Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Marsuru]

Gremlin poked his head over Zack's shoulder with a cheery smile. He hadn't been quiet for such a long time in a while, but it was largely because he was busy rummaging through Zack's backpack for things he might like.

'Plan? This guy?' the Aipom laughed, poking Zack's cheek. 'Not a chance, lady. Zack'd run headfirst into a fire before stopping to think hey, maybe it IS too hot.'

'Alright, shut up,' Zack said, shoving Gremlin off his back. 'And you might suck at keeping your family safe, but I'm not gonna ******** it up. I'll beat back anyone who comes for us.' He cracked a grin. 'Maybe I'll even do a little hunting of my own.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 8 - Plateaued Pillar

Salieri sneered at Zack once he said she was an incompetent protector. Since it was coming from him of all people, she didn't take it so personally, but he still wasn't winning her over any time soon.

"My bet's that the talking chimp is right," Sal chimed, not batting an eyelash as Gremlin spoke. He wasn't the first talking Pokémon she had encountered. "You didn't even know what a noble was til a few days ago, did you? And you didn't even know what a darkhorse hunter was til a minute ago. Without a plan, they'll royally screw over a noob like you. More importantly-"

She held up a stern finger. "I have a list of nobles who are mine to take down. You don't get to lay finger on them by yourself. So don't get in my way, got it? If you wanna make yourself useful for once and give me a hand, that's a different story. But if you go maverick you'll ******** up everything for the rest of us."  

[Marsuru]

'Tsh.' Zack shook his head, smiling. '"The rest of us." Don't kid yourself, One Shot, you're nobody's hero. You're just some noisy jerk who's looking for payback.'

He was done here. He didn't need Salieri, just her information, and now it was his. Zack released Antiq, and the gigantic Aerodactyl manifested in the middle of the plateau. She stretched her wings wide and roared, cancelling out the surrounding gusts of air with her Pressure. She stopped the moment Zack put his hand to her scales and hoisted himself onto her back, and she tensed in anticipation. Gremlin shot up and latched onto the dinosaur's hump, waiting with a grin, like a spectator enjoying a show.

'But don't worry,' Zack said as Antiq gave her wings a powerful starting flap that unleashed a staggering blast of air. 'I'll finish the job when you fail. Maybe afterwards you can return to something you're good at, like petty theft. Until then.'

Antiq flapped her wings once again and took to the sky. She hovered in place long enough for Zack to give Salieri once last smirk before taking off, away from Cyllage City.  

[Jump Einatz]

((Edit'd some typos you don't wanna see. Plus tweaks))

Route 8 - Plateaued Pillar

Salieri rolled her eyes, standing strong against the gust from Antiq's wings with one hand keeping her bandanna on. Every time a guy tried to show off how big their Pokémon was, she had the feeling they were compensating for something. Just like his Ghost, he came across to her as hot air, but he did get one thing right: she wasn't trying to be a hero. She was looking for payback.

As Zack released Antiq, Banksy poked up her head, sensing it was time to go, and tucked her limbs into her shell. Soon she was hovering on geysers of smoke. To her, Zack was another crude young trainer like Salieri. To see their talks deteriorate into a pissing match was grating for Banksy. After all that had happened to the girl, she couldn't see how Salieri still had enough energy to be so petty. I cannot wait to leave.

Sal stepped onto the Torkoal, bracing herself in her surfer-esque riding position. "Who are you calling a noisy jerk, noisy jerk?" she called over to the midair Zack. "You want to play hero, swoop in and Vullaby my sloppy seconds? When I'm done with them, there won't be anything for you to pick on. So adieu, Deadgrave."

In a trail of smoke, she'd fly away towards Cyllage City as opposed to Zack. He hadn't told her anything she didn't know, except that a 'Team Flair' might be involved with the nobility. But he wasn't a source she could -or wanted to- rely on. It was one more in a net of threads she needed to unravel. "Team Flair...sounds like a kid's clothing company." Sal grimaced, looking over her shoulder to watch Zack fly away. They should leave Kalos while they can.

"Merde, what an idiot..."

From this high up, the sound of the city below was a dull mix, too far too be loud. Banksy's jets weren't particularly loud either. Salieri checked her Pokégear's reception, then called up Helena. Unbeknownst to her, Helena was at a party at the time Sal tried to call her. She reached Helena's voicemail instead, and left a message. "Hey, it's Salieri. Listen, the oaf you call a brother came to see me cause he was worried about you. We should talk, gimme a call so he doesn't. All I hear when he talks is a spastic Electabuzz. Anyway, call me~!"

She hung up, then directed Banksy on a dive towards the Pokémon Center. The night was young, but Salieri was feeling aged. Need some downtime right now.  

[Marsuru]

((Our heroes. Suspiciously similar to two kids throwing mud at each other in the playground))

Estival Avenue

The aides' rush to find Professor Sycamore had come to a crawling, beeping stop. It would still be some time before Zack's confrontation with Salieri, but already the sky over Lumiose City was tinged with pink. Rows of traffic sat dead in the road, only slowly slipping forward while car horns honked in bored frustration and pedestrians cut between the bumpers. Dexio had his face smooshed against the glass, trying to get a read on things from his position in the back seat.

'This is taking a long time,' he murmured, glancing at the metre just as it ticked up an increment. 'Oh now that's not fair.'
'Time is money, little guy,' the taxi driver shrugged, barely hiding a smirk. Dexio's face flattened.
'I could literally get out and walk faster than this,' Sina said, watching an arthritic old lady with a stick overtake them. The lady cast Sina a triumphant glance when their eyes met, and Sina's mouth hung open in silent outrage. 'Why aren't we walking?'
'Esme said she didn't want to get all sweaty again.'

Sat in the front seat with her face angled away, nobody could see Esme's cheeks go red. 'Well we weren't running across the city. I want to conserve my energy.'
'But we're not that far now.' Sina pouted. 'I say we ditch this guy and run, sweat or not. The professor's not hanging around all day, and it smells kinda like mouldy fruit back here.'
'Yes,' Dexio said. 'That is the taxi.'

'Well you kids had better pay your ridiculous fare,' the driver said, right as the metre ticked another increment.
'I swear he has a button for that thing,' Dexio muttered. But soon they were out of the taxi. Esme paid while Sina stretched, and Dexio scouted out their location. Café Lysandre was still blocks away, and with a little smart navigation they'd be there in minutes. Esme lead the way.

'Next time, we're just using the teleport points between centers,' Sina said breathlessly while they speed-walked down a dark road. 'I don't care how expensive they are. Or how long the queues are.'
Esme looked over her shoulder, furrowing her brow. 'Sure thing. They're not like taxis at all.'
'At least they don't gloat about it,' Dexio said, and Sina smiled at him. 'You know you can use them for free if you sign up for the league. You don't even need to get any badges. It's quite a scam, actually. One time...'

Dexio wittered on for another few minutes until they reached the road across from the café. They parked themselves across the street and, on Sina's suggestion, hid behind a stationary van so they wouldn't be spotted. The café's lights were on inside, and the window took on a slight glow against the growing twilight. Esme looked at the building with a little apprehension, eyes trailing upwards.

'I don't see the professor,' Dexio said, poking his head over the van bonnet.
'So we missed him,' Sina sighed. 'Great. I bet he's back at the lab already. We should've just waited, even if it would take forever. Oh no. He's going to think we bailed on work...'
'Uh, we did,' Dexio said, blanching. 'Oh god, we skipped work! He's going to kill us!'
'Shhh,' Esme hissed. 'I see him.'

Sycamore came out of the café's back room wearing a dark scowl. He didn't so much as look at the waitress who spoke to him on the way out, and turned sharp once he left the door, power walking down the street. Esme crept quietly around the side of the van and nodded her head towards him. Sina and Dexio shared a worried look before nodding back. Sycamore may be in a foul mood, but they still needed to question him. They'd come this far...

'Professor!' Esme called, racing down the street to catch up with him. He span around, surprised, and didn't seem pleased to see her, and positively angry at spotting Dexio and Sina in tow. 'Professor, wait.'
'Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow, Esme,' Sycamore said, starting down the street again. 'It's getting late. You should go home.'
'I will,' Esme said. 'After you tell me why you're covering for Team Flare.'

The professor took in breath so sharply that Esme thought he was going to blow. His eyes darted between his three aides, then he closed them, breathing out, coming to a decision. Esme's heart pounded like a snare drum.

'I see you three won't leave me alone about that,' he said. He cast an eye down the street, as if looking for someone. 'Fine. But you must promise that you won't repeat a word of what I say.'
'That depends on what you say,' Esme replied. Sycamore frowned at her for a second, before breaking into one of his usual toothy smiles.
'Well, I promise it has nothing to do with your situation, Esme. Alright. I covered for Team Flare because Lysandre asked me to. He's a member, and he explained to me that Team Flare is a good group with a few bad eggs. He didn't want a media frenzy undermining their work for what's ultimately an internal issue.'
'A few bad eggs?' Sina repeated. 'Sorry Professor, but you saw what they did to Ambrette Town.'
'Sina's right,' Dexio said. 'It stopped being an internal matter the moment they caused that stampede.'

