Chapter 21: Preparation
To everyone's surprise, Professor Joshua was cane-walking towards the scientists and weapons specialists with Alakazam at his side. He wasn't limping as bad as he was prior, and he had his oxygen mask off. "Grandpa!" Delia shouted happily, "You're out of surgery! Are you feeling okay?" "I'm feeling much better, thanks," Joshua replied as he walked to the scientists, weapon specialists and their Pokémon. "Samuel," he addressed him, "do you still have Mew on you?" Samuel nodded before handing him the PokéBall, "I do, sir. Here." Joshua took the ball and faced the Soul Harvesters who were now getting up.
"Recall your Pokémon and join the children," Joshua instructed them, "I won't be long." "S-Sir, are you sure?" Samuel stuttered a bit, "Those Soul Harvesters are really nasty." "I'll be fine," Joshua assured them, "Now, go. Join the others. I would like to see how I fare against them after all these years." Hesitantly, Samuel nodded, recalled his Dragonair, and motioned for the others to follow. After recalling their Pokémon, they all went into the safe room with the kids, but not before the Soul Harvesters gave them chase. Professor Joshua whistled loudly at the Soul Harvesters, wishing for their attention. He got his wish as all of them turned their heads towards him. "Your fight is with me now," Joshua smirked, holding Mew's PokéBall.
"Can Professor Joshua really take them on alone?" Giovanni asked, "I know he's smart, but does he stand a chance?" "Before anyone says anything else," Jason spoke up, "he's either very brave or very—" "If you finish that sentence, I'm going to ground you for a month once this is all over!" Samuel said, bonking Jason on the head as a warning, the latter of whom rubbed his head in pain. "You kids are in for a show," Herod said as he straightened his tie. "What do you mean?" Hiro asked, "Does he still battle?" "Oh, yes," Caesar nodded with a smile, "During his spare time, he often goes through Pokémon Battle simulations. He keeps his mind sharp at everything he does." Hiro and Delia looked at each other before looking at Professor Joshua through the cracked window.
"Now, Mew," Professor Joshua said as he tossed the PokéBall in the air, "Come out, my friend!" Mew came out of the PokéBall cheerfully before facing the Soul Harvesters. Joshua then summoned four more Pokémon from their PokéBalls alongside Mew and Alakazam: Ampharos, Porygon, Skarmory, and Magnezone. Each of his Pokémon looked at the Soul Harvesters without a hint of fear in their eyes. "Get around me," Joshua instructed, "Mew, take the one o'clock position. Skarmory, take three o'clock. Magnezone, take five o'clock. Porygon, seven o'clock. Alakazam, nine o'clock. Ampharos, eleven o'clock." Each Pokémon promptly took their positions around the Eldest Professor as the Soul Harvesters surrounded them.
After that, Professor Joshua activated a portion of his Omega Power and had his Pokémon Mega Evolve. Porygon had more edges to it than before, Alakazam had his beard and additional spoons, and Mew took on the same form it did when the kids saw him. Magnezone had more screws and magnets, Skarmory was shinier and sharper, and Ampharos had white fleece and red orbs on its tail. Now they were ready to fight. The Soul Harvesters shrieked and ran for them. However, none of them foresaw what happened next.
"Thunder Wave, all around," he commanded both Magnezone and Ampharos. Both of them moved in circles, shooting out waves of paralyzing electricity that hit each of the Soul Harvesters, but he wasn't done there. This time, he started speaking fast. "Tri Attack, seven o'clock. Aerial Ace, three o'clock. Psybeam, nine o'clock. Psychic, one o'clock. Discharge, five o'clock. Thunder, eleven o'clock. Psybeam, eight o'clock. Energy Ball, ten o'clock. Steel Wing, four o'clock. Metronome, two o'clock. Flash Cannon, six o'clock. Power Gem, twelve o'clock."
