The army of Arias surged forward in a single, furious wave. Yvan pushed the phone into Charlotte's hands and swung his arm sharply toward his pokemon "Electivire! Use Ice Punch on the ground!"
The hulking Pokémon roared, its fists glowing with frost before it slammed them into the concrete. Shards made from ice speared upward in jagged lines, piercing the front ranks of clones. But the ones behind didn't falter. They teleported into the sky in flashes of pink light, their hands unraveling into threads of fairy energy. The strings lashed down toward Charlotte and Yvan, twisting and snapping with eerie precision as their faces twisted in mocking smiles.
Electivire snarled. It broke one of the frozen spears free before it let electricity sparking across its fur go wild. With a defiant bellow, it channeled its power, covering the spear in a crackling sheath of lightning. The hand made spear glowed like a Blade of Storm. Electivire swung it in wide arcs, cleaving through the web of pink threads before they could reach its trainers. One by one, the fairy strings dissolved into mist.
Charlotte's jaw slackened. "He's… he's incredible."
Yvan let out a short laugh, muffled under his mask. Before he could say anything, the phone erupted with the sharp voice of the man on the other end.
"Yvan! What the hell are you two calling awesome over there? Did you two actually find a way out yet? Tell me!"
Yvan raised the phone back to his ear, eyes glittering. "Hey, Doctor."
A pause, then. "Yeah? What is it?"
"I think I've found a promising subject for you."
On the other end, manic laughter broke out, sharp and unrestrained. "GOOD! GOOD! What kind? What type of Pokémon is it?!"
Yvan chuckled under his breath. "Why are you acting like you're not already watching us?"
The Doctor's voice tilted into a singsong reply. "I don't know what you mean :) "
The thrum of rotor blades cut through the night, growing louder until even the Arias turned their crimson eyes skyward. Some prepared to unleash their attacks at the approaching helicopter, while others stayed locked on Electivire, who braced himself in the middle of the chaos, chest heaving, sparks crawling along his fur.
Relief flickered across Yvan and Charlotte's faces as thick ropes uncoiled from above, their weighted ends clanging against the steel. A figure leaned from the helicopter, his mask stark white, painted with a grinning red face that looked like it made out of pastel was covering all of his face, His yellow hair spilled out from beneath the mask, Unlike the others, he wore a spotless white suit with a bright yellow tie that caught the sunlights like a flame.
"Yohoooo!" he hollered, throwing himself from the helicopter without hesitation, rope swinging beside him.
Charlotte groaned, lashing her rope around her waist. "Show off!" she shouted up, though her hands moved quickly as she secured herself to the line.
The masked man hurled a Luxury Ball at the ground, which then levitated, striking against his chest before bursting open in with a red light. Out of the light emerged a Crobat unlike any ordinary specimen. Its body a shadowy black, fangs glinting like daggers, horns curling menacingly from its head. Its eyes were molten yellow, gleaming like twin suns even under the pale daylight.
With a single bound, the man planted a boot on Crobat's back and straightened his stance, balancing effortlessly as the bat hovered in the air.
"How's it going?!" he called down, his voice muffled beneath the painted grin of his mask.
"Just like you see–" Charlotte's tone was sharp, breathless, her finger stabbing toward the chaos. "Its not so good, Doctor. Electivire's is there, fighting all of them by himself!"
"Oh?" the Doctor repeated almost lazily, tilting his head. "Why?"
Before anyone could answer, one of the Arias lunged at him with a shriek of rage. The clone's hand cut through the air toward his chest but the man didn't so much as twitch. At the last moment, he spun on his heel, dodging in a blur, and then snapped forward, slamming his forehead directly into the clone's skull. The Aria burst apart like smoke.
He straightened, brushing imaginary dust from his suit, and turned toward Yvan and Charlotte. Their eyes were wide with disbelief.
"You were afraid of that? Grow up, will you guys?" he giggled, the painted grin on his mask seeming to stretch wider as it caught the light.
Yvan blinked, then chuckled back, though uneasily. "When you put it like that, it sounds easy enough, right!?" He smirked beneath his mask, then waved dismissively. "So! Good luck with the rest of them!"
He recalled Electivire in a flash of red, pulled the rope twice, and felt it pull him and Charlotte skyward toward the helicopter.
The Doctor watched them go, then turned to face the advancing army of Arias. Dozens of them floated forward in perfect unison, scarlet eyes burning, their hands glowing with power. Countless Hexes and DrainingKisses gathered like a storm above him.
"Fucking baldy thinks I can't handle this," he muttered, rolling his shoulders before throwing his arms wide. His voice boomed out, raw and furious. "WELL THEN! COME TO ME, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!"
The first wave struck, lashing strings of pink light cutting through the air. He didn't flinch.
"Batlord!" he roared. "CrossPoison, then Nasty Plot! End this with Dark Pulse!"
Crobat shrieked, venom hissing along its four wings as it dove. It sliced through the fairy strings in whirling arcs, poison laced wings severing every tether that reached for them. Then it rose sharply, curling its body inward, wings folding tight around itself like a cocoon. Shadows swirled around it, thickening as the Nasty Plot taked effect.
The Arias reacted instantly, splitting into two precise groups. one circling the cocoon in the sky, the other streaking straight toward the Doctor and the helicopter, their cries piercing through the roar of the blades.
"Oh no you don't!" the Doctor snapped. He ripped two Poké Balls from his belt and hurled them into the air. They burst open with twin flashes, revealing a pair of Electrodes. Strange ones, black and yellow with redheadbands tied tight around their glossy bodies.
"BOOM!"
