Windmills have eyes

## "I'm out of myself for the rage!" roared but Chimecho kept staying in front of him "Chimecho, I won't repeat a second time: go away. *You don't need me.*..and **I don't need you!**"

*"Focus on this: **who** is spoiling Lucario and Squirtle for instance? I barely interacted with the latter." Chimecho blushed at the mention of the former "And there's none else Lucario spent more time together than you.*

## Prologue

The airplane proceeded slowly over the skies of the region, struggling to leave Unova before the next sunset. Ice shards covered the tail where the losers slept against the fury of the elements. In a corner Dunsparce shivered and curled up himself once more trying to get asleep again, he eventually fell asleep again while Aurorus woke up after a terrible night. Daylight. Daynight, then. As she opened eyes the starlight shimmered on her face: the first stars of the incoming night. It was so beautiful that she forgot her problems for an entire minute. She had always a special bound with the nightime since...she could remember. Million of years passed on the Earth since Ice Age, yet the sky was the same. The same while everything beneath changed. "Been a very long time. I froze myself in the past to do the same, only to be trapped in the future."

"Almost deep like the milk way galaxy. That means nothing, actually." Beheeyem put off the telescope and pointed above them "I explain. Considering there are far more wide galaxies beyond this one that isn't even deep enough to swallow 9 little planets." Aurorus gave simply an ice look at him and returned to her thoughts but the alien continued his speech carelessly "You know, you're not the only one who would like to give a cease to the tyranny of Seviper, I have my fair reason, too, and I'm not alone at all..."

"LISTEN, Seviper has my egg inside. I don't need to know anything else than this: I can't eliminate her." was the cold reply he received.
"I know perfectly, this is the problem with you earthlings afterall. You're unable to see beyond your emotions, cannot focus on all the knowledge you could have access to because you're too distracted by the feelings." Beheeyem shook the head with a sneer or smile "If only you realized before the dangers without getting distracted by your feelings for Tropius, you would have not let Seviper take full control on your actions, your emotions exposed you two since day one and you didn't feel her cupid eyes over your back the whole time."
Then put on his telescope again, pointing at the moon "Mmmh. Not crescent enough." and shrugged. Aurorus was behind and over him now, she froze the telescope in the hands of him. "More useless emotions. Freezing my instruments won't give you back your future. You know?"

"My emotions are still less useless than your existence!"

"Shhht. I'm immune to insults, remind." he appeared utterly unaffected "Also, there's no need to make this conversation a public affair. I wanted to take this in private."

"I have enough of this conversation, so shut it now." Aurorus prefered to sleep again to not listen that any further.

Beheeyem snickered with a know-it-all attitude "I wanted to share my knowledge with you but you wasted the opportunity. I'll have to overwrite my notebook: "Aurorus: frail, multiply weak, outspoken, stubborn and...scrib..scrib..ssstupid. With **three S** to emphatize the quantity of stupidity." Aurorus suddenly used Liofilization " I basically knew this would have happened, too."

"Then you knew the danger you were going into but you kept your sassiness. Was this an act of cleverness? I don't think, and now tell me what you know about Seviper or else, or you'll stay in the ice for the rest of your days, whatever alien lifespan you get." She turned to check the rest of the team, apparently they were all still sleeping thanks to the wind that covered their voicing. "So? I'm waiting, Beheeyem."

"About Seviper I could see her dream when Jirachi swallowed her, and her worst nightmare is seeing her true-self."

"Explain further." reflected "So you were there the whole time..."

"Yes. And there's not much to explain, Seviper is like Dunsparce or Dunsparce is like Seviper which you prefer." it didn't appear that Beheeyem wanted to give her more informations however Aurorus had already accepted this "Go on." she encouraged. "Perfect. The second knowledge I have is about Dunsparce, your little joyful backstabbing land snake. He had a nightmare, too." "Poor him." "I guess how much you're sincerely worried for him: zero. Anyway, he dreamt Lunatone, I saw him randomly passing by, he was sleep-talking to the wall."

"Stop here. I don't need this to solve my problem."

"I know, the important part has still to come: *since then Dunsparce doesn't look at Seviper in the same way.*" Beheeyem shrugged shoulders opening the arms "Who knows what really happened to him during the nightmare? Certainly it has to do with Lunatone's disappearance. Okay, I shared enough of my knowledge for tonight. It's your turn to expand the discoveries." Teleported away in a blink. Aurorus stared at the now empty ice cube: was that the right way to solve her situation? Digging down the mind of Dunsparce...to arrive to Seviper and her egg. How.

**// Vent //**

**Beheeyem had warped in the confessional "I planted many seeds, let's see what will be eventually the outcome. I'm really curious."**

"Good morn..uh actually..evening to all!" Bagon looked excited at the window then heard the door open, Squirtle came directly from the bathroom "Heyyyy, man. You have been there for the whole nigh...again...day! All day long locked inside. Tell me everything." Winked. "Yawn, man, what a trip. I come directly from bubblebeam land." Squirtle wobbled and polished his shades to make them more blinky and shiny "Oh, yeah. We made out first under the waterfall and then between millions of bubbles, meaning shower and bathtube, HOT jazz tube of course."

"Details." Bagon said with seriousness.

"Alright, dude! What can I say..she dragged me in the room..took off her clamp first then my shades...and finally my shell. Kaboom! Then she kissed me all over, activating the shower, all wet and ott she glimpsed at my stuff and MAAAAAAAN!" screamed like a punk "Now I know how special is a two personality baby at job: literally two in a pack. I pushed her outside the shower into the tube and we formed a whirlpool in it, I whirled into her and she whirled into me and it was all bubbles and candy until we fell asleep. Yes, sheik, that was an amazing daynight."

"Whew. Wow! I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Dune Baggy. I can't wait to see you do the same!" he raised a big grin of complicity.

"Err, Squirt-bud." blushed "I appreciate your support but I have other achievements before."

"Sure, dude, take your time to make your choice. Maybe wait for the merge cuz the remaining girls don't seem flirty..." the turtle pondered deeply "Gorebyss and Aurorus look much more available."

"Anyway, what about a snooker play?"

"Right now? Fully on it, dude!"

"Hey, no, no. Before you play you have to answer me a question." Lucario broke into stopping the cue-ball with the paw. "Sure, Lucky, what's up?" ... "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO MOVE THAT NAKED OSHAWOTT OUT OF THE BATHROOM?!? Chimecho needs her shower and I do, too. Actually I use it first of course. FFFFANK YOU." After having shouted all the air in his lungs, Lucario flipped the snooker table and crossed arms leaning next to the door. "Ok, Squirtle, it's better you do what he said, clearly."

"Move it! I urge my relaxing bath."

"Jeez.For sure."

Different area of the plane, different mood. The Leviathans had celebrated yet another victory in V-class, but Lester had spent the day on an another thought. For the first time he felt guilty about his actions, it was very new and quirky for him to feel to not celebrate and party, he didn't like what was happening at all. He wanted to remedy in a way or another to his mistake with Lampent! Careless if Lampent wanted it or no. She was clearly upset but then again it's Lampent, she had an odd likeliness for sadness and despair. Lester had tried countless times to make her feel better...and make himself feel better, too.

"Ok. Plan I: failed. Plan J up next! J like the Joy of suffering people Lampent takes in see them." sighed trembling "I-I don't really like this plan by the way..." then turned into the Fridge Form and claimed her attention once more "Heeey, Lampy! Want something fresh to drink? My treat. Let me open, ah! AHHHhHHHHHhhH!" Lester stuck his plasmic arm in the door slamming it several times until he saw a smile from her but it was just for a millisecond then returned to be a frown. "Aaaalmost..no, ehhh?! Sob. K'mon!! Auch, auff. I'll have to consume all the supply of ice after this."

"........" Lampent.

Hurt and self-wounded, Lester dashed back in the corner and rummaged on a new idea "Plan J: TERRIBLE. It's time for plan K, or maybe for a plan LK! Those never fail no matter how crazy they are. But it will take lot of risks, for sure. By the way I can do it, I know! I have to assure my team's victory or safeness first of all."
The electric ghost looked through the window at the Tail of Losers.
"Corrupt." his eyes widened while the pupils shrank at least "Ah ah ah!" and he dashed outside.

## Episode

Minun was about to ask him an explanation when the plane abruptly veered upside down and seemed to have lost power falling vertically "This is Vulpix, your co-pilot and hostess at the same time(and also spa massager, catering provider and many other exploits than just be a pet)." The fox appeared on every screen dressed in a tight outfit suitable for her role of hostess but had forgot her nurse hat on.

Squirtle nudged Bagon whispering "I forgot to mention Vulpix, man. Look at her too."