He continued issuing orders to his Pokémon, and with each order, they fired their ranged attacks on the Soul Harvesters. Their attacks hit with precision, some hitting multiple targets at once, and they each worked like clockwork to bring them down. The Soul Harvesters broke to pieces with each attack; some tried dodging, but were unsuccessful due to their paralysis. Before the line thinned out, thirteen Soul Harvesters jumped in from the window and faced Joshua's Pokémon. And he still called out orders until he saw them. "Dodge, all of you!" he told them. The Soul Harvesters pounced and jumped at them, but Alakazam, Mew, Skarmory, Porygon, Magnezone, and Ampharos dodged their pounces. The Soul Harvesters tried again, trying to claw at them now, but they couldn't lay a claw on them. Alakazam levitated out of the way and used his spoons to whack any Soul Harvester that tried to get him. Porygon spun around and knocked them away before floating in the air. Skarmory used their wings to knock away or slash at the Soul Harvesters coming for it. Mew and Magnezone levitated away from the Soul Harvesters before they could reach them, prompting one to land near Professor Joshua. Before that one could reach him, Mew used his psychic powers to smash it against the wall.
To say the kids were impressed with him so far would do their assessment of Professor Joshua no justice. At first, they were skeptical of him fighting the Soul Harvesters alone, but the way he was telling them to attack in quick succession was something else. And the way he taught them to dodge was like watching them use their abilities in another form of fighting altogether. "How long has he been doing this for?" Christian asked the others. "He says he's lived for over sixty-five hundred years," Hiro told Christian, "and I believe him. Living for that long is a long time, let alone battling for that long." "It's not just live Pokémon Trainers he's battled," Herod told them, "He's trained like you have, in the Hologram Wings. Day in and day out." "He's far more than just the Head Scientist of the Pokémon World," Caesar added, "He's known as the Grand Pokémon Master for a reason. He's seldom lost to anyone in history, and he's been training himself for this particular moment in time." "I can't imagine needing to train for something like that," Pikachu said. "Get used to it, Pikachu," Hiro said to his Pokémon friend, "We both need to train to be like that." "Yeah," Pikachu responded, "You're right."
"Mew, form a barrier around us!" Professor Joshua told him. Complying, Mew formed a barrier around him and the entire team. Every time a Soul Harvester would hit the barrier, they would immediately bounce off of it and crash into either the ground or another Soul Harvester. "Alakazam, come here," he told him, "I know it's unorthodox to apply this kind of item mid battle, but we don't have a choice." "What are you giving me?" Alakazam asked. "I'm temporarily revoking your ability to use Psybeam," Joshua told him, "and I'm giving you this ability. Take it quickly!" Alakazam nodded and took the technical machine, learning a new move instantly. "Magnezone and Ampharos, use Thunder Wave all around when Mew lets the shield up!" Joshua told them, "Then line up, all of you!" Magnezone and Ampharos readied themselves as more Soul Harvesters jumped through the window and ran for Joshua and his team. "Now!" he shouted. Mew not only lowered the barrier, but also used his psychic powers to throw them all away into the wall. Magnezone and Ampharos took this opportunity to use Thunder Wave on them, paralyzing them on the spot. After that, they all formed a line.
"All Pokémon!" Joshua commanded, "Hyper Beam, times two! Charge!" Alakazam, Mew, Porygon, Skarmory, Magnezone and Ampharos gathered energy in front of them before condensing it. Then they doubled the power and condensed it before taking aim at the Soul Harvesters. As soon as he saw movement from one of them, Joshua gave the order. "FIRE!!" They all unleashed their beams of energy and hit with the force of two Hyper Beams. As soon as the debris and dust clouds lifted, fifty more Soul Harvesters jumped through the broken windows and shrieked at the Pokémon and the Professor. Knowing well they'd have to recharge, he aimed their PokéBalls at each of his Pokémon. "Return, all of you!" Joshua said, calling all six of them back. He also lowered the amount of his Omega Power.
