Hollow Demon 16

   Silver had had enough. The gloves were coming off. His fists were roughly clenched, eyes glaring at the purple barrier covering the city. He looked at N, who gave nothing but a worried expression. "Tear this thing down."

   N blinked, and so did White. The Unova duo exchanged glances at each other then both focused on the redhead. "Wait what?" N asked as he stood up straight, facing the slightly shorter man.

   "You heard me," Silver scoffed bitterly. "Tear this damn dome down. You two have legendaries for Arceus sake! That damn thing controlling the barrier is a Pokémon too. Break his concentration by giving the shield multiple hits!" His voice was stern and sharp. Even with the sound of harsh wind blowing in their ears, Silver's voice was clear to be heard by them.

   Even with his bewildered state, his words had some truth in it. Now Silver knew this thanks to all the Pokémon battles he had with Kotone. Mewtwo and Typhlosion were the strongest in her team. And the genetic Pokémon could create an indestructible force field. But Silver learned an intriguing fact that one particular day. When Feraligatr spammed his Hydro Cannon on Mewtwo's shield hard enough, eventually it will lose the legendary's focus, thus weakening its barrier.

   N and White pondered for a few minutes. The stubborn man had a point. White lightly tapped Reshiram's head. "You wanna give it a shot, Reshiram?"

   The vast white Pokémon flashed a smirk. Blue eyes narrowing and neck lowering down, he mentally growled, I don't see why not.

   Seeing the tenacity in Reshiram, N looked at Zekrom. "Zekrom, want to try it out?" he asked his dragon, in which Zekrom instantly nodded without haste. The deep black Pokémon's body began to emit light blue sparks. 'Let's do it!'

   With a small smile, N kneeled on one knee. The palms of his hands were tightly pressed against the legendary's black cold scales. He looked up, eyes staring at Silver. "You might want to brace for impact."

   An eyebrow raised on his forehead. Silver turned around, only to see White also in a kneeling position. The brunette gripped Reshiram's soft fur. As her aqua eyes met the greenette's, she gave him a nod. His smile growing wider, N nodded back. Both young adults looked straight forward.

   Silver was getting confused by the second. "What are you-?"

   "Reshiram," White said, lips smirking.

   "Zekrom," N spoke, expression serious.

   "Fusion Flare!"

   "Fusion Bolt!"

   The second after hearing both their heroes' commands, both Reshiram and Zekrom roared savagely. Zekrom raised his claws up in the air, forming a huge electrifying ball of manic jolts. Reshiram opened his mouth, ready to release a gigantic, swirling orange orb. In unison, both the dragons released their attacks. The barrier got hit with a loud bang, making it echo throughout the skies.

   Taken aback, Silver lost his balance and tripped backwards. "W-w-what the fuck?!" Luckily, he quickly got a grip on one of Zekrom's wings. He clung to it for dear life, his legs hanging and trying to step on the scales for balance. "Hey!!"

   To his dismay, the two were too focus on the attack. "Again!" White and N shouted in unison. Reshiram and Zekrom repeated their attacks. Teeth gritting tightly, the redhead clutched on the wing firmly and shut his eyes, avoiding the blinding light that was resulted by the attacks.

---

   Her legs wobbled. Her mind felt woozy. Kotone started to give slight shakes. Her vision was blurry as she looked at the screen. "W-wha…"

   Seeing the weird stance in her, Petrel raised a single brow. "You okay, Chirpy?"

   Kotone didn't answer him. Something was definitely off. It was as if someone was banging her head. The woman held her forehead, fingers rubbing and trying to remove the aching pain.

   Ariana, Proton, and finally, Archer focused their attention towards the brunette. "What's wrong with her?" the female executive asked, eyes looking as the young Rocket wobbled. Proton was beginning to feel worried. A small frown curving his lips, he asked, "Is she okay?"

   Kotone unwarily answered their questions with a loud groan. Both her palms covered her shut eyes, trying her best to endure the torturing headache.

   Archer let out a low growl. He then faced Mewtwo who was standing not too far from them. As he suspected, the genetic Pokémon was also holding his head, his upper body bending forward.

   What Mewtwo feels, Kotone felt it too.

