In the stadium, Giovanni, Lance, and Cynthia took down their birds quite easily. After their last attack, the three clones fell to the ground in a smoldering pile, melting immediately after they were taken out.
Lance was the only one who recognized it, as he ran over to where the clones had fallen and inspected the grey goo that was left of them. "This is… just like that was."
Cynthia and Giovanni walked up behind him with their Pokémon. Cynthia tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
Lance turned back. "About a year ago, there was another thing just like this. They made a fusion of something, I don't really know what it was,but when we took care of it, it turned to mush. Not to mention…" Lance looked back as he reached into his cape, pulled out a little baggie, and scooped a bit into it, careful not to let it touch his skin.
Lance brought the bag close to his eye and confirmed, "Four years ago, Professor Oak brought me some sludge like this. He said it came from our legendaries here in Johto. At the time, I didn't believe him, but looking at this… it makes sense now."
Giovanni furrowed his brows and crossed his arms, but he said nothing. Of course he knew of both of those incidents, he was the one who gave the orders for the Zapmolcuno project. But that was different. It was careful, slowly made, designed so Zapmolcuno could effectively function as its own Pokémon. This… was different.
He also remembered that incident four years ago, when the Masked Man used the DNA they had, along with cloning technology, to try and raid Pallet Town, where Silver was. At the time, Giovanni thought he'd used up all that DNA. Turns out he didn't. The Masked Man had been hiding more than he thought.
But that didn't answer one thing, what was he trying to get from all this? As Giovanni turned back to look for the Gym Leaders and find a certain someone, the sound of an explosion snapped him back to his senses.
Over where Blanche, Spark, and Candela were fighting, they were having a little more trouble against their three legendaries.
"Looks like they could use our help," Lance said, standing up and brushing off his cape as his Dragonite flew next to him.
"Seems like it," Cynthia added as she climbed onto Garchomp.
Giovanni had been planning to continue his act, going with them, helping take care of this, then playing along as they searched for the Masked Man. But then his gaze drifted to the stands. His neutral expression dropped into a frown.
He was looking for Silver. Nowhere to be seen.
He began focusing the power of the Viridian blessing to try and find Silver, but he couldn't sense him. He took a deeper breath and pushed more effort into it.
His power wasn't as good as Yellow's, his psychic abilities were much weaker, but still, it wasn't useless. After years of training, his abilities were at least good enough for this.
He spread his range, searching… then faintly felt Silver. He was far away from here. Normally, Giovanni would be glad about that and say nothing. But he also sensed two more people rapidly approaching Silver's location. The Masked Man… and Archer.
Giovanni didn't know what was happening. He didn't know why Silver was all the way out there. He didn't know why the Masked Man was approaching Silver, or even if the Masked Man knew Silver was there, but he wasn't going to take the chance. Not again.
Giovanni turned away from Lance and Cynthia. "You two take care of those and keep people safe. I need to go."
Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Where will you go? And right now?"
"That's not important. I need to go now," he said, clenching his fists.
Lance stepped in front of him and crossed his arms. "What do you mean, 'not important'? In a situation like this, it's very important. What are you doing? Tell me now," he said, frowning.
Giovanni looked at Lance and frowned, not angry, not mocking. He started speaking like it was a fact.
"Lance, listen to me well. I don't know, and I don't care, where I'm about to go. But I do know my son might be in danger. So don't test me, or I promise you, I'll show you why you only became Champion after I stepped down."
Lance looked at Giovanni. While he did know his past, technically Giovanni hadn't done anything in the last ten years to warrant distrust. Suspicious things had happened, sure, but nothing concrete to prove he shouldn't be trusted, even with the short leash the League kept on him.
Lance sighed. "Fine. Then go."
He didn't comment on hearing Giovanni mention having a son. And since Giovanni obviously didn't have red hair or silver eyes, Lance didn't connect him to Silver.
Giovanni turned and ran out of the nearest exit as Lance looked back at Cynthia. "Let's go. We wasted too much time talking."