"He can't!" Hiro said with wide eyes, "He'll be defenseless!" "That's suicide!" Giovanni commented. "He's screwed," Jason commented. "GRANDPA!!" Delia shouted in fear for his life. The Soul Harvesters shrieked and charged at Professor Joshua, who was now just standing there with no Pokémon to aid him. As they neared his location, they pounced, readying their claws and fangs. But no one was prepared for what was about to transpire.
At a moment's notice, before they reached him, Joshua leapt up, doing half a backflip before kicking two Soul Harvesters in their skull's simultaneously, shattering them instantly. Everyone watching was equally stunned. They figured that Professor Joshua was experienced in battle, but not that experienced, especially in his ancient-old age. Here Professor Joshua was, leaping like he was extremely fit and in his twenties, and performing a perfect split kick mid-backflip to two Soul Harvesters. They figured even Halzief himself would be surprised, if he saw it for himself.
Joshua landed on one of the platforms above the ground and stared down at the Soul Harvesters, who were growling at him like Mightyena eying their prey. He quickly spun his cane around a few times between his fingers before beckoning them to make their move. Not one iota of fear was in his eyes. The Soul Harvesters gave him what he wanted and came after him. Joshua further impressed his spectators by performing the kicks of taekwondo, the flips and kicks of capoeira, the boxing, deflecting and kicking of krav maga, and the strikes, kicks and throws of tai chi. He even used his cane on the railings and back-kicked a couple away from him. He weaved and maneuvered out of the way of each possible attack with such grace that only hundreds and thousands of years of experience can allow. At the same time, he answered each attack with a strike, a punch, a kick and a throw of his own.
As the Soul Harvesters were being broken to pieces, the kids took this time to talk among themselves. "I feel so underachieved all of a sudden," Jason said. "All of us feel the same way, kid," Reaper responded to his student. "I had no idea he could move like that!" Hiro said, astonished, "Old people don't normally move like that!" "Yeah," Giovanni said, "well, old people don't live for sixty-five hundred years, either." The others nodded at his remark. "He always told me that he was one of the strongest Trainers in the world," Delia said, looking at her grandpa in wonder, "Now I know what he really means by it."
Joshua stomped on one more Soul Harvester's skull and shattered it before twirling his cane and setting the bottom of it down. "Let this be a lesson to you all," Joshua said to his spectators, "Not everything in this world is as it seems." Before he could walk back to the others, he noticed the bones attracting to one another in five different places. As before with the other Soul Harvester bones, they solidified together to become the undead husks of five Brute Chargers. As their eye sockets flared a ghastly red, they roared at their prey, who was just standing there. Scowling at his enemies, Professor Joshua made one thing clear. "I'm not trapped in here with you," he warned them as he suddenly started twisting the grip of his cane, "It's the other way around." He then straightened the grip until it was as straight as the handle of a sword… which he pulled out of the base of his cane.
As he pointed his sword outward, he eyed the Brute Chargers as they slowly approached him. Each and every one of the ten-foot skeletons were aiming to kill the Professor. Joshua expected nothing less. One of them roared and brought one of their fists down in an attempt to smash him. Before it made contact, however, Joshua dodged by jumping off of the railing and slashed at the Brute Charger's skull, cutting it clean in two. After that, he leapt off of it before it crumbled and struck the second one, cutting both of its arms clean off. Then he spun low and cut the legs off of it up to the knees, leaving it to fall on its back, helpless and unable to get back up. The next one tried ramming into him, but he dodged by jumping onto the next railing and doing a double backflip. When the Brute Charger recovered, it tried to smash Joshua into the ground. Seeing this coming, Joshua blocked the oncoming attacks with his sword and deflected others coming at him. Behind him, another was preparing an uppercut. Joshua leapt out of the way and let the fist shatter the skull of the one he was facing. Three down. Two to go.