'I know,' Sycamore sighed. 'I know. I don't want you three thinking I enjoyed lying today. I just told Lysandre that if Team Flare acts out again, it's my reputation on the line.'
'Then why even lie in the first place?' Sina asked. Sycamore pinched his brow.
'It's my debt. I owe Lysandre for all he's done for me. I wouldn't be where I am today if not for him.'
Esme scoffed. 'What, with your balls in a vice hoping he won't turn the handle? Yeah. You got that right.'  

[Jump Einatz]

((Sal and Zack need a babysitter))

Cyllage City – Pokémon Center Rooftop

Salieri was fortunate enough to get a room for the night in the Pokémon Center. She changed into grey sweatpants and a blue tanktop, left the rest of her things with a sleepy Banksy, and took her other Pokémon with Faust’s binoculars to the roof.

The last remnants of orange in the horizon left with the sun, and a blanket of night had fallen over Kalos. It was predicted that a meteor shower that would last for days was to begin sometime soon, and so the majority of Cyllage City’s denizens shut off the lights to darken the sky. Durendal waited patiently with the binoculars, scanning the stars for twinkles that streaked through space. Biz Marquis and Lupin lay on their backs for the best view possible while Sal scribbled lazily in a notebook.

“Scenario twenty three,” she yawned, spinning around the pad to face her Pokémon. It was labeled what she said it was. On the side was a key with an average Vaporeon’s stats, typing and other vital information. There was a poorly drawn mini map of Cyllage, various equations, and a doodle of Biz Marquis holding Dune by the ankles like a sword.

“Same as Scenario seventeen, again, except instead of turning right onto Wheeler Street she turns left, goes into the Boutique. She’ll be trapped in there unless she finds a drain to the sewers, so I’ll be on drain watch-“

Lupin and Biz had stopped listening twenty scenarios ago. They were having way more fun pointing out constellations, even if Biz didn’t know any of them. [Ursaring Major,] Lupin said, tracing the outline of an Ursaring in the sky. [That tiny bluish one over there is the tip of the left ear.]

Biz squinted at the constellation. [I can’t see it.]
[The ear. The blue star is the ear-]
[I know, I can’t see it.]
[Then you’re just an idiot.]

Sal caught on that her Pokémon had stopped paying attention to her. With a sigh she tossed her notebook over her shoulder and lay down next to them. “Screw it,” she mumbled, relaxing her hands behind her head. It was too late and they were too tired to strategize future battles anymore. Vaporeon would be her most difficult capture yet thanks to her evasive nature, but it made her want the Bubble Jet Pokémon even more. Thinking about it reminded her of being restless in bed the night before Christmas, waiting for Santa to show up with the gifts.

Faust would never hunt down another trainer again, she was sure of it. And yet even without his watchful eyes shadowing her, she still did not feel fully at ease. Defeating him gave her a sense of accomplishment, not satisfaction, something she would never say out loud to anyone. Her satisfaction was far from fulfilled, and that victory was just a drop in the bucket. Sal’s hand moved across her chest to tap on her heart.

How many more do I have to beat before I’m done?

[It’s starting,] Durendal squeaked. The unfamiliar sound of his voice brought everyone to attention. He removed the binoculars from his eyes and pointed at the sky as he sat down next to his friends.

“Whoa, Dune, you can talk?” Sal asked, mildly surprised. But her other Pokémon didn’t seem to care, their focus centered on space above them. One bright streak went across the sky, and then another. And another and another, until the blanket of darkness was covered with shooting stars so distant they flickered in and out of sight.

“Voila,” she whispered. It almost didn’t feel right to talk during such a spectacle. It was unlike anything they’d ever seen before, and to utter a word was to break back to reality. Salieri didn’t want to go back to reality. Reality was difficult, full of obstacles on her way out of hardships. She wished she could savor this moment forever, to have the time to truly appreciate the beauty of her country before jumping back into her war on injustice. It was a wish she made on many of the shooting stars.

A deafening splash snapped her out of her reverie as she and her other Pokémon snapped up, looking for the source. A few miles off the coast, one of the meteors landed in the ocean, impacting the sea’s surface so hard it created a mushroom cloud of water. Another sight to behold.

“I hope I didn’t wish on that star.”  

[Marsuru]

((Yes. Someone more mature. Like Wayne.))

Far Above Kalos

By the time Zack reached Lumiose City, the sky had already faded from orange to blue, painting the landscape in pale moonlight. The city lights twinkled like water in a haze, growing closer with each lazy flap of Antiq's wings. Zack relaxed against the Aerodactyl's hump, resting his feet on her neck. She didn't seem to mind, and hadn't even tried bucking him off, though it probably helped that every time she grew unsteady, he made a hissing sound like running water. As they closed in on Lumiose, Antiq released a long, guttural yawn, taking it easy and enjoying the end of her flight.

Zack was still tickling with excitement. Not long after leaving the plateau, he'd had a holo call from Esme asking if he could meet her at the Moreau Library. Apparently her aunts had made too much food and wanted to know if he'd care for any dinner, but Zack thought the excuse was so thin it was see-through. Unable to navigate to the library from the air, Zack nudged Antiq towards Centrico Plaza. They narrowly missed clipping Prism Tower and swooped in to land, creating a strong gust of air that startled people nearby and dislodged a wave of street litter.

The crowds murmurs ranged from angry shouts to startled cries that sounded when Antiq flapped her wings and growled hungrily at the people in front of her. Zack ignored them, dismounting the pokémon and stretching his legs. Gremlin snorted awake. His head stuck out of Zack's backpack, the rest of him nestled comfortably inside, and he blinked, looking about the city centre.

'Ah we dere...' he yawned. 'Are we there yet?'
'Not yet. Go back to sleep,' Zack said, unhooking his bag from Antiq's hump and shrugging it over his shoulder. He recalled Antiq before she became too interested in a worried-looking Vanillish, and set off towards Estival Avenue.

Estival Avenue

The city had grown quieter in the night time hours, but no less humid. Zack was reminded of the summery atmosphere of Hoenn as he traversed the road towards the library, the sickly warmth sitting stagnant all around. Beside a few groups on club crawls and the occasional trainer looking for the nearest Center, Zack had Estival Avenue to himself, which suited him fine. The stores vandalised by Trevor and his gang were already mended, restored to a pristine condition. Zack had to hand it to Kalos, they took the beauty thing seriously. But, he reminded himself, beauty was only skin deep.

After a while, Zack found the library. The lights were still on inside, spilling yellow onto the dark street. The sign had already been flipped to read CLOSED and the door was locked, refusing to budge when Zack tried the handle. He was just starting to feel like maybe this was all a prank when he caught Esme coming out of a back room, tasting her fingertips. She had dressed down since he saw her last, wearing a black band shirt for some group Zack didn't recognise, and some white shorts. She had taken the ribbons from her hair and it now fell over her shoulders in an unkempt mess, which Zack found incredibly attractive.

'You go through clothes quick,' Zack said as she opened the door.
Esme made a show of rolling her eyes and locked the door behind him. 'Like you can talk.'
Zack shrugged, looking around the library. Apart from their voices and the distant clinking of cutlery, it was dead silent. 'It's not so bad when you don't have to pay for them. Did you speak to the professor?'

'Yep,' Esme replied, calling for Zack to follow her into the back room she'd come out of. 'He kept quiet because Lysandre asked him to. Team Flare is clearly hiding something. It's easy to be evil when everyone thinks you're great big idiots.'

She stopped before the door, and turned around. 'Oh. And not a word of what we've been talking about to my aunts.'
'Damn, there goes my conversation piece,' Zack said.
'I'm serious. Not a word. I don't care how big your Aerodactyl is, I'll kick you out.'

Deciding Esme was far too tense to be pushed, Zack held up his hands, letting out a sharp breath, hoping to relax the mood. 'My lips are sealed.'

Esme seemed satisfied, if reluctant, and led Zack into the back room. It turned out to be a kitchen; not terribly big but with enough space to fit a plastic four-legged table in the corner and the necessities along the length of a single wall. The floor was cheap vinyl made to look like wood, which had blown in several places where it had gotten wet. The counter was clean, but layers of caked-on grime had built up in corners and between units. There were a few pictures on the walls, mostly landscape paintings of places around Kalos, as well as one of Esme and Allard near a chateau on Route 7.

'Ah, Zack,' said one of the aunts in her thick accent, beaming. Zack had no idea which aunt was which; they were both thin and wrinkled, and put him in mind of scarecrows. Besides the clothes, they looked identical. They sat around two sides of the corner table, their meals almost finished.
'We were not sure if you would come,' said the other aunt, 'but we saved you a little.'

She gestured to an arrangement of food, starting with a wide-lipped bowl filled with thick orange broth, still steaming from being served. A sliced baguette sat beside it, slathered with dollops of butter, not too far from an open pot of jam. There was another, larger dish filled with thin slices of grilled Miltank beef and a colourful assortment of salad and vegetables, coated in a light drizzle of mayonnaise. The aunt's hand swept towards a delicate-looking flan cake swimming in custard, its flesh shimmering in the overhead light, positioned next to a full glass of sparkling wine.

'Uh, thanks,' Zack said, sitting down, not entirely sure where to begin. His stomach demanded everything at once. 'Um...'
'Zack,' said the first aunt, who Zack mentally dubbed Aunt One, 'we must be honest. We think you are so, so brave.'
'So brave,' added Two, her face a picture of adoration.
'The way you fought off the criminals-'
'-and Esme tells us that when those pokémon attacked the town, you were the first to rush in. Thinking of everyone's safety but your own. Like, ah, a Unovan film star.'