   She snapped her eyes opened. Her beautiful hazel eyes immediately lost its pupils and irises. In one blink, her eyes were now glowing in a dark shade of purple.

---

   Reshiram and Zekrom growled viciously. The barrier began to fade, but was still standing strong. It's weakening, Lady White. The vast white Pokémon assured his trainer as he mentally talked to her.

   Hearing his words, White flashed a wide white smirk and nodded. She kneeled on one knee, right hand petting Reshiram while her left hand gripped the visor of her cap. "Good. Then let's make one last blow to break this baby apart."

   His trainer's anticipating and intimidating attitude was fuel to Reshiram's confidence. The Pokémon shut his eyes, focusing on his final attack. Seconds later, his white furry body was slowly consumed in beautiful blue flames. Yet White didn't feel hot or scorched. Instead, she felt warm and cozy, like being wrapped in a thick blanket during winter.

   Seeing what his brother was doing, the deep black Pokémon couldn't help but smile and flail his arms in joy. May I, Sir N?

   The greenette chuckled dryly at his dragon's childish impatience. "You may, Zekrom."

   Once heard, the legendary's eyes gleamed a bright red glow. His smirk growing wider – almost maniacal even – Zekrom looked up and raised his claws up in the air. More sparks and jolts were expelled from his body. Instead of blue, it executed bright yellow ones; more violent and blinding. Meanwhile, Silver had successfully jumped onto the Pokémon's back. He massaged his throbbing forehead, body stooping down to gain balance. "The motherfucking-"

   Before he could finish, Silver heard N screamed, "Bolt Strike!"

   In unison to N's voice, White commanded her Reshiram. "Blue Flare!"

   With a shrieking roar, Zekrom zoomed at the speed of lightning and pounded his head on the weak barrier. Silver, bewildered by the sudden speed, felt his body being pressed down harshly and his face kissing the scales of the dragon. The impact left a fierce vibration in the dragon's body, making both N and Silver jump.

   At the same time, Reshiram opened his eyes. They were round and wide, with blue eyes glowing an intense glow. The blue flames quickly whirred towards the front of his mouth. Finally, the vast white bellowed brutally, releasing a horrifying yet majestic gust of blue scorching blaze. The flare spread widely like it had a mind of its own. It formed into a vague shape of the vast white. Without waste or haste, it slammed the shield with all its might.

   Both the powerful attacks deemed too much for the force field as it shook violently, giving off an eye-blinding yellow, blue, and purple light.

---

   "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Kotone screamed at the top of her lungs. Her body was raised a few feet up in the air. Her pigtails were stretched upwards and straight. The brunette looked up, mouth shrieking until her voice broke out. Her eyes burned a bright violet. She held the side of her head, though it did no help as the pain was excruciating until she herself couldn't do anything.

   Team Rocket was stunned to the bone. The young woman was practically floating in front of their wide eyes! "Kotone!" Proton broke the silence, his voice panicking as he screamed. Out of reflex, he dashed towards the brunette.

   Archer took a few steps backwards, feeling ghastly from the sudden reaction. He looked at Mewtwo, who was cringing in pain and kneeling on the ground. "No!" the bluenette hissed acidly through gritted teeth. Swiftly, Archer took the small device from his pocket and pressed the red button. The collar on the genetic Pokémon's neck began giving out electrical shocks, counterattacking his headache.

   Once the collar reacted, Mewtwo yelped in sharp pain – and so did Kotone.

   As if an invisible force was pushing her, Kotone was thrown backwards. Right in the nick of time and to her luck, her body crashed into Proton's arms. Unluckily for him though, the brutal impact caused the greenette to lose his balance; resulting with him being thrown off instead. His back slammed the wall and her petite body was pressed on his chest. The young executive groaned heavily at the numbing pain he felt. His right hand rubbed the back of his swollen head. Though unintentionally, his left arm was linked around her waist while his chin was rested on the brunette's head. "Oow…"

---

   "Yes!" White cheered in triumph as the barrier disappeared. The two legendaries roared in victory. With a loud "Go!" from White, Reshiram and Zekrom sped towards the Silph building. From afar, they could see the Koffings, Zubats, and Ekans guarding around the construction. N looked at White, mouth forming a small concerned frown. "White, what do we…?"