Cynthia nodded but didn't say what she wanted to. After all, the problems of other regions weren't her concern. She had come back to Johto for her research, made a stop to watch the Silver Conference, and now she was in the middle of all this.
This was hardly the weekend she'd hoped for. She sighed as Garchomp began flying toward the other three legendary clones, with Lance following behind.
Meanwhile, Giovanni ran out of the stadium, furrowing his brows as he took another deep breath and focused his power. He wasn't too skilled in anything beyond minor telekinesis and some healing, but if he exerted himself, he could do other things.
He focused on Silver's location. Then, when he opened his eyes, he flickered out of sight, gone.
—
{In the train}
The train rocked violently as the two Lugiatwos swooped overhead, their wings buffeting the entire car with hurricane-force winds. The sound of tearing metal and psychic screeches drowned out nearly everything else.
Morty's Cofagrigus lashed out with its shadowy hands, trying to pin one clone to the torn roof, "Hold it steady!" Morty shouted, then glanced over. "Bugsy, Jasmine, you're up!"
"On it!" Bugsy called, pointing up. "Scizor [Slash]!"
Jasmine moved next. "Lucario [Meteor Mash]!"
Lucario and Scizor were already in motion, leaping from one overhead luggage rack to the next before springing onto the nearest Lugiatwo's back. Lucario's fists glowed silver as it hammered down with [Meteor Mash] while Scizor delivered a [Slash] to its eyes, making the clone thrash against the walls.
Erika's Leafeon darted beneath the chaos, unleashing a wide [Leaf Storm] that filled the car with a slicing vortex of green light. The attack caught two grunts mid-charge, sending them sprawling into the seats.
Misty's Starmie spun through the air like a living buzzsaw, [Rapid Spin] smashing into the second Lugiatwo's face before flipping away, "Keep it distracted, I've got an idea!" Misty called.
Jasmine nodded and braced herself. "Lucario, double time, [Close Combat]!"
Lucario leapt from one clone to the other, striking its wing joint hard enough to make it fold inward. The Lugiatwo screeched, jerking sideways, leaving an opening for Starmie to fire a point-blank [Hydro Pump] straight into its chest, blasting it upward through the roof.
"Nice shot!" Erika shouted over the roar of wind, only for her smile to vanish as another shadow passed overhead.
One of the Ho-Ohtwos dove into view, talons scraping along the train's roof before landing hard enough to make the entire car sag, nearly knocking them off their feet.
Misty's grip on Starmie's Poké Ball tightened. "…This just got worse."
Morty gritted his teeth. "We can't let them through, if they reach Blaine, it's over!"
Misty bit her lip as she looked down at her Poké Ball belt. She took a breath. It was now or never, if she didn't do it now, when would she? "Leave it to me!" She grabbed a Poké Ball and hurled it forward.
As it opened, the Pokémon that stepped out was instantly familiar to all of them, Suicune. The legendary looked up at the three clones and frowned.
"Wha-how did you get that?!" Bugsy shouted, pointing a shaking finger at the legendary.
"Do you want an answer, or do you want to get rid of these things before they tear this car apart?!" Misty shot back.
"…You know, that's a very valid point," Morty admitted.
—
Blaine led the charge down the aisle, Magmar close on his heels, flames licking at its jaws. Whitney's Miltank barreled ahead while Brock's Golem rolled beside it, shoving aside Pokémon and grunts. Sabrina stayed near the rear, her Espeon and Alakazam flanking her.
"Almost there!" Blaine called, glancing back as they burst through another door.
But before they could move, the wall beside them buckled outward, torn open by something massive. A claw, white, scaled, and tipped with a talon like a sword, ripped through the train's side, sending shards of metal flying.
Through the opening, a third Lugiatwo forced its head inside, eyes glowing with that same dead, glassy light as the others. It shrieked, the sound like a blade scraping through their skulls.
Whitney grit her teeth. "Guess we're not getting an easy ride to the front."
