A/N - Sorry for the delay. My Asperger's has been giving me a hard time this weekend. I actually worried I'd have to leave it until tomorrow, but I'm feeling a fair bit better now. 

Chapter Sixty

Annie followed her crew into the large auditorium. Eyes trailed over her body, widening with shock and fascination. But any vocalisations were kept quiet, nothing more than hushed whispers. The blastoise led them to the front and motioned for them to sit down facing the audience. He turned to the podium and clapped his large paws together by the microphone, reminiscent of a thunderclap as it rang out from the speakers.

"Order!" he roared.

The audience fell into silence, all eyes on Annie and her crew.

"As you well know," the blastoise began, "this group of space pirates helped us to eliminate a large threat. A threat that had previously ransacked other cities. One that had grown in numbers! Now I know their captain might look funny. I know she's drawn many curious looks and scepticism, but they've been here almost a full day and no harm has befallen us. I feel it is only right that, rather than turn them in, we hear out exactly why they are here."

He turned to look over his shoulder and stood aside for Annie to approach the microphone. She frowned out at the audience then threw her arms in the air.

"Alright, yeh, I'm a human!" she said. "A shape shiftin' one from the past. A Time Archeops, if you will."

"I thought we were past that name," Trojan whispered to Waveform and Web.

The latter two merely shrugged and hushed the scrafty.

"When I first arrived in your time line," Annie went on, "I found myself in Mayor Socket's clutches. She wanted to stick me in some lab, but I ain't no lab experiment. So I escaped and found myself a crew. And I learned a little somethin'." She lent forwards over the podium. "Your world is a mess. Not only do crazy mayors try to run experiments on innocent, helpless individuals like myself, you actually eat each other?!"

A few yelps rang out from the audience, and she could see pokemon shaking their heads or cowering back in fear.

The blastoise placed a heavy paw on her shoulder and she met his narrowed eyes.

"Not in Wave City we don't," he rumbled. "You think we'd eat our own kind?"

"What about sharpedo?" Annie asked. "Carvannah?"

"Extinct," he said flatly. "At least in Wave City they are. Just 'cos you've got sharp teeth doesn't make you a meat eater."

She huffed and turned back to the audience, then lifted a hand to the blastoise. "See? Now my human world is a little different. Back there, pokemon do eat each other, but they ain't like you. You are more sentient, more aware of right and wrong. Not driven by instinct like they are. I mean, yeh, sure, human world pokemon are intelligent. At least... that's what I've read. They eat each other, they eat eggs, and I ain't gonna deny it. Humans eat pokemon too."

Gasps spread across the audience and a few pokemon threw enraged questions at Annie. She raised a hand to silence them, but not all of them calmed down. One individual fired an ice beam at her, but she strafed to the side, letting it spread over the back wall. Waveform let out a surprised hoot and swivelled his head around towards it.

"I ain't sayin' I eat pokemon. But I think, given humans were once in this world, we've discovered where this little problem came from. Humans probably missed meat. You were all desperate for food. So pokemon turned to the ocean, turning you lot into victims! I say that's wrong. That's like turnin' on your own family. Just 'cos you've got sharp teeth doesn't make you a meat eater! We should write that all over System!"

"Yay!" Zip cheered, drawing the audience's attention. Silence washed over the assembly as they finally spotted the goldeen.

"You heard it, little fish." Annie beckoned the goldeen forward. "Now. I found this little guy floundering wounded in a polluted street, desperately clinging to life and the hope he could make it back home. He opened my eyes to this corrupted world. Why... oh why... are y'all eatin' one another? You know what we call that back in the human world? Cannibalism! I know y'all are different sub species, but y'all are sentient. All the same inside."

"She's right!" Zip clattered towards the podium, standing beside it so the audience could see him. "I know I can't walk on land. I've had this device kindly made so I can help Annie and my friends make their point. But I can see pokemon here who also can't walk on land." He looked over at a small pool at the front of the hall, diverted in from the ocean. Hundreds of eyes peered back at him. "We shouldn't need to live in fear. Pokemon shouldn't be fishing us up as a cheap and easy food source."