'Really.' Zack said. Esme, who had been quietly stuffing bread into her mouth, nearly choked. Zack couldn't help the smile from creeping onto his face.
'And such a wonderful trainer as well,' said One. 'We, ah, we tried to be trainers a long, long time ago.'
'It was not for us,' Two said before they both broke into laughter. Zack shared a sidelong glance with Esme, who smirked at him while eating her dinner.
'Zack, Zack. Tell us, how long have you trained? We must know everything.'

'Well, uh,' Zack started, rubbing his neck. He wasn't exactly fond of people asking questions about him, but his usual repertoire of responses was absolutely off the table here. 'A little over nine years, I guess?' When they continued to stare expectantly, he carried on. 'I took a year off before coming here. Uh, more like eight months, actually. There was a thing. So yeah.'
'And how many badges do you have?' asked Two. Zack swallowed.
'Oh, you know. A few. Not too many,' he cleared his throat to stop the rising pitch of his voice, and sat up straighter. 'I'm mainly here to help my sister. She's challenging the league.'

'He is here for his family,' One gasped like it was the most precious thing she'd ever heard, and the two aunts shared an impressed look. 'Such a wonderful young man!'
Two gave a dreamlike sigh. 'So kind!'

Zack started rubbing his leg uncomfortably. Esme leaned forward and said, 'Don't you girls think it's time for bed? The library won't run itself.'
'Ah, you make a point. Look at the time,' Two said, rising from her chair along with her twin. 'Esme, make sure Zack feels welcome. He is a good boy.'
'You know it,' Esme said with a fake grin. It seemed to satisfy the two women because it wasn't long before they'd left the kitchen and retreated to their rooms on the next floor up. Zack let out an involuntary sigh when they went.

'You okay?' Esme asked, smirking. Zack leant back in his chair and clamped his hands over his face.
'I was not expecting the Kalosian Inquisition.'
'They can be a little intense, but they mean well. You should've seen what they were like the first time I brought a boy here. I didn't speak to them for a week after, it was horrible.'

Zack peeked at her through his fingers. 'Compared to that?'
'Oh that was nothing.' Esme waved her hand dismissively. 'Think sunburn versus a nuclear explosion. Of course, they hadn't realised the boy was there until the morning.'

Zack, despite himself, started to laugh.  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Route 8:

The pokemon had sparred for a short while before being taken to face off with opponents of the wild variety. Francis seemed tired out, which was understandable considering his fight earlier in the day, and that the type advantage from the rhyhorn had given him trouble. The pidgeotto was perched next to the relaxing Essence, while Benedict was shouting commands at his other three pokemon to take on the wild ones.

Not that any of it was especially difficult really. While somewhat fatigued, the three were able to move well enough according to command. There still wasn't enough trust, not like with Essence and Francis. The three made mistakes, and sometimes stumbled into each-other...

But it was good training.

After a while, Benedict found himself staring out at the ocean with just Essence. The rest had been returned, and were resting in their pokeballs. Shooting stars had begun moving across the sky, and the two watched it together.

"You think maybe we should rough it out here tonight?" He asked, turning to his pokemon. Arceus he didn't feel like walking all the way back and putting in the effort to find a place to stay. Not that he wanted to stay with his parents either.

When something crashed some distance away, both he and Essence jumped in surprise, then turned their attentions back to the sky. "Yeah, I guess maybe not." A small chuckle punctuated it, and Essence nodded wisely. Normally she'd be all for it, but not if there were apparently things falling out of the sky, making booms.

"We should start on our way back." Neither one moved. It was a beautiful sky, after all...  

[Jump Einatz]

Aquacorde Town

To the outside world, Kalos was generally considered to be a country for tourists. Most of them flocked to Lumiose City, the "City of Love", or any of the coastal resort cities the country was famous for. Because of this, the tiny Aquacorde Town was always low key despite being just as beautiful as the rest of Kalos. The town sprang up next to the pristine Aquacorde River, and it was a place for small families to raise young children or for retirees to pack in their bags.

At this time of night, when the rest of Kalos was looking up at the sky, Moze was standing on the bridge over the Aquacorde River, looking down. In the water's reflection he saw the meteor shower, shooting stars wavering side to side from his point of view. Meteorologists, a demographic who finally had a chance to make the etymology of their name sound better to the ignorant masses, predicted that the meteors that reached the surface would all land in the western ocean just past the landmass. Indeed there had already been reports along the coast of meteors plummeting into the sea, and so far no one was in danger.

"Maybe it's a miracle," Moze sighed as he leaned over the edge of the bridge. Gone was his old school uniform, replaced by a pair of jeans, a plain navy blue t-shirt and a baseball cap representing the Nimbasa City Grenadiers. Eventually, he decided he'd get a much better view of the sky's reflection if he stood on the guardrail instead. So he did, balancing precariously with his hands in his pockets. There was no fear that he'd fall, either backwards or into the river. It was as if he was waiting for it to happen.

I should've told her. Moze closed his eyes, and in his mind the rest of the world disappeared. He was standing on a precipice, not sure where he would fall. I can't ever tell her. No, no I should've told her...I should've told See~Sal too...they need to know that I'm not worth worrying about.

A cotton puff floated past his field of vision as a gentle breeze picked up, bringing more cotton along with it. To Moze, this could only mean one thing. He looked to his left with his usual mellow grin. "Shepard Fairey. It's about time."

A Whimsicott floated next to him, bobbing up and down slowly on top of a miniature whirlwind. This particular Whimsicott was just as adorable as any other, at first glance. After a short while, an observer might notice that Shepard Fairey never seemed to blink, and always looked you in the eyes. In fact, it appeared that aside from his body balancing on the ever shifting whirlwind, Shepard Fairey never seemed to move at all. The only movement he made was a slow tilt of his head to the side, and his expression was almost always frozen with inviting but hollow big amber eyes and a closed smile.

"Do you have something for me?" Moze asked, getting more serious. Cotton floated around the bridge like snowflakes on the wind. Shepard nodded slowly.

Suddenly, Moze felt something in his hand. He looked down to see he was now holding a manilla folder. The trainer did a double take at Shepard Fairey, who he was sure he never took his eyes off of. Though he had known the Whimsicott for a few years now and they were allies, he was never fully at ease around the Windveiled Pokémon. "Kind of creepy, dude."

Shepard's expression didn't move a millimeter as Moze opened the folder and scanned the page. As he read the contents, his eyes grew a little wider. He scratched the back of his head. "Oh." Moze kept reading until the end. "...this is happening tomorrow night?"

As soon as he asked that, Moze began to hear whispers. It was impossible to make out what they were saying, or where they were coming from since he could see no one else on the bridge as he spun around. Moze figured it must've been his imagination, because the whispers sounded an awful lot like his own voice telling him to "Do it".

Again, Shepard nodded, and Moze nodded back. "Okay." He tore up the folder and contents into little pieces, then tossed them into the river, where the water dissolved them entirely. Moze gripped at the guardrail and exhaled a deep breath. "Okay. Piece of cake." His eyes shifted to watch the unflinching Shepard. "Are you gonna stick around until then?" When the Whimsicott nodded again, Moze grinned with some discomfort and said, "You really get off on this stuff, don't you?"

Slowly, Shepard began to smile. It turned out his mouth was much bigger than he had let on, and filled with rows of sharp carnivorous looking teeth that formed a smile befit for a hungry predator. The reveal was jarring, and Moze wished he'd never seen it at all. "Heeheehee," the Whimsicott chuckled in a voice akin to a child's and a voice akin to some bizarre distorted noise. Two voices at the same time, shoulders shaking with each short laugh.

"Uh huh. There's a spot we can stay in Lumiose tonight. No one will know we were there."

Moze reached down to pick up a one strap knapsack, hoisted it over his shoulder, and started walking north across the bridge. Somehow, Shepard Fairey was already in front of him, floating backwards to maintain his never ending eye contact. At this point, Moze wasn't even shocked anymore.

"Lumiose City," he said with a nostalgic tone. The trainer knew that once they cleared Santalune Forest, the skyline of his hometown would be in their view again. "Can't live in it, can't live without it."  

[Marsuru]

Lumiose City - Moreau Library

It was a while before Zack finished his dinner. His chat with Esme went on for a good while, long enough to transform the darkening twilight into true night. Zack ate slowly while Esme, who had never been outside of Kalos, asked questions about his travels. When he spoke, she listened quietly, only sometimes cutting in with a sarcastic remark or comment. At first she hadn't believed him when every story featured something exploding, or Zack narrowly avoiding death, but Zack promised that those were the only stories worth telling.

'It's amazing you're still alive,' Esme said, stretching, as Zack finished telling her about the enormous Crawdaunt who had tried decapitating him for electrocuting its pond.
'Well, I play it smart,' Zack smirked. There were a number of people who might disagree on that point, but Zack considered having all his bits and pieces still attached to be overwhelming evidence in his favour.
'And yet you still haven't learned,' Esme said as she held back a yawn. She sat slumped forward with her chin in her hand. 'Surfing around on Rhyhorn... Jumping down gorges...'
'I didn't jump,' said Zack. 'The mine cart derailed.'