Vulpix was airing directly from the V-class section "We're having an issue of cold temperature, half of the plane is frozen for unknown reasons starting from the tail. However, don't panic: I'll show you all the safety measures for emergency. First if you're in V-Class, you can use the teleportation system to leave and find yourself directly at destination." immediately after the four Leviathans minus Lester rushed to the points indicated.
"Too platitudinous for my tastes and I have other businesses to do at the moment."
"Second if you're flying in standard class, take a parachute and look for the safety exits that will enlighten for a second now." it was a blink-blink then she continued "At the end, if you're in the tail of losers strap on your seats and get ready for the rollercoast!!!" flamed on launching a pitched howl. "Because Jirachi is going to crashland in a minute. Thanks all for your time, see you tomorrow or in the afterlife." The monitors closed fading on her smily face.

"She's rock, too. Bag, you seriously should put her in consideration."

"I put in consideration that this is the perfect opportunity for a flight lesson! Ninjask! Master Ninjask, I'm ready to go, please, pleaaaase. My time is now, I know!"

Ninjask was caught off-guard and accepted, but he was focused on other things way more important at the same time. That purpose unnerved him now, he needed to take care of better stuff than Bagon's sheningans! "First inner focus all the energy in your arms and shoulders."

Bagon struggled to stay focused because he was overly excited, but did his best to follow the order. "Done, I think. I can feel it. Next??? Sorry, master, I mean: next step?"

"Urm..second step" Ninjask stumbled. Meanwhile the rest of the pokemon around was in total black-out. Piplup panicked so much to forget she didn't fly and dove without the parachute! "Ahhh this is all fault of you ungrateful! How dared you" her voice faded in the stream. "Is take off."

"Simple."

Ninjask realized his mistake as Bagon jumped down and landed like a meteorite mile feets behind. "I failed, master. What did I do wrong this time? Sigh." The ninja reached up soon after but instead to give him comfort he gave an harsh explanation "You weren't ready, at all. The path is longer than you think and your train hasn't even begun." Nothing else, he hoped this sounded enough for the other to keep faith in him, and he was right. "I actually knew it in the depth of my heart. My bad, I promise I won't escalate anything by now!" The dragon stood up with renovated pride and dressed on the goggles with the fire in the eyes. "Let's begin the true training when you want."

"Perfect."

Squirtle with Oshawott upon, Lucario and Chimecho landed eventually, then it was the turn of the entire plane. Jirachi landed it against the abandoned watermill in Dendemille Town. That was abandoned too.

### Dendemille Town

The Victini Venturers were forced to stay on the tail even during the crashland, in the aftermath that followed they found themselves directly inside the mill: Seviper impaled in a pale, Gorebyss trapped in the watering wheel circle, Aurorus with her head popping out the only little window, and more so. For once, Anorith was the luckiest at the end. He woke up right then "I slept like a log. What happened here?"

"Guesss."

"Uh, I see. AHAHAH! For once the psotive karma remembered about me."

"Shut up and come help me! I'm in danger trapped in this old rusty dirty contraption." Gorebyss scolded him "What are you waiting for?"

"Hey, do it yourself. Can't you really? Swimming and leaping is your forte."

"But you want to be my favorite anomalocaris, won't you?" Gorebyss used her doe eyes.

"What? No, wait, I meant to say another thing. Don't use your cuteness on me..."

**// Vent //**

**"Gorebytch at work." commented Seviper. Anorith next to her corrected "This..this is not true! I tried to resist but no avail, I mean I tried to make her indipendent by me but..but Gorebyss is just this, she was spoiled too much by Vanillite so there's just to work on her, I assure there will be results at the end." Seviper retailed back immediately "And I assure you that if she votes me again she will be spoiled by me."**

"*Fossil me twice.*" he muttered in low voice at the end "I'm coming, cutie!"

"Jirachi, you delinquent. Pip pip pip." Piplup wobbled in confusion after the impact on the ground while Chimecho gave her first rescue. The co-host unharmed and chill warped in the middle of them and talked "Dum dum dum. Aurorus's ability apparently unwillingly froze down the turbines, but it doesn't matter. It looks like I'm in charge again for the making of the challenge, despite I'm a little tired after yesterday, I'll do it."

"So?"

"Deuuuh, lemme think about few seconds, how to fix the plane and mix with a challenge at contemporary. Yawn, sleepy." Jirachi explored with calm the place and noticed an huge amount of windmills that extended on the next hills, he also read a sign post "Condemned area after....." Everyone was getting impatient or curious to discover what he would have come with "I wish for 9 aerostatic balloons or blims it's the same. Done. Okay, listen to me, contestants." Everyone turned to him.

"The challenge is to repair the broken windmills of the implant next to the city. A deflated blim was tied on each: your task is use the energy of the mills to inflate 3 blims at least. Then if you're able to make them fly solely using the wind generated and drift them through...diiiummm... ah!" promptly made another wish and with a snap of the fingers made a circle to appear matched on fire "Through this thing to win. The heaviest member of each team have to fly in the last blim: Aurorus for Venturers, Lucario for Jigglers and... you got it."

"Metagross. Right?"

"The name is too long..yep."

"...more?"

"Sure, there is more. You can work also on the running windmills if you want, as weapons." Jirachi giggled in amusement "In order to obstaculate each others, but this is only a suggestion, not a rule, feel free."

"He's trying again to lurve on our conflicts meanwhile he sits aside watching and laughing." Minun whispered to Metagross "He's a sadic confirmed."meanwhile Seviper was already thinking at the "endlesss posssibilietes" of that side condition. "It's all. Yawn, no, it's not time to sleep. This will be my slumber party night now!" Vulpix brought to Jirachi his pillow and favorite food, the Starf Berry (Baccambola), Jirachi sliced it and teleported on top of the hill waving to the contestants "I want to see a nice movie tonight: remember always that windmills have eyes." He put on a pair of 3D scopes at the end.

"Kill me but I'm missing Victini." "You're not alone."

"To the windmillsss!" shouted the leader of the Venturers. Immediately everyone rushed to the implant "Where and which are our windmills? And their components?" "Here's that's the logo of us!" "About the components, still.." "Ssstop here." Seviper placed her team at guard of the first mill "It's time to do the next step: sabotage. This challenge is suitable already but I want to get further. By today we won't limit to sabotage the enemies in the challenge, we'll sabotage them in the teams themselves! Said this, let's get started."

Due to their respective dexterity and knowledge Anorith and Beheeyem were assigned to the repair of the broken windmill, Aurorus was ordered to occupy of the windmill immediately next, a working one. She wasn't alone as Seviper was with her. Needless to ask about, Aurorus started to study the contraption under the suspicious looks of the viper. *The alien didn't lie: Seviper was unnerved by something.* Anorith and Beheeyem also had to search for the materials needed with the help of Inkay "Very helpful" in Beheeyem's words, and Dunsparce. But Dunsparce had also received another task: spy on the rival teams. Gorebyss instead was sent directly to sabotage them. Dunsparce had to spy on her moves, too, and refer to Seviper.

"What's your strategy of sabotage this?" Aurorus eventually had to ask "I'm ready for further instructions, if you have." Seviper didn't stop to look at her for a second "I want to spread corrosive poison gas in the air directing it against the rival teams so it will affect the metal of their mills and the flesh of their bodiesss at the same." smiled snidely "I don't know how to do this and I want that **you** solve me this problem. You disappointed me yesterday so you lost your Tropius, the next failure will cost you the egg. I'm sure this will incentivate you to satisfy my expectations." The snake shook violently her tail lumpy at the bottom and spat poison on the grass killing it istantly "I'll provide for the poison only." Aurorus gritted teeth and challenged Seviper with the icy eyes for a second, then, she returned to focus on the mill. This extra task did not take for her and Beheeyem's(?) plans.

"Woew, this thing misses almost all the pieces!" Bagon examined the windmill using his special goggles in X-ray lens "Bad news, team. There's lot of work to do to make this run again: change rotor, build a new anemometer, but what worries me the most is the tower, it looks like devoured by a wild orde."

"Uh Man, seriously? Seems hard stuff."

"The tower is severly damaged inside and outside, it's an essential part of the mill not only because it sustains the entire turbine, here it's where the eolic energy is usually converted in cinetic energy that gets converted eventually in electricity that's what makes the mill move." explained.

"Ninjask, what should we do, you have a particular strategy for this challenge?" Oshawott asked all of sudden. Ninjask felt a little uneasy, he didn't like to be in the spotlight and this new situation of leadership put him in an uncomfortable position, unsuitable for his plans. "I don't have any specific strategy because we don't need. Make strategies or sabotages prevent from focus on the target, I seek always and only for the target."

"True! Deep, too." the wotter agreed.

"I want everyone to focus only on the target: inflate the blims. Therefore find the missing pieces and repair the necessary windmills."