Mutters came from the pool as the pokemon nodded in agreement.

"I know System was desperate once," Zip went on. "I know we can't grow fruit trees or vegetables on System Ground anymore. But turning to us for meat just because we 'couldn't help in other ways'? We're not useless! I saw what you all did to stop those nihilego! We're every bit a part of System as any other pokemon, and we shouldn't be persecuted just because we don't have legs!"

Cheers came from the audience, particularly the pool. Small fish leapt into the air, splashing and smacking the water with their tails and fins.

"Exactly, little fish!" Annie placed a hand on the rim of his bowl and beamed at him before turning back to the audience. "So what are y'all waitin' around for? I say confront the mayor! Make her notice you are more than just meat!"

"Actually." The blastoise placed a paw on her shoulder again and steered her back from the podium, meeting her gaze with a steely glare. "You don't need to do that. You even seen the news?"

"Huh?"

Annie found the sea turtle's computer thrust into her hand. She stared down at it and her eyes almost bulged out of her head. A grin split her face and she twirled back to the audience.

"Oh this is just perfect! Can we get this up on the big screen, please?"

"No," said the blastoise flatly.

It was too late. Waveform plugged his own computer into the projector, bringing up the front page of Meta City News. A huge, detailed photo of the mayor's mansion floating miles above the city, encased in a perspex dome, contrasted a smaller photo of the city itself being ransacked by aliens and toxic smog. A few of the water pokemon screamed, and Annie heard something crumple to the floor with a thud. Someone had clearly fainted.

Annie waved a hand towards the photo. "This is your mayor! Bailing on the very pokemon she's meant to look after, leaving them to the mercy of... of..." She squinted at the photo. "I dunno. Aliens. And poison."

Mutters came from the audience as they pulled out their own computers.

"So I say one thing," Annie went on. "Rebellion! Who wants a mayor like this? Throw her off her high horse! Get shut of this careless, wicked gothitelle and take a pokemon like Zip as your mayor!"

Zip almost fell off his mechanical feet as Annie ushered him forwards. The audience cheered and rose to their feet. A few of them started chanting Zip's name, ushering the others on until hundreds were shouting it. A deep voice called from near the front 'Down with the mayor!', filling the auditorium with another chant. Claps and splashes erupted like thunder.

"Me?" zip squeaked, his face turning crimson.

"Enough!" The blastoise's voice was barely heard over the chaos in the auditorium. He pulled Annie away from the podium and frowned down at her. "You come along here raving about starting a jackin' war?"

Annie raised a finger to correct him. "Rebellion."

"It's the same jackin' thing!" Spittle flew from his teeth and peppered her face. "How do you think System is gonna respond to a speech like that?"

"I dunno. But surely water types outnumber the rest? I mean half the world is water."

"It doesn't matter!" He released her, pushing her back into Waveform's waiting wings. "I need you lot out of this city. I can't thank you enough for helping us, but I can't have you around, risking starting a war! The water types are already at odds with the fire and grass types. You want to literally throw us into the mincer?"

"You sound scared," said Annie.

"Of course I'm scared!" he roared. "At the moment, they don't eat any water pokemon that have legs!" He waved his limbs. "An uproar might upgrade the menu!"

"So it's okay to eat water types so long as it's just the fish?" asked Zip.

"Of course it ain't okay," said the blastoise. "But we can't exactly do anythin' about it."

Annie looked back at the audience. The smiles on the water types' faces. The jubilation from the pool. She turned back to the blastoise and frowned.

"That's where you're wrong." With that, she turned to steer Zip away towards the emergency door.

The blastoise followed them but he didn't leave the auditorium. Annie gave one last glance back at him. His expression was unreadable.

