Lumi the Pachirisu's Story

The Eevee glanced over at the wall and examined it's integrity, ultimately ending up shaking his head, "That won't work. For one, that brick is reinforced to withstand a lot of energy...likely that of many a Pokemon's blast. I don't think you or I could bust through it, even if we were attacking it together. And electric attacks aren't going to do anything to the wall anyway...we'd need something physical and powerful...maybe Aurora could if he were here." He glanced around at their surroundings for what seemed like the umpteenth time, trying to see if anything else stood out for them.

---

As Mud and Aurora would likely glance around the cages, they would likely find some angry ones, some truly upset, some very solemn...but there were two Pokemon that stood out from the rest because they were unnaturally chipper for the predicament they were in. The Pachirisu, eyes glimmering with positive energy so sweet in practically filled the air around her, was chatting away with an Emolga right next to her cage on the right. The other Pokemon around them were obviously curious in their unnatural behavior.

"So did you get to see the big training spar between Domingo and Dobro?" the Pachirisu was saying to the Emolga.

"No, I was too busy in the kitchen," he responded, shifting his standing position to a sitting one. He looked so casual.

"You mean stealing the pies again?" she gave the Emolga a knowing smile to which he looked at her defensively.

"Hey now, I can't help it! We've got to live on our stomach sometimes! I smelled the sweetness within and couldn't resist!"

The Pachirisu laughed, "So you're the reason why we're here in the first place?"

"Yep!"

Another giggle as the Pachirisu laid down in her cage. The Emolga turned to her side, "So was it a good fight?"

"It was," Pachirisu appeared thoughtful, as if she was trying to remember the fight they were talking about, "Domingo won, but I don't think Dobro was really trying very hard. I think he could've won if he was as determined as Domingo was."

"True," the Emolga said, "Dobro is kind of laid back for a Pangoro. Especially-"

"Hey!" came a cry from the Nuzleaf Mud and Aurora were battling earlier, "Can you two shut up?!"

The Pachirisu turned to look out of the cage and at the Grass-Type Pokemon, "What's wrong?" she asked in a seemingly innocent tone, "You don't have to listen to us, y'know."

The Nuzleaf growled, "It's hard to ignore a couple of mingy chipmunks who won't stop talking!"

This made the Emolga look over at the Pachirisu with a tone of mock worry, "Oh dear! What ever shall we do, Lumi? If we don't find a way to stop talking, this Nuzleaf will surely be the end of us!" he sighed over dramatically. The Pachirisu laughed harder, squeaking as she did so.

"I don't know Skyball! I guess we'll have to see if he can slip through the bars!"

Skyball pointed at the Nuzleaf, "Not with those thighs!" The two fell back in the cages in laughter.

The Nuzleaf's growl erupted into a roar. "I WILL TEAR YOU APART!" he bellowed as he tried to force his ways through the cage door.

"You have to tear the bars apart first!" Skyball taunted. Lumi was in tears by this point.

Aurora was trying to keep a straight face in the cage. Mud was chuckling next to him. The nuzleaf casted them a glare but did not make a move. "D-do you guys know a way out of here?" Mud asked. Aurora added "We need to get back to our friends."

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Zap nodded. "I- I just regret what I said." He sighed in frustration. "I just want to go home. Something bad could happen." He glanced at Pitch hoping he would understand.

"A way out..." Lumi rubbed her chin in thought before turning to Skyball, "Do you know a way out?"

Skyball shrugged, "A way out of what? There's many ways out. There's a way out of a dead end job, there's a way out of a forest. I think I know a few ways out of a midlife crisis if you want to know them."

Lumi started laughing before glancing at their pained expressions, "I think they meant a way out of the cage they're in."

"Oh that!" Skyball snapped his fingers, "Yeah, just open the door!"

For a moment, no one spoke. A couple people growled in annoyance while a couple others scoffed at the joke. Lumi chuckled once more as she went on.

"I think they need a key to do that, Skyball."

"Oh..." The Emolga lifted up his bowl of food to reveal a key, "Yeah, this should work then. Here ya go!"

He picked up the key and tossed it through the bars. It hit the cage on the other end and clattered to the floor. Many Pokemon groaned at that.

"Aww, come on!"

"Idiots!"

"Now it's out of reach!"

Their irritation was sent Skyball's way as Lumi smirked through the bars a bit too casually, almost as if the whole thing was a joke.

"I think you were supposed to unlock your door first, then go over and unlock theirs. Now we can't get the key."

"Hmm..." Skyball looked up in mock concentration, "I think you're right. Welp, I've lost my key. Can you use yours?"

"Sure," Lumi reached behind her ear, pulling out a similar-looking key. She stuck her tongue out at all the awe-struck looks she got as she reached through the bars and unlocked the door. Hopping out, she opened her buddy's door before walking over to Aurora and Mud.

