Alex and Iono moved through the deep, dark, frigid waters of the night, anything but silent or stealthy if Iono had her way. Lanturn swam in every direction around them, each fitted with a camera mounted to their head, their bioluminescent orbs radiating broad halos of light that flooded the surrounding water and pushed back the darkness in all directions.
Nocturnal predatory Pokémon drifted closer when they sensed the disturbance of the procession, only to veer away moments later as the pressure of Champion ranked auras washed over them. This was not prey they wanted to take a bite out of.
Alex glanced sideways at his ride-along and shook his head.
Six Lanturn were dedicated solely to filming Iono as she animatedly "spoke" underwater between breaths from her rebreather, riding atop another Lanturn while their glow stayed fixed on her from multiple angles. For a moment, he wondered if she had some special method of producing sound beneath the surface, before settling on the obvious conclusion. She was talking now and would simply add the audio later in post-production.
They continued their descent until they reached the approximate coordinates, but no base was immediately in sight.
Deep underwater in the dead of night, it was difficult to make out anything at a distance, and even with their numbers, the Lanturn's light could only penetrate so far into the darkness. Alex released Wishiwashi to begin sweeping the surrounding area, allowing them time to gather more of their kind and complete their Schooling Form.
All the while, Iono watched Alex work with open curiosity, offering a constant stream of soundless commentary.
Minutes passed before the Wishiwashi returned and signaled the location of the base. Off to the side, Alex caught sight of Iono panicking as six massive Wishiwashi suddenly closed in around them, only for her to relax moments later when she realized they had merely shifted into their Schooling form.
Alex chuckled at her silent theatrics before diving toward the direction the Wishiwashi indicated.
As they drew closer, the Lanturn's light finally picked out the outline of a submerged dome in the distance, its dimensions matching those of Team Dominion's known bases. They had found it.
Normally, Alex would have destroyed the outer shell and flooded everything inside the base. Then, he would kill anything strong enough to put up a fight while leaving the survivors to their own fate. Finally, he would pick through the submerged wreckage for anything of value.
Unfortunately, that would not be a good look for a Gym Leader, which meant infiltration was required instead of his usual approach of breaking the door down. They circled the structure until they found what appeared to be an open hatch leading to an underwater port.
They slipped through the opening and emerged from the water, surrounded by small submarines and escape pods. Without waiting for instructions, Rotom darted off to disable the base's security while Alex released all his Pokémon and began the sweep.
Meanwhile, Iono unleashed a small army of Rotom inhabiting cameras to capture as much footage as possible, alongside deploying her own team into the facility. Together, both teams rampaged through the base, disarming and incapacitating security while apprehending the staff.
Alex hung back near the submarine bay, observing from the opening, while Iono raced ahead, actively commanding her team in a dynamic display of leadership, all the while smiling at every Rotom camera in sight.
"Here we are, ladies aaand gentlemens! Welcome to Team Dominion's secret base the super sneaky, evil peeps who wanna y'know hurt all the Pokémon in the world! Nyohoho! Look at this place! Training grounds where they do evil training, evil buildings, and gasp! Evil office spaces?! What kind of madmen are these! Anyway wait wait WAIT… are those cages?! Ooohhh, now you've got my full attention! Let's go check it out!"
Iono bounded ahead, her primarily Electric type Pokémon leading the way in a loose formation as she darted toward the far side of the base. There she could see a laboratory that looked sleek and top of the line, its sterile exterior hiding the most advanced technology ever developed by humans. To the side, several containment units held monstrosities with unmistakable Pokémon traits.
One looked like a Muk fused with a Tangela, a writhing mass of purple sludge and blue tentacles that twisted and curled like spaghetti. Another was a spherical lump of white fur sprouting multiple screaming mouse heads, a horrifying mix of Weezing and Maushold. A Klawf bore a pyramid on its back, as if a Garganacl had been sliced at the shoulders and attached to its shell.
All of them were Pokémon-esque in appearance but shared one horrifying trait, they screamed in rage and pain beyond anything Iono had ever witnessed. Even for her, it was a bit much. Still, knowing she might need the footage, she reacted as wildly and exaggeratedly as possible.
"What is THIS?! This is sooo messed up! Poor Pokémon! Those naughty Team Dominion peeps gotta be stopped, like, pronto! Bzzzt!"
Suddenly, the containment units opened, their glass doors sliding upward and releasing the abominations into the base, unleashing their full rage.
Alex's Pokémon went to work, quickly knocking out the weaker ones while Iono focused her attention on the main threat.