"What about my lessons? I guess not today." Bagon dropped off the goggles and Ninjask felt his trust slipping from his schythes.

"No."

"No? What?"

"We begin today."

"But you said we'll focus only on the target..."

"In fact, your first lesson is the focusness, and it will be followed by practice."

"\*Practice\*?" Bagons's eyes englightened like stars. "Are you sure we can do the two things at contemporary? I don't want to risk another challenge for my team. I did this mistake once."

"Aw, man, are you still thinkin at it? It's over, c'mon. Stop worrying and take this opportunity!"

"I did ton of mistakes and I'm still here: if I did so, you can do it for sure, Bagon!"

"Squirtle, Oshawott, thank you a lot for your words. I can promise I won't waste this time the opportunity! Ninjask, leave it to me: I will fix this contraption at perfection. By now, I'm focused." Bagon turned to the windmill again and prepared a project of re-building. After a minute he tossed the sketch below "Wow, Bagon, your project is...identical to the same mill, osha-what the shell? I don't understand!" but the dragon smiled with confidence "It's a running windmill in the picture, my idea is to remove the pieces from the other working windmills and fix them on the broken ones, fair and square. Jirachi didn't say any rule that forbid to remove the other windmills, right?"

"Ohh. I didn't think about. It's brilliant!"

Bagon scratched the back of the head akwardly "I think this will simplify a lot. Meanwhile you guys remove the parts from the sane mills I will remove the broken ones and then I will substitute them with the parts you bring me. And also, maybe, I could even do some technical improvements to enforce the power. What do you think eventually?"

"YES!!!"

Dunsparce spied them in the shadow, Gorebyss was in the parallel river.

Minun felt happy and oddly confident in the victory for once. He and Rotom were the only electric types and Rotom had just his Fan Form. An eolic turbine is like a giant fan, so he had only to wait for Lester to be, well, Lester and act as usually possessing a thing and making a plan. Sorry, a quirky plan! So Minun prepared everything on the set "Alright, the lights seem fine, everyone ready in position, CIAK 51!"

**// Vent //**

**"Yesterday it looked like we sure have lost, I was totally certain of the defeat, but then Lester, yes, LESTER, AGAIN, turned the table and even won!" Minun said hyper-excited by the adrenaline "Not only he saved the team, but scored the win. Another victory provided entirely by him! I still think Lester is crazy for sure and he drives me crazy for sure but, how to say, we need him to win! Okay, I-I said it. With seriousness, eh!" trembled "I mean, Lester made us win or save everytime I thought we were doomed, and certainly I'm conscious we will be eventually doomed because of him but so far he was essential every single time! His nonsense, quirkness, absurdity factor always won over my pessimism, logic, common sense. That's why, and believe I'm the first to be surprised, I decided to count on him for the rest of the competition, at least until merge." Minun had a sort of convulsion then continued normally "Ahem, I'm just in shock, don't worry. I am still mentally fine. Anyway, the important thing is that if Lester is the key of our victories I will stick with him for the sake of the team (and not myself obviously). No matter how quirky will be his plans!"**

"Lester, the scene is all yours." Minun ended with a big bow placing aside. "Lester?" Another convulsion. Then the panic.

"He's not here." Porygon 2. "My last data saved on him is: before the crashland."

"No, no, no, impossible. This is not possible, this cannot be physically possible, it's not quirky possible even. Gasp. I NEED LEEEEEESTEEEEEER!" his scream was listened by Rayquaza and Deoxys light years far from the planet.

Rayquaza: "Holy me, I dropped my ozone teapot and it's now in a black hole. Because of that terrible scream. I'll kill Groudon and Kyogre for this."

Deoxys: "Oh, them two again bickered? This is why I never invaded your planet: there's always some weird menace that threatens to destroy it."

Kyogre: "I bet the Pacific Ocean that Rayquaza will give us responsibility for that."

Groudon: "I bet Asian continent that he's gonna put us in eternal rest this time."

"Where is Lester??? We can't win without him! For once..now that I have accepted his presence he's absent. Of course, because otherwise it would have been platitudinous to be here like usual and he hates platitudinousness! All makes sense." Minun walked to a windmill and banged his head on the pole many times "This. is. not. possible. Gnnn."

"He died his brain. R.I.P." Lampent said in conclusion. Where was Lester? She didn't care and hoped to never see him again in all truth. But somebody had to give them an hope and Porygon 2 opened the topic "I have been programmed for space explorations."

### Leviathans

"Space explorations: primal sources reasearches, satellite repairs, building structures for colonization." he listed down. "Basically my space program was to land on desert planets and create roots for civilization. By an analytic point of view this challenge isn't different, I'm here and I see broken human structures that have to be fixed and I have no sort of elements than myself to accomplish the mission, so I have to provide for the materials I need using what the landscape offers. With these materials I fix the structures around me or build new ones. They're like satellites to me, broken satellites and my features imply satellite repairs I said." Porygon 2 took the lead "I need raw materials, follow my example. Steel I need, abandoned koga-cola cans, they can be recycled to assemble the shafts. Gears and motors I need, in the abandoned factories I search. Or I take them from other machines." Porygon 2 hacked in the security system of a parked car and entered inside the hood, Minun doubted about the legality of this but the virtual pokèmon rea

   ssured "I was given all the rights in case of need. All the permissions. I'm allowed to take anything, use anything, change anything I found during my missions if this is necessary for the missions. Not enough gears, I need more, and more parts. We must split now. You learned the process. Explore and provide." They left then Porygon 2 continuing alone the disassemblation of the car.

In the meanwhile they went at the search of the other parts in the list. "Generator, controller, yaw motor, anemometer, exc." Lampent explored an abandoned factory of pokè balls, Minun continued to explore the town, and Metagross checked the area around the hills. He felt a strange energetic stream coming from the hills without the wind.

"Could be? What I'm looking for..." he met halfway with Lucario that limped but had the energies to get immediately on the offensive "This is MY territory, go away! Wait, you are the damn crab at the origin of my pain. URGH. I won't let you win this time, I want revenge! Grrr. Aura Sphere!" the move failed "I said AURA SPHERE! Again. What happened to my aura? No, I can't let you go in this way." stubbornly he tried the move and seeing it didn't work again he punched Metagross directly: the hit barely scratched that armoured body. "Noo! I refuse to accept to be weaker than you. AGAIN!" Punched Metagross even harder but the violence of the impact didn't match the final outcome. "AG-h." Metagross blocked the third punch and gave him a sour glance. "Lucario, what are you doing?" Chimecho called his attention "You should rest your body and your soul."

"Meteor Punch." Metagross directed the target on Chimecho that wasn't fast enough to use Protection. The impact sent her against the windmill behind, the part of the tower, that bent in an unpleasant way. "Chimecho!" Lucario's eyes turned bloody red but he couldn't do anything the same. "Damned ankle, I hate you!" Metagross was then hit with a Shadow Ball, enough powerful to knock him out. Ninjask promptly arrived at rescue of Chimecho. "NO! I should have avenged her, grr, not you! Chimecho, chimecho..grrrroaaar..I failed at all. *AGAIN."* Lucario punched the ground harshly and panted, he was utterly mad, he limped to reach Chimecho but he wasn't in condition to help her, sweating, trembling as he was, and Ninjask separated him from Chimecho "There's nothing you can do now. Go back." "NO. NO!" "*Lucario....lu...cario, he's right*." the feeble voice of her stopped him, it was thin like a whisper but blew on his rage like a wind "Chimecho? Okay, anf, but this doesn't end here. I swear."

### Jigglers

Lucario left Chimecho with Ninjask and distanced from everyone. He looked back for Metagross but the crab was already gone: this enraged him again. He hadn't punished Metagross, how unforgivable, and Chimecho had told him to go instead to appreciate his attempt. The ankle hurt even more for the rage. He arrived at the river, decided to wash the wounds, the water was ice cold due to the temperature in Mountain Kalos but made his body feel better, unfortunately it couldn't heal his mind..

"Ungrateful. Last time I worry for someone else than me!" He picked some rock from the ground and tossed it  in the river. Lucario looked immediately for another rock but didn't find any so he was forced to recuperate the same one tossed before. "Sgrunt, what a day...night runf. Where that rock has finished? I can't see even the bottom with this darkness! Curse the dim light stars above!" he saw a shine finally, the rock was shining underwater. The pokèmon dip an arm in the riverbed and when he had it again in the paw he averted a sudden power in the nerves of the wrists "Bah? This is a strange rock indeed, and it's mine now." He tossed it in the river a couple of times more until his rage faded a little, then he decided it was about time to return to the windmills. "I hope they won't annoy me again."

