Chapter 10: Operation Start
About a week had gone by since Ash and the others encountered Team Galactic on Iron Island. All was peaceful as the group headed for Snowpoint City for Ash’s next gym battle. As they approached the city the group decided to camp out a bit by Sinnoh’s third great lake, Lake Acuity. Like the other two lakes, Lake Acuity was a crystal clear pristine lake surrounded by bountiful trees. Just as they were all about to sit down and have lunch, both Riley and Lucario reacted to something.
“Ash, Misty, Lucario and I are going to check something out.” Riley said as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion in a direction further down the edge of the lake. “You two stay here.”
“Is there something wrong Riley?” Ash asked.
“It’s probably nothing, but we’re going to check it out anyway.” Riley answered. “We’ll be back in a minute.”
With that, Riley and Lucario got up and headed down the edge of the lake. Before long they had gone quite a ways away from Ash and Misty to the spot where they felt the disturbance. The two found nothing and glanced around for a moment. When Riley looked out over the lake he suddenly saw a ball of yellow light rise out of the center of the lake and take the shape of a creature with two long tails. It floated over the middle of the lake for a moment before suddenly flying off.
“That’s the same thing Ash and Misty saw at the other two lakes.” Riley realized.
“So we were right, you are the one who was able to awaken Uxie Mr. Riley.” A familiar female voice spoke. Riley and Lucario turned around to see Jupiter standing behind them with a smug expression.
“I thought that was you Lucario and I sensed before.” Riley told her. “So what do you mean that you thought I was the one to awaken Uxie?”
“We’ve been doing a little research on the Lake Guardians and found that they can only be awakened from their sleep by humans with a certain strong aspect.” Jupiter explained. “For Mesprit it was someone capable of great compassion, for Azelf it was someone with a strong will, and for Uxie it was someone with keen knowledge and great wisdom, qualities that you seem to have in abundance Mr. Riley.”
“Alright, so now the Lake Guardians have been awakened. Just what are you planning to do now?” Riley asked.
“Why take them of course.” Jupiter said as she held up her left arm and pressed a button on a device that looked like a sort of wrist communicator. “Start the operation!”
Suddenly the center of the lake exploded and a massive pillar of water shot into the air. Water and several of the large fish Pokemon known as Magikarp rained to the ground. When it was finally over, Riley and Lucario turned to see the lake almost completely empty.
“What have you done?” Riley demanded with a horrified and angry expression on his face.
“Emptied the lake to find Uxie of course.” Jupiter said as if the answer was obvious. Suddenly the sounds of a helicopter filled the air and Riley and Lucario turned to see a black chopper descending towards the area near where Riley left Ash and Misty. “Well, it looks like our leader has come personally to fetch Uxie. Isn’t that the spot where you left your little friends?”
“Oh no!” Riley exclaimed as he and Lucario began to run towards the campsite. Suddenly Jupiter threw out a Pokeball and Skuntank appeared and blocked their path.
“Not so fast, you and I have a score to settle first.” Jupiter told them. Riley and Lucario glared at Jupiter and Skuntank.
* * *
Meanwhile back at camp, Ash and Misty were trying to figure out what was going on, along with an equally confused Pikachu and Riolu. All around them on the ground were flapping Magikarp, flailing in a futile attempt to get back into the water.
“What just happened?” Misty asked.
“I have no clue!” Ash responded.
As Ash looked around he saw a different kind of Pokemon on the ground mixed in with all the Magikarp. It was grey and somewhat humanoid and had two long tails. Each tail had three points on it and a red gemstone embedded in the center. Its face was partly yellow and the top of its head was covered by a yellow helmet-like growth. In the center of its forehead was another red gemstone. Ash quickly got out his Pokedex to find out about the Pokemon.
“Uxie, the Knowledge Pokemon.” The Pokedex identified in its mechanical voice. “Uxie is known as ‘The Being of Knowledge’ and was said to give humans knowledge and the ability to solve problems. It is said that looking in this Pokemon’s eyes will wipe out a person’s memory, which is why it keeps its eyes closed.”
“So this is one of the Lake Guardians.” Ash observed.
Suddenly Uxie moved and began hovering in the air with a dazed expression. Though its eyes remained closed it looked at both Ash and Misty.
