Chapter 12: The Legacy Is Passed
At long last the helicopter transporting Riley and Looker had landed in Veilstone City only a short distance away from the building that was suspected of being Team Galactic’s base. It was a fairly non-descript brick building that was only three stories tall. Riley, Lucario, and Looker entered through the front door of the building to find the place looking abandoned. Yet Riley knew that Ash and Misty were somewhere nearby. The only question was where.
“Well, we know that this building is in Team Galactic’s name, but I just don’t see this being there base.” Looker commented as he looked around at the abandoned state of the large room on the ground floor they were in. “I think we’ve hit a dead end.”
“No, we’re in the right place.” Riley assured him. “I can sense that Ash and Misty are here, and those three Pokemon I felt cry out in pain. Obviously we’re missing something.”
Lucario kneeled down and touched the ground with its right paw. The jackal Pokemon then closed its eyes for a moment, and then reopened them and got back to its feet. It then suddenly threw a ball of blue light into the ground a few feet away, causing a small explosion. The smoke cleared revealing a large square hole in the floor that led to a staircase.
“Good work Lucario.” Riley said to his Pokemon companion. “It looks like we’ve found the real entrance to the base.”
“So what’s the plan?” Looker asked.
“What else? We go in.” Riley answered.
* * *
In another part of the base, Ash was back in his cell with Pikachu and Riolu. He was trying to forget the unspeakable tortures of the Lake Guardians he had been forced to witness, but he knew that he probably never would. Those images had been seared into his brain and would be with him for the rest of his days. Pikachu and Riolu tried to comfort Ash as best they could, but they could not do much, especially from inside the cages that Team Galactic had put them in. But Ash wasn’t really aware of them anyway in the sate he was. Ash found that he kept wishing that Misty or Riley was there with him, but he wanted to see Misty most of all. From the moment Ash had found himself in that cell he had been worried about what had happened to Misty.
Suddenly the door to the cell blew off into the room, finally shacking Ash from his thoughts. Ash, Pikachu, and Riolu looked to see Riley and Lucario enter the room with Looker.
“Are you okay Ash?” Riley asked with a look of concern.
“Yeah, I think so.” Ash answered, though what he said was partly a lie.
“Turn around and hold still.” Riley told him. “Lucario, we need some help here.”
Lucario nodded and walked over to Ash. With a strike of Lucario’s paw, the cuffs bounding Ash’s hand shattered and fell off. Lucario then went over to the cages containing Pikachu and Riolu and struck the locks. Right away Pikachu and Riolu got out of the cages and went over to Ash.
“Ash, do you know if Misty is nearby?” Looker asked.
“I have no clue where Misty is.” Ash told him.
“That doesn’t matter, I’ll be able to find her.” Riley assured them. “But we should hurry. I’m sure it won’t be long before Team Galactic knows that we’re here.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Cyrus was back in his dome-shaped office. He had just finished speaking to someone with his cell phone when Saturn entered the room.
“Report.” Cyrus ordered as he put the phone into his inner vest pocket.
“The replication of the second Red Chain is complete.” Saturn reported. “Both chains are already aboard the craft with the orbs. And Mars has already brought the girl aboard as well.”
“What about Ketchum?” Cyus asked as he turned his chair to face Saturn.
“I’ve already sent someone to fetch him from his cell.” Saturn answered. But just as he did his wrist communicator buzzed. Saturn raised his arm to speak into the communicator. “Yes, what is it?”
“Sir, we went to the cell to retrieve the boy as you ordered, but he’s gone!” a panicked male voice said over the communicator. “It looks like the cell’s been broken into! I think we have intruders!”
“Those morons!” Saturn exclaimed. “Sir, it appears that the Ketchum boy has escaped.”
“Yes, I suspect that Mr. Riley has a hand in this.” Cyrus said as he got up from his chair. “Forget about finding him. We have all we need to initiate the final phase of our plan. Put the base on self destruct, it has served its purpose.”
“But what about the boy?” Saturn asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Do not concern yourself with him.” Cyrus said as he headed for the door. “If he has escaped then he has a slight chance for survival. But if he does not survive then so be it.”
“Understood sir.” Saturn replied.
* * *
Meanwhile Ash, Riley, and Looker came to a large pair of steel doors. Lucario blew open the doors with a ball of blue light. In side they found the large chamber where the Lake Guardians were being held, all three of them still pinned to the table with the cables from Team Galactic’s machines still hooked to them. The group went inside, though Ash hesitated at first.
“What is all this?” Looker asked as he surveyed the room. “What did Team Galactic need the Lake Guardian’s for?”
“Cyrus said he needed the Lake Guardians to… to make the thing he plans to use to control Dialga and Palkia with.” Ash answered, his voice almost sounding as if he was on the verge of tears.
Looker went over to unhook the Lake Guardians. When he disconnected the cables from Azelf’s tails he saw large gaping holes where red gemstones used to be.
“It looks like all three of them are hurt pretty badly.” Looker observed. “It might slow us down if we have to carry them. And if some of the legends I’ve heard about Mesprit are true…”
“I’m afraid we only have one option.” Riley cut in.