   "Leave that to me."

   The Unova couple looked up. Eyes were wide to see Silver was dangling on one of Crobat's wings. "I thought you were…" N said dumbly, forefinger pointing at the redhead.

   Silver looked down. His lips curled into a grim scowl. "Your damn Zekrom almost made me fall and turn into squash! Next time," Silver flailed his free arm as he scolded, "try to watch where your damn friends are!"

   N and White blinked in stupor. Crobat just sighed at his trainer's attitude. Even though the man was yelling like a madman, the only word N could vividly hear was one. "You think of me as your friend?" The greenette flashed a wide smile, eyes sparkling under the bright sunlight. Honestly, Silver was still scary to him. But he knew deep inside that dark cold heart, the man was kind and nice; funny even since Silver had a sarcastic sense of humour. He stood on top of the deep black Pokémon's head as he stared at the redhead. With a childish tone – considering the situation they were now in – N said, "We're friends, now?"  

   Silver froze for a minute. The man stared as N looked at him in endearment. His mouth was tightly pursed as he looked away. The heat rushed into his cheeks, giving him a nice shade of red. Me and my damn mouth… "Crobat! Fly down, now!" Ignoring N's question, he ordered his bat Pokémon. With a growl, Crobat flew down without hesitance or fear.

   Shocked by his sudden action, White gasped in horror. "Hey what are you doing?!"

   The redhead kept zooming down. Seeing their enemy was approaching, the Zubats flew up. Their tiny mouths were open, ready to release Supersonic.

   Even with a hundred almost surrounding them, Crobat and Silver only curved a sly smirk. With quick reflexes, Silver took hold of Sneasel's Pokéball and released him. "Blizzard!" A bright red beam flashed on the sky. The sharp claw Pokémon jumped out of his ball, his smile curving an adorable sneer. 'This will be fun.' Sneasel took one sharp breath. And just before the Zubats could touch his face, the ice-type released his attack.

   Hauntingly frozen gust of ice wafted the air. The wings of the wild Pokémon became solid and icicles, making them fall to the ground. Sneasel gracefully landed onto the ground. As he looked upfront, numerous Koffings and Ekans growled, hissed, and crouched in front of him. Without a minute to spare, the poison-types plunged forward.

   Even so, Sneasel just smiled and waved back.

   Suddenly, BOOM!

   Feraligatr crashed landed on the ground in front of Sneasel. His red eyes were wide, almost like a maniac. The huge water starter roared malevolently, his tail slamming the ground hard. It caused tiny earthquakes, making the wild Pokémon trip and lost their balance. The starter crouched down, lips pulled up into a heavy snarl. His claws pointed and spread, Feraligatr glared at his stunned enemies.

   'Stay away from my family, you jackasses!' Feraligatr roared savagely. With a loud huff, he released Hydro Cannon. The huge and powerful gush of water slammed the wild Pokémon backwards with such intense speed. At the same time, Sneasel hopped on top of the big jaw's head and puffed out another Blizzard.

   In less than seconds, their opponents turned into a block of ice.

   Silver landed with ease. He rubbed his wrist, silver eyes glaring at the statuesque creatures. "Never-" He hissed between his gritted teeth, "-mess with me."

   His Pokémon replied him with a loud arrogant scoff.

   Zekrom and Reshiram landed behind the redhead. Eyes wide, White and N hopped down as they could only stare at Silver in shock. "Whoah..." The brunette's mouth muttered, obviously amazed Silver's speedy work. Her cousin wasn't lying when she said he was the second strongest in Johto.

   Though amazement was sensing in the air, unlike Silver who was always boastful and arrogant, this time, he simply tilted his head slightly to face the people behind him. "Let's move," he said sternly. Silver faced the entrance. Fists clenched and jaws tightening, he ordered, "Feraligatr, smash it!"

   "What?" N asked dumbfoundedly like Silver had just asked for the impossible – in which to him, it was.

   With a loud roar, the big jaw Pokémon lowered his head and stampeded forward.

   SMASH!

   The glass door shattered into a million pieces. Once inside, Feraligatr stood proudly and released a deafening roar. His trainer walked in calmly through the tattered glass. He looked around, eyes sharp at his surroundings. The lobby was empty, that wasn't a shocker. The man then spotted a security camera moving and swaying at the top corner.