Esme stared at him with a benign grin. Her eyes were all puffy behind her glasses, and she looked around ready to drop off.

'It really is time for you to go,' she said, stifling another yawn. Zack still hadn't finished off his dinner, but he stopped being hungry a while ago anyway. He hadn't even touched his pudding, but that didn't seem to matter because Esme was sliding it towards her part of the table.

'Don't tell my aunts,' she whispered, winking.
'Wouldn't dream of it,' Zack grinned as he stood up.

The library was predictably quiet, its long wall of storefront windows painted black by nighttime. The far row of shops lit up every few seconds with a flicker of multi-coloured light, flashing up pinks, greens, reds and blues. Zack frowned when he saw it, but since nothing was blowing up, he figured it wasn't an issue.

'Shame we couldn't do any research,' he said as they walked up to the main door.
'Research?' Esme repeated idly, taking the door keys from behind the counter.
'Yeah, I thought we could make a start on it, you know, find out who's targeting trainers,' Zack said. 'I got a name earlier, for someone who might be in charge: Nicolette Nostrad.'

Esme glanced at him with a look of recognition, and tried to hide it too late by smiling.

'Really now,' she said with a tired grin. 'Just go back to the Center, and let me worry about Nicolette Nostrad.'
'Tomorrow then,' Zack said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. Esme sighed.

'Zack, I don't think it's such a good idea you getting involved. It's dangerous-'

Opening his mouth to prepare an indignant reply, Zack was cut off by a sudden rapping on the front door. It wasn't fast, but slow and uneven, like whoever was knocking didn't really have their heart in it. They both looked for the source of the disturbance and, rolling her eyes, Esme went over and opened the door a crack.

'It's late, what is it?' she asked, poking her head through the gap. Sina stood on the other side, her face blotchy and streaky with tears. Esme's expression softened. 'Sina, what's wrong?'
'It's the professor!' Sina started, her voice dry and throaty. 'At first I thought things'd be okay, you know? He's just doing a favour for a friend and we found out, but now he's snapping all the time and shouting.'
'Well,' Esme said soothingly, 'that's probably my fault.'
'But then I got to thinking,' Sina sniffed. 'W-what if he's part of Team Flare too? And what if they really are terrorists. All those people on the news, and it's all because of them, right? So maybe we did something to make it happen. We could've helped them without knowing it, and now all those people...'

Sina rubbed her eyes, swallowing hard. She looked up and past Esme, spotting Zack for the first time. He didn't know what to do, so stood with his hands in his pockets and nodded at her. Sina's jaw dropped in outrage.

'Dude, what the hell,' she gasped at Esme, her voice squeaking. 'What's he doing here? You promised!'
'Whoa, wait, nuh-uh,' Esme started, going red in the face. 'That is - absolutely - there is nothing going on here.'
'Yeah right,' Sina grumbled, wiping her eyes. 'You know what? I'm going home. Tell the professor... I'm not going in tomorrow. I need to think about stuff.'

'Sina, wait,' Esme said, opening the door, but Zack put his hand on her arm.
'I'll get her,' he said, pausing in the doorway. 'And look, I just spent all night telling you how I don't mind a little danger. This isn't new to me.'
'That's not the same thing,' Esme replied, watching Sina's back as she slouched down the street. She looked Zack in the eye. 'This isn't your country or your problem. I know you're worried about your sister, but if she's losing half her gym matches, she's not exactly a prime target.'

'Don't,' Zack said, feeling his anger rise. It was one thing to insult him, but quite another to insult Helena, especially behind her back. It was all he could do to restrain himself. 'Don't talk about my sister that way. You don't know a god damn thing about her. Goodnight, Esme.'

Pushing past her, Zack carried on down the street to catch up with Sina. He would see her safely back home before turning in at one of the city's Pokémon Centers. Esme watched them both go, then sighed to herself. She looked up at the stars, and at the multi-coloured meteorites streaking west. She closed her eyes, thinking of Zack and Sina, Sycamore, Allard and herself. One big mess that kept getting messier.

Esme took a deep breath and tipped her head forward, sighing once again. 'Whatever.'

((I'm ready to skiiiiipppp))  

[Jump Einatz]

((So am I, but while we're waiting...))

Battle Chateau – Juliet’s Bedroom

Juliet’s bedroom was half ordinary, half exhibition. On one side of the room flanking her desk were shelves lined with antique books, maps, and small pieces that would’ve been at home in a history museum. On another side of the room was a wooden rack that housed a collection of swords from different times and corners of the world, each one polished and pristine. Claire De Lune sounded from a record player, its sweet notes reaching through a glass door out to the balcony where Juliet was getting her hair trimmed in preparation for tomorrow’s ball.

Most of the Chateau’s people were gathered in the courtyard to view the meteor shower and toast to the League or the night or any reason they wanted to give in order to drink champagne. But not Juliet. Juliet wasn’t in the mood for gatherings. It wasn’t the only one she had turned down that night. Matheson had invited her to watch the shooting stars at an impromptu party on the roof of the Coumarine City Hotel. She told him that she needed to get sleep for a busy day ahead.

“Just make a cameo appearance,” he had told her from the translucent blue light conjured from her Holocaster. “You can spare an hour. You need to unwind anyway, no offense.” Matheson liked to wear orange, but Juliet thought the blue of the hologram suited him. It was hard to turn him down without telling him that she just didn’t want to be with people that night, but after his persistence got him nowhere he backed off.

“A little more off the sides,” Juliet ordered wearily, shifting the towel around her neck and shoulders back into place. The balcony overlooked the river normally, but the view was blocked by the mirror Juliet had brought outside to watch the process. Parkosa, a Scizor currently wearing an apron, nodded and clicked her pincers, delicately snipping away at what her trainer wanted gone. Technician allowed her the utmost precision with smaller actions, making her a fantastic barber amongst other skills.

The door to the bedroom creaked open and in walked Kallikrates. The Shiny Ninetales closed it gently with a brush of a tail. Parkosa stopped the haircut to give the newcomer a short salute. [Yo.]

“There you are.” Juliet eyed the fox from the mirror. She turned off her Holocaster and took out its battery, something that was routine for her whenever she got the chance to speak privately. “I expected you’d be here sooner. How are things in the courtyard?”

The Fire type yawned and stretched on her haunches. “I’ve seen a handful of meteor showers over the centuries. The novelty wears thin quickly, but it’s easier to excuse yourself from a party when no one thinks you can speak their language.” Kallikrates cracked her neck side to side. “Some of them are so doused in perfume that I wonder if they remember what a natural scent is.”

Kallikrates was allowed to roam through the Chateau’s grounds without trainer supervision, an honor usually given only to Quillon and Pokémon that were part of the Chateau’s staff. It was due to her exemplary behavior, not to mention the sheen of her silver and violet fur was popular with the nobles.

Juliet was the only noble privy to the secret that Kallikrates could speak National. The fact that the fox was talking now meant she was sure no one was listening in, but Juliet liked to double check these kinds of things. “And you’re sure you weren’t followed here by unwanted guests?”

“If I was we wouldn’t be talking, would we?” the Ninetales responded with an edge of snark as she glided across the floor to the balcony. “I thought you’d start throwing caution to the wind, considering this afternoon’s duel.”

The sparring match with Elizabeth Leroux was still fresh in Juliet’s mind. Their swordplay barely masked their intentions. Juliet wanted to know what her father was doing with the Leroux woman, because she certainly didn’t believe their private talks were for the sake of charity alone. Lately her patience had been wearing thin, and the duel had brought her close to the edge.

Parkosa stepped away from Juliet. Her sandy brown hair sat wavy on her head, trimmed to stop just at her neckline. It was a cut befit for a highborn lady. Parkosa flapped her wings lightly, creating a breeze that acted as a blow-dryer. “I underestimated her skill,” Juliet mused. “I saw an opportunity and became careless. It won’t happen again.”

“Recognizing your mistake is one thing. To avoid making one in such a delicate position is another matter entirely. Imagine if your father knew you were conducting an investigation on him.” Kallikrates spoke with wisdom and pride that belonged to someone who had lived for hundreds of years. “Your next mistake could end up your last.”
“I know,” Juliet answered with a tinge of annoyance.
“You’d be wise to rein in your ambition. It’s a source of power, not a force to be used.” Kallikrates sighed. “You’d be wiser still if you ignored this sidequest and took the straight path to your goal.”

“Hmm.” Juliet looked up at the sky. The night was scratched with vivid silver streaks for every shooting star. Meteor showers may have lost their spark for Kallikrates, but they still held wonder for Juliet. Objects from space became part of her planet when they landed, yet they still held the remnants of an unknown extraterrestrial history. Once another human got their hands on a meteor, that history slowly disappeared. Juliet could only take enjoyment out of the shower if she wasn’t with other people. “There is no straight path, and you know it...I fear that I’m running out of time, Kalli. My country grows more unstable every day. If I cannot discover the truth behind the Court of Kings, our culture may be eradicated in due time.”

“I’ve met countless leaders, those who actually ruled and those who wished to. They all dreamed of the future. You are the first I’ve met who’s cared so deeply for the past, but just like the rest, you let your vision blind you.”

