As Taka expected, when he got to the top of the stairs, he could see the room filled with the different colored panels. Another electric type of a puzzle maze.
He immediately started to go through the dangerous obstacle. Unlike the previous room where he had landed on a non-lit panel and get shocked from it, he was able to avoid that this time and get to the end of the room. But when he walked up some more steps to get to the next room, he was met with another electrified puzzle.
Taka was tired but he knew he had no other choice but to get through this room as well. It took him a couple of hours but he was able to get through it. He sat down next to the door beside him to take a break but in the next room, he could hear someone talking to themselves. It was a voice he recognized as well. He got back up onto his feet and entered the room. In front of him, he could see none other than ZEL, talking to themself.
zeL: Please calm down! Please!
Zel: Just what the hell did you mess up so badly?
zEl: This wasn’t a user error. Some kind of corrupted program must have been injected into the system.
Zel: So then your security was just shit.
zeL: Stop blaming her! I don’t see you helping!
Zel: Shut the fuck up Lumi. Can the data be repaired or not?
Taka: -thinking to himself- Geez. I’ve seen them argue with themselves before but never this bad.
zEl: All PULSE2 and Arc-PULSE data has been left unaltered. However, the PULSE-Magnezone damage is irreparable. I will need to rewrite it.
Taka: -thinking to himself- PULSE Pokemon… I can’t believe I even used them or had a hand in helping create them…
zeL: What? But… if Magnezone is damaged-
Zel: There’s no time to rewrite it! Lin wanted all the PULSEs out of here hours ago.
zEl: I’m aware. Hence why the other projects have been safely relocated. However, Magnezone cannot be moved under the current circumstances. The timing could not be worse.
Zel: Tch. Lin must have known this was coming. I bet it has something to do with the hero brigade she had hauled in here. They’re probably plotting to destroy Magnezone like all the other ones.
Taka: No. We’re not trying to destroy them. We’re just trying to stop you.
Startled, ZEL turned around and was face to face with their former teammate Taka. For a brief second, the face on ZEL seemed pleased to see Taka was not only safe but finally away from Team Meteor. But then their face went back to looking pissed off.
Zel: Heh. Of course. Speak of the devil huh?
zEl: Taka… you’re here…
Taka: Hey ZEL. Been a while huh?
Zel: You’re a filthy traitor!
Taka: Maybe so but I don’t regret it.
zeL: Taka… I must ask you something…
Taka: What is it Lumi?
Zel: What?! How can you tell who’s talking?!
Taka: Ohh please Zero. Just from the tone of your voice I can tell who’s speaking to me. Now shut up.
Zel: Why you-
zEl: Shut up Zero!
zeL: Did you come here to destroy everything?
Taka: No. Not to destroy everything. Just to stop Team Meteor.
zeL: Heh… It’s you Taka. I believe you.
Zel: What!? Don’t believe him! They’re here to destroy everything we’ve done to try to better the world! Listen here you little shit! We know all about your little hacking scheme too! There’s no way in hell we’re gonna let you get away with this!
Taka: For the love of- Could you please control your temper Zero?
zEl: Yes. Please. Also… remember that Lin requested that Taka not be harmed.
Taka: She did? For what reason?
zEl: I have no idea but that’s what she wanted.
Zel: She may have said that but I’ll be damned if I just let him do whatever he wants with my projects!
zeL: Your projects? Eve is the 1 that does all the hard work! You just bully her all the time!
Zel: Enough! Enough talk! It’s time Taka! It’s time to show you who the better Team Meteor member was!
Taka: That doesn’t matter to me anymore! I don’t want anything to do with them! Nothing except their downfall! Bring it Zero!
The battle started between the 2 former comrades. The 2 were pretty much even. Until the Magnezone came out and underwent the PULSE Evolution process. Taka had never seen it like that before but he wasn’t going to be scared and lose this battle. However, 1 by 1, his Pokemon were falling to this monstrous Pokemon. But something interesting was going on with Taka’s Chatot. Even though it had been defeated, any time 1 of Taka’s other team members had fainted, Chatot’s PokeBall would jiggle and then it would pop out and do some kind of damage onto Magnezone before being fainted by 1 of the opposing Pokemon’s move. But no matter what, the Pokemon kept popping out of its PokeBall and was finally able to bring down the PULSE Magnezone. Afterwards, it collapsed in fatigue after taking so much damage. Taka picked up his little friend and returned it back into its PokeBall. ZEL ran over to the Magnezone to make sure it was ok.
zeL: Magnezone! Magnezone! No! Please be ok!
Taka: Eve! What’s going on with that thing?!
zEl: It’s taken too much damage from the battle! It’s… It’s gonna…
zeL: Please no-
Suddenly, the Magnezone started to light up and in a matter of seconds, exploded. The blast had sent Taka and ZEL flying through the air. Taka had bashed his back and the back of his head off against the wall and laid on the ground, barely conscious. But he was able to hear ZEL talking.
Zel: Uggh… My head…
Taka: Z… ZEL…
Zel: Damnit… The PULSE… Wait… We didn’t lose hearing in the explosion, did we? H-hey! Lumi! Eve! Say something! Wha… No… MAGNEZONE! I’m… I’m alone…
Taka could hear ZEL freaking out about not hearing Lumi or Eve inside their head. Then repeatedly, he kept saying “I’m alone.” over and over again. Before Taka lost consciousness, he heard ZEL say something about leaving for Agate City. Then, what seemed like hours later, he could feels someone touching him and talking to him. He groggily opened his eyes and was shocked to see who was there.
Taka: Who… Who’s there…?
???: You ok? I found you laying on the floor knocked out.
Taka: How… How did you get here though…?
???: There’s no time to talk about that right now. We’ve got to find Victoria, Arclight and Adrienn right now and get out of here. I’ll help you up.
The person helped Taka up to his feet. Taka couldn’t really stand up on his own though so he held onto the persons shoulder so he could gain some more consciousness back into his body. Despite the room filled with a red lighting, when he focused on the person’s face and saw who it was, he was completely shocked.
Taka: M… Matt?!
Mattam: (Wehttam) OoOoOoOoOo. Very close young vessel. But as we are now, we are called Mattam. Yeeeeees. (Matthew) Yea. You remember this don’t you Taka? Back on Pyrous Mountain?
Taka: Ahh… Ahh yes. I remember now. Y-You got angry and then this… happened… I still don’t know what’s going on though.
Mattam: (Matthew) I’ll explain later. We gotta get going though. (Wehttam) Yeeeessss! Your beings! Your friends! They should be near! We must go and make haste to their savings!
Taka: But wait. Before you said Victoria, Arclight and Adrienn. Why aren’t we saving Ame?
Mattam: (Matthew) She’s be murdered.