The fourth Brute Charger smashed the stubby one to pieces charging at Joshua, who jumped on top of the one that uppercutted the other one before stabbing it in the skull. After that, he jumped and spun three times in the air before slashing at the last one in the neck as he landed. Both of the remaining Brute Chargers fell to pieces after that. Professor Joshua panted for breath before recovering to a standing position and sheathing his sword back in the base of the cane. He looked around after that and saw that the immediate danger was eradicated. No other Soul Harvesters or Brute Chargers were going to come down to the Habitation Floor at the moment.
"It's safe for now," Professor Joshua said, "You can come out." Immediately, they walked out, and they were prepared to bombard him with questions and compliments. "How were you able to do all that?!" Jason asked astonished, "I've never seen anything like that in my life!" "How were you able to get your Pokémon to react in that kind of way?" Giovanni asked, "You didn't even call out their names. All you said was the attack you wanted and called out their position." "And how were you able to move like that at your old age?" Hiro asked, "Was that your Omega Power?" "There was only a bit of Omega Power used in this battle," Joshua told them, "The rest was all skill. As for the tactics you saw me use, Mr. Boss, it was a tactic derived from military positioning and Pavlov's classical conditioning. I know which Pokémon is based in which position, and from there, I can call out that Pokémon's attack and have them direct it in between three directions. That, however, is a rundown version. The tactic can get pretty technical. I'll explain it in greater detail once this is all over if you remind me."
"What about the 'times two' thing?" Pikachu asked. Everyone looked at Hiro. "He wants to know what the 'times two' thing was," Hiro translated, "You used Hyper Beam, then said 'times two.' What was that?" "Hiro, would you believe me if I told you you could increase the power of a Pokémon's attack at will?" Joshua asked him.
"You can?"
"Yes. All you have to do is call the attack, then tell it how much you want to increase the power by. You could even increase the damaging effects like burn and paralysis by increasing the power. It's kind of like using Bide. But it's a risky move. It drains the Pokémon of their strength temporarily. The more you increase the move, the longer you'll have to wait for the Pokémon to get its strength back before making another move."
"Is that why you recalled them early?"
"Indeed, it is. I couldn't risk them getting infected. So, I recalled them and relied on my Omega Power to fight. It wasn't a lot. Though, over the years, I didn't need a lot to use."
It was after this that Delia decided to speak up. "Grandpa," she said, "is there any way we can get the shields back up?" Joshua looked at his watch, which read 10:45. "Not at this stage of the game, I'm afraid," he answered with a frown, "Don't get me wrong. We can, but it would be a wasted effort if we tried to." "Why's that?" Giovanni asked, "Is it because of Reil-Roh?" "Partially," Joshua nodded before further explaining, "Once he enters, we'll need to drive him out before our losses become too heavy. We can't drive him away if we close the shield on him." "So you want to raise the shield when he leaves?" Christian asked, "Why not just raise it before he comes?" "Because there wouldn't be enough time," Joshua told them, "Please don't misinterpret my meaning. We have a spare generator, but even then, we'd have to reassemble it before putting it on the launching pad." "'Reassemble it?'" Jason asked, wondering if he heard him right. At this, Professor Joshua sighed before clarifying, "You let Xavier go instead of chasing him, didn't you? Right now, he's in hiding. However, it wouldn't surprise me if he thought ahead and dismantled the spare generator."
That thought never crossed their minds. Realizing this now, they winced before hanging their heads low. "Don't look so glum," Joshua told them, "If anyone can repair it, it's me and my two trustworthy scientists, Herod and Caesar." "We're at your command, Professor," Caesar said. "What can we do?" Delia asked. "You can follow Hiro," Joshua said, "He needs to get on the intercom in the Control Room on the fiftieth basement floor and play his music. From there, the corrupted Pokémon will revert to their normal forms and help the Trainers willing and able destroy the Soul Harvesters." "How do I know they won't come running after me when I stop?" Hiro asked. "That's something I failed to mention," Joshua fessed up, "and for that, I apologize. When it comes to the Soul Harvesters, you must keep playing. Do. Not. Stop. For. Anything. Once you do, you'll have missed your chance, and the song will not work at that moment again." Hiro nodded at this information, as what he experienced made sense.