Gorebyss had been underwater the whole time do not trying to do anything. She merged from the riverbed and scoffed "There's no way I will even touch that psycho with my precious fins. Oh, hi, tiny!" waved to Dunsparce merged from the ground. "You know why I'm here." His tone changed her mood immediately "I have to refer to Seviper your progresses and efforts. And you're doing nothing again the same. I'm sorry but I'll report your last failure."

"S-Sure you would, honey?"  she tried to sound appealing, but stuttered. She couldn't reach Dunsparce outside the water. "I thought you had a thing for me, you know...tihihih... Please, give me another chance."

Dunsparce gave her a very dunce look "Chances are over for me, why I should give to the others."

"*Dear little slave of Seviper, your master is not in a safe position anymore*." Gorebyss hissed  "You will better change side soon as possible before, gasp!" then she realized the mistake. Then Dunsparce turned back and underground. "Come back, I was wrong!" She leaped to the land, landed right in the hole, and crawled through the tunnel he had been making.

"Finished the first windmill! A true piece of engineery. I even improved the original speed and the temperature so that it blows true hot wind now." Bagon lighted on his contraption with pride and the first blim inflated successfully. "Yahoo! It woooorks, yeah! This blim will pierce the sky." He felt the temptation "Yes." about to drop on and leave to the sky with the hot air balloon, he stopped as he saw Ninjask "No. Not ready again." He tied up the blim again to the pole. "I'm done here, then."

"Nope. You're not done at all, stay here."

"What's up, master Ninjask?"

"Your training begins."

"Rweally??" Bagon's pupils inflated for the happiness like he was a puppy again.

"Hey, over there! What about us and the remaining mills?" asked Oshawott but Ninjask was prompt to answer: Double Team. The illusion was perfect: three identical windmills and three identical blims perfectly inflated. "Wait, you said you don't like to win with tricks or I remember wrong? Mmmh. Osha?" "I'm above sabotage, not tricks. Jirachi and everyone will be focused only on what they'll see and this is exactly what a ninja exploits more: the sight of people makes them blind of us. Always."

"This means we have all this spare time for us? Oh, man, I know exactly how to get it busy." Squirtle seized her around the waist in a flirtatous way.

"P-PIPLUP! Not here, for the sake of pudency."

"Alright, there's a river."

"Hope that Lucario is not there anymore...oh, speaking of the devil. " Piplup then walked away on her own. Leaving Lucario with Chimecho alone guarding for the mills.
"Grrr. Sgrunt. Bored." The chime pokèmon didn't speak in reply, she was almost fully healed with Heal Bell but felt somewhat wounded inside. "What are they doing above us?? Bah, if I care."

Ninjask waited for the (real) windmill to reach the maximum speed, when the blades were not visible anymore in the whirl, and dashed between them in a perfect timing, not wasting a second more that could have sliced his body. Bagon, astonished, clapped loudly. "Megawow! This was incredible, like a ninja." The musk ceased that immediately with a sign of silence "Focus, Bagon. Focus and focusness. Look at the blades because you're going through them. Look at the target because that is the only thing that matters."

"Okay, so, the target is the blades, right?" gulped.

"The target is survive to the blades."

"Right."

"Find the flit between the blades." explained "Remember: life puts every obstacle in our paths in order to prevent us from reaching the target. But when we have eyes only on the target everything else disappear: flying is the same. It's your target."

"It's *my* target."

The dragon looked very serious, glancing with different eyes at the whirling powerful contraption standing in his way. Moving his short legs he prepared for the jump, imaging to take off directly into a tornado. The pression of the wind was the same. He never closed those eyes a single second, he wanted to see his dream into the face even if it revealed to be a nightmare of stream and suffer, the blades were mercilessly hitting his body parts until he was bounced back. Ninjask was staring at him motionless but Bagon didn't think at it. He tried again soon after.
Chimecho lost her unusual apathy and worried for him but Lucario blocked her "Stop putting an other over yourself. I'm done!" she strove to free her tail but the grip of Lucario was too strong for her, meanwhile Bagon kept trying careless of his health. "Leave me alone, Lucario! I'm the one done with you. Got it?"

"What?!?"

"I don't know what's wrong with you but I'm tired. Leave me, I don't need you or anyone else. I'm fine alone." Lucario finally let her go but the wind generated by the mill was too powerful even for her. Inside there, Bagon still tried, and, eventually, succeeded. He blink blinked and rubbed his eyes to see better and if it was reality, the pain was real for sure, and he looked finally at his body better: maimed. "Hss...Ahahahahah!" All of sudden he outbursted and rolled out of laughters several times before to tear down in commotion. "I didn't get this wounded since the last time I had tried to fly with my grandpa Salamence, thank you, Ninjask! I'm living a second time that moment of pain but now it's also of success. Sniff, it's like a flashback." He touched his arm realizing he was bleeding.

Chimecho quickly wrapped him and used "Heal Bell! Altough won't be enough to recover."

"Doesn't matter, Chimy, because I'm too happy! Really, I can deal with a little of pain."

**// Vent //**

**"First step of my path to the sky." Bagon refreshed his injures with the air conditioning of the implant "Wow. I finally found the pokemon that can teach me to fly and evolve: Ninjask."**

**Ninjask was camouflaged in the vent already listening to Bagon; when the pokèmon left he spoke to the camera "I'm actually impressed. Things are improving far more than our expectations, not only with Bagon. But I don't like this spotlight. It could turn in troubles very soon."**

Ninjask was right. As he exited from the vent he met with Chimecho after she had teleported Bagon to the Pokèmon Central. She wasn't the kind of pokèmon who hates but she was close to hate him after this. "You have a shadow in place of the heart, that's why it's impossible to see inside your soul. I had more than a shadow of doubt on you since the beginning and now I'm certain. I won't let your dark mind to spoil our companions a day more."

The ninja didn't react as she expected, smirking "Focus on this: **who** is spoiling Lucario and Squirtle for instance? I barely interacted with the latter." Chimecho blushed at the mention of the former "And there's none else Lucario spent more time together than you. At last, until today."

Chimecho resented in silence.

"Unlike mine, *your soul is an open book, Chimecho*."

"We're back directly from the land of love and H2O, maaaan. What did we lose and how we can get back on track?" Squirtle arrived dripping water along with Oshawott that had marked his shell with several kisses and scratches.

Ninjask turned to them promptly "I need two pokemon to guard in front of the mills meanwhile we'll bring back Lucario for the task."

"Tsk, Psychario. What happened this time?"

"Only Chimecho knows the answer."

Chimecho teleported herself and Ninjask away, leaving the couple a bit perplexed. However, Squirtle changed attitude immediately wearing his shiny shades "Hot Water and Water Hot on charge: mission windmill starry night."

### Venturers

"Invert the shafts, Inkay. At least this. I said invert, you genius at contrary." Beheeyem rolled eyes.

"We're too ssslow. Ssslow! The Jigglersss have already finished their windmills!" the leader of the Venturers was unsatisfied that none was following her directives successfully. No signs of Dunsparce and Gorebytch. No mill ready to work. No sort of result from Aurorus. Why everything seemed to slip from her control more and more the day passed? "Aurorusss, what are you doing! Stop studying and start building. I want factsss not theoriesss.I want SSSABOTAGE!"

"I want the wipers." Anorith wiped off the face some of her saliva.

Aurorus knew she should have ,on one side started to think how to satisfy the request of Seviper , and on the other take care of Beheeyem's advises and discover more about Dunsparce, but she couldn't not get fascinated and suspicious of the conditions of the windmills: strange marks were carved in the metallic blades and towers. Also, the material of them was strange. She had found out pieces made out of rock materials and with similar symbols in each of the three windmills assigned. "They seem familiar and a pattern, uhm..." "*Have you understood what they mean or not yet?*" The voice of Beheeyem made his way through her thoughts sounding sarcastic and haughty as usual. As she didn't reply, continued "*So not yet. Interesting. The perspicacy of earthlings is even lower than I thought. Oh, well.  Service information: I suggest you to come up with an idea because your bosss is mad at you."*

"I know. Eventually I had an idea already."

This time Beheeyem remained speechless. So Seviper when she saw Aurorus take the lead "Anorith, go on the plane and dislodge three climatizers; Inkay, invert the direction of the mechanism again; Beheeyem, bend the towers with the power of your mind; and about you, Seviper, spill your poison in the anemometers." Then uprooted a windmill and a tall tree using her neck and stacked them "Also, our mills must be of this height."