Juliet tightened her brow and stood up, flicking her styled hair back with both hands. Parkosa took the mirror and chair back inside, tossing off her apron in the process. “What are you trying to say?”
“That you should not mistake impeding natural progress for the preservation of history. Seasons pass and storms come and go. If nature itself never stops changing, what hope do you have of keeping a country frozen in time?”
“My duty to this country is to protect its lore. History repeats itself. Nothing is more natural than that. I will act as its guiding hand.”
“You are a difficult protégé to have.” The fox’s ears twitched. Behind them was an itch she had to scratch in a doglike manner, something that was difficult to do with dignity. “I’ve probably bitten off more than I can chew by becoming your advisor. And my jaws are quite strong.”

Juliet smiled softly as she bent down to scratch behind Kallikrates’ ears. The Ninetales became more relaxed and settled down on the floor. “There it is, that’s the spot. Oh yeeee~ah…”
“Your input is invaluable, Kalli,” Juliet assured. “You’re one of the few on this Earth I can speak freely with. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
[What am I?] Parkosa asked with a hand on her hip. [Just your barber?]
“Don’t get snippy. I need you too, Parkosa,” Juliet chimed airily, sensing the gist behind the Scizor’s speech. Parkosa was her first Pokémon and her oldest friend. “You’re just as invaluable, in a different capacity.”
[Pssh. You only like me for my pincers.] Parkosa took a walkman off the desk and popped the headphones on over her ears. Classical music was not her cup of tea. She flopped back onto Juliet’s bed to listen to her jams privately, closing her eyes. [Not that I mind, but still…]

“I wouldn’t have agreed to join you if I didn’t sense your potential,” Kallikrates told Juliet, rolling onto her side and looking up at the noble girl. “As long as you can still live up to my expectations, I will do everything in my power to make you the Queen of Kalos.”

Juliet sat down next to the fox and watched the meteors go by. “That’s all I ask.”  

[Marsuru]

((So since we got the summary thread done, let's get this party started with a nice long post dramallama cheese_whine dramallama ninja ))

Route 16 - Mélancolie Path

Gremlin popped his head out of Zack's backpack to find he was alone in the misty valley. Last he remembered, he'd been snuggled up warm with fleeting awareness of a cozy old library kitchen around him. Why then, had that warmth been replaced with morning chill and the slick wet of dewy grass?

'Oh, har-har, very funny,' the Aipom grumbled, climbing out of the backpack and looking around. 'That's right, leave old Gremmers on his own. You can come out now!'

He stopped, listened, but there came no reply. Just the sound of his breath curling and the distant chirps of wild pokémon in the nearby forest. Not wanting to draw their attention, and suddenly realising he was vulnerable, Gremlin hunched up and stayed quiet. He didn't know why, but he dragged Zack's backpack with him as he crept through the grassy trail and looked for signs of tracks. Perhaps he could dive inside the pack if another pokémon appeared, and hope it wouldn't sniff him out? He had no idea if that would work.

[God, I hope these bumpkins don't find me first,] Gremlin shivered. He stopped himself dead when he hear something up ahead. Some kind of voice, but whether it was human or pokémon, he couldn't tell. [Pleeease don't eat meeee...]

The Aipom crawled up a steep slope, keeping himself flat to the grass. It'd be just his luck to get attacked at that very moment, and the thought thrashed in his chest and played havoc with his gut. The voices became clearer, along with the sound of attacks ripping through the foggy air. In the darkness below, Gremlin could make out flashes of orange and purple that lit up the mist. He crawled forward, and his heart did a somersault followed by a deadening bellyflop.

Zack's Charmander and Haunter! What were their names again? Something lame, no doubt. Gremlin barely had time to ponder or feel hopeful, because given the state they were in, they wouldn't last much longer. And then what good were they?

The Charmander bled heavily, and narrowly avoided the brunt of a wild Weepinbell's Razor Leafs. The edges tore at his sides and back as he hurtled through the air, carving out fresh red lines of blood.

[Hazard!] the Charmander snarled, [what are you waiting for, do it now!]

The Weepinbell let up its assault in dull surprise. The ghost type faded into view behind it, grinning. She threw her Shadow Ball, which blew Weepinbell back, but not out. The Charmander rushed forward, taking advantage of the opening to unleash a huge blast of Flamethrower, which finished the grass type off.

Oh. They managed it. Gremlin grinned and scurried down the grass bank, waving his arms to get their attention. The Charmander jumped in surprise, but played it off like he was just annoyed, while the Haunter grinned despite her exhaustion.

[Heeeeey! It's meeeee!] Gremlin shouted, Zack's backpack bouncing in his wake.
[Pretend you don't see him,] Malis grumbled. Hazard snickered.
[Too late.]

[There you guys are. What's the deal with leaving me out there?] Gremlin ground to a stop, and glanced at Weepinbell's charred remains. [I could've been, I dunno, plant food.]
[We couldn't bear to wake you,] Hazard said in her rasping, hoarse, yet somehow gentle voice. [You slept like the dead, kekeke~]
[The bag!] Malis's eyes lit up and he shoved Gremlin aside and onto the deck, seizing the backpack and rummaging through its contents. He retrieved a pair of Potions and tossed one to Hazard, who caught it soundlessly in her ghostly palm.

[Oww! You're welcome,] Gremlin winced, picking himself up. Malis fumbled with the Potion. He clearly didn't know what he was doing with it; he hadn't even held it the right way up. [What're you, stupid? You're supposed to squeeze the--]

Malis, however, seemed to have something worked out. He turned the Potion around and ripped its lid off with his teeth, then guzzled the contents. His eyes opened wide for a second. He choked, and spat out the Potion in a blaze of blue fire.

[Squeeze the handle next time, you ignoramus,] Gremlin sneered. Malis gave the Aipom a dirty look as he wiped excess Potion from his snout, and Hazard cackled in the background. She seemed to take Gremlin's advice because a second later, he heard her Potion squirting and the empty bottle drop to the floor.

[I think we should perhaps find master,] Hazard said, drifting overhead. [Before more of them come.]

Malis folded his arms. Though his scales were still red with blood, the Potion had gone some way towards healing his wounds, which shone with fresh skin that would likely deepen into scars.

[Wish you'd stop calling him that. It's creepy. He's not my master.]
Hazard blinked. [But he is...]
[No, he's just the guy who shoots at me, and sends me off to fight things way beyond my level,] the fire type said, kicking a pebble, which nailed the downed Weepinbell between the eyes. [He doesn't take care of us, not like a real trainer.]
[Uh, guys?] Aipom squeaked.
[Oh, that's not true at all,] Hazard waved her hand dismissively. [Why, I remember when master risked his life to prevent that large bear from eviscerating me. Not that it would've done much good, I being a ghost.]
[Guys?]
Hazard sighed forlornly. [But still, I wouldn't think it'd be so bad if master were dead. Then he could be a ghost too, kekekeke~]
[GUYS!]

[What?] snapped Malis, glaring at Gremlin, who had gone a shade of lilac. The Charmander paused, looking around slowly. Sunlight broke over the trees, melting the mist into something translucent, and revealing the bristling horde of wild pokémon. They were surrounded by Floatzel, Skorupi, Phantump and Pumpkaboo of different sizes. A group of Weepinbell checked their fallen kin, then glared angrily. [Oh.]

Gremlin sank into the ground while the other two pokémon closed their gap, back to back. The surrounding horde advanced, and Gremlin spotted a particularly vicious-looking Murkrow click its beak hungrily.

[How many can you take down?] Malis hissed to Hazard. The ghost looked around thoughtfully.
[Perhaps one or two. I'm afraid we're doomed~]
Malis frowned and grit his teeth. [I can maybe take one of the Weepinbell.]
[Whaaaat? Are you guys nuts?] Gremlin whispered. [There's no way we're fighting those things. They're as strong as you,] he said to Hazard. [And waaay stronger than you.]

Malis twitched his eye and, to Gremlin's utter shock, stepped forward. Gremlin could almost feel the surrounding pokémon tense, some of them preparing attacks. He gulped.

[Hey,] Malis said, waving at them casually, though Gremlin could see his legs shaking. [Glad you guys are here. You're just in time.] He gestured to the blackened Weepinbell, then to Gremlin. [We found the perpetrator.]

A Skorupi shrieked and shot a Venoshock from its tail, forcing Gremlin to hit the deck and cover his head while the rest of the horde began muttering to themselves. The Venoshock hit a tree and started to melt it.

[Oh, great plan, Einstein,] the Aipom squeaked, trying not to sound panicked. [I can't even breathe fire!]
The horde's muttering stopped except for one or two cries of [Oh yeh] and [Good poin'], and they shifted their angry gaze back to Malis, who slid his palm down his face. [Alright, Plan B. Hazard!]

Hazard drifted to attention as Malis turned tail and sprinted back towards her and Gremlin. The second he moved, the horde launched into a frenzy, firing attacks off all at once. Razor Leafs and Bullet Seeds scraped Malis' scales as he ran. He dodged more Venoshocks while the Phantump worked together summoning a Forest's Curse. Tree roots shots out of the ground and raced after him, right as the fire type shot a little black ball from his mouth. The ball exploded at Gremlin's feet, masking the Aipom and Haunter in a thick cloud of Smokescreen. Malis dived inside, followed by a torrent of attacks all slicing through the middle.

A moment passed, and the top of the smoke ruptured. Hazard flew out of it, carrying Gremlin and Malis in her hands, their legs dangling as they rose above the attacks and mad shouts.