"Uh, guys?" Joanna said to get their attention, "I don't mean to state the obvious, but won't there be Soul Harvesters coming in all directions once we get to the fiftieth basement floor? As well as from further below?" "Yes," Joshua said, "It will be your job to get our Chosen Hero to the Control Room before sealing yourselves in." "So while he's playing his music in the background, we'll have to surround and guard him while putting our lives on the line?" Jason asked sarcastically. "You'll have your weapons and your Pokémon on you," Joshua said, trying his best to not get angry with his disrespectful remark, "Not to mention that many of my soldiers are patrolling and will fight them, should they make contact. Now, get going." "Where will you go, Grandpa?" Delia asked him. "Herod, Caesar and I will be heading toward the tenth basement floor to reconstruct the shield generator before Reil-Roh has a chance to break his way through." Everyone nodded and went to their designated destinations. Joshua ran ahead to the nearest elevator, followed by Herod and Caesar. Hiro and the others took the next elevator towards the Control Room.
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Location: Longan Laboratories, 1st Basement Floor, Basement Lobby
Time: 11:01…
A Brute Charger had just finished being blown to pieces by an incendiary round from one of the soldiers. So far, the bones and dead Pokémon had been piling up in the basement lobby. Sadly, there were no signs of the danger stopping. Worse, the stashed ammunition was running low, and the automated turrets were all but knocked over. It didn't help that the Trainers and Delphox Magicians needed to recharge their Pokémon and their Omega Powers. It was a good thing that the Brute Chargers and Soul Harvesters couldn't climb the titanium walls, though. Otherwise, they'd all be dead sooner in contrast to now.
"Get those Pokémon healed," Chief Leon ordered, to which the Delphox Magicians used their equipment and their magic to heal their own Pokémon and the other Trainers' to the best of their ability. "Watch those corrupted Pokémon coming through!" the soldiers' superior ordered, "Don't let them out of your sights! Keep firing!" Shot after shot, the corrupted Pokémon fell, along with more and more Soul Harvesters and Brute Chargers. However, once the fiftieth Brute Charger was destroyed, the bones started attracting into one place, and they started solidifying into even bigger bones, one by one, until they formed an even bigger monster.
"Everyone, full Omega Power!" Chief Leon shouted to his clan once the Titan Reaper was forming. Immediately, the fiery, red Tribal markings snaked all over each and every one of the Delphox Magicians until they were covered from head to toe. Once they all powered up, they felt immensely invigorated, as well as their Delphox companions. All of them, magician and Delphox, let out searing streams of hot fire that heated and melted even the ceiling. The Titan Reaper's skull was charred black before falling apart from the drips of heated titanium that seeped into the damaging cracks. As soon as that happened, the rest fell to pieces, and the Delphox Magicians lowered their Omega Powers from their brains before they went insane with power. Everyone cheered and continued their assault on the Soul Harvesters immediately after.
This gave the other Trainers the time they needed to heal their Pokémon and the soldiers the ammo needed to fire at the corrupted Pokémon and Soul Harvesters. Hopefully, they'd make it out of this alive. Hopefully, not many people would die tonight. Once all of the enemies were either driven out or killed, they could focus on getting the shield back up - IF it could be put back up, many of them thought. Everyone just needed to survive the code red situation.
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Location: Longan Laboratories, Elevator
Time: 11:15…
During their descent, the kids and their mentors decided to come up with their game plan in terms of getting to the Control Room. Before they decided to do that, some of them had to pick up the rest of their Pokémon, namely Christian and Giovanni. While they got what they needed, the others would cover them from all sides. If they came across a Soul Harvester or a corrupted Pokémon, Hiro would play his music to stop them while Alex, Reaper, Mario, Joanna and Samuel took them out. It would work out to their advantage as well since the corrupted Pokémon would also be used as allies to attack the Soul Harvesters.