In between Gorebyss pursued Dunsparce underground, crawling with the force of desperation, covered in ground and filth, she must reach him or she would have been officially screwed "Dunspyyy? Where the hell are you? This gallery is neverending, anf, dirt, and, cough cough, unhealthy for my precious body." It was also completely enveloped in the darkness but that wasn't a problem for an abyss inhabitant like her. Using her glow, Gorebyss could see as it was lightime. Then, she scraped on something accidentally. "Dunsparce! No, it's a skeleton. Eek! Ewww. No, no, no way in my life I touched such a- a- argh!" More skeletons appeared on her way: it looked as **a massacre**. "Iiiiih! Enough, get myself out of here! Hydro Pump!" she filled of water the whole tunnel blowing away with the stream all the bones and few miles along the same Dunsparce that was literally drowned and sprouted outside. Gorebyss followed the same course of events soon after. "Aaaanf... Attraction! Now you will do whatever I tell you if you love me. You can't resist at the pleasure to plead me, am I right?"

"Splut. I-I love you."

"First thing you will forget everything I said." despite covered in mud and with her fins ruffled she managed to keep full control of her new victim, she smiled at the result. "Second...mmmh...I'll think about with calm. Let me clean back before just for you, blink." Ended with the sirenic voice.

**// Vent //**

**Gorebyss didn't realize  to be outside the water at all. She cared just for her incredible comeback and was super happy "Looks like I got a new lover, sorry Anorith, you got old. In both sense! Ah ah ah!" recollected herself assuming a doe look "Now, now, back on the situation. I took away from Seviper her favorite doormat and he's now \*mine\* , this means the tyramny is over. I can't wait to see her face."**

### Leviathans

A sigh.

"L-Lampent? It was you, right? Brrr, this place is so spooky." Minun searched for gears and contraptions that could have been recycled by Porygon 2 for the cause but so far he hadn't found much than little gears and broken, creepy pokè balls all over the factory. "Anyway, if you sighed, this means you're not fine. What's up?"

"Nothing. Like me."

"Come on. Let me guess, it's Lester...he did another one yesterday." Lampent shrugged and nodded feebly "I found an useful piece by the way."

"Put it here. Listen, ehm, honestly I don't know what to say anymore about Lester. He's just a natural disaster and, in fact, he ruins people's life in an unique way. Now afterlife, too. I can't justify his actions anymore to myself. I tried, I swear, today big time. And he's Arceus knows where."

Suddenly Lampent elightened her face "What if I tell you a story?"

"Eh.... a....about?"

"This place." Lampent turned off again and smiled even more, she really liked the dusk! Minun felt that she needed to do this and so agreed. "(Glom) Okay, begin." Lampent took a long breath and began her new story.

"This was the original Pokè Ball Factory. The first. Little is known about the origin of the idea of pokè ball... but about the making of it...here lies and dies the secret. An invention to change forever the life of both pokèmon and trainers asked for strains and stangers, the work for eternity. How to assure about its immortality? The world is neverending filled of beings, afterall. An infinite supply of beings needed an infinite supply of poke ball. . ."

Lampent reflected her figure on the open lucid surface of a pokèball  "Therefore they wanted the world to be neverending filled of these objects and the only way to achieve this, was to draw from the eternity itself: the cycle of life. Ironically recalled by the circular shape of it. The idea was a success and its effects didn't wait to come: the businesses skyrocketed and the factory expanded the jobplaces. Everyone wished to be assumed here all of sudden." Paused. "They assumed only trainers."

Minun was still waiting for the scary part and the chills starting from the tail didn't give him good vibes at all.

"They. Assumed. Only. **Trainers**." repeated at least pace "One day they assumed a little girl. Soon everyone fell in love for that sort of angel, as the youngest employer ever had. She was still a pollyanna, you know, that kind of girl stuck in a pixie world. I personally would have hated her (shrug), anyway. The girl was at her first pokèmon and she loved her Buneary more than anything else. Buneary followed her everywhere in the factory. Maggie, this was the name of her, and Arna were unseparable at work as at home. Until a new demand of pokè ball was ordered to the factory. The work doubled and Arna was forced to work separately from her pokèmon since then. She was said to have the "gift" for that work: she orchestrated her tiny fingers between the microscopic gears of the balls with a rare ability. Arna was soon absorbed by the work that she didn't care anymore about Buneary, she forgot her definitely when she was assigned the opportunity to create a new pokè ball on her own project. Someone of the company had found a sketch made of her and had been impressed by the idea of a toy pokè ball. *To play with your pokèmon even when it's inside the ball."*

Lampent opened the rusty poke ball in her hands, The capsule barely opened doing a creaking metallic noise and nothing else happened. "Arna worked at the prototype and for the first time she could treat a ball from the beginning of the process. It all started with a ball, unsurprisingly, but was entirely white."

"White? Uhm.."

"Arna was perplexed like you, actually." Lampent dropped the capsule on the conveyor belt, moving it "Vrrr."

"Lampent...? No. NO."

".... Arna istinctively looked at the beginning of the conveyor belt in order to see if there was an automatic paintery but there was only the oven where the raw metal was modeled in balls. She knew this, but she had never seen a white metal before. She focused again on the ball. Sliced in two perfect halves and found an heart. She felt immediately sick and sad at the same time. But the room was empty, she was alone in the factory at the time." pointed at the wall clock above them "She couldn't tell her discovery to anyone at the time. Suddenly in a raptus of fear and adrenaline assembled the ball: in her vision it should have been like a carrilon. An hidden mechanism made the ball to play a beautiful lullaby that she listened several times. She was crazy by that point. La la la...la la la...laa laa laampent."

Minun thought he was hearing the sound of the carrillon for real while he listened to the ghost lamp humming. "Ehm..."

"Bune! Bun bun! Boing! Arna jolted as she heard the verse of Buneary. Maggie, her Buneary! She opened her arms waiting for the bunny to jump for the embrace from wherever she was hidden. Too late, Arna. She was certain to hear her. She was crazy, afterall. Boing! The girl stood up at the search in vain, she decided then to follow the conveyor belt backward and arrived to the door of the control room. It was written DON'T CROSS ACROSS. But she crossed it anyway. Here, she discovered the secret behind the eternal business of the pokè ball. Bones and blood, the white and the red of a pokè ball. It was a bony job for sure, this last is a pun. (traducibile come dire "un lavoro fino all'osso") The pokèmon of the employers, once they completely forgot about their existence, were dispatched in parts and their skulls were fused together in perfect round shapes, then carved, covered in a metalized paint and delivered to the markets under the eyes of a mass of trainers unhumanized by their job, like her. Life was an infinite supply of material, then. Arna now looked at her creation with different eyes: the "heart" was only a gear but the structure was evidently been made out of a pokèmon skull with bunny ears."

Minun felt the istinct to cover his pointy ears "M-Maggie?"

"*She was crazy by that point*. Arna cried and cursed the horror factory, and her blind self. Therefore after a life spent seeing all pixies and no harms she attempted to blind herself, but then thought at a better ending to punish both. She dispatched herself in more gears for her ball the most she could then jumped on the conveyor belt holding it with the fingers left: an hour later the oven produced the first and last ball of Arna, that was normally coloured, metalized, decorated and brought in the presence of the heads of the factory. It contained the souls of Maggie and Arna fused together, ***Magearna***. Magearna was never delivered and stayed in the factory forever. It were the humans that didn't last forever here. 'Cause Magearna assured to cease that cycle of production for the eternity: Catching 'em all."

Minun heard the carrillon again: it wasn't finished yet? However, Lampent now heard it, too, looking surprised a little. "La..Lampent? Enough creepiness for today."

"I ended. Ah, thanks for having listened in any case." she sketched a smile upon her face even, until noticed a pokè ball that wiggled. At touch it animated opening two fluorescent eyes and arms until it became a full figure.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" Minun lost it and fainted.

"Ahahahah" Magearna laughed revealing her true colors: pink. "I couldn't resist! I just couldn't! The plot you settled was an amazing opportunity to do a true act of masterpiece. Oops, don't tell Metagross! Bye-bye."

"..........." the ghost lamp limited to shrug shoulders and  stared at the fainted rodent. "Again, thank you for the attempt." whispered "*I appreciated.*" And, alone in the penumbra of the silhouette of the abandoned factory, gave him a kiss on the cheek.

**// Vent //**

**"It was about time I had the opportunity to perform in an horror settlement, and since Metagrey never get with something in this direction I had to provide myself." Ditto laughed maniacally "The reaction of the rodent was utterly priceless, HA HA HA!" Suddenly Metagross bursted in and used Meteor Punch. With his body splattered everywhere in the vent Ditto stopped to laugh "Okay, you busted me." groaned. "Soooo what's the new order for me, boss, master, majesticness?"**

**"Shut and listen, brainless."**

**"Always at your serve, *Metagroin.*"**

### Heat of the Challenge

"Yaaawn, duuuuuuhnque. Let's get into the heat of this challenge." Jirachi had followed the events from his position above the hills. So far things had been perfect to make him sleep again but finally the three teams seemed ready to start the real competition. Many blims popped at contemporary at the horizon: that was the signal.

