Eric, Kat, and I rushed out the front door to see the helicopter still in the air. I pulled out my Pokéballs and tossed them in the air.

"Jet and Charcoal! We need you!" I cried.

At my command, my Garchomp and Charizard appeared.

"We need you to get us up to that helicopter," I said, "The lives of many Pokémon are at stake."

My Pokémon nodded and hunched over. I climbed on Jet's back while Kat and Eric got on Charcoal.

"Let's go!" I said.

My Pokémon roared before flying up to the helicopter. We flew around to the rear to see a large hatch.

"Melt a hole with Flamethrower!" I said.

My Pokémon obeyed and released large ribbons of fire. When the smoke cleared and the metal cooled down, we quietly slipped through the hole. The others and I hopped off my Pokémon and looked around.

"Oh, my gosh..." Kat said, her eyes wide.

What we saw was unbelievable. There were crates filled to the brim with Pokéballs, and Pokémon from Xaja Safari were in cages. My eyes scanned the hanger, and I caught a glimpse of Houndoom and its pack.

They got to them already...

I walked up to Houndoom's cage and crouched in front of it. The Houndoom looked up at me and whimpered, as well as its pack.

"Don't worry; we're gonna get you out of here," I said, looking back at the other Pokémon, "All of you."

"How, Era?" Eric asked, "We're hundreds of feet off the ground, and some of these Pokémon can't fly."

I stood up and started pacing. Looking around the hangar, my eyes locked onto a Metang and Gardevoir.

Perfect!

I ran up to the two Pokémon and smiled.

"We're gonna get you guys out of here, but we need your help to get everyone off this helicopter," I said, "Can you help us?"

The two Psychic-type nodded with bold cries. I smiled as I met up with my friends and Pokémon.

"I need you guys to start taking the crates full of Pokéballs and take them to Blue Flare Ranch," I said, "If you explain to Roscoe and Loretta, I'm sure they'd be willing to help."

"We're gonna need all the help we can get," Kat said, "With the number of crates that are here, we're probably gonna make a few trips."

"We can do it," Eric said, "For the sake of every Pokémon here, we have to."

Kat and I nodded with kind smiles. Jet and Charcoal each picked up a crate and grunted. I looked back at the hole we made in the hangar doors and grimaced.

We need to open the hangar door entirely if they fly in and out.

I walked over to the hanger door's control pad and pressed the green button. Like clockwork, the hanger door slowly opened.

"Go!" I cried.

Kat and Eric got on my Pokémon and flew out of the hangar. I pulled out a Pokéball and aimed it at the ground.

"Ajax, come out!" I said

My Sceptile obeyed and revealed himself a second after.

"Ajax, I need you to slice open every cage in this hanger," I said, "But first, I need you to free the Gardevoir and Metang. Can you do that?"

Ajax let out a cry and nodded.

"Good, now use Leaf Blade!" I ordered.

The leaves on Ajax's wrists soon started glowing. He then ran up to the cages and effortlessly sliced them open. The Metang and Gardevoir came out and let out friendly cries.

"You're welcome," I said, "Now, let's get the others out of here."

When I said that, Kat and Eric returned.

"You guys better hurry up," Eric said, "I saw some grunts coming this way."

"Got it," I said, "Ajax, you know what to do!"

Ajax nodded and started opening every cage in his sight.

"Loretta and Roscoe agreed to help us out." Kat said.

"Great," I said, "Be careful, you two."

"Right back at you, Era." Eric said.

Jet and Charcoal picked up more crates before flying out of the hangar. When I looked back, all of the Pokémon were free.

"Metang and Gardevoir, I need you two to use Psychic to get these Pokémon out of here," I said, "As for the Flying-type Pokémon, help carry any smaller Pokémon."

The Pokémon in the hanger all let out bold cries. Then, I heard someone pounding on the back door.

The grunts!

Gardevoir looked towards the cages and used Psychic to move them in front of the door.