   Silver snapped his fingers, catching Feraligatr's attention. His finger pointed towards the camera, lips posing a tight line. His starter, however, flashed a predatorily grin. The Pokémon jumped up in the air and turned around, whipping his huge tail on the device. It crashed to the ground with a loud thud, thus shutting down its system.

   Silver faced the stairs. They were around and watching, he knew it. Without a word, he walked towards the steps, with his Pokémon right behind.

   With all the commotion that just happened, White and N could just gawk. If she was crazy enough, she might even think that Silver was the danger here. The brunette shook her head, trying to get her head in the game. "Come on, N." The woman said as she returned her Reshiram.

   Are you sure you don't want me out guarding the place, Lady White? The vast white Pokémon communicated with White from inside his ball. His trainer softly patted it as she placed it on her belt. "It'll be fine, Reshiram."

   Exchanging his expression from shock to concern, N returned Zekrom. Is everything alright, Sir N? Zekrom asked mentally as he felt a surge of doubt in his hero.

   Walking a few feet behind White, N quietly answered, "I know I'm not supposed to feel this way, but I have a feeling this might not end well..."

---

   If only Archer knew the word that was far worse that mad or frustration, he would say it.

   The screen showed an image of Silver and his Pokémon. The young redhead saw the lens of the camera. His silver eyes showed empty and hatred, yet also confidence and deep determination. The bluenette saw him snapped his fingers. Then the next minute, Archer saw a huge water-type slammed one of the security cameras to the ground, and finally, just a blank screen.

   His hands were balled into slow, shaking fists. "That little..."

   "Kotone, you okay?"

   Ariana's question rang in his ears, making Archer turn. He saw them standing around the brunette and Proton, who was still sitting and groaning on the wall. Mewtwo may have calmed down, but his former trainer was still quiet as a rock.

   And to be honest, this concerned Archer for a brief moment.

   But not for her; but for his plans.

   Finally and suddenly, the woman fidgeted on Proton's lap. All eyes were on her. Her head was down. Her arms were limp on her side.

   "Kotone...?" Proton asked slowly. His arms and hands were raised up, confused on what to do next. He heard a mumble. It was faint and barely a sound to his ears. But the man knew it was coming from the young Rocket. "H-hey...You o-" He was silenced as Kotone pushed him off and stood up.

   "Destroy them..." The woman's voice was hoarse and croaked, yet deep with low growls. "I don't care how you want to do it. Finish them off and leave no mercy." Her legs still swayed, but her feet stood firmly on the ground. The brunette's arms flailed slowly on her side, gloved hands balled into tight fists. The black hat dropped from her head, letting it plop on Proton's lap. Kotone looked upfront. She flashed an eerie, murderous grin.

   Ariana and Petrel took a few steps backwards. Never had they seen such a menacing gaze, let alone a rare glow in her eyes. They didn't see the smile she was always wearing. They didn't hear the laugh they were fairly annoyed of. Neither did they see a single giggle nor a chuckle.

   No. What they saw wasn't the Kotone they knew – good version or bad version.

   As her hazel eyes began to radiate a swirling shade of purple, Kotone hissed, "Give them a welcoming committee they'll never forget."

---

   The place was barren than any cave. The trio walked around the hall. They had been walking and lurking around, searching for any strange presence – or Kotone.

   Finally, they stopped in front of three different entrances.

   "Great," White huffed sourly. "Now which way do we go?" She and N fixed their glances on Silver. The man didn't return their gazes. Instead, he peeked at Sneasel who was standing on his shoulder. "Where is she?"

   The sharp claw Pokémon nodded once, knowing what he was told to do. He took one whiff of the place, smelling for any scent that smelt like Kotone. 'It's...'

   Suddenly, his concentration broke as he felt his trainer's body jerk forward.

   Silver, taken aback by the sudden push, cast a death glare at the greenette on his left. "Why the fuck did you push me?!"

   N widened his eyes in surprise. He blinked in stupor, and so did White. He didn't even lay a single finger on him, and yet they saw that Silver was tugged forward, as if someone just pushed him. "I didn't..."