Riley then looked to Lucario, and the jackal Pokemon nodded in response. The two of them raised their arms forward and began to glow with a blue aura. Blue energy then began to flow from Riley and Lucario into the Lake Guardians. Looker gazed in astonishment as new red gemstones grew in Azelf’s tails. After several moments the flow of energy stopped. Riley and Lucario fell to their knees breathing heavily. Meanwhile the Lake Guardians woke up. The whole metal table along with the cables still hooked to them began to glow with a faint blue light and detached on their own. In moments the Lake Guardians had freed themselves and hovered off the table, though they still appeared to be in a weakened state.
“Riley, are you okay?” Ash asked as he, Pikachu, and Riolu went over to him and Lucario.
“We’ll be fine.” Riley assured him. “Lucario and I just gave the Lake Guardians some of our Aura. I suppose you could think of it as giving blood, but it’s a very risky move. One that often leads to death.”
“Attention! All Team Galactic members must evacuate immediately!” a computerized female voice said over an intercom as red lights began to flash inside the room. “This base will self destruct in twenty minutes!”
“What do we do now?” Looker asked.
“We have to find Misty!” Ash panicked.
“Hold on Ash!” Riley told him. Riley then closed his eyes, opening them again after a few moments. “Okay, Misty is aboard an airship with several members of Team Galactic. Cyrus was just getting aboard the ship when I sensed for Misty. The hanger seems to be all the way on the other side of the base. Even if the base weren’t about to self-destruct, we wouldn’t make it there before they took off. We’ll have to leave now and go get Misty later.”
“But…” Ash was about to argue.
“Don’t worry Ash, we can still get her back.” Riley assured him. “But right now we have to worry about ourselves and the Lake Guardians.”
“But how are we going to get out of here in time? Not counting the time it took us to find Ash, it probably took us thirty minutes to get here.” Looker pointed out.
Riley sighed and then looked to Lucario. The two of them looked at each other for a moment and nodded.
“Lucario and I might be able to buy the rest of you some time to get out.” Riley said as both he and Lucario got to their feet.
“But Riley, if you’re going to do what I think you are, in your condition…” Looker began to protest.
“We don’t have a choice.” Riley pointed out.
“Riley, what are planning to do?” Ash asked. Riley looked at him and gave him a reassuring smile.
“Ash, you’ve done very well as my student. I’m very proud of all that you’ve accomplished.” Riley began. “But I’ve taught you all that I can now. The rest is up to you. You have a great destiny ahead of you Ash. It was no coincidence that you were chosen by Ho-Oh and can use Aura.”
“Riley, what are you saying?” Ash asked, starting to become concerned. An expression of concern had appeared on Riolu’s face as well.
“You’ll find out in time. But for now you have to get out of here and stop Team Galactic.” Riley told him. “You’re the best chance we have of stopping Cyrus’s plan. Don’t worry about what happens to me and Lucario.”
“…Okay.” Ash said after a moment.
The group then rushed out of the room with the Lake Guardians flying close behind. When they reached and intersection Riley and Lucario went down the right hallway while Ash and the others went left. Ash stayed and looked for a moment as Riley and Lucario went down the hall.
“Ash, let’s go!” Looker called from up ahead.
“Right!” Ash called back before continuing on with Pikachu and Riolu.
* * *
Several moments later as Ash and the others continued their escape, Riley and Lucario entered a large chamber with a massive black cylinder with glowing red lights making up the center of the room. Black cables were hooked into the sides of the cylinder and destroyed control panels were scattered along the sides of the chamber. The entire room was filled with an intense heat.
“I thought so. The power generator for the base has been set to blow up, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to stop it.” Riley observed. “Well Lucario, it looks like this is it. I’m glad you were my partner. Let’s buy Ash some time.”
Lucario smiled and nodded at Riley before they raised their arms forward in front of the generator. A large blue barrier then appeared in front of them, creating a large wall.
* * *
Elsewhere in the compound, Ash and Looker were still headed for the exit. Every now and then, Ash looked back to see if Riley and Lucario were following them.
“How much time do we have left?” Ash asked.
“Not long I imagine.” Looker answered. “I’m not sure if we’re going to make it.”
“Ten seconds to self destruct.” The computerized voice from before said over the intercom. “Nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one.”
The base was suddenly shook and rumbled with a loud noise. But strangely enough, the base was not exploding around them.
“What’s going on?” Ash asked.
* * *
Back in the generator room, Riley and Lucario were trying to hold back a wall of flames with their wall of Aura. The explosion of the reactor continued to expand, pushing Riley and Lucario back.
“We have to hold on just a little bit longer!” a struggling Riley told Lucario. “We need to… make sure that Ash and Looker have enough time to get out!”
* * *
Meanwhile, Ash and the others finally made it out of the trap door in the old brick building on top of the base. Within moments they ran out of the front door of the building. Almost as soon as they escaped the whole building exploded in a mass of fire and rubble. Ash, Pikachu, and Riolu looked on at the inferno, thinking that in moments Riley and Lucario would emerge miraculously unharmed. But it soon became clear that they did not survive.
“No…. Riley!” Ash called out in vein. “RILEY!”