“Hey there little guy, are you okay?” Misty asked the being of knowledge.
Suddenly a gust of wind picked up and Ash and Misty saw the helicopter they had heard earlier land but a few feet away. In the same instant a squad of Team Galactic grunts emerged from behind the trees and surrounded them and Uxie. In their hands the grunts were carrying what could be described as silver-colored futuristic rifles. The door to the helicopter opened and out walked Cyrus wearing his Team Galactic uniform, an emotionless expression was on his face.
“What the…? Cyrus?” a very shocked Ash exclaimed. “Don’t tell me that you’re a part of Team Galactic!”
“I am more than a part of Team Galactic, I am its creator and leader.” Cyrus revealed.
“So then… all the people and Pokemon that have been hurt by what Team Galactic has done… that was your doing?” Ash realized.
“All that I have done has been for the creation of a new and better world.” Cyrus said coldly. “And now that all of the Lake Guardians have been revealed I will be taking them to begin the next phase of my plan.”
Ash could not believe that he was speaking to the same Cyrus he had met before. The Cyrus he met seemed kind and pleasant, while the one he was seeing at that moment seemed cold and heartless. Ash then remembered what Riley had said to him that last time they had run into Cyrus at Lake Valor. Ash closed his eyes and focused, everything around him appeared in his mind appeared as shapes of blue light. He focused on the shape of light that was Cyrus. The blue light that was Cyrus appeared dim, almost lightless. Ash opened his eyes and was shocked, he had been learning to sense the emotions of others by their Aura, and Cyrus’s Aura seemed to show that he had no emotions at all. At last Ash knew why Riley and Lucario distrusted Cyrus so much.
“We won’t let you carry out this plan of yours!” Misty declared.
“And I suppose you children are going to stop me.” Cyrus said sounding completely unthreatened.
“That’s right!” Ash declared. “We’ve seen you for what you really are now and won’t allow you to hurt anyone else!”
In that instant Pikachu’s cheeks began to spark and Riolu took a fighting stance. Uxie then began to glow with a blue aura.
“Subdue them.” Cyrus ordered the grunts.
The squad of Team Galactic members then fired bolts of blue electricity from their guns, causing Ash, Misty, and the three Pokemon to cry out in pain. When the attack ended they all fell to the ground unconscious. After that one of the grunts went over and grabbed Uxie.
“Sir, what do we do with those two Pokemon trainers?” a female grunt asked Cyrus.
“Restrain them and take them with us.” Cyrus ordered. “For some reason they interest me.”
“As you wish sir.” The female grunt replied with a bow.
* * *
Meanwhile, Riley and Lucario were still locked in battle with Jupiter and Skuntank. Riley was trying his best to end the battle quick, but Jupiter was not at all making it easy.
“Skuntank, use Flamethrower!” Jupiter commanded.
“Lucario, dodge and get in close!” Riley ordered. Just as Skuntank breathed out another stream of flames, Lucario managed to jump out of the way. The jackal Pokemon then rushed head long at the toxic skunk. “Now use Bullet Punch!”
Lucario’s right paw began to glow with a white light and in an instant it punched Skuntank in the face. Skuntank was knocked out cold by the attack. Just as the battle ended, Riley heard the sound of the helicopter taking off. He looked up and saw the black chopper flying off into the air.
“Well, it looks like you’re too late.” Jupiter observed. “By now our leader has obtained Uxie and is flying off with it. Who knows what he’s done to your little friends. I’ll be off now.”
Jupiter then called back Skuntank and ran off into the woods. Riley and Lucario did not try at all to go after her and instead rushed off to where they last left Ash and Misty. They finally arrived to find Ash and Misty gone and the camp in ruins. Riley began kicking himself for leaving Ash and Misty behind. But he calmed down after a moment and focused. He used his Aura reading abilities and found that his lost companions were on the helicopter that had flown off, which he had suspected was what had happened. Riley reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He then dialed a certain number and waited as the phone rang. Eventually the person on the other end picked up.
“Looker, it’s Riley.” Riley said into the phone. “I need your help right now. Come to Lake Acuity as soon as possible. My friends have been captured by Team Galactic.”