Leading the charge, a monstrous Champion ranked Pokémon emerged from the enclosure. It looked like a twisted fusion of Steelix and Gyarados, its body a mix of silver steel and blue armored plates, Steelix's sleek head jutting forward and Gyarados's wide, gnashing mouth snapping. Easily twice the size of either original Pokémon, it radiated an intense aura, its eyes wild with fury.
"ROOOAAAR!!"
"WHAAAAT IS THAT?! Nyohoho! That don't look like any Pokémon I recognize! Looks like a full-on Gyarados Steelix mashup and it's ready to wreck shop! We gotta calm it down, pronto! Nyahaha!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her heels with a wide grin. Then, striking her signature pose, she added her catchphrase, "Your eyeballs are MINE—caught in my Electroweb! Whosawhatsit? Iono! Let's gooooo Iono Power!"
Her main team, Scream Tail, Kilowatrel, Electrode, Bellibolt, Luxray, Electivire, and Mismagius, immediately surrounded the rampaging Pokémon and unleashed a coordinated barrage of Electric type moves. Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, and Electroweb lit up the Gyarados Steelix hybrid, paralyzing it and inflicting massive damage in rapid succession.
Judging by the damage, it appeared to be a Water and Steel type. The ferocity of its aura made it feel Dragon type, but its body's typing told a different story. Within moments, the bombardment brought the Pokémon crashing down, knocked out cold by a storm of Thunderbolts.
"Yesss! Boomshakalaka! That's how we do it, friendo! And now… capture time, nyahaha! Let's bring you on over to the Poké Center so you can get all fixed up, sparkle and shine like the hero you are!"
With a dramatic windup, she hurled a Poké Ball straight at the downed Pokémon. It struck true, engulfing it in red light before snapping shut and clattering against the floor. The ball rocked once, twice, three times, each shake punctuated by Iono's exaggerated gasps and commentary until it finally clicked and went still.
"Yesss! Boomshakalaka!" Iono cheered again, flashing a double peace sign as the cameras zoomed in. "Rescue mission complete! Remember, kiddos, even the scariest Pokémon out there deserve a chance to sparkle and shine!"
Meanwhile, Alex waited by the submarine bay opening, his hands resting on his holstered guns. Occasionally, an employee or guard rushed him, only to be dropped by a few well placed shots of Thunder Wave or Hypnosis.
Even when they released mind controlled Pokémon, they were only Expert rank, and were dealt with just as easily, either by a few precise shots or the occasional kick to the head.
He also received sporadic updates from Gardevoir through telepathy, keeping him informed on the progress of the battle.
"Pokémon fusion, huh," he said, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "I remember people posting about those online, but I always assumed they were just fan creations. I never thought anyone could actually pull it off in the real world. Then again, there was the whole Mewtwo incident in Kanto, so maybe this had something to do with that."
Suddenly, Dr. Halvern rounded the corner, intent on escaping. He hadn't managed to grab everything he needed, but he had enough to start over somewhere fresh. All that remained was to reach the docks and board an escape pod to get out of there.
Before he could even process what was happening, Alex fired a Thunder Wave at him, paralyzing him from head to toe, and then finished him off with a Hypnosis, knocking him out.
"Oh? That's a pretty big space bag you've got there," Alex said, inspecting the loot. "So, you're the guy behind the fusions, huh? I bet Iono would love to have a chat with you."
He tied Dr. Halvern up and added him to the pile of important people, placing him right next to the head of security and the secretary who took orders from the base's leader.
Soon, all the personnel in the base had been subdued, and Alex's Pokémon began the cleanup. Overall, there was little of value to recover. Most of the heavy scientific equipment was bolted directly into the structure, making it impractical to remove.
That was when Iono approached Alex, her expression uncharacteristically pissed.
"Gah. These people are insane," she said. "Do they not even realize the kind of trouble they're causing by playing with genetics like this? Arceus is going to rip humanity a new one."
Alex blinked. Iono was speaking plainly, without theatrics or a camera in sight. It seemed she had no intention of recording this conversation.
"Did the fusions get to you?" Alex asked.
"Yeah," she replied quietly. "It's barbaric and cruel."
"Well, you'll be happy to know I caught the one responsible."
"Really?" Her expression brightened with genuine relief.
Alex gestured toward the pile of restrained personnel behind him. "If you want, you can have all the scientific equipment in the base. Maybe it'll help researchers figure out a way to undo some of this and help those Pokémon. All I need are the weapons."
Iono's usual grin finally returned. "You've got yourself a deal, friendo."
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