Blaine's eyes narrowed. "Fine, then we push through. Magmar, [Flamethrower]! Miltank, [Rollout]! Brock, keep that thing off us!"
The train tilted slightly as the Lugiatwo's wing scraped along the outside, sending a shudder through the entire car. Sabrina's gaze sharpened. She took another breath, her Espeon and Alakazam focusing with her, "I'll hold the train steady, get rid of this thing!" she called out.
Outside, their combined psychic energy gripped the train, locking it in place. It was probably the most important job right now, if the train tipped, they'd crash and explode. Everyone aboard, including the grunts under mind control, would die instantly.
They had to deal with the Lugiatwo before even thinking about stopping the train. Blaine's gaze dropped to his belt, where a certain Poké Ball seemed to be calling to him.
—
Back in the middle of the train, the battle continued, this time with Misty's Suicune fighting alongside them. They were starting to push back against the three clones.
"[Aurora Beam], now!" Misty commanded.
A brilliant rainbow beam erupted from Suicune's mouth, spearing through the broken roof of the cart and hitting Ho-Ohtwo square in the chest. The impact made the clone stagger back, smoke curling from its feathers.
One of the Lugiatwos noticed and looked down, spotting an opening. It charged a blast and fired, not at Suicune, but at Lucario.
Lucario dashed along the wall to avoid the attack, rebounding off a seat to deliver a [Meteor Mash] to the Lugiatwo's temple. The clone howled, but its wing lashed out, sending Lucario crashing into the far wall.
"Lucario!" Jasmine shouted, but before she could move, Leafeon intercepted a charging grunt with a clean [Leaf Blade], flipping backward to stay in the fight.
Cofagrigus's arms coiled around another Lugiatwo's neck, shadows digging deep, but the clone thrashed with terrifying strength, slamming its body into the train's roof hard enough to warp the metal.
"Hold it, Suicune, [Hydro Pump]!" Misty yelled.
Water blasted forward like a cannon, slamming into the restrained Lugiatwo and forcing it up through the roof in a spray of shattered steel. The train rocked so hard that Erika nearly fell, catching herself on a seat.
Then a deafening crash erupted from the rear door, the frame bending inward before being torn clean off.
"Need a hand?" Surge strode in, Raikou padding at his side like a living storm cloud, sparks dancing across its fur.
"Ehhh?" Bugsy blurted out, looking back and forth. "First Suicune, now Raikou? What's next, Entei with Blaine?!" he asked, looking exhausted.
His protest was ignored as Misty, just glad for the help, shouted, "You're just in time!"
Raikou's eyes locked onto the Ho-Ohtwo perched above. Without waiting for a command, it leapt into the air, electricity crackling like a thunderhead about to burst.
"[Thunder], full power!" Surge roared.
The blast lit the entire car like a lightning strike in a midnight storm. The bolt slammed into Ho-Ohtwo's chest, the force hurling it backward and over the side of the train. It screeched as it vanished from view, crashing into a stray tree before sliding down the mountainside, already melting into grey goop.
"Not bad, huh?" Surge smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"Save the bragging for later," Morty shot back, pointing upward. "We've still got two more!"
Suicune and Raikou exchanged a glance before bounding together onto the roof. One Lugiatwo swooped low, but Suicune's [Ice Beam] froze the air in its path, forcing it to pull up. Raikou was already there, vaulting over the ice to slam a [Wild Charge] into the clone's ribs, sending it spinning into a nearby mountain, melting away soon after.
The last Lugiatwo roared and dove, psychic energy swirling in its mouth.
"Everyone, hit it now!" Misty yelled.
Lucario launched with [Meteor Mash], Scizor's [Slash] and Leafeon's [Leaf Blade] struck deep into its wing joint, Starmie's [Thunderbolt] crackled across its body, and Suicune's [Hydro Pump] combined with Raikou's [Thunder]. The combined force exploded in midair.
When the light faded, only a few scorched feathers remained, and even those were already melting.