[Git back here, y'hear!]
[Y'all're in fer it naow!]

[Come on, fly! Fly!] Gremlin screamed when a Razor Leaf clipped his ear. They were gaining altitude, and the land-based attacks losing accuracy. Hazard said nothing, which said it all. Her normally crooked mouth was a thin line of exertion as they rose above the forest's canopy.
[Great. We got incoming!] Malis shouted and Gremlin's heart sank. The Murkrow from earlier was closing in fast. Its hooked beak looked particularly deadly, and it wasn't alone. Half a dozen more Murkrow were closing in from all sides, flying far faster than the weighed-down Hazard could manage. Malis seethed with flame, and blasted a Flamethrower in the first Murkrow's face, knocking it from the sky. But as he did that, the rest closed in. He couldn't take them one at a time.

A lightbulb went off in Gremlin's head. He saw Malis looking around, trying to get a good aim on the other Murkrow, and a grin spread across the Aipom's face. He swung his legs behind him, then kicked Malis in the back, urging them both into a spin. Hazard's hands had no problem twisting around since she didn't have arms, and Malis jumped on the idea, unleashing another volley of Flamethrower that became an inverted tornado of fire.

The treetops caught aflame in a wide circle, glowing warm on the morning mist. Each Murkow fell from the sky as charred debris, and it looked like the pokémon were in the clear. Their spin came to a stop and the pokémon cheered; Hazard even started grinning despite the strain of carrying the other two pokémon. But then Gremlin glanced down, and his stomach fell apart.

Having given up on chasing their prey, the horde had switched attention to the backpack lying discarded on the grass. They began picking it apart, spilling its contents on the floor. A pair of Lombre found a black notebook, and began fighting over it, each yanking hard on the cover until the pages began to split.

[Oh no. Nonono!] Gremlin cried. A bolt of blue shot from the forest and snapped one Lombre's head to the side, encased in ice. The horde pokémon panicked as more bolts shot out, blasting the grass types and taking them down in one hit. The Klefki and Floatzel could weather the attacks and rushed forward. The Floatzel all scurried into the grass, becoming invisible between its tall blades while the Klefki returned pink blasts that shot into the darkness of the forest.

Zack broke out of the trees and didn't stop running. He ducked under a Klefki's Fairy Wind, which shredded a nearby tree instead, and blasted the key pokémon with Lethal's Water Pulse. Confused, the Klefki began launching Fairy Wind in every direction, hitting other pokémon in the horde until they jumped on it. One of the Floatzel dived out of the grass, fangs bared, until a thick dark shadow expanded overhead. Fatass launched himself out of the forest and Body Slammed the water type. His flab wobbling like jelly, he was soon lifted from the floor and flung onto his back, unconscious. Floatzel sat up, dazed, and nearly managed to shake it off until Zack ran past, kicked it under the chin, and launched the water type halfway across the route.

'God dammit, Fatass,' Zack growled, recalled his Snorlax and shot a Weepinbell with Ice Beam in the same movement. Just then, four more Floatzel shot out of the grass and raced towards him.

[We gotta get back down there!] Gremlin yelled, but caught an evil grin on Malis' face.
[Not a chance. Let's see how he likes it.]

The Floatzel jumped at Zack from all sides. He lobbed Lethal, and the Clauncher shot water from his nozzle, propelling himself forward and cracking the first Floatzel hard. He ricocheted in a square around Zack, hitting each pokémon in turn. They all hit the floor hard, and Zack caught Lethal while tossing a pokéball directly upward, releasing Fatass. Then he dodged to the side with enough time to watch the four Floatzel get flattened by the unconscious Snorlax.

Zack cracked a grin, but his celebration was short lived. The Phantump continued chanting and created another surge of tree roots that shot towards the trainer, crashing down on him like a wave. Zack disappeared under the mess of vines. All Gremlin saw of him was his hand grasping at air until it too vanished.

The horde converged and the roots tightened around their prey while a halo of flame savaged the trees overhead. Over the roar of fire and sounds of pokémon, Gremlin heard a faint whining sound; a high pitch tone that seemed vaguely familiar. White light spilled from the cracks in the roots, and a second later, they began to freeze in a thick shell of ice. Then the ice split, gushing with water that blasted it apart, spraying shards like shrapnel.

Zack stood with Lethal in hand, fastened along the length of his arm and around his shoulder. The water type's shell was massive, shining with wet and the same deep blue as the ocean depths. Lethal was Clawitzer, and Zack aimed him at the horde like a cannon.

They scattered all at once, footsteps quaking the earth as well as any ground type. They vanished back into the woodland, into the tall grass and water. In a few seconds the route was left clear, and Zack dropped to one knee, grinning at his new pokémon.

---

'Okay, now try that one.' Lethal aimed his new cannon and launched a blast of water that felled a tree. 'Not bad, not bad.'

Zack lay on a hill pointing out targets for Lethal to test himself out on. The trainer was covered in small cuts and grazes from their earlier training session, and kept finding new deposits of soil in his clothes, but he was happy. He'd given his team their first real taste of fly or die training, and not one of them had managed the latter, which was a definite plus.

The sun now sat comfortably in the sky, the morning mist burned away. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of wild pokémon since the battle, but that was fine. Route 16 was beyond half of Zack's team individually, according to the center nurse at least, which made it the perfect training ground. Hazard had finally mastered her Shadow Ball to the point where Zack was happy with it, and Lethal's evolution meant a huge boost in their war potential. Once he was back in the city, he'd check out which new moves the pokémon could learn. Explosive ones, he hoped.

'Hey Gremlin,' Zack nodded as the Aipom scurried over.
'Hey yourself. You ditched me! Me!' the pokémon whined. Zack laughed, pointing out a boulder, which was promptly blown apart.
'I couldn't sleep, and you clearly could. What's your problem, you get scared on your own?'

Gremlin went red in the face and plonked himself down. He said nothing for a while, and Zack gave Lethal a break. The trainer went through his notebook, making sure the Lombre hadn't done too much damage, and found it to be acceptably intact. Eventually, Gremlin leaned over and whispered.

'You know, that Charmander of yours has it in for you.'
'No s**t?' Zack glanced at Malis, who was sharing a bed with Fletchinder on Fatass' belly. The Snorlax was still sleeping off his one hit knockout from the wild Floatzel, and was nice and warm in the sun.
'I'd watch my back if I were you, seriously.'

Zack grinned. 'I'm not too worried. Let him try if he thinks he has what it takes.'
'I'm not joking. The guy gives me the creeps. You should've seen his face when thought you'd end up as Floatzel poop... ughh...'
'Noted,' Zack said, putting his book in his pocket and standing up. His backpack was ruined, but luckily he'd been able to salvage enough material to wrap up his things, and bound them with the backpack's drawstring. It wasn't perfect, but it'd do for now.

'Right!' He barked, drawing his team's attention at once. Even Antiq, who had been slumbering among the remains of the defeated horde pokémon (which had mysteriously vanished) raised her head a little. 'As you assholes probably know, I'm not one for speeches, so I'll keep this brief. Some of you, mostly Malis, think I've been a too hard on you this morning. Well get used to it, because it's only going to get harder from now on.'
'I don't know that guy,' Gremlin whispered to Hazard, who grinned.

'This training'll improve your reflexes, strategic awareness, durability... I got no use for anybody who needs to be told when to dodge, or make their opponent hurt. You'll learn to be smarter and stronger, and the only way to get stronger is to beat what's ahead of you. Sitting on a pile of weaklings is only good for strengthening your ego, and we gotta leave that s**t at the door.'
'Tssssh, look who's talking,' Gremlin smirked. Hazard cackled.

'Just remember,' Zack said, gaze lingering on Malis, who was sat up with his arms folded and sulking. 'I'm not your ******** nanny, I'm your trainer. And by the time we're through, you'll be unstoppable, I promise you that.'  

[Marsuru]

((And because I can't sleep--))

Route 16 - Mélancolie Path

Zack walked up and down the line as his team trained.

On one patch of grass, Malis was locked in deadly combat with a Skorupi, and kept using the unconscious Fatass as a shield to avoid attacks while chipping away at Skorupi with his new Fire Spin attack. Hazard fought near the water, honing her Thunderbolt technique on Zack's instruction. Since she had the hang of compressing energy with Shadow Ball, it was time to diversify her moveset. Lethal fought several opponents at once and was banned from simply blowing them apart; Zack wanted the water type to work on its movement and close range battling, leading to the discovery of Bounce and Aqua Tail.

Fletchinder, meanwhile, remained in her ball. Zack had little interest in training her and doubted she felt any different. Antiq wasn't much better, and rather than training, simply Roared at anything that dared venture too close.

Gremlin let out a low whistle. 'Wow, they're really doing it. Here I thought you were being kind of a d**k earlier.'
Zack shrugged, his attention on the training. 'It's how I learned.'
'I'm especially impressed the fire type isn't just getting one shotted. Who taught him to dodge like that anyway?'

Zack gave Gremlin a look that said "me, you tool", and carried on supervising. They were struggling to find opponents by now; maybe the horde pokémon had spread the word not to mess with them. Either way, training had to end when Zack's Holo Caster beeped with a message.

'What's it say?' Gremlin asked, peering over Zack's shoulder only to get shoved off.
'It's from the Center,' Zack said, rubbing his mouth. 'About Serene.'
'Who?'

