"Well, yeah, we've got things to discuss," Terra agreed with V, "but before that! Who the heck are all of you!?" she asked, her head looking around between each of the seven mysterious white titans.
"This is truly an intriguing situation," Hana noted. "Seven giant humans in a world of sleep... is this a dream? Is this a message from a being above our understanding?"
Ignis grabbed the two girls' by the shoulder, getting their attention. "Right, enough religious thinking," she said.
"Why aren't you freaking out about this!?" Terra asked. "Ignis, you're oddly... wait a minute!"
"Yeah?"
The brunette narrowed her eyes. "You know these giants! That's why you're not surprised and why you put yourself to sleep first!"
"I mean... yeah," Ignis said. "Not going to deny that now."
VII laughed. "Not like you could deny anything at this point."
"To be fair, she's the one who wanted to bring her friends here," IV said.
Hana looked at Ignis. "So, uh... am I correct in assuming you have something to tell or show us?" she asked.
Ignis nodded. "Yep. I've been thinking about this for, uh... less than a day, really," she said and scratched her head, "but I figured it'd be great to get you girls' help too since, as someone wanted me to realize, it's hard to do stuff alone." The last part was directed at Terra, who rolled her eyes.
"You know this whole Team Rocket business is dangerous, you know it!" Terra said.
"Yeah, geez, I know, I'm giving you credit here," Ignis said.
"O-oh, uh, okay."
Both Ignis and V cleared their throats, then looked at the two newcomers to the white space. The ravenette looked up at the fifth titan. "Right, take the lead, big guy."
V nodded and crossed its arms. "First of all, we aren't exactly sure of what we are, but one could say we are linked to Ms. Ignis in a way."
"W-what does that mean?" Terra asked. "Are you all, like... actually Pokémon, uh, owned by Ignis?"
"No, of course not," I answered, before pausing and rubbing its chin. "...or are we?" it asked, aimed at the girl in question.
"The hell would I know?" Ignis said.
Hana blinked. "So... you're not Pokémon, but apparently not people like us, and you're somehow related to Ms... uh, to Ignis?" she asked, to which the others nodded. "...m-maybe they're Ignis' sisters..."
"Nobody has sisters that big!" Terra said.
Ignis chuckled. "They don't even sound like people..."
V cleared its throat again. "Anyways. You see, there seems to be an old prophecy about an upcoming threat that the region of Kanto is facing," it continued. "We are to be of assistance to a rumored individual who will save Kanto from this danger, and Ms. Ignis just so happens to be connected to our realm, thus we believe she is that individual."
Terra blinked. "...wait, that's it?"
II scratched its head. "Um. Pretty much. Are we missing any details?"
III rubbed its chin. "Hmm... well, what about-"
"No, Three," V simply said.
"Oh."
"Well, I don't know about you guys," Terra said, "but that sounds disappointingly simple. What do you mean, Ignis is some sort of chosen one?"
"They didn't actually specifically say that," Ignis said, "but hey, you do you."
The brunette ignored her friend and glared at the titans. "Maybe it could've been a simply coincidence! Maybe Ignis just... so happens to be able to connect to this place, that doesn't mean she's special or anything!"
No, that pretty much means it, the titans thought.
"No, that pretty much means it," Hana said.
"No it doesn't!" Terra said. "Look, I just... I'm not sure how to feel about this, okay? You can't expect me to just accept the fact that my childhood friend is actually supposed to save our region from some coming danger that's probably related to all this Team Rocket stuff!" she said. "I mean, what happened to us just helping my grandpa with his Pokédex stuff and,like, being normal Pokémon trainers!?"
"You can do that and also save the world," IV said.
The brunette groaned and covered her face in defeat.
Ignis chuckled. "Well, I can kinda understand how you're feeling, Terra. I was kinda surprised at first, too." She petted the childhood friend, who huffed and pouted. "But I think that while I have the chance, I should do what I can. Otherwise, Team Rocket might hurt everyone, including you or Hana, eventually," she said.
"...Ignis," Terra muttered.
"Also maybe they'll destroy the world too," II said.
...read the mood, damn it, Ignis thought. "Anyways, I figured I could use the time to discuss how things are going right now," she said. "Are you two fine with that?"
Hana scratched her head. "Well, uh... I'm... still a bit confused by everything, but I suppose it should be okay," she said.