Surge gave a sharp nod. "That's three down. Blaine better be making it to that control cabin."
"Well, we should go now then," Morty said.
Bugsy nodded. "Agreed."
"Then let's go," Misty said. They all nodded and began running, with her and Surge returning Suicune and Raikou to their Poké Balls, if only because they were too strong. If either attacked anything inside the carts, the collateral damage would be massive.
Better not to risk it.
—
Back over with the other team, they were trying to push the clone back before it could break through and get to Sabrina, because if Sabrina lost concentration, this entire train was going off the tracks.
"Keep it back!" Blaine barked, stepping forward. Magmar shot another [Flamethrower] at the clone.
Golem slammed into Lugiatwo's talon with [Heavy Slam], shoving it sideways for only a second before the clone's sheer strength pushed back, forcing its way in further. Miltank spun into another [Rollout], bouncing off its forearm like it had hit a steel wall. The shriek that followed sent both Whitney and Brock clutching their ears.
Sabrina's voice was tight, strained. "I can't hold the train much longer, if we don't deal with this thing now, it's going to rip us clean off the tracks!"
Blaine's eyes dropped again to the Poké Ball at his belt. He had been saving it for the worst possible situation… and this seemed as bad as it was going to get.
"Leave it to me, then!" Blaine said as he threw the ball from his belt. The moment it hit the floor and burst open, Entei emerged, stomping into the center.
"Wha, how does an old guy like you have one of the legendaries?!" Whitney blurted out, eyes wide.
Blaine didn't answer. He just pointed forward. "Entei, [Sacred Fire]!"
Entei roared, the sound shaking the walls. A blazing vortex of golden-red flames erupted from its jaws, enveloping Lugiatwo's head and shoulders. The clone thrashed around in pain.
Whitney pumped her fists up and down. "Yeah! Burn it down! Show that meanie who's boss!"
But Brock saw it was trying to escape, so he quickly called out, "Golem, [Stone Edge]! Pin it in place!"
Stone spikes shot upward from the floor and ceiling, locking around Lugiatwo's head and not letting it escape. It struggled, but Entei was already charging again.
"Finish it with a [Flare Blitz]!" Blaine commanded.
Entei's body became a comet of fire, slamming into Lugiatwo with an impact that tore it free from the train. The clone tumbled end over end through the air before smashing into the rocky embankment outside. When the flames cleared, its body was already melting into the same grey sludge as the others.
Sabrina let out a breath, finally releasing her psychic hold on the train. "Good timing, I didn't know how much longer I could hold it."
Whitney, however, looked a little more excited as she slapped Blaine on the back. "For a wrinkly old mummy, you're pretty cool!"
Blaine rubbed his shoulder and nodded. Then he looked at Entei, returning it to its Poké Ball. "Right, but we aren't done yet. We need to get to the controls before the other clones get here."
They nodded, and with no more distractions, they made it there. Blaine got on the controls and began working to stop the train.
As he worked, it took enough time for the others to come running in, led by Surge. He looked at Blaine. "What's the status?"
"I don't know, it's like this thing got rid of the brake system on purpose," Blaine said as he pressed buttons and typed commands.
"So, can you stop this thing or not?" Morty asked, looking outside where he could see the last three Ho-Oh and two Lugia clones flying over them. "Because it looks like we aren't done yet."
"I don't know, this thing isn't working!" Blaine called out, looking back at everyone.
"Then… is there nothing we can do?" Erika asked, putting a hand over her mouth.
Blaine didn't have an answer as he started thinking hard for any way out of this.
But then they saw a blur go past the train and stop ahead. As the blur stepped forward, it was revealed to be an Arcanine, and riding it was Gary. He hopped off and looked at the speeding train.
Gary smiled. "Looks like this is your stop, let's give them a hand." He threw out the Poké Ball Ash had left with him toward the track.
As the Poké Ball opened, out came Ash's Snorlax. The massive Pokémon stomped in front of the train and braced himself. When the train drew close, he reached out his arms, caught it, and began pushing against it.