"Congratulations, ladies and gents, Pokemon of all sizes!" she began to announce to everyone, "It's your lucky day! We're gonna have us a good ol' fashioned prison break!" she giggled as she unlocked the door for Aurora, then Mud, "You guys first since your friends are waiting for you. Tearing apart from a team is hard."

"Yeah, don't I know it," Skyball muttered, the first real serious tone he put on since he got there. Lumi rolled her eyes and pulled him out of the funk he was about to dive into.

"Hey, now. You've got me and Rubira! We're Team Volt! Team Volt isn't complete without you in it!"

Skyball's grin emerged once more "Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

"Anytime," she began going from cage to cage, releasing the Pokemon that were in each one. "Alright, guys! Everyone out!"

"Except you," Skyball pointed at the Nuzleaf, who's eyes widened.

'What?! Why not me?!" he cried in terror.

"Because I'm still very curious to see if your thighs can fit through those bars," Skyball laughed as he passed by, unlocking the cages next to him.

---

Pitch looked down at the concrete, "Yeah, I know. Something bad may have already happened. It's been too long since Dim's been back."

Aurora let out a sigh of relief. He leapt out of the cage quietly, Mud following. He noticed the key on the floor, and secretly slid it into the nuzleaf's cage as he walked by, a finger up to his mouth as a signal to stay quiet. He darted out of the place, Mud behind him, and he said a farwell and thank you to the two. "I think I might know someone a lot like you." He signaled to where he was heading. "If you want, I-" He stopped as a pokemon landed in front of him. "Wha?" He said as someone leapt of the back. "Glow!" Mud yelped. He looked up. "Who's that?" Aurora asked."No time" Glow replied. She darted off with a yelp. "Come on!" They all ran back to the theatre. The Altaria flew off, taking a second glance back, then blending into the clouds.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Zap nodded. His stomach growled and he looked down embarassed. "Well, it seems that it's been a while since I ate." he glanced around "Where is Dim?" Zap wondered

Lumi and Skyball led the way through the PokeCatcher Facility without alerting any of the guard of their escape. As they opened the front door, they started ushering the Pokemon through the doorway and into the gorgeous colored sky. The sun had set and now the residual mixtures of orange, red, lavender, and purple were now above them. If they weren't in the middle of a prison break, the two might've actually took the time to sit down and appreciate the moment. But they had work to do.

Lumi was just about to answer that they couldn't come along when the sudden emergence of their friends stopped her. The next thing they knew, they were gone. Lumi and Skyball looked at each other, then down the street where the four Pokemon took off down, then back to each other. Finally, they laughed.

"Well that solves that!" Lumi giggled as she continued to usher out the Pokemon, one by one, until she held out her arm to stop a Nidorina's exit, "Hey, actually we need your help!"

The Nidorina stopped and looked confused, "Huh? What? Why? What for?"

Skyball butted in, "There's a really tall shelf behind this building that one of us needs to get on top of, but it takes a stack of three Pokemon to do it."

The Nidorina gave an amused eyebrow flick, "Oddly specific."

"He's kidding," Lumi grabbed the Nidorina's paw and started dragging her, "Come on."

But the Nidorina pulled away, suspicion in her eyes, "I'm not going anywhere. Not with you two."

"See? Told you that asking nicely wouldn't work," Skyball grinned as Lumi sighed.

"Guess not," Lumi clapped her paws together as she stared down the Nidorina with a new determined look on her face, "Okay, listen. We know who you are. And we know why you're here."

The Nidorina's eyes shifted a bit, but her face remained stoic, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe not put into broad terms, but maybe if we showed you this," Skyball reached under one of his wings and pulled out a badge. It was a white circle with a red stone in the middle and wings on each side. The Nidorina's eyes widened as she realized who they were.

"Crimson Guild Explorers," Skyball announced, a glint of something fierce in his own eyes, "Now there's no need for-"

The Nidorina struck at Skyball with Poison Sting. Lumi pushed him out of the way of the attack just in time. In the same fluid motion, Nidorina started to sprint down the street at full speed.

"...combat," Skyball finished, turning to Lumi, "I guess it's an all out sprint she wants. I'll take the skies, you try to outrun him?"

"Try?" Lumi stifled a chuckle, "Skyball, I'll do that and more."

"Yeah, but I'll do it first," Skyball challenged setting himself up in a runner's stance, "I am faster than you, y'know."

"Is that so?"

"You bet!"

"First one to catch him gets to ride Rubira while the other trots behind?"

"You're on!"

The two took off at remarkable speed, Skyball through the air while Lumi pursued on foot. Within a matter of moments, they were already in sight of the Nidorina and gaining speed quickly. Lumi and the Nidorina were heading in the direction of Glow and company while Skyball was flying a little too close to a certain Altaria...

---

"Right here!"

A sudden voice next to his ear made Pitch jump in surprise as Dim announced his appearance while he shambled through the walls. He was wagging a finger at the two of them.

"Naughty naughty," he tsked, as he hovered in between the two of them, "Plotting to escape while I wasn't around. Tis a shame those were just words though. I would've loved to have an excuse to send you two to the Spirit World."