"I declare the colonization of this landscape in the name of my nation and creators: Silph S.p.a." Porygon 2 played on the hymn of Saffron City meanwhile he completed the third windmill with the flag of the Lester Latias Leviathans proudly soared against the sky. "Next step of the mission: victory, victory, and only victory. Initialization..."

Porygon 2 had shown an incredible talent of engineery using only random materials and recycled parts of machines to make three eolic implants from zero and they were designed energy saving being one connected to another with a leyda system. Bins and can made the inner parts, the gears had been borrowed directly from the factory, the yaw motors were car motors and the blades were made out of solar screens that captured the hot to heat the air for the blims automatically. The first blim was unleashed in front of everyone and drifted perfectly through the windmills matching (entrandoci perfettamente) in the circle of fire. "1...of 3."

Oshawott poked Squirtle, they were still guarding at the windmill but none had tried to attack them so far "Squirty, I'm worried they're going to win. We should fend our tower but we can't win if they win before us! We must stop them, pass from defense to ATTACK!" Showed the claws and sharpened the shell, then returned in herself. "What do you think?" The other blinked and prepared the fingers "My Water Gun is always charged."

"Banzai!"

"This is the Hot Police: you're under arrest and those windmills are under seizure. Surrend or prepare for troubles and strives of various degrees of water!"

"I never allowed a mission to be interrupted." Porygon 2 locked on them for the Zap Cannon, but Oshawott was faster using Aqua Jet deflecting the aim of the cybernetic soldier right before it used it. "Whew, that was close." Squirtle attacked soon after but Minun also used electricity supereffective against them, in fact he used immediately Thundershock and Squirtle was prompt to receive it: he slinkly deflected the hit using the sunglasses back to the attacker, with a smirk. "Another use of ma shades, buddy." Still shocked, Minun was surprised by Oshawott from behind and "surrended" immediately. "Under arrest. Just two more and we'll conquer the implant!"

"Alright, where are Metagross and Lampent hiding?" the ott aimed the scallop at Minun's throat  "SPEAK!"

"You better speak, my man, she's the bad cop of the couple." whispered "Even at bed."

"I don't know. Last time I saw Metagross he was knocked out by Ninjask and retreated since then. I swear!"

Before he could tell more, Lampent appeared from nowhere "I don't know why I'm doing this and I'll probably regret my decision." Shrugged. "Pyro Launch!" Both Oshawott and Squirtle were superficially singed without feel any damage. "You can't face hot water with fire, eh eh. I'm a gentleman so I'll KO you softly: Water Gun." Oshawott climbed up the windmill and attempted to deflate the second blim of the Leviathans but couldn't reach it. "Acc, it's too high. I need your additive centimetres." "Which ones? Blink." "Ahem\*" She blushed lustly then outbursted in rage "HURRY UP TO HELP ME AND F\*\*K!"

**// Vent //**

**Oshawott blushed violently "That sounded even more ambiguous than before! Oshame on my self."**

"We need to unleash the blim in the sky before they burst it." Minun tried to climb and stop Squirtle but the handcuffs made it impossible "Why on Earth a pokèmon should carry around a pair of handcuffs made out of shells?!"

**// Vent //**

**"......" Oshawott giggled misteriously.**

Despite the supereffective hit Lampent stood still but there wasn't much to do for her so she resigned to watch apart the destruction of the blim but Porygon 2 didn't accept that. "Koga-Kola cans and leftovers advanced, they can be recycled also into weapons! My system is not fully recovered yet, Lampent is. Lampent, assemble and fuse. This is the plan, make a bazooka."

"A bazooka? How it could work..."

"Ingredients for a bazooka: about 6 Koga Kola cans, a locker, the combustible for the blaster and a rocket." the polygon continued "I'm the locker, Lampent is the combustible and blaster, and Minun the rocket."

Minun bleached "Why you thought at me as the (glom) rocket?"

"Because my database on you says that you worked as the cannonball in the circus and in the condition you are at the moment is the only option that makes you useful for the challenge. Hurry up, I calculate 51 seconds remaining for our hope." Said, done. The three Leviathans combined the weaponry at record time. "I see them in my aim for a single shot. Lampent, use Flamethrower at the end of the countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." Lampent obeyed and the heat reaching the gas contained in the cans provoked an explosion that blasted off Minun at the speed of a bullet.

"Oshawhatthef-"

"Targets hit successfully."

**// Vent //**

**"To think I  I swore that I would have never done that again in my life since we left the circus." Minun wobbled and collapsed.**

Oshawott and Squirtle landed exhausted few meters further.

Porygon 2 returned to the operations and ordered Lampent to let go the second blim. "2..of 3"

"Trick Room." Beheeyem distorced the dimension "They started without us. Acutally, all earned. We can finish in tranquillity."

"I won't be tranquill until I'll see what I asked." Seviper hissed impatiently "What actually is your plan, Aurorus."

"Then. Blizzard of poison. Sounds satisfying enough?"

The viper shrank the eyes and started to smile cunningly. A blizzard of poison...she fantasized for a bit.

"I have done." Anorith dropped down the screw "Now it goes to the ladies, I will hide so if something goes wrong I will be the last line."

"Wise choice, it's the same of mine, afterall."

"No, Beheeyem, you stay here. The idea was partly your merit." the aurora pokèmon smirked with an inch of malevolence: Beheeyem needed to learn to stay at his place next time. The alien frowned. First Aurorus activated the giant windmills at contemporary and created the aurora borealis: the air dropped at lower than 0°. The poisoned breath of Seviper condensed very soon at that temperature. Then Aurorus switched the air ventilated in the fans from cold to hot and directed it against the aurora, the heating wind generated encountered in mid air with the aurora stream meanwhile the poison ascended in form of bubbles. Aurorus at the end used Hail Storm and an hurricane formed above them: it dropped poisonous shards of ice over all the pokèmon in the area. The perfect storm.

The result went beyond the expectations. Seviper was astonished, Beheeyem commented "Impressive. Which name will give to the hurricane: Tornado Aurorus or Storm Seviper?" A powerful wind blew against the windmills making them to run at max speed.

"Bip-bip-bip! Red alarm! This is a weather anomaly."

"Oh oh oh, finally a reason to be awake!" Jirachi watched with eagerness, then snickered in amusement "The best part has yet to come."

"MEGAGROAR!"

"It has come."

The growls came from everywhere. "Remember when I said I knew already the meaning of those symbols? Here. Remember when I said I wanted to stay hidden? Here again."

Oshawott and Squirtle woke up in the middle of the hills, stunned, when a Mega Aerodactly pounced on them.

"Du-de-dum, a flap of my doe eyes and the world is mine." Gorebyss was swimming when something from underwater grabbed her "Dunspyyy, save me!" Dunsparce didn't have time to react that he was swallowed in the underground.

"What isss happening? Was this predicted? Anssswer."

"I finally understood the meaning of the symbols written on the windmills: they're a maledition." Aurorus deciphrated  "When the windills reach the highest speed they summon a mysterious energy in the wind and this energy cause an insane megaevolution in the proper species. The victims become mutants and they lose any consciousness, but they gain an almost invincible power." read the scripts on all the windmills and told the history behind "These windmills were built long time ago already before, in the traditional way, then the original pieces were recycled into these modern implants. The windmills were originally figured as the ultimate defense: the ancient inhabitants of Kalos should have used them only in extreme need. Each windmill contained a raw megastone in the mechanisms and it activated when the megaring used to make the generator rotated, and the wind spread the energy of megaevolution all over the country."

"But something went wrong..." Beheeyem interrupted and also added "As always on this planet." Aurorus confirmed "Yes, something went wrong. And we're probably going to live the effects again today."

Suddenly a Mega Aggron rolled down the hill and knocked against her, the tall body of Aurorus landed abruptly on the ground. "Anf." Unable to get up, she closed eyes and collapsed. "I don't care. I want only to win thisss! Beheeyem, loose the blims!"

"All at contemporary? Uhm.. are you sure?"

Seviper lost the patience and climbed the mill but was stopped by the mega monster. "Enough with you already!" She slashed his face with Poison Tail.

"Excellent. Very nice indeed. Poison on steel, such a snake move." the alien clapped sarcastically.

"Shut it up, loose the blims and s-" couldn't finish.

"You know what? Anorith, you will be the hero of the day, not me." Beheeyem teleported in a safe position. Anorith cursed on him but he was away from the monster eyes and could achieve the task. The three blims of the Victini Venturers draft with lot of difficulty through the hurricane, Anorith had also to guard them from the hail, and directed to the goal. Everything went fine until the third balloon was about to cross the fire circle, because he realized he was doing something wrong "Wait, Aurorus should be in there! No, stop, stay here." Anorith strived to tie up again the blim to the tower but he was too light and it crossed the circle anyway.