Smiling, the ravenette crossed her arms. "Okay, so the basic gist of this is that Team Rocket is planning something that might bring danger to our region Kanto."
"And what a topic," Terra muttered and rolled her eyes. "Okay, so we know they're doing something dangerous. What do you think that could be?" she asked.
Ignis sat down on the white nothingness and huffed. "Well, obviously..." She stopped herself from speaking anymore for a while. Should I tell them about Mewtwo? Or the Master Ball stuff? she wondered. Obviously that's what Team Rocket would still be after, no matter the odd changes in the world, but the problem would be how Ignis would have supposedly gotten this information. As it'd definitely raise unneeded suspicion on herself, and she didn't want to reveal anymore about her own circumstances (notably the fact that she isn't the original Ignis of this world anyways), the girl mentally backtracked and settled on going the detective route instead. "...I dunno."
"...I thought you were going to say something that made lots of sense, somehow," Terra said, slightly let down.
"Hey, I'm not a detective, which is why I've brought you both here to help me," Ignis replied.
"Touché."
"Where do we start, though?" Hana asked.
Good question, my dear disciple, Ignis thought humorously before dismissing that random detective persona in her head. "Hm... when did we first encounter Team Rocket?"
"Oh, I know this one!" IV said. "It's the Mt. Moon situation, with the fossils and blood-sucking Zubat and Golbat!"
"Oh, that place..." Terra said, and shivered in discomfort. "God, that place makes me feel a bit light-headed..."
"Actually," VI said, "I, uh, think it's in Viridian Forest. You know... the Pikachu hunt thing."
Ignis blinked. "Oh yeah, that. Yeah, I think that's the first encounter," she said.
"Is there any significance in that meeting with Team Rocket?" Hana asked.
"Hmm... maybe," the ravenette said. Eventually, after musing a bit longer over it, she nodded. "Okay, so they were looking to find and catch Pikachu for some reason. Supposedly Pikachu and its evolutionary lines have... limitless electricity, uh, energy?"
Terra shook her head. "No, not necessarily. They can store a surprising amount of electricity," she explained, "but it's not good for them to keep it all bottled up. The more the worse for them, and they have to let it out somewhere, eventually."
"Overcharging, huh..." Ignis scratched her head. "Right, duly noted. But that still tells us they needed Pikachu and their electricity for something... so it's probably safe to assume they're working on some sort of machine that requires a shit ton of power," she said. "But we kinda stopped them though, so it's unlikely they've got any progress on that."
"...not necessarily," Terra said once again. "I mean, now that we're not there... what's really stopping them from going back to the forest and catching more Pikachu?"
Ignis blinked. Holy shit. Why didn't I think about... She paled. "Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me..."
"B-but we haven't let any Team Fake Rocket members get past us at all, have we?" Hana said. The others raised an eyebrow at her. "...l-like I said, the real Team Rocket is my father's company! Those villains are fakes!" she insisted.
"...right," Ignis muttered. "Anyways, well... we did encounter them in Mt. Moon next, but they didn't get past us, so I guess you're right." She scratched her head. "...wait, it's not like getting through Mt. Moon and Pewter City is the only way to Viridian City. There's also-"
"If you mean the path from Cinnabar Islands south of Pallet Town, I doubt it," Terra informed. "With so little people in our hometown, anyone'd notice shady people like them, and they'd tell us about it whether by random gossip or out of concern," the brunette said. "Since grandpa hasn't told us anything about Team Rocket-"
"-Fake!" Hana said.
"...Team Fake Rocket... members yet," the girl continued, "I'm sure they haven't went through Pallet Town to Viridian Forest."
Ignis nodded. "Thanks. Okay, so for now it's probably safe to assume they haven't gone back to catch more Pikachu," she said.
IV rubbed its chin. "So shall we assume they've abandoned their machinery plan requiring electricity?"
Hana nodded. "I believe it should be okay to say that."
"...no, wait," Ignis said, the others' attention returning to her. "It's true that maybe they gave up on it, but... there's another option that wouldn't be so favorable," she said.
Terra blinked. "Why else would they stop pursuing Pikachu? They need the free electricity," she said. "If they already had enough Pokémon to produce electricity for them in the first place, they wouldn't have ever tried to get Pikachu in the first place."