"Did we fail?" Zip asked quietly.

"I wouldn't say so," said Annie. "I'd say we succeeded."

"How did you get that from what just happened?" Trojan spat.

"Easy." She aimed a grin at the scrafty. "We sowed a little hope."

He raised an eyebrow and let out a confused 'eh?'

"The water types have been gifted a voice." She tucked her arms behind her head and marched towards the docked pyukumyuku. "All they gotta do now is use it."

"And what about us?" Web asked. "What's next in your big plan?"

"Oh that's easy." Annie grinned from ear to ear. "We're gonna shoot down a flying mansion."

...

Tracer thought his fur would never stop standing on end.

He read over the Meta City News article for the third time, hoping that in some way he'd managed to misunderstand it. But there it was, clear as day. A photo to back up the propaganda infested article. Socket's mansion had risen into the sky, abandoning her home city to the fate of aliens. He'd be inclined to think it were a misunderstanding were there any evidence whatsoever that her army was trying to rid the city of the invasion.

But first it was the jellyfish, ransacking cities. More cities followed at the tentacles of a whole host of jellyfish. Pulse City had been reduced to rubble thanks to the onslaught of a seed-bombing cannon. Now there was something he could only describe as 'live wires' tearing down Meta City.

He lowered his computer and ran a paw over his large ears. "What's happening to System, Widget?"

The eevee wagged his tail, and not in the comical, jovial way that Tracer was familiar with. It was more of a nervous tail-thump.

"I don't know," he said. "But I gotta say, I only enjoy these scenarios on a big screen. Living one?" He lifted a paw and swiped it to the side. "Whole different story."

"Aye." N0ize turned around in his captain's seat and fixed them with a grin. "I'd describe it more like a bad dream. Can't say I've ever found myself without a home to retreat to. Right, Cyph3r?"

The magmortar shrugged his shoulders, keeping his eyes on System Sky.

N0ize continued to stare at Tracer, pushing his fur even more on end. "You all right, Fuzz? You're startin' to look a lot like an alarmed quilfish."

"I'm fine." Tracer looked back down at his computer but N0ize's grin was emblazoned in his mind. "I'm sorry you've lost your home."

"Ah, forget about it." N0ize exploded with raucous laughter. "We've got bigger fish to fry. Still tailin' that human you're so fixated with."

"How are you getting on there?" asked Widget. "'Cos not gonna lie, I don't exactly have sky legs."

"We're landin' in five minutes, but you wanna hurl, you know where the toilet is." N0ize swivelled back to the windscreen. "She's docked at Wave City. We'll be on 'em before you know it. Oh wait... hang on a sec..."

Tracer looked up again and raised an eyebrow at the back of the incineroar's head. "Is there a problem?"

"I'd say so. Little scoundrel is on the move again."

Widget let out a loud groan and slumped onto his belly.

"Calm down, Widget," Tracer told him. "You're creating a scene."

"I can't help it!" Widget whined. "I'm so sick of flying! I'm built to run. Run, I tell you. Run!"

He smacked the floor with his forepaws then buried his nose between them. His long ears drooped at either side of his head and he frowned at the floor.

N0ize laughed again and shook his head. "Such a drama queen. Well, I guess she's done whatever it is she came here to do. You wanna check on that, Fuzz?"

Tracer trawled through the news sites, but it didn't take him long to find Wave City atop the live news feed. Video footage started playing straight away, and his eyes widened at every word from the marshtomp's mouth.

'I've never seen anything like it,' the water type gasped. 'I can't turn a single corner without fish pokemon braying for their freedom! A small army is on its way into Meta City. I keep saying it's suicide, just like everyone else. But they just won't listen!'

Tracer looked up, the following words barely registering. Widget had lifted his head again, ears pricked and trained on his computer. N0ize peered with one eye over his shoulder, a sly grin painted on his face.

"Looks like she did it then, eh?" The incineroar gave a hearty laugh and swivelled away from them. "Wave City's in an uproar, just like she wanted."