But Gremlin didn't get a reponse. Zack moved toward his pokémon and shouted.

'All right, that'll do for now! Finish up!'

Skorupi attempted to profit from Malis' momentary distraction and rushed him with a Poison Fang, but the Charmander rolled on his back, planted his feet on the scorpion's stomach, and kicked it in the air. Skorupi got nailed by a jet of fire, and fell to earth defeated. Hazard finished pulverising a Floatzel with Thunderbolt while Lethal Ice Beamed and Aqua Jetted his enemies to finish them off quickly. They made their way over, and Zack recalled each of them except Lethal, whom he wanted to show off for a second.

'Hey, ready for another flight?' he asked Antiq as Lethal jumped on his arm. The Aerodactyl tried to roar a response, but cracked her eye open and caught full sight of Lethal's new form. Zack grinned as the dinosaur pokémon blanched and staggered to her feet. She bent forward to let him get on, and Zack climbed up her hump and sat down, letting Gremlin scurry after him, while holding his demolished backpack between his legs.

And with a mighty flap of her wings, Antiq took to the sky.

Lumiose City - South Boulevard Pokémon Center

Much like the Teleport Zones, pokémon centers had designated areas for trainers to arrive with their flying pokémon. The trouble was, Antiq was far bigger than the average flyer, and had difficulty entering the skylight without demolishing it. She dropped down the middle of the tall landing area, which was shaped like an enormous chimney and separated into multiple floors to ease congestion, then touched down on the grass at ground level.

Nighttime training had its benefits; there were fewer people crowding both the center and the routes. Even now that the sun was up, there were just a rare few trainers milling about, which was the way Zack liked it. He headed down the long, echoing corridor that separated the Landing Zone from the center proper and found the reception desk.

'Good morning,' said the receptionist gaily as Zack deposited his team on the quick healing tray.
'Hey,' Zack said. 'My name's Zack Redgrave. I got a message about my Kirlia.'
'Ah, hang on a moment,' the receptionist replied, putting the ball tray in the healing machine. Since none of Zack's pokémon were badly injured, the quick heal was all that was necessary. While the machine did its job, the receptionist swiped her palm over a holographic computer screen and cycled through some menus.

'Oh, you're Serene's trainer? Well, I'm happy to report that she's awake and well,' the receptionist smiled. Zack nodded quietly. He gathered as much from the message, but he was more interested in whether he could take her back or not.
'Any chance I could see her?'

---

Zack hated hospitals. When he was thirteen, he spent Christmas Eve in the emergency room waiting for his broken knuckles to be splinted, having lost a fight with a wall. His trips to the hospital wing of his trainer school paled in comparison to that night. He sat drenched in shame with a very disappointed mother who, with looks instead of words, constantly reminded him that he'd ruined christmas. It was a memory that flared up whenever he entered the back halls of the pokémon center.

The corridors were quiet and cold as death. Peering in darkened rooms, he spotted pokémon strapped into life support machines that beeped with dull electric glows. The receptionist lead him along until they encountered a nurse, who took Zack the rest of the way to Serene's room.

She shared a ward with another dozen or so pokémon of similar size. Their curtains were drawn so that Zack couldn't see them, but he heard their vague, frightened cries and muttering all too well. Serene sat up when Zack walked in, and greeted him with a weak smile. The Kirlia looked dead in the eyes, Zack thought, his gaze drifting to the thick layer on bandages where her skull had cracked open.

'I'll leave you two to it,' the nurse said, hurrying back to the door. 'Press that button if you need anything. I'll come running.'
'Can't beat the service in this place,' Zack said when the nurse left, 'but what about the food?'

Zack broke off a piece of the green poffin that lay on a plate beside Serene's bed. He played down his wince when he bit into it; the poffin had an overpowering bitter taste. Serene watched him but made no other reaction.

'Can definitely beat the food,' he said, swallowing. 'Not to worry, you'll be back on that cheap brown stuff before you know it.'
'Uh, hi,' Gremlin said, peeking over Zack's shoulder. Serene registered dull surprise when she saw him for the first time, and the monkey flipped around Zack's arm and landed on the bed. 'I'm Gremlin, you must be Serene. Zack, uh, talks about you all the time. You must be very brave to, ah, have gotten hurt so bad.'
'Don't worry about him, he's not on the team,' Zack assured Serene, who only nodded vaguely. A flash of anger burned thick in Zack's chest, but it quickly turned to guilt when he remembered it was his fault Serene was so unresponsive in the first place.

'Try to get some rest,' he said, standing up. 'I'll get you out of this s**t-tip as soon as I can.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Cyllage City Supermarket

Being a city known for its extreme sports scene, Cyllage City’s early morning drowsy spell was broken by joggers and bikers, setting off a chain effect that always woke the town bright and early. Despite this, the super market was practically a ghost town at eight in the morning, as most people in their right mind didn’t shop for groceries that early. Though the PA system played the radio, it didn’t change the stark atmosphere. In a city so vibrant, the super market was sleepy.

Then the automatic doors slid open as Salieri entered, whirling in the air with her stun baton set to shock. A mass of water violently writhed around her body like a constricting serpent until Sal could strike it with the baton. An electric current pulsed through the water and it rained off Sal, reforming into solid form. Vaporeon growled at her.

[You’re so annoying!] she winced, barely hiding that she was in pain. It had been a long chase through town since the loud human interrupted her fishing session on the beach. She had been outnumbered and ambushed by the human’s team, taking more damage than she dished out. Vaporeon had lost the Pokémon in the streets, but the human had just caught up to her here. Even without her Pokémon, she was by far the most tenacious human the Bubble Jet Pokémon had known. [Annoying and weak! Get wrecked kid!]

Vaporeon breathed a beam of rainbow colored energy at Sal. The air conditioning made it cold already, but from a distance Sal could feel the temperature drop. Before it could land, the automatic doors slid open once more and Durendal dashed in, Pressure on. Salieri’s swordsman brandished his shiny Metal Claw and cut the Aurora Beam in two with its reflective surface, sending both halves of the cold energy to freezer burn against the walls.

As the doors were closing, Biz Marquis ran in, getting stuck between them as the closed and opened and closed and opened and et cetera. [The hell is this?] He finally freed himself from the repetition and spun into the store, power posing to save face. [It’s okay! I’m okay!]

Dune fired Thunder Waves at Vaporeon, who turned back to water to snake away from them further into the store. “Cut her off!” Sal ordered Biz, pointing one direction while she and Dune ran in the other. There was no time to lose; Vaporeon had set up an Aqua Ring a while ago, and could escape from many angles. Momentum was their only friend.

They chased Vaporeon into the produce section, where she jumped from the ground into a crate of watermelons. She became a geyser, launching the watermelons into the air. Salieri zig zagged between the raining melons while Dune ran further ahead, Slashing them apart as they came down. Though he never lost focus, in the back of his mind he cursed himself for cutting apart food he wasn’t going to eat. Maybe he’d get to eat it later.

Vaporeon became solid, kicked up a heel and winked at Dune with an abundance of confidence. The juices of the cut watermelons flew into the air, converging into one whirling disk of pink Scald that spun into Durendal. He clashed against it with his new Dual Chops maneuver learned from further speed training, slicing it apart as it kept reforming to attack him. “Ivan, does she have to be solid to control other water sources?” Sal asked as she closed in on Vaporeon, clicking her rollerblades open.

A ding rang from her Pokédex. “Beepboop. Yes! You figured it out by yourself! Beginning IQ reevaluation immediately,” Ivan chimed pleasantly. Vaporeon noticed Sal getting close. The juice disk rapidly boiled into a cloud of pink steam, blocking Durendal from seeing Sal chase Vaporeon past the aisles.
“CLEANUP IN PRODUCE,” came a bored voice from the PA system.
“Cut your two bit, eight bit bullshit!” she shouted at her Pokédex. If she hadn’t been so angry at her tech, she may have noticed Biz in an aisle they passed tasting different kinds of spices, and she would’ve been angrier. “Any other tips?”
“Vaporeon can conserve power by using other sources of water.” Vaporeon ducked into one of the aisles. Sal swerved close to make the tight turn. “Due to hydrokinesis and level gap, my diagnostic recommends against fighting this Vaporeon around abundant water sources.”

At the end of the aisle, Vaporeon stood with a smile on her face. The aisle in question was the beverage aisle. Sal’s jaw dropped as she slid to a halt. Ivan ding’d. “I recommend against this.”

Soda, water, seltzer and juice burst from their containers and came together, a thick brown ever-shifting mass the size of a truck. It crashed down as a wave, flooding the aisle on its way to Salieri. With a running jump and a vault up the shelves, Salieri scrambled to the top of the aisle and ran down its length. The Surf swept up and u-turned on behind her, gaining fast. “Merde.” Salieri clicked her rollerblades back on and picked up speed, but it wasn’t enough. “Merdemerdemerde-“

She flipped off into the next aisle and hit the ground rollerblading. The Surf slid down and followed her, leaving a trail of sticky liquid behind. “Beepboop. Additional tip: Vaporeon does not require sight to take control of water sources.”
“You could’ve told me-whatever, she still can’t see me,” Sal said as she quickly judged the aisle she was in to be the baking aisle. On a shelf of ingredients she spotted what she needed. She picked up speed, snatched three sacks of corn starch and pulled a tight turn to the next aisle. The wave sloshed down and washed past the checkout counters harmlessly.

