To Steal the Heart of a Thief {Pokemon Ranger Fanfiction} (Pokemon Watty Awards 2015)

Chapter 38: End of Shadows

(Third Person POV)

Mightyena and Rena rapidly ran up the stairs as fast as they could; their feet were pushing them farther towards what was left of the fight. Upon breaking into the night of the rooftop, a subtle, lemony-colored flash escaped from Rena's bag as if the gem was calling out to something. The final gauge on the floor suddenly lit up all the way as the tower's intercom began to broadcast its final announcement. One that sent haunting chills to all who listened.

"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRURURURURURURU... THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER IS NOW LEVEL THREE! LEVEL THREE! LEVELEVELEVELEVEL THREE! THIS IS ALTRU THIS IS ALTRU THIS IS ALTRU ALMIA GHZGZGZ..."

The rooftop was an eerie grey platform that scratched the skies with a large, almost amethyst-looking crystal hovering above a small pool of darkness towards the back of the rooftop. In front of it rested an ominous crystal orb of some sort on a mechanical dais, and standing in front of it all was Blake Hall himself. Standing off to his left side was Wheeler, and on his right was Heath. The mastermind's inky hair was slicked back into a tight ponytail as his true nature was hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses and a matching black suit.

"Ah, welcome!" Blake Hall clapped his hands together maliciously at the sight of Rena as his face twisted into a spine-shivering smile. "Well, I'll be... I seem to be all out of business cards. How careless of me." He took one step forwards, Rena taking one step back. "Well, I suppose that doesn't really matter. You know who I am, don't you, Raux?"

Rena narrowed her eyes hatefully at the man standing a ways from her, on par with the growling Mightyena.

"From what I've been hearing, this commotion... I understand that it's named Operation Brighton?" Blake Hall took another step forwards as he looked around the rooftop, laughing hollowly. "Brighton... That is my father's name. Though a coincidence, I will consider it a family honor."

"Ehehehehheee!" Wheeler snickered with a bitter twist at Mr. Hall's words as his shattering screeches of laughter pierced the night.

Blake Hall turned around to face the Shadow Crystal, his silhouette barely separate from its overpowering darkness. "It's also quite an honor to see someone go through so much just to visit with me."

"Don't flatter yourself." Rena rolled her eyes as she recoiled further from him with a groan. "You know exactly why I'm here."

"Why, because you want to enact your precious little revenge on me?" He mocked her words with a high-toned baby voice, then immediately laughed at his own joke just as a loser would. "Unfortunately for you, you arrived, shall we say...a smidgen too late?"

"Us holding you up did do end up good in the end." Heath commented snarkily, proud of his achievement. Rena shook her head in confusion, having to take a few extra seconds just to understand what the hell he just said.

Blake Hall turned around to face Rena once again, his dark glasses reflecting the crystal in the moonlight. "Yes, I would say it's been only minutes since the Incredible Machine attained full power. But now, its reach extends to the Almia region in its entirety." He chuckled as he looked at his surroundings, holding his hands out to his sides. "This brings all the Pokemon in Almia under my full and complete control. They are all mine to do my bidding, and my bidding alone."

"Pokemon have minds of their own." Rena snapped at him, stepping protectively in front of Mightyena. "No one should be allowed to have that much power!"

Blake Hall began pondering out loud his new skills. "I can have them excavating and mining. I can use them as cargo transports. Pokemon can be used individually to make electricity. Or those that make heat or push great volumes of water can be used to power major electrical plants." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Or, consider it if you will, a time of crisis. What if we are being threatened by outsiders? In such times, it would be hard to argue against Pokemon as soldiers."