Currently, they passed the forty-seventh basement floor, and it was at this moment in time that Alex decided to speak up to Hiro. "Hey, kid," he spoke up before presenting him with a real sword. Hiro looked at the gleaming weapon, then to his mentor. "Are you sure I'm ready for the real deal?" he asked him. "You are," Alex nodded, "Just don't swing it at anybody or at any Pokémon, unless you're fighting for your own safety or the safety of others in legitimate danger." Hiro nodded before taking the sword. He then took off his belt before looping it through two slits in the top of the sheath and fastening it to himself.
"Remember what we told you, children," Samuel said to the kids, "Once those doors open, let us through first. After that, Hiro can start playing his music." He turned his attention to the boy with the Pikachu on his shoulder. "You're going to have to keep playing your ocarina this time, Hiro," he reminded him, "Those Soul Harvesters will not hesitate to kill you once you stop playing. Don't worry about getting rushed once you start playing this time. It's apparent that Xavier was wrong." "I know," Hiro nodded as he got his ocarina out.
Finally, the elevator dinged as they reached the fifty-second basement floor. Alex and the others readied their weapons. Once the doors opened, three Soul Harvesters and corrupted Pokémon were clawing at a door in front of them. They stopped and looked at the kids and adults in the elevator before getting attacked by said adults. After that, Hiro started playing the first thing that came to his head, which was a tune he heard in the Pokémon Center.
Immediately, the snarling and shrieking died down, and the Soul Harvesters stood still. Not only that, but the virus on the corrupted Pokémon started dissipating as before. While he kept playing, Alex and his team took the opportunity to kill off the Soul Harvesters. The Pokémon that were being cured from the virus were left alone. This kept going for about a half an hour before Giovanni and Christian got to their dorms and picked up their PokéBalls.
Once their task was complete, they headed back to the elevator. However, they heard an explosion and something whizzing downward before getting quieter. That wasn't a good sound, they figured. Alex and Mario pried the doors of the elevator open, only to find an empty shaft, and a cord that was shaking before rapidly falling downward. "Did they just cut the elevator cord?!" Jason asked. "It would seem so," Reaper said, looking down at the abyssal darkness of the shaft. "Now how are we going to get to the Control Room?" Delia asked a little anxiously. "We'll have to take one of the stairways," Joanna said, "If they're just going to keep wrecking the elevators, then we need to take the stairs to the Control Room." "Is that even a safe idea?" Giovanni asked. "Probably not," Alex said, "but we can't just sit here and wait for more Soul Harvesters to come."
"Let us come with you," Hiro heard some of the Pokémon say to them. Then he heard a Lilligant say to them, "It's the least we can do to help after you helped us." Hiro nodded, then turned to his friends. "The Pokémon will help us proceed," he translated for them, "They said it's the least they can do after helping them." "Let's go, then," Samuel said and showed everyone the way to the stairway.
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Location: Longan Laboratories, 10th Basement Floor, Courtyard
Time: 11:20…
After dismantling the spare shield generator, Xavier ran and went to the courtyard of the tenth basement floor to think of a plan. Before he could, however, he noticed some of the Soul Harvesters trying to bash their way through the titanium blast doors bolted in the threshold. That, along with corrupted Pokémon, trying with everything in them to break down the door. It was there that Xavier had the idea that could ultimately kill Joshua, should he come up here. They'd be doing him a favor.
Suddenly, he heard the elevator ding, and hid himself behind one of the pillars and peered over the side to see who was coming out. To his surprise, it was Professor Joshua, Herod and Caesar. All of them were somehow still alive and heading for the room where he had just left. This infuriated him, knowing and seeing that Joshua was back on his feet. It not only made him furious, but he also felt afraid, because he knew that once his current task was completed, he'd come looking for him. And if he did, there'd be nowhere left to hide.