Vaporeon took a deep self congratulatory breath, relishing the slight soothing of her Aqua Ring for a moment. She turned to find a way out of the store when she came face to face with Biz Marquis, who held onto two Needle Swords. [FOUND YOU!] he boasted with chili powder around his lips. Having taken a couple of blows from the needles before, Vaporeon knew they were quite powerful. She wasn’t eager to take on Biz right now.

With the power of Needle Arm boosted by his natural armament and the range of a sword, Biz rushed Vaporeon with a jab. The wild dog melted into water and rushed down the now empty soda aisle with an aqueous form of Quick Attack. Biz threw one of his needles like a javelin, and Vaporeon made an empty circle with her body. The needle stuck into the tiled floor and Vaporeon sped away. Biz snapped his fingers. [Maaaaaan.]

When she emerged from the soda aisle, Vaporeon heard the PA system fizzle on with “CLEANUP IN AISLE 9. AND 10. AND 11,” and saw Durendal flying at her from down the hall, firing a Thunder Wave.

Not stopping, Vaporeon became solid again and summoned the milk from the dairy shelf out of its cartons, using it to absorb the Thunder Wave. The milk compressed and shot forth as a Hydro Pump. Fleché a la Mode’s crimson sparks crackled to life on the Pawniard’s shiny red armor, and Dune spun forward like a buzzsaw with multiple layers of Fury Cutter. His Spirale Sabre technique slashed through the Hydro Pump, splashing it all over the dairy section. When Dune stopped spinning, he saw Vaporeon’s water form slither into the bathroom. He kept Fleché on and bolted inside.

The unmistakable sound of a drain being used sank Dune’s heart as he slowed down inside the bathroom and saw Vaporeon sneak down the sink.

Dune sighed as Biz Marquis rolled in, brandishing his wooden arm cannon. He aimed it around the bathroom. [I’m gonna show you a real-oh, did she get away?]
The Pawniard nodded. The arm cannon disintegrated into detritus as Biz hung his head.

Salieri burst into the room, holding two sacks of corn starch and covered with corn starch. “GOTCHA, b***h, HAHA!” she roared with a humongous grin. Once she read the mood, her victory swell popped. She got a look at how dirty she was in the mirror and her shoulders heaved in defeat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Salieri plopped the two sacks of corn starch onto the checkout counter. “Just these.”

The teen goth cashier stared at Sal with crossed arms just chewing her gum. Her eyes moved and Sal followed them, looking on at the busted up supermarket. One of the tables at the bakery fell apart spontaneously. The cashier popped a bubble with her gum. “And everything else?”

“Oh that? Pssh, that.” Sal scoffed and looked around for reactions, taking way too long only to get nothing. She gulped sheepishly. “That was the other guy.”

Pokémon Center – Salieri’s Room

Curled up on the bed with a newspaper and a cup of tea, Lupin tilted his head at the site of Salieri. [Yeesh. That bad, huh?] He shook his head and went back to reading.
Lupin didn’t have the moves yet to capture such an elusive foe, and his invisibility scales came off in water. He was given a free pass from the hunt, something he enjoyed greatly. The Kecleon didn’t care for drowning on land. Or drowning in general.

Sal sneered at his dismissive attitude and plucked the newspaper from his hands. “You were supposed to be training.” He latched onto the paper with his tongue, so Sal shocked his tongue with the stun baton. It reeled back into his mouth and he gave her a stink eye. “I want to see you learn Toxic by the end of the day, or I’m siccing Vaporeon on you.”

[The Vaporeon you clearly don’t have,] Lupin grimaced. Durendal and Biz Marquis were being treated downstairs in the Center proper, so Sal only had to worry about her own upkeep for now. She placed Ivan onto the bed and walked into the bathroom.

“Ivan, do you have her yet?” Sal asked while turning on the sink. A Pokédex could narrow down the location of a wild Pokémon to a city or route. After getting upgraded, Ivan claimed it could use a program similar to the DexNav to narrow the search even more.
“The Vaporeon is on the southern end of Cyllage City. Altitude is unknown.”
“So you’re saying she might be in the sewers? I’m not going into a sewer.” She was messy enough as it was. A line had to be drawn somewhere. “I can wait for Vaporeon to come out on her own.”

Her Pokégear rang. Caller ID said it was Mia, so Salieri put her on speakerphone. “Morning. What’s up?”
“Hey, I cracked Faust’s tablet for you,” Mia said with a hint of smugness.
“What? You have it for less than a day and it’s already cracked?”
“Yeah…you know I mean ‘cracked’ as in I got past his password and I have full access, right?”
Sal was glad Mia couldn’t see her facepalm. “Oh, right. Duh. Anything good?”
“He’s got a cool camera connection program, that’s neat. Other than that, it’s pretty standard. It’s like a portable PC. I’m gonna connect it to Gotengo’s PC and send it back to you, it’ll definitely be useful.”
“Fantastique.” The more she got out of Faust’s gear, the better. She didn’t want to talk about failing to capture Vaporeon, so instead Sal asked, “How’s the Lumiose life?”
“Same old same old. We had a BBQ party yesterday…oh, did you meet with Zack? How did that go?”
Thinking of Zack’s face made Sal want to punch something. “He was useless, told me about some Team Flair thing that gets me nowhere. Then he got uppity so I told him off and he left.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “Mia? Still there?”
“You’re serious? Why would you do that?”
“He’s a total connard-“
“He wants the same thing you do, and he can fight. The enemy of your enemy, Sal.”
“The enemy of my enemy is a total connard. And how do you know he can fight?”
“Do I have to remind you of the one shot, One Shot?”
“HEY!” Sal growled while Mia snickered. “That was a technicality! You…I…you…damnit! Zack sucks!”
“It’s not like you have to date him. Right now you suck too, so maybe you should team up and suck together. Mmm, that’s not the phrase I meant to use-”

Salieri stopped listening at the word ‘date’ as she started to remember something important. “…oh no. Ohhhhhh no, Mia, I have a date today.”
“Really?” Mia perked up, which for her meant that she moved beyond a monotone. “Who? Who?”

Suddenly Salieri started panicking, taking off her clothes and tossing them on the ground. From the bedroom Lupin grimaced at the disguting sight of a half naked human and closed the bathroom door with his tongue.

“With that Matheson guy I told you about!” Sal tripped as she turned on the shower. “He asked me out yesterday, it was weird!”
“That’s awesome, Sal. Do you like him?”
“I don’t know, he’s really sweet and he likes Unovan football and his biceps, my god. I don’t know! I forgot until right now that we were doing this and I’m covered in corn starch! I need to find a dress!”
“Corn starch?”
“I have to go I’ll call you back later bye!” Sal hung up and jumped into the shower.  

[Marsuru]

Lumiose City - South Boulevard Pokémon Center

'Made your mind up, yet?' the cashier asked, leaning on his elbows as Zack made his choice.
'Gimme a minute,' he said, rubbing his hair and frowning.
'Okay, but that's the fifteenth one so far. Not that I'm counting.'

Zack sighed and relented.

'Which one's the cheapest?' he asked, hoping it wasn't too bad. The cashier indicated a plain black messenger bag. Zack didn't claim to be an expert on textiles but even he could tell it was falling apart already. He scratched his cheek and asked for the second cheapest.

'That'll be that,' the cashier said, pointing to a canvas backpack that looked as if it'd be at home in a desert. Zack picked it up and turned it over. It was in decent condition, felt durable enough, not too heavy.
'Not very fashionable, is it?' Zack said, looking at the price tag.
'Wouldn't be caught dead with it, myself,' said the cashier, 'but, uh, don't let that put you off buying it. Everyone's got different tastes some are even nonexistent.'

Pretending he didn't see the cashier's smirk, Zack handed over the bag and took out his trainer card.

'Damn,' he said wistfully, 'It sure would be a shame if someone put your head through this counter here.'
The cashier looked up as he scanned the backpack's bar code. 'Huh?'
'Just talking to myself,' Zack replied, swiping his trainer card over the reader. He picked up his new backpack and grinned. 'You have a great day now.'

Five feet out of the pokémon center's pokémart, Zack's face dropped into its usual scowl and he headed for the reception desk. His team was fully healed, and he picked them up.

'Your Charmander was a little dehydrated,' the receptionist said as she placed the ball tray on the counter, 'but we've given him plenty of water and he ought to be right as rain.'
'Ahuh. Did you ask about my Kirlia?'
'I did indeed. The head nurse said to tell you that Serene will be fine if she's allowed to rest and recuperate. Trauma may complicate her recovery, so--'
'No battles, got it,' Zack said. 'Where is she?'

The back doors opened automatically, allowing the trolley carrying Serene to pass into the main lobby, pushed along by the nurse from earlier. The thick bandages covering Serene's wound had been changed, and she now wore something smaller and akin to a sling, which was bound diagonally around her head. She wore the same impassive expression as in the ward. A sharp pang stabbed at Zack's chest, and he remembered Serene crunching into the scaffold with vivid clarity. Meeting his eye for a second, the Kirlia paused then looked away guiltily.

'Ready to move out?' Zack asked, picking Serene's ball from the trolley. She stared quietly for a second, then nodded.