Snorlax was dragged through the dirt for a few feet, but as he pushed harder, the train began slowing until it finally screeched to a stop.
Gary swiped his hair back. "Someone order a rescue?"
"Ahhh, we're safe!" Whitney called out, nearly letting her knees give out.
Outside, Snorlax finally relaxed, giving a long sigh as if holding back a several-ton locomotive was just mild exercise. Gary strode up beside him, dusting off his jacket like nothing was out of the ordinary. Arcanine padded up behind, tail flicking with a smug air.
"Hey!" Gary called toward the lead car. "You guys looked like you were in trouble. Thought I'd stop by and, y'know, stop everything else too."
Surge swung the door open and hopped down onto the tracks, looking Gary up and down. "Kid, you've got a flair for entrances, I'll give you that."
"Guess you could say I learned from someone," Gary replied, glancing at Snorlax, who was already dozing off.
Misty and Brock recognized him instantly. "That's Ash's Snorlax, right?"
Gary's eye twitched as he sighed. "Yeah. In a way, you could say he sent me to come stop this train."
"Wait, wait, wait, what? Ash sent you and gave you his super-cute Snorlax to save us?" Whitney asked.
"Yeah… though I don't like how he did it," Gary grumbled.
"So then… where is Ash right now?" Brock asked.
Gary gave them a deadpan stare. "Where do you think?"
Immediately, they all took a collective breath of concern. "He's trying to deal with all of this on his own, isn't he…" Jasmine muttered.
"Of course he would. And you don't know where he is, do you?" Sabrina asked.
Gary shook his head as he returned Snorlax to his Poké Ball. "Nope. If I did, I'd already be over there to strangle him."
"Then how are we supposed to find him, with everything going on, especially since, well… you know." Whitney pointed up at the sky, where the last three Ho-Oh and two Lugia clones were circling above, preparing to strike.
"I admit, this seems like a difficult situation we're in…" Erika mumbled as she reached for another Poké Ball.
Blaine started to think aloud. "If only we knew where the source of this was, and who the mastermind is, we could stop this…"
But as he spoke, his Poké Ball began to shake.
Not just his, Misty's and Surge's Poké Balls began shaking too. All three trainers pulled them out, glancing at each other in alarm.
Blaine saw it too. As he held up Entei's Poké Ball, he looked at the other two. "I have a plan. We might not know where the source is, but I think they do."
As if on command, without anyone needing to open their Poké Balls, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune broke out, yes, broke out, because they could have escaped any time they wanted. They had simply chosen to stay put until this moment.
Blaine looked at the other Gym Leaders. "We're going with the Legendary Beasts. Can we trust you all to take care of those monstrosities?"
They exchanged glances before Brock nodded. "Leave it to us. You just go."
"Yeah, we'll try to catch up as soon as we can," Bugsy added.
They nodded, but Gary suddenly cut in. "Hold it!" he called, jumping back onto Arcanine. "I'm going too. Arcanine can at least keep up with you, so don't think you're leaving me behind. Because if I know my idiot best friend, wherever we're going, he's already there!"
Misty couldn't argue; she had the exact same thought. She stayed quiet, but Surge gave a sharp nod. "Fine. More support is always appreciated. Now let's go," he said, leaping onto Raikou's back.
Misty and Blaine followed, mounting Entei and Suicune. The three Legendary Beasts charged forward, leaping into the air and racing toward the place where the real battle would happen, with Arcanine following close behind in a streak of [Extreme Speed].
That left the rest, Brock, Erika, Morty, Bugsy, Whitney, Jasmine, and Sabrina, to finish off the fight. Above them, the last three Ho-ohtwos and two Lugiatwos screeched as they swooped down.
Whitney rubbed her hands together. "Let's do this! This is getting exciting!"
"Not exactly what I'd call exciting, but I agree," Erika replied.
Brock just looked up at the incoming threat, his hand tightening around his Mega Stone necklace. "Let's do this, for everyone!"