"I'd hardly say that's a good thing!" Tracer barked.

Cyph3r fixed one eye on him but said nothing. The delphox looked back down at his computer. The interview was still playing out, but the footage had changed to display the fish pokemon and all who supported them gathering in a river, preparing to swim down towards Meta City. They'd be risking ploughing through polluted water, so many of them had been kitted out with special masks that reduced what toxins their gills would otherwise be filtering.

No. It wasn't good at all. With Socket soaring miles above System Ground, Wave City threatening an attack on Meta City and all surrounding fisheries would have a huge impact. And quite possibly a disastrous one. One of the concerns brought up on the screen only solidified his worries.

'What's next?" the blastoise roared. 'The fish rebel and what's next? All water types thrown into the mincer? Bugs? Grass types? I tell you, she'll upgrade the menu. It's been done once before, so what's stopping them from doing it again just to shut the rebels' mouths?'

"He has a point," said Widget weakly. "What is stopping them from turning on other pokemon for meat? Berries and vegetables are getting harder and harder to grow in all this toxicity."

"Aye," N0ize agreed. "It's all one big, epic fight for survival. I can't say I blame the fish for getting fed up with it, but eh. Food with a face is gonna argue back at some point, right?"

Tracer felt his fur bristle along his spine and a canine poked out from his lips. The combination of N0ize's flippant attitude and the rising calamity System was facing was seriously taking its toll. Between the alien invaders and Socket's bailing, Annie's ploy to start a rebellion was only adding to the chaos.

"We need to stop her," he thought out loud.

Widget pushed himself up so he was sitting and frowned at Tracer. "What? Please tell me you're not wanting to shoot Socket down. Not that I'm complaining, I mean... think about the mess!"

"No, no. I'm talking about Annie. The human."

"The lass you're fixated with?" N0ize cocked a confused eyebrow and waved a paw at the window. "You wanna shoot her down instead?"

"I'd rather not, but if it comes to it, it might be necessary," said Tracer.

"I don't get it," said Widget. "You went against turning her into Socket because you were worried for her wellbeing, and now you're willing to take her out?"

"Think about it," said Tracer. "Amongst everything that's going on, she's only making things worse. System is practically falling apart at the seams, and most of that is to do with these alien invaders. Annie isn't from our System, Widget. She might be from a System, but it's not ours. Just like those aliens, she's invasive. We don't understand what the aliens are up to. Can they understand us? Are they sentient? Why are they damaging our world? What if they're just trying to adapt, and in doing so are restructuring the environment to suit them? They're trapped here, just like Annie is. But unlike them, we can understand her and she can understand us. Back in her time line, pokemon didn't eat one another. So, in a way, just like those aliens she is trying to restructure System to her own liking. Therefore, she is a threat."

Widget narrowed his eyes and let out a muffled 'huh'.

"We've been studying her." Tracer looked back down at his computer. Now it was showing footage of Annie's speech at the assembly. "I'd like to think she's reasonable, but I'm really not sure. If anything, I'm worried she's very unwell. Either that, or she doesn't think through her actions, acting merely on impulse. That would make her closer to the alien invaders than to us."

"I can see where you're comin' from." N0ize stuck a claw in his ear and twisted it back and forth. "To be honest, I couldn't give a rattata's ass if we ate meat or not. I like it, yeh. But throwin' the entire world into chaos for the sake of a bit of fun? I like the fun part, but not so much the chaos. Let's tail her and shoot that pyukumyuku outta the sky, eh?"

Before Tracer could retort, the ship picked up speed and rocketed through the sky.

"Hang on a second!" he barked. "I never said we're shooting her now. I said if it were necessary-"

"It is, ain't it?" N0ize burst into laughter and leant back in his seat.

All Tracer could do was stare through the windscreen at the speck on the horizon. He could just make out the pyukumyuku's decorative spines.