van, Nightmare Moon left the presence of Team Rocket, giving them another opportunity to sleep. But this might be the worst time for them to sleep considering that the Pokemon House was under attack.
The van would trail behind the alicorn as Nightmare Moon passed through, leaving Lumiose City and entering Saddle Lake. However, her group weren't even close to beating Matori's group there at all. They were already too late to plan ahead.
The Pokemon House.
"D-Dile!" Back at the Pokemon House, Krookodile and the other Pokemon living were in the midst of trying to defend themselves. Krookodile found himself being clawed by a flurry of sharp slashes that came from Matori's Alolan Meowth. It had used Shadow Claw, clawing at Krookodile's face.
"Meowth!"
"Excellent. Keep at it, Meowth!" Matori ordered as Meowth was unrelenting when attacking Krookodile. The other Pokemon were under attack by the rest of Team Rocket. Those that wanted to help found themselves trapped in these cages, made out of metal they could not break or melt.
"Krook!" But Krookodile would not go down so easily. The moment Meowth went in for another Shadow Claw, Krookodiel grabbed it by its arm at the right moment.
"Meow?"
"Kroo...Kodile!" In response, Krookodile used his own Shadow Claw, slashing back at Alolan Meowth. The Scratch Cat Pokemon found itself rocketing away before then performing a surprisingly stylish recovery right afterwards.
"Purugly!" Right after he slashed Meowth away, a Purugly tackled Krookodile from behind, blindsiding him. Krookodile almost fell over before then using his tail to slap Purugly away, retaliating instantly. He was quick to fight back even when outnumbered.
"Meowth, use Supersonic!"
Meowth!" Afterwards, the assault would continue as Krookodile was met with a powerful soundwave from Meowth's mouth, stopping him in his tracks. Krookodile tried reaching the other Pokemon to help out, only to be stopped by Supersonic.
That allowed the other opposing Pokemon to attack him for free. From all sides, he was bombarded by different attacks meant to keep him at bay and to also give Matori a chance to catch him. All the Pokemon trapped here watched as their guardian was being mercilessly pummelled and none of them could do anything sadly.
"Very good. Keep at it." Matori bounced the Poke Ball up and down, waiting for her chance to catch him. "I'll be honest, I want to see the look on that shy pony's face when she sees how this all turns out."
"Krook!" Mentioning Fluttershy's name also involved Audino, who Krookodile had great affection towards. Seeing Audino upset would be heartbreaking. Then again, he might not be there to see her expression at all. Krookodile then used the one moe he could always count on that involved nothing but unbridled fury.
Outrage.
"Krookodile!" With his body becoming coated in a crimson aura, Krookodile gathered raging strength, using all that power to cause a wide shockwave. The shockwave expelled from his body, pushing back all other attacks and Pokemon.
"Ngh!" Matori placed her arms over her head from this pressure. "Outrage?"
"Krookodile!" Krookodile began swinging violently at the opposing Pokemon with Outrage, going on a full-blown rampage. His attacks were frantic and erratic with no consistency, allowing him to blindside his opponents. Any attack that was sent his way was immediately met with Krookodile striking back, reaching his opponents with impressive speeds.
This rampage knocked out some of Team Rocket's Pokemon as it was an effective tactic, despite how little strategy was involved. But because he was on a rampage, this made it easy for someone clever to take advantage of him.
And Matori certainly did. The moment Krookodile went for Meowth, the Poke Ball had been unleashed. The Special Poke Ball was thrown in, meeting with Krookodile's face. Once it touched him, the Poke Ball would then shrink his body in a red light, making it a close call for Alolan Meowth. The Intimidation Pokemon found himself being taken by another Poke Ball despite already having one.
The Poke all then dropped in front of Meowth before all the Pokemon gasped. They couldn't believe their eyes. A Poke Ball that catches Pokemon that already have Trainers. And once they saw it shaking, their heart sank.
1...2...3...Gotcha!
Krookodile was caught. Unfortunately.
"Well, so much for your vanguard." Matori taunted, laughing at all the Pokemon once Krookodile became hers. Alolan Meowth would soon pass the Poke Ball in her direction as Matori and her group had easily crushed their hearts and hope. With minimal effort and technology from Team Plasma and the Pokemon Black Market, victory belonged to Team Rocket.
Matori held the Special Poke Ball in her hand, twirling before looking at the despair in the eyes of her victims. She got rid of the biggest threat here but to guarantee her victory, every other Pokemon would have to come with her.
"That's that. Bring the rest of them along. This Dynasite material is useful enough to be both durable and lightweight at the same time." Matori ordered as the cages were revealed to be made out of Dynasite, exclusive to Pegalysium.
Of course, since Second Wind was working with Team Plasma, this was only natural as very little can break this metal. None of the Pokemon here had the strength to do so. The rest of the Matori Matrix would clean up from here, using the helicopters to carry the cages. Hooks emerged from the bottom of them, clamping onto the Dynasite as Angel Bunny watched from afar, stunned by what he had witnessed.
He was certainly powerless to stop this. The animals felt the same. When it came to the power of Pokemon, they were too weak and insignificant to do anything. And Matori knew that. She glanced at the animals, intimidating them while larger Pokemon would also eye them down. As for as Matori, she won this race.
At least, she got there first. But getting there first didn't mean the runner-up wouldn't show up. A blast of magic came racing in, blowing off the top of the helicopter that Matori was in. The blades from the helicopter came flying off from this magical blast, sending the vehicle down.
"?!" Matori gasped after the helicopter was brought down. She held on tight before then choosing to jump off. Luckily for her, the height wasn't too large. All other Pokemon looked up to see more magic beams appear, attacking the helicopters and the grunts inside. "Magic? That means...!"
It was exactly what it meant. Matori may have beaten her here but she was too late to leave, especially with how many Pokemon she had to bring back.
Nightmare Moon.
She had arrived. A bit late to stop the capture but right on time to prevent them from leaving. She emerged from the dust, putting on a cocky smile that mirrored Matori's.
"Have no fear! For I am here, at last!" She gave a triumphant shout, sparking some hope back in the Pokemon. But it was all a matter of if she could seize victory and free the Pokemon. With how things are, Nightmare Moon and her allies who were right behind her were in for an exceptionally wild ride.
Chapter 938 End.