   Before N could finish, White felt her body almost stumbling. "W-whoah...!" Her body tripped one foot forward. She turned around, but there was no one there. N and Silver looked at White, eyebrows raised as a question. White stared at the two men, her lips pulled into a small frown. "What just-"

   And just like that, she felt her body moving backwards towards the farthest left entrance. "W-w-waAaaHh!!"

   "White!" N shouted in panic. But just as he was about to dash off, he then heard Silver screaming. The greenette turned his head, only to see his friend zooming towards the right entrance. "Silver!"

   Suddenly, he felt his body being jerked forward. N quickly looked down. Emerald eyes widened in shock to see where or what he was standing.

   It wasn't the floor. It was a sliding, moving flat escalator.

   "Oh-" N muttered in alarm. And as he did, the escalator zoomed in fast speed. "-noOoOoo!"

   Wind was blowing through his hair and face. His feet was tripped backwards, but still on the moving contraption. He saw another entrance coming right towards him. Out of reflex, N shielded his face with his arms.

   And just as he reached the doorframe, the ride stopped, causing him to trip a few steps forwards. He crashed to the ground, hitting his head on the tiled floor.

   "Ow!" N yelped in pain of his forehead. The man kneeled, hand rubbing the aching throb. He then stopped to hear the door behind him slam into a shut. N turned around. Bafflement swept over him to see there was no way out; leaving just him alone.

   Or so he thought.

   "Hey there, pretty boy."

   N faced up upfront. His heart stopped a beat to see so many Koffings floating and surrounding him. Their eyes narrowed into a sharp glare. Their teeth clenched into sinister growls. Purple smoke and fog covered the area, making N breathed out a few coughs. The greenette then saw a Weezing floating a bit higher above the crowd.

   And sitting on top of the Weezing was none other than Petrel.

---

   "Aaahh!" White fell forward as the ride stopped. With quick reflexes, she curled into a ball and crashed onto the ground. Her body feeling numb, White sat on the hard tiles and groaned quietly. "Oww..." Hand rubbing her head, she looked around.

   It was empty, with only a few desks and chairs seen. "Where the hell-"

   She stopped as the door behind her slammed into a shut.

   Shocked, White quickly stood up and turned around. She dashed to the door and tried to open it, but it was to no avail. "Hey! Let me out!" She shouted as her fists banged the door. "Let me out dammit!" Teeth gritting tightly, the brunette reached for Samurott's Pokéball.

   "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

   A woman's voice caught her attention, making White snapped her body around. Aqua eyes widened as round plates to see none other than the female executive, Ariana. She stood with arms crossed. Her vivid red lips curved into a wide evil smile. Her Arbok coiled around her, the Pokémon's deadly eyes casting sharp glares.

   "Oh. You," White hissed under her breath, body now fully facing her enemy.

---

   As he was zooming on the moving floor, all Silver could say – or shout – were curses known to mankind. His eyes caught the sight of an exit. Once entering into a mysterious room, the escalator stopped, resulting with him being thrown forward. Silver landed on his knees, mouth hissing at the burning pain he felt. Sneasel plopped on his side. The sharp claw Pokémon exhaled a numb groan, then quickly looked at his trainer. 'Silver, you okay?'

   Before the redhead could reply, they could hear a loud bang behind them. The door was shut tight.

   And flying before them were a hundred Zubats.

   Silver looked upfront. The Pokémon were slowly crowding in, small snarls vibrating the room.

   But his anger was immediately fuelling up once he saw a certain man standing among the wild Pokémon.

   Arms crossed and chest huffing out in pride, Proton flashed a sinister smirk. Golbat perched on top of his head. The bat Pokémon spat loud hisses, his wings flapping madly.

   "Sup?" Proton casually said, eyes never leaving as Silver slowly stood up.

   Fingers slowly clenching into balls, Silver could feel his body shaking in rage. His red bangs covered his silver eyes. His lips were pulled into a heavy growl, teeth gritting madly and tightly that his jaws hurt.

   Even so, Silver didn't care, and Proton didn't even feel threatened.

   With green eyes sharply glaring at his enemy, Proton only said three words. But unaware by the executives, the three of them said the same words at the same time: "Time to die."