"Smart thinking, Gardevoir," I said, "Head to Blue Flare Ranch. You'll know when you see it. Make trips if you need to."

Metang and Gardevoir nodded before using Psychic on some of the larger Pokémon. Some of the smaller Pokémon climbed on the backs of a Pidgeot and an Aerodactyl.

"Go, go, go!" I cried.

I watched as the many flew out of the hangar and away from the helicopter. I turned around to see some crates and Pokémon left.

Guess it's up to me.

Luckily for me, there was another Aerodactyl and a Gengar.

"Gengar, can you use Psychic on the other Pokémon?" I asked, "And Aerodactyl, can you carry one of the crates?"

The two Pokémon let out firm cries and nodded. Gengar used Psychic and lifted the remaining Pokémon. The Aerodactyl screeched as it perched itself on top of a crate.

"Get out of here!" I cried.

The Pokémon nodded and flew out of the hangar. The sound of the grunts trying to open the door soon caught my attention. I turned around, and there were still a few crates left.

Where are Eric and Kat? I hope they're okay and the others are on the ground.

Ajax let out and cry and clutched his fist. Libby smiled and let out a bold cry.

They're right. The others are doing just fine; I know they are!

"Come on; we need to find a way to get these crates out of the hangar," I said, "But how?"

I looked up at the door when the pounding started getting louder.

Good thing the cages are blocking the way.

I walked over to a crate and tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy.

I could really use Jet and Charcoal right about now.

That's when I heard a familiar roar. Turning around, I saw Jet and Charcoal with Kat and Eric on their backs.

"Sorry we took so long," Kat said, "We had to fight off some Team Xenon grunts that tried to get the Pokémon back."

"And hey. We brought back some help." Eric said.

When he said that, the Aerodactyl and Gengar from before revealed themselves. The Aerodactyl flew in and hunched over. Catching on, I returned Ajax to his Pokéball and hopped on the fossil Pokémon's back. Gengar let out a cry before lifting the remaining crates.

"That's everyone," I said, "Let's get out of here!"

With a final nod to one another, we flew out of the hangar and started heading toward Blue Flare Ranch.

"Did the other Pokémon make it there safely?" I asked.

"Yes," Kat said, "Loretta and Roscoe are watching over them. Even Georgia."

"That's great!"

When we arrived, the Pokémon landed in front of the barn. I hopped off the Aerodactyl and opened the barn doors to see the other Pokémon and crates all safe and sound.

"These are the last crates." I said.

The Gengar uttered a cackle-like cry and set down the crates near the others.

"Thank goodness y'all are safe." Loretta said.

"Thank you for helping us out." I said.

"Anytime, kiddo," Roscoe said, "Always ready to lend a helpin' hand."

I smiled as I turned back to the others.

"Come on, guys," I said, "We gotta go back to help the others."

That's when the Aerodactyl let out a screech-like cry. The Gengar and Gardevoir soon followed suit.

"Do you guys wanna help us?" I asked.

The Pokémon let out loud cries with broad smiles. I chuckled and nodded.

"Alright, let's save your friends!" I said.

As I climbed on Aerodactyl's back, I turned back to Loretta, Roscoe, and Georgia with a smile.

"Keep the crates and the little ones safe." I said.

"It's what we do best, blue hair." Georgia said with a wink.

Nodding, I patted the Aerodactyl on the back of its neck. Aerodactyl screeched as it flew out of the barn and back towards the professor's lab with my friends and the other Pokémon in tow.

With these Pokémon to help us out, we can't lose!

When we arrived, I saw Professor Cherry, her colleagues, and our friends battling Team Xenon in the paddock. Behind the grunts were three crates filled with Pokéballs and Pokémon in cages.

"Jet, Charcoal! Dragon Pulse!" I cried.

My Pokémon roared before firing multicolored shockwaves at the grunts' Pokémon. When we landed, the others and I quickly ran to our friends to help them.

"You guys made it!" Nina said.

"The Pokémon," Professor Cherry began, "Are they alright?"