Without hesitation, both Pokémon began to glow, their bodies swelling with unstable energy. The Arias ignored them at first. Explosion/Self Destruct was a Normal type attack, useless against Ghost type Pokemon.
Or at least, it should have been...
The blast tore the dock apart in a cataclysm of light and thunder. Clones vanished by the dozens, ripped apart by the shockwave, their cries drowned out in the roar. When the smoke cleared, the Doctor was still standing amidst the wreckage, his immaculate white suit now charred with ash. His mask's red smile hadn't faltered. He threw back his head and laughed.
"DID YOU REALLY THINK I WASN'T AWARE YOU BASTARDS WERE GHOST TYPES?!" His voice cracked like lightning. "I made those Electrodes myself for the sole purpose of handling fools who think they're immune! I gave them the ability Scrappy!" His laugh rang out like a maniac.
Above, the helicopter tilted, preparing to ascend. Charlotte and Yvan had already scrambled aboard, buckling in with trembling hands. For the first time since the chaos began, they allowed themselves to breathe. Their eyes met, and both broke into relieved laughter.
"I can't believe we made it out of that hell," Yvan said, pulling off his mask. His face was pale, streaked with sweat but alive.
Charlotte looked at his face for some time before she rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as the blades roared overhead.
"We really deserve a rest after this," Charlotte whispered, her voice so faint it nearly drowned under the roar of the helicopter blades.
Beside her, Yvan went still, his expression turning to stone. "Y-yeah, we need one… but..." His words faltered, his gaze dropping to the floor.
"But?" Charlotte pressed, lifting her head to look at him.
"But what are we going to tell the boss?" Yvan muttered, his tone bitter. "We don't know where most of the grunts went. We failed to secure the Terrain Crystal. We lost Rapidash. And..." He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "I'm not even talking about the fact that we ran away from literal brats."
Charlotte exhaled through her teeth, raising her head. "Yeah, it's embarrassing," she admitted. "But you have to accept they weren't normal brats." Her body gave a sudden shiver as the memory crashed over her. Two scarlet eyes burning down at her from the dark. Her voice wavered. "If you had been even a second late, Yvan… I might be dead."
Her trembling words silenced the cabin for a moment. Yvan's jaw tightened. He glanced out the window, watching as Crobat clashed with a swarm of Aria's clones, violet light cutting through the night. "The boy I fought was no joke either," Yvan muttered. "If I hadn't ru... If I hadn't tricked him I'd be caught too."
Charlotte looked down at the flickering monitor fixed to the wall in front of her. "What do you think our punishment is going to be?" she asked, her tone dry, though her hand absentmindedly checked the empty spot where her tooth had been.
[There will be no punishment, my little girl.]
The thin voice slipped into their ears through the headgear. Both Charlotte and Yvan froze, fear stiffening their bodies. The monitor blinked alive, revealing a woman with shoulder length brown hair, draped in a white lab coat. A chrome mask covered her face entirely, blank and faceless, its sheen catching the cabin light.
[I heard everything,] the voice continued, steady and cold. [And I understand now. Sending you two with those grunts was my mistake. I should have made sure the ones we hired were loyal. The past is past. But...] her tone sharpened, the metallic distortion of her voice like a knife's edge. [...That doesn't mean you two are free of blame.]
The helicopter suddenly jolted hard. One of the Arias slammed into the tail, sending the cabin into chaos.
"Please hold tight!" the pilot barked through the intercom, fighting the controls. The machine lurched, rattling violently, before regaining balance.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" Yvan shouted, eyes darting around the sky. For a heartbeat he caught sight of another Aria, scarlet gaze fixed on him before a Dark Pulse split the air and obliterated her.
A second later, Doctor appeared alongside the helicopter, balanced on Crobat's back. "SORRY! THAT ONE SLIPPED!" he bellowed before yanking Crobat's horns, sending the bat into a steep dive.
The masked woman's voice returned over the feed. [Looks like you're still busy. Fine. We'll continue this face to face at the base. Bring the Doctor as well. I have some questions for him. And don't waste time. Understood?]
Both Yvan and Charlotte nodded frantically. The screen flickered dark.
Relief swept the cabin like a tide. Even the pilot exhaled heavily, loosening her grip on the controls.
Charlotte groaned, dragging her hand down her face. "How the hell was that more stressful than staring death in the eye?"
The pilot chuckled humorlessly. "Because Miss Charlotte death is quick, and usually painless. Torture…" She shook her head. "Torture lasts. And knowing there might never be an end is much worse."
Yvan gave a sharp laugh. "Been there. And I can proudly say it was no fun." He tugged open his suit jacket, revealing a chest marred with old scars, then buttoned it closed again as though sealing away the past.
Charlotte pulled out her phone, thumbing a number quickly. "Hey, Doctor! Boss called. She wants us in Lab One...Yes, you too...Wait Who did you say is with you?"
Yvan frowned at her. "Put it through the gearset."
Charlotte nodded, connecting the call to the cabin's audio. "Doctor, what's wrong?" Yvan asked, leaning forward.
The reply came ragged, half laughing, half serious. "Well… she's here and we might've fucked up."
Yvan's face paled. "She?"
On his Crobat, the Doctor looked down. His gaze locked onto a figure standing calmly at the edge of the docks. A woman, late twenties at most, draped in a black dress beneath a long dark coat. Her chestnut hair swayed in the sea breeze, the bangs veiling ocean blueeyes that glinted with sharp clarity. A simple white bucket hat sat atop her head, stamped with the faded red of a Poké Ball logo. Black wristbands circled her hands, which flexed at her sides with unsettling calm.
The Doctor's grin twitched under his mask. "The Dexholder and the Top Officer Blue."
On the docks, Blue smiled up at him. Wa