"...that's not wrong," Ignis said. "But what if... while we were helping the Pikachu, they've managed to catch something more powerful than Pikachu?" she said.
The others exchanged glances. "I mean... maybe, but like... Pikachu can charge up to hundred thousand volt, even more," Terra said. "You really think there's something else out there that can top that?"
"...p-perhaps," Hana said, to the surprise of everyone. "I... I'm not sure about this, but I've heard before, legends of a powerful bird that controlled the thunders above..."
"Bird? Electricity?" Ignis raised an eyebrow. "That's stupid, there's no way-"
"Z-Zapdos?" Terra said.
The ravenette blinked. Zap what? ...oh, wait. "...the legendary bird?" she asked, to which her friend nodded. Oh, man, those legendaries. Man, I've gotten so bored of them I almost forgot Zapdos and Moltres... The girl shook her head to regain her focus. "Oh, right, that bird of legends."
"T-they say that just by flying, its wings shed thunderbolts," Hana said. "...or, uh, at least, that's what I'm remembering. Ah, childhood stories..."
Who tells their kids about thunder god birds? Ignis briefly wondered. "Well, whether that's true or not is debatable, but... are you thinking Team Ro... Fake Rocket might have managed to capture a Zapdos?"
"I'm a bit skeptical, but..." Terra blinked. "Wait, 'a Zapdos'? There's more than one?"
"...I mean, I don't know," Ignis said. "I'm just assuming there could be more. I mean, it's just a bird," she said. Though really, it's just because I know some legendary Pokémon aren't just one individual life, like Lugia or Deoxys.
"...mmn, reasonable enough." Terra looked back to Hana. "But personally, I don't think that's the case. Zapdos are supposed to fly around in storm clouds, and we haven't had terrible weather in Kanto for a long time now."
VI raised a hand. "Um. What about just rainy weather?"
"It's not that bad," Terra said. "Zapdos are said to be attracted to electricity, so probably no."
"Oh..."
III sighed. "Guess that's that."
"...okay, let's put aside the electricity thing for now and move on," Ignis suggested. "Next encounter, Mt. Moon. Seems like they were after the fossils that that nerd guy had."
"...what was his name again?" Hana wondered.
Ignis blinked. "..uh..."
II tilted its head. "Something Michael, I believe."
"Super Nerd Miguel," Terra corrected.
"Wow, you remembered," Ignis said. ""But okay, so Miguel found some fossils, and Team Rocket wanted them."
"Researching ancient fossils of the past... maybe the fake Team Rocket are actually evil archaeologists?"
"That's paleontology," Terra said. "And regarding that... well, I don't know. Doesn't it sound stupid to go evil over finding fossils?"
Ignis shook her head. "On Cinnabar Island, there's technology that reverts a fossil back to the original Pokémon it once was," she answered.
"R-really?" Terra asked. "I didn't know... man, you know all sorts of things."
"Heehee..."
V nodded. "To reverse death itself and bring back life that no longer exists... humans sure are amazing."
"Oh, I Wouldn't say we're that amazing..." Hana muttered. "B-but anyways, so then we can assume they wanted to revive Pokémon fossils to get those Pokémon? For what, then?"
"...could just be to sell them for money," Ignis said. Almost forgot, but Team Rocket is actually just a group of money making grubs, she recalled. "Selling prehistoric Pokémon would especially earn them a huge sum of money..."
"...money that could help fund their research and machinery more," Terra concluded.
Wait, that again? Ignis tilted her head. "I... I guess so. ...so we're back at the machines again..."
"B-but they didn't get the fossils though," Hana said. "We stopped them, and were given one, and that Miguel person took the other."
"True, but it's not like Mt. Moon could be the only place with fossils," Ignis reminded the blonde.
"O-oh, right."
VII perked up. "Wait, so let me get this straight. This Team Roc... Fake Rocket, supposedly has some sort of machine that requires electricity and-or money, and they want to catch powerful Electric-type Pokémon and sell ancient fossilized Pokémon?"
"So far, so good," Ignis said. But how does this link with Mewtwo? Or even the Master Ball? She scratched her head, confused. "And then the next encounter, at Cerulean City..."
"They were... trying to steal a TM disc, weren't they?" Terra asked.
"Is that so?" Hana said. "I was a bit late to the scene, so I didn't know, but... that sounds unrelated."