"They're fine," I said, "Right now, we need to get these Pokémon away from Team Xenon."

Ajax leaped out of my Pokéball and let out a cry.

"Isn't that...?" Elsu began.

"Sure is," I said, "He wanted to come with us."

Ajax looked back at Elsu and winked at him. Elsu grinned and nodded firmly. The Pokémon we rescued soon stood beside us and growled at the grunts. The grunts and their Pokémon shuddered and backed away.

"Step away from the crate and cage." Kat said.

The grunts and Pokémon nodded and moved away.

"Ajax, Leaf Blade!" I said.

Ajax let out a cry as its leaves began to glow. It then sprinted up to the cage and sliced through the bars, releasing the captured Pokémon. Said Pokémon looked at the Team Xenon grunts and growled. Ajax let out a cry and quickly pushed the crates over to us.

"Pathetic! You are all pathetic!" cried a familiar voice.

When I looked ahead, I saw the Team Xenon commanders and Calista.

"You allow yourselves to be backed into a corner by children?" Calista asked.

The grunts grimaced and averted their superior's gaze.

"We'll take care of 'em, boss." Barren said, pulling out his Pokéball.

Calista lifted her hand before walking forward.

"That won't be necessary, Barren," Calista said, "It is obvious that we are outnumbered. A tactical retreat would be best."

The grunts, commanders, the others, and I stared at Calista with disbelief.

A tactical retreat? That means they got what they came here for. I'm not about to let them get away with it, whatever it is!

"Not so fast, Calista!" I said, stepping forward.

The woman lifted a brow as her eyes followed me.

"I'm not letting you get away so easily," I said, "You've got what you came here for; that's why your entire demeanor changed so suddenly!"

"You're a smart girl, but you still have so much to learn." Calista said, tossing up a Pokéball.

Out came her shiny Gardevoir. Libby hopped off my shoulder and let out a cry.

"It's in your best interest that you stand down now, child," Calista said, "You couldn't beat me with your entire team if you tried."

"Wanna bet?" I growled.

Calista scowled and inhaled sharply.

"Eragona, let them go," Professor Cherry said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"What? No!" I said, shrugging off her hand, "She took something from you, and I'm not about to let her get away with it!"

"It's okay. Saving the Pokémon was our top priority; it was our plan, and we did it. Knowing that these Pokémon and you kids are safe keeps me content. Let it go."

I exhaled and let my body relax.

"Don't worry, child," Calista said, retracting her Gardevoir, "This won't be the last time we meet."

I glared at the woman and growled. Then, a strong gust of wind picked up. Looking up, I saw the helicopter descending to the ground. The grunts returned their Pokémon and jumped into the aircraft. The commanders soon followed suit. When Calista hopped into the helicopter carrier, she smiled back at me.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, my dear," Calista said, "Au revoir for now!"

Then, the helicopter disappeared into the clouds. I growled as I clenched my fists.

"Easy, Eragona," Professor Cherry said, "They're gone now, and the Pokémon are safe. That's all that matters."

I turned to the professor and sighed.

"I guess you're right," I said, "Still, the thought of letting them escape bothers me."

"It bothers me, too, but things would've gotten worse before they got better if we didn't."

I sighed heavily and nodded. Libby then hopped on my shoulder and let out a cry. I smiled and patted her fuzzy head.

"Thanks, Libbs." I said.

I then turned back to the Pokémon and smiled.

"You're free to go back home now!" I said, "They won't bother you anymore!"

The Pokémon all let out their signature cries before disappearing into Xaja Safari. However, Gardevoir, Aerodactyl, Gengar, and Metang stayed behind.

"That's right! The crates back at Blue Flare Ranch!" Kat said.

"That's why they're staying behind." Nina said.

"Come on, gang," I said, "We have some crates to carry!"

My friends smiled and followed me back to the ranch. Walking down the dirt path, I looked up at the sky and clenched my fists.

As vile as she may be, Calista's right about one thing: this won't be the last time we meet...