" This is all their fault, " he thought to himself. If he had just gotten those Pokémon through the portal like he was supposed to without any interference, then he'd have been out of there hours ago. And he couldn't exactly leave empty-handed. The last thing he wanted was to get killed by his other employer for not getting the Pokémon to him. That outcome was certain if he tried. He'd have to at least capture the kids for ruining his plan. That way, they'd take the rap instead of him.
With that idea in mind, he took out a gun that he got from his office. He checked the ammunition he had in the revolver. Six bullets. That's what he had in the cylinder, along with twelve others left in his pocket. He'd have enough for the Soul Harvesters that got in the way of him getting to the kids, and once he got to them, he'd rely on his Omega Power to take control of the situation. His intentions were evident when he extended the dark Tribal marks to his left hand.
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Location: Longan Laboratories, 10th Basement Floor, Hallway
Time: 11:25…
In all the years that they worked for Professor Joshua, neither Herod or Caesar ever thought that they'd see the day where they'd have to trail behind him while running. Sure, they had seen him train with his Pokémon a time or two and were dually impressed, but now they were seeing him in action when it really mattered at his ancient-old age. At the moment, they were headed to the launching quarters for the hovering shield generator. It took them a good five minutes down the hall before they finally reached the room. When they got to the room, however, they came to a disturbing sight.
Inside the room, a dozen scientists were lying beaten. "That would explain why we didn't hear from this department when you tried calling them earlier," Caesar said. Joshua walked over to one and placed his fingers to a vein on the neck of one of the scientists. "This one's still alive," Joshua told them. Herod and Caesar looked around and checked the other scientists. Thankfully, the worst was that they were all unconscious, except for one, who was just waking up. "Professor, this one's coming to," Caesar told him. Joshua walked up to the waking scientist and asked, "Who did this to you?" Finding her voice, she spoke to the Professor, "It was Dr. Adonijah, sir. He came out of nowhere with his clothes looking burned, and a crazed look on his face. We thought he was needing help, but then he attacked us. None of us stood a chance." Looking around, she then noticed the other scientists. "The others! Are they alright?" Joshua placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up before answering, "They're worse for wear, but they're okay."
"What do you want us to do about Xavier, Professor?" Herod asked while he tended to one of the scientists, "We can't just let him run around knocking around our guys." "We don't have time to worry about Xavier," Joshua concluded, "As far as I'm concerned, he's sealed his own fate. We need to focus on getting this generator operational, stat!" Herod and Caesar nodded and set straight to work with their elderly superior. It was now or never, after all.
Firstly, they moved the scientists to a safe location before grabbing spare parts and tools to get the job done. Joshua looked in the engine itself and found the damage was quite extensive. The guidance system for the generator itself was dismantled and strewn across the floor. The wires and cables were broken, and the motherboard was shot (no pun intended). Not to mention half of the generator's casing had been stripped off of the entire machine. Still, it was nothing that the three of them couldn't accomplish repairing.
Joshua called out his Pokémon for further assistance, as well as Herod and Caesar, who called out Electabuzz and Metagross respectively. Joshua ordered for a new motherboard to replace the old one, not caring where it came from. Caesar dug through the center console of one of the supercomputers and provided one to his boss. He then instructed his Ampharos and Herod's Electabuzz to start soldering the connectors from the old motherboard to the new one. Mew helped out by levitating pieces of the casings in the air, along with nuts and bolts. Alakazam did his part as well by helping the professor align the guidance system to the machine while Herod and Caesar replaced one of the engines.
The combined effort of the scientists and Pokémon took a good hour and a half. Once they had tested its functionality, they deemed the shield generator worthy of taking flight. They moved it to the launching pad and were about to open the overhead silo doors when they started feeling rumbling. It started weak, but then built up in magnitude. The scientists looked at each other before looking at the clock, which read one o'clock. That's when dread washed over their faces. If things were bad now, things were about to get a whole lot worse.