The brunette nodded. "True. What would stealing technique discs help with their machinery and money situation?"
...wait, I can link it with this! Ignis smiled. "What if... they're using technology to try and create an artificial Pokémon?" she asked. "And they simply want to test the limits of the Pokémon by teaching it different moves, to see what sticks and what doesn't?"
"...creating artificial Pokémon..." Hana muttered.
"Wait, but that's really nothing big," Terra said.
Ignis blinked. What.
"I mean, artificial Pokémon already exists," the brunette continued. "Remember that news-breaking report from Cinnabar Lab? They created Porygon, meant to be able to work in cyberspace. Really mind-blowing back then, grandpa almost fainted from excitement."
Porygon... fuck you Porygon! Ignis cursed mentally. "O-oh, right. Guess it's not that, then."
"...Porygon. Is that the blocky duck-shaped Pokémon?" Hana asked.
Terra tilted her head. "I mean, it's not like I've seen the actual thing, but... I think so. From pictures."
Hana nodded. "I've read somewhere in my father's office that, um, as you said, it was meant to work digitally... but what if Team Faket is attempting to create a real life, artificial Pokémon that isn't digital?" she asked.
Team Faket? "...ohh..." Ignis feigned. Thank you Hana! We can use this! "Yeah, then maybe they'd need the TM! Good lords, you're brilliant, Hana!"
"I, uh... t-thank you?"
"Hold on," IV interrupted. "Even then, why would they need to resort to crime? What sort of Pokémon could they be attempting to create, to behave vilely as they've been doing so?"
Ignis shook her head. "Maybe they're not resorting to crime, but instead were already criminals in the first place?" she said. "Then, we can narrow the goal down to this- create a powerful Pokémon to help them take over Kanto."
Her friends widened their eyes. "W-whoa, hold on- what?" Terra said. "You think Team Ro... Faket is planning to create a powerful, artificial Pokémon and use it to take over Kanto?"
"That's what I said, yes," Ignis replied.
"B-but how would that even be possible?" Hana asked. "To create artificial life... if something like that was possible, we'd be living in total chaos right now!"
"Maybe they haven't finished it yet," Ignis said. "But it's not impossible. Besides... the titans' prophecy said Kanto is in danger." She turned to the white titans. "If Kanto is in danger, and Team Rocket is part of the cause, then that's a possible conclusion to their plans, isn't it?"
"...god, I really don't like how this journey is turning out..." Terra muttered.
V suddenly cleared its throat. "Magnificent. Ms. Ignis, you are terrifyingly wonderful," it said. "For now, we shall assume what you said is correct. If Team Rocket really is planning to take over Kanto by creating a Pokémon to control, we may be in big trouble. But with their plans figured and the prophecy predicted, now we have the upper hand." It looked down at the human girls. "You really amaze us, Ms. Ignis. We thank you."
"Uh... no problemo..." Ignis said. Awkward. "But even then, unless we get stronger, we'd just be ants to them."
"...I see," Hana said. "So in the end... it's training, isn't it!?" she suddenly said.
"H-Hana?" Terra asked.
"It's training that we need!" the blonde said, all fired up. "And that's why we need to train more and become stronger, to be able to stop those nefarious crooks! Isn't that right, Ignis, Terra!?"
Someone's excited, Ignis thought with a chuckle. "I suppose so. What say we end this meeting here?" she asked. "I think we've done enough concluding for the day, and I want to get to challenging the Gym Leader of this city."
"You're still going to do your normal journey...?" Terra muttered.
"It's also training," the ravenette answered.
"She isn't wrong!" Hana said. "I shall also train! With the trainers in the gym!"
Oh, man, excited Hana is cute, Ignis thought. "Welp. Guess that's it for today." She turned to the titans. "Thanks again, all of you, for this meeting."
"Eh, we didn't really help much," IV grimaced.
"Well, either ways, even a little helps!" Smiling, Ignis snapped her fingers, and her body began fading. The others looked at her, worried. "Ah, don't worry, I can control when I wake up. You guys should do the same?"
Terra and Hana exchanged glances. "...uh..."
"Right, first time. Don't worry, I'll wake you two up right after this," Ignis reassured.
The two nodded. "T-thanks, Ignis."
"No problem."
Not long after Ignis disappeared from the realm, the two vanished as well.