He was ANGRY as never before, and for the wrong reasons. He was used to be that angry but for other reasons, usually regarding him and his "typical" mood. He just couldn't get over this anymore! The world was ending behind him but that, ironically, was the last of his thoughts, okay, actually, he didn't care at all as usual. Lucario felt the wind getting stronger and stronger was his body, clenched the stone in the fist and tossed it once more. He couldn't calm down. Not even a little and he was surprised of this... "Leave me ALONE." He perceived the four pokèmon with the aura: Chimecho and Ninjask. And two more. Ninjask revealed his disguise of a log while Chimecho stayed hidden. None said anything for a little. Then, Lucario attacked Ninjask.

"DID YOU HEAR WHEN I TALK? LEAVE ME ALONE!" Ninjask dodged and blocked his bullet punches, this aggraveted the frustration inside Lucario. "What do you want from me?!? I know you are here with Chimecho for a reason."

"For the target." Ninjask answered objectively "Chimecho teleported me where you were, not else. We need you for the final part of the challenge, we'll bring you with the goods or the bads."

Lucario stepped back mad "You came here for THIS?! Only." a tear  "I'm the only one who takes order from! Not from you, not from her, from MYSELF ONLY. Clear???" and attacked again but this time it failed the target because of Chimecho. The windbell teleported between his fist and Ninjask fearless. "Grrr, again? Again in the middle of my business?? Get away! I don't need you, I don't want you, *I don't want to hurt you.* I'm out of myself for the rage!" roared but Chimecho kept staying in front of him "Chimecho, I won't repeat a second time: go away. *You don't need me.*..and **I don't need you!**"

Chimecho stroke his fist with her tail until it turned back to be a paw. Then opened it and held it with both her hands "Thank you. I didn't want to be ungrateful before. I don't need your protection, just this..." she let his hand and turned "I can take care of myself, I am grown in this way. Alone." that word hit Lucario in the depth and brought back his consciousness "I care for people but I'm not used to be cared by them. To be protected. I never felt like this before and this make me feel uneasy." Chimecho stroke nervously her tail at the end.

"Uneasy? You're worse than me." Lucario slightly blushed "Then why you don't care your life only like I do? Why you help everyone? You make me MAD!!!" shouted "I want the answer I don't understand. I shouldn't care, but I want it!"

"I don't know."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Maybe... because I prefer everyone than myself. Their happiness is more important than mine, actually." Chimecho continued stroking her tail more "At least for me."

"You're right. At least for **you.** Never speak for **me.**" Lucario grabbed her tail and stroke it in her place, his touch was initially rude but became progressively soft and enjoyable, however Chimecho sorted her tail back soon as possible in shame. Lucario didn't expect this reaction. He quickly crossed arms in silence with the veins pulsing "Sorry, Lucario..."

"Sorry for what? Nothing happened, sgrunt." he denied.

"How about your injure?" Chimecho suddenly reminded feeling even more guilty for having treated him in that way despite...he had thought at her before himself. The guilt feelings she felt then made her bashful and to the point of cry, but resisted. Of course Lucario didn't answer her question.

When they reached the eolic implant the stream swept them away, except Lucario that absorbed it at all. The veins pulsed even more in result. "Grrrr I feel strange again. I knew I should have not come back. What are you looking at?" He stared angrily at Mega Aggron: their bloody red eyes met each others and the fight began. And ended immediately after. Lucario punched so hard that the entire armoured body of the rock/steel beheemoth crippled in shards, the same fighting pokèmon was astonished  "I have never been THIS POWERFUL before. Gnnn. I want more fight."

"Focus on the target, instead."

But Lucario's bloody eyes met with the red eyes of another pokèmon: Metagross. Chimecho rushed to calm him but Metagross didn't waste time and attacked her again in front of him. "NOOOO! Leave her ALONE. LEAVE CHIMECHO ALONE!"

"Otherwise? You're not in the position to threat." Metagross mercilessly used Meteor Punch again and again "I am in that position and I can do what I want." This time even the Shadow Ball of Ninjask couldn't do anything as the crab seemed unaffected by it. "Lucario, jump on the blim, now. I'll cut the rope in a second." Ninjask tried once more "There's still time."

Instead time was over. Lucario tightened the rock in the trembling fist: the energy poured from it. The muscles engulfed terribly, the veins turned dark starting from the arms and striped all over his body to the top of the head yet the extremities coloured of blood and spikes merged from each finger, and a spike appeared also in the chest right in place of his heart: the megaevolution was done. In his bloody eyes METAGROSS. HE SAW ONLY METAGROSS, HE WANTED ONLY METAGROSS. He removed the bone off one's hip and launched at the assault of Metagross. "Oh-oh. This was not calculated, I think." Metagross attempted to flee in vain and was beaten to death, almost. Chimecho did her best to prevent Lucario from committing a pillage but he was still enraged for her. "METAGROSS, STAND UP, STAND UP AND FIGHT WITH ME, I'VE JUST STARTED. MEGAGROAR!" Mega Lucario kicked the corpse of Metagross with all his fury and stomped it repetitively "STAND UUUUUP! WHERE IS YOUR STRENGTH NOW?? I WANT MY REVENGE!"

"It's over. Please, don't kill him. LISTEEEEEN!" Chimecho cried out all her voice covering every other sound and the echo of the valley repeated her cry many times "I don't need this from you. I need the opposite."

Stopped at the cry and shook the head "NOT AGAIN. AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU, YOU'RE STILL UNGRATEFUL? THEN I'LL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU REALLY NEED!" Lucario charged all his power in the bone and hit her or at least he would have but in a bolt of consciousness changed the target at the last second, and it hit the tower of the windmill instead, breathless. "You pushed me too far. Never again."

"No, Lucario, I meant this." smooched his muzzle "Gasp." Chimecho escaped away shocked by herself for this act.

"C-Chimecho? Agrr, YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID IT BEFORE!" He punched the tower so hard that it broke down completely and the Double Team used on it disappeared for Ninjask's dismay. "Urgh, I don't feel anything anymore all of sudden." He had returned to normality. Same for the fainted Aggron and the rest of the megas around.

**// Vent //**

**"In fact all the windmills had to run at contemporary in order to activate the megaevolutionary process." Aurorus explained later.**

"Ah, it was a trick! One windmill was real, the others were fake." Anorith pondered "So it's a spare, right? The wind is over, too.."

As calculated, the real Metagross had been waiting the whole time in the last blim as none was aware of him. He loosened the rope using the psychicness and flied the balloon up in the sky, but there wasn't enough wind like the anomalocaris said.  However, Metagross had already considered that possibility bringing Lampent with him and the fire of the ghost lantern lit the flame giving the blim the necessary push to finish the course. "3...of 3."

"Dun-du-duduuun! End of the challenge. Duuuuhnque, the winners are the Leviathans!"

"And the losers?"

Jirachi mocked Anorith "And the losers? Deyooo, It's a spare, genius. Yawn, both then."

"So this is your concept of spare. And our companions (probably) died during the challenge?" Anorith for example  pointed at the lifeless bodies of Seviper, and Aurorus,. and inkay... "Inkay? Mah. *About Seviper, maybe she can stay in this way."*

"Of course. I wish them to be fine again and everyone back on the plane like nothing  happened." the wishmaker legend shrugged and returned on the plane waiting for the wish to be fulfilled.

"Like nothing happened..." Lucario frowned "The best of the day."

### Tail of Losers: Nomination Time

"Like nothing happened here we are all again, on the plane, ready for the nominations." Jirachi snickered "Have you enjoyed your nightmare? I sure enjoyed the movie. Yawn, I fell asleep only two times."

". . ."

"Ask Vi, it rarely happens to me. Anyway, it was a pitched night and the morning sun is coming: vote!"

"Wait, is this gonna be a double elimination?" asked Anorith

Jirachi smiled rolling the belly eye apart "Who knooooows? Maybe, depends."

"Got it...Where is Victini."

**// Vent //**

**"Seviper is going to fly, ihihih." Gorebyss giggled mischievously "I can't wait to see her scary face when she'll realize that Dunspy voted her."**

**Squirtle's confessional was cut next "Seviper. Let's rid off her once for all, people! Let's don't waste this chance before merge."**

**"I'm undecided, uhm." Oshawott rummaged her braincells rubbing her head with the scallop.**

**At the opposite Chimecho sounded firm in her choice: "Ninjask."**

**"First time without my leadership and first defeat, oh oh oh. Looks like I was right." Piplup posed posh and proud at the camera "Did the crowd vow for Ninjask to replace me? Here the consequence. Uhu."**

**"Lucario. Ruined all my work." Bagon was bandaged all over. "But that windmill training rocked."**

**"Ninjask's strategy costed us the challenge eventually but that psycho of Lucario was the main reason, and there's also Piplup that did NOTHING ALL THE TIME while me and Squirtle received an electric rodent cannonball, and Seviper that I hate forever." the ott wondered who to pick getting jumpy and eventually exploded her rage side "I'M STILL UNDECIDED OKAY? NINJASK, PIPLUP, SEVIPER AND MOST OF ALL LUCARIO, THEY SHOULD ALL GET PUNISHMENT IN MY OPINION!" her heart pumped close to the breakpoint "Anf, anf...pant, pant...ah\*.. I decided at the end."**

"Mmmh.. du-de-dum...yawn, predictable...oh-oh... getting better...doolid!....duuuuuuuuu..." Jirachi made several facial expressions and reactions during the tally, in a sneaky amusing way to increase their waiting. Then commented stoically "Interesting. But not enough to make me consider a double elimination." A common sigh of relief followed. "Macarones to: Anorith, Oshawott, Inkay, Bagon, Beheeyem, Squirtle, Aurorus, Chimecho, and Dunsparce. Zzz."

Piplup raised a wing "What about me?" Gorebyss raised the fin "And me?"

Jirachi  ignored their questions and continued to sleep, and talk at contemporary "Pokè Balls to: Seviper, Lucario, Gorebyss, Piplup, and Ninjask. At least one vote was received by each. You know how this works, but I settled up a multiple countdown: I will count twice."

"This isss ridicolousss. Whoever voted me considers dead meat." Seviper shifted eyes also to the members of the Jigglers, the co-host opened eyes shifting right to hers  "This could be your last wish, Seviper... 3-2-1."

Two balls opened in a wall of smoke that enveloped Ninjask and Piplup for some seconds, then it faded. "Cough-cough, what was the point of this?" When the curtain faded completely she realized to have turned utterly black "My feathers!!!"

"You look like Pingu. Oshaoshaosha!"

"How could you, it was my royal blue color that distinguished me from the mass of vulgar penguins." Piplup and Ninjask shook their wings immediately but some ink remained. "This will certainly keep me awake for the rest of the ceremony, sniff." Jirachi dried the tears for the laughters "Three balls only, this time it's the final countdown. Du du du dun, du du du duuuun."

"Hiss."

"Snort."

"Come on! I'm in terrible late with my beauty nap because of this." Gorebyss had already  put upon the slices of cucumbers and seemed the most impatient of the three. "Your beauty nap is nothing compared to the artwork I'll have to do tonight to restore my regal aspect, so shut up!" Piplup vented at her swelling all over for the envy. "I'll start by now. You don't deserve my presence for tonight."

"We'll survive eventually. 3,2,1..Voltorb!"

"There must be a mistake. I voted for myself." Lucario repeated louder his shocking confession "MYSELF! How is this possible? Nonsense! And what is it this ticket I found inside: a dumpling crap of fortune telling off your whazoo?"

"Duh, not exactly."

There was one inside the pokè ball of Seviper, too, while Gorebyss's ball was empty as her mind. The explosion had imploded inside her golden tank literally blasting her like a bottle cap, she looked in confusion at Dunsparce, Anorith, Beheeyem and finally at Seviper "I don't understand..I-I thought to be in safe...you two loved me! Especially you, Anorith. I mean, Dunsparce! No, Anorith. Ehm, let's say both?" she giggled nervously but soon her true feelings popped outside her precious and dainty attitude: "I was utterly in control of you: you assured you would have voted out Seviper for me. How could you resist?!! Seviper treat you all like garbage while I do it with sweetness. I can't believe you prefer her in comparison! Anorith, seriously. You loved me since the beginning."

"My love is an old fossil now. Like me, no?" Gorebyss covered her mouth with the fins for the shame "Alright, I was in the vent." emitted a pitched gasp "And I realized that your evolution line is the species of the bitch."  and coiled up in herself for the harassment hiding especially her face in tears. Then moaned something but Seviper continued in place of Anorith "Then he warned me and the rest is hissstory. You tried and you failed to betray me, nice attempt, but it's over. You're mine now." and enlarged her mouth to swallow her.

"Eek!" Gorebyss slipped away like a fish and jolted outside the plane, falling in the void.

"Now, about the tickets you found....zzz"

"Grr. Wake!"

"About the tickets you found they can be considered your ***last wish*** tickets. You can use them how and when you want but they have a price: you will get an extra vote  for everytime you'll be in a nomination." Jirachi made a cheerish cat smile and left.

**// Vent //**

**"Last wish ticket, bah." Lucario read  on the piece of paper "*I wish to be eliminated*." and crumpled it.**

**Seviper read her ticket "*I wish to be eliminated*." and smiled showing the fangs.**

Nomination Chart:

Gorebyss: Anorith, Beheeyem, Seviper, Aurorus, Dunsparce

Seviper: Gorebyss, Squirtle, Ninjask

Ninjask: Chimecho, Piplup

Piplup: Inkay

Lucario: Oshawott, Bagon, Lucario

### EPILOGUE

"Give me an L, an E, a V, an I, and the rest of them...LEVIATHANS! I miss Plusle." Minun took off the pompoms discouraged "She would have celebrated this unexpected victory in the proper way. I tried..but it's just not the same." Back indoor, Lampent dressed them on "L-E-V, I-A-T, OBV-IOUS-LY: WE'RE THE LEVIATHANS. Woo." The pom poms lighted on fire at the end activating the fire alarm system all over the plane. "I was close." Minun stared at her blink blinking and eventually smiled "Even better."

"Heylà! Lester is back! Did I miss anything important? No, don't tell me otherwise I get envious. Ah, wow, we're still in the vip class! Phew. Way more better than I wanted. Ahahah! You have no idea of what I discovered during my deep investigation and research. Ah, Lampent, I have a gift for you: ta-dah! What is it? What is it...your diary! Fixed as new. I spent the entire night looking and collecting each single piece of paper and cimmer along all the Quirky House or Strange House for platitudinous people." Lampent stayed silent, as everyone, Lester continued to speak carelessly "But this is just the beginning! I thought: how to apologise with Lampent? By fixing not only her diary but also her past with all the pieces at the right place! Because it was all scrambled at art by a convoluted professionist almost and **I underline almost** alike me. Ah! \*EPIC POSE\*"

They kept staring at him with anger and confusion, but he was too excited to stop at that point.

"Darkrai, the firestorm, Victini, your suicide, the diar..ies. You will be shocked at the name of the culprit at the end of the story. Let's begin. Music, please." The Veilstone City music started in the background and the screen turned noir: he was Detective Kolomby again.

"Lester, could you consider us a second?" Minun started calm "Why don't you ask about our day before? An entire day without you. I'm certain you don't like the idea. **Imagine the entire rest of the reality without you!** You're out of this world! You do and undo everything everytime, you like to make me crazy, exploit us when you need and abandon us when there's no quirk around for you. Not to mention you cursed us with your idea to scope into Victini's secret room and now, what else? What's the next performance you have prepared for your loyal Leviathans? We have been waiting for this the entire day. (sarcastic)"

"You're not forced to listen. By the way, I did this only for Lampent." Lester turned to the only female of the team with confidence "I did a dossier on your case: your entire life is scripted here. The clues I collected show how your afterlife is a whole lie! Trust me, you will not regret to listen, you want the truth. And then, here is your detective friend Lester!"

"A friend wouldn't reveal my secrets in front of everyone as you were going to show off." was her answer "I don't want my past to come back torment me again but since you discovered it, keep it for yourself if you find it so exciting." Lampent burned down her diary again but Lester was prompt to save it turning in his Wash Rotom form "Aghostina!"

The ghost stopped hearing her original name "Aghostina was dead long time ago and probably never lived."

"Okay, forget the detective part, the epic sheningans. Just listen!"

"No."

"The culprit is..."

"Nooo! I don't care. I killed myself in order to not suffer anymore so leave me *rest in peace*."

Lampent lighted off to sleep despite the sun rays started filtering from the windows. She was soon emulated by the other teammates, Minun was last. "When you will understand that the world and people are not your representations but real it will be too late. Good morning."

"But by the way..." Lester saw  hot wax dripping from the pillow of Lampent: her tears. "I'll continue in the future. By the way, ehm, good morning all. With epic pose included..."

Later, someone flashed a light on his face in the middle of the sleep. "*I guess you forgot something. The deal was that I helped you sabotaging my team's chances of victory in exchange of your help as a detective. I did my part risking the table, now do yours.*" the red Rotom barely opened eyes and passed a disc to the pokèmon "This is the dossier on Seviper. There are files on Dunsparce and Lunatone, too. It contains all my brilliant deductions, ah! Epic..zzz..." The shadow took it and left the V-Class.

"All for my egg."  opened the laptop and begin to read as the last stars disappeared above the sky.