Dim whistled, the other Pokemon in the warehouse responding quickly by double timing it over to their position as he continued to speak to them, "Nevertheless, it seems the time has come to enact my plan! I just need to make final preparations!" he then shifted his attention over to his Family members crowding around them, "Take these two outside. We will leave momentarily." He turned to phase back through the wall when he stopped lifting a finger up as he proclaimed some last minute words, "Oh, by the way. I figured this was worth mentioning to the two of you, but it seems like your friends were captured by the PokeCatchers a little while ago. Last time I checked, they're off to some random part of Unova as we speak. Isn't that cheerful! Welp, ciao for now!" And he vanished, leaving those haunting words to vibrate through Pitch and Zap.

Zap let out a yelp as Dim appeared out of nowhere. As he left, the words let out a flare of panic in his mind. "WHAT!?" He yelped.
He cried out silently and looked at Pitch, desperation twinkling in his eyes. "We need to help them." He said. "I just found them, and I don't want to lose them again." He said, a saddened twinkle in his eyes.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Glow let out a yelp as a familiar nidorina ran past her, shoving her aside. "Hey!" She yelled, as Aurora glared at the nidorina too.
As a pasarichu darted past her, and she almost lost her balance. "What the-" She growled.

As Fluff flew through the clouds, she noticed something flying towards her. She let out a yelp and swerved upwards as the pokemon glided towards her.

"Woah! Woah!" Skyball uttered as he swerved down, avoiding the Altaria he was about to crash into. Readjusting to the sudden evasive maneuver, the Emolga peered down to find that he had lost the two. Darn it...

"Hey, thanks for that," he spat at the Altaria with a bit of sarcasm edged in his voice before he swooped lower searching for the lost targets again.

"Sorry! Coming through!" Lumi cried as she blasted her way through three Pokemon she didn't focus on. Her focus was on Nidorina.

With a sudden quick step, the Nidorina juked right and dived into an alley on the left. Lumi had the agility to repeat the pattern, following the same motion as she entered the alleyway.

Without warning, the Nidorina turned around and struck Lumi with a few Fury Swipes. Grunting from the motion, the Pachirisu hit the ground hard, shaking the blow off. When she got up, the Nidorina was gone. Shoot...

Following the alleyway to the other side, Lumi looked around. There was no sign of the Nidorina at all...she had completely disappeared.

And then the city-wide intercom came on, "This just in. A massive bunch of wild Pokemon has just escaped the PokeCatcher Center. Police are unsure as to who did it and why, but they have now called upon the citizens of Nimbasa City to come forward with any information they may know."

She scoffed at that as the report went on, "In the meantime, the Mayor has urged the citizens to remain indoors and to recall their Pokemon until the crisis has been dealt with. The Pokemon Catchers will take any unattended Pokemon out on the streets. If you see any unattended Pokemon, report them immediately."

Double shoot!

Lumi sighed in irritation as Skyball landed beside her, "Did you get her?" he asked.

"No, she got away," she answered, "Did you hear that news report?"

"Only the end of it," Skyball shrugged honestly, "But I think I get the jist."

'Well, we need to find that Nidorina and quickly. However, it's gonna be too risky doing it tonight while all the PokeCatcher patrols are out and about." The Pachirisu began walking back through the alley she'd just gone down. Skyball followed behind.

"So we should wrap this up for tonight?" he said.

Lumi shook her head, "She may leave the city by then. We need to be careful." She reemerged on the other end, running straight into Glow.

"Oof!" she uttered as she fell back once more. Skyball was laughing.

"Oh by the way. There's Pokemon there!" he winked playfully at her.

"Shut up," she groaned, but even she was chuckling just a bit as she turned to Glow, Aurora, and Mud, "Sorry about that. Got a bit of a head rush, y'know?"

---

"We won't lose them again," Pitch reassured Zap, "I know they don't ship any Pokemon out of Nimbasa for at least a couple of days. We have until then to get them."

And then an intercom came on, "This just in. A massive bunch of wild Pokemon has just escaped the PokeCatcher Center. Police are..."

"Or they could figure it out for themselves," Pitch said, "That works too."

The Pokemon led them to the door, to which one Pokemon produced a key. He floated up to the keyhole, fitting it in perfectly. The door opened and Pitch and Zap were pushed outside. It was already twilight, the colors above them blackening as night approached. Pitch was a bit perplexed by how much time had passed. He hadn't expected to lose half a day.

Zap could not help but sigh in relief. "Thank Arceus they are out." I hope they are safe. He thought.
As they were lead lead out, he looked up at the first stars. It felt like an eternity in there. He thought.


_______________________________________________________________________
As the three slid into the theatre, the announcement rang out overhead. "We should hide somewhere. Make as little noise as possible. " Mud said. The other two nodded. Glow showed them the railings. "Only you could fit up there." Aurora said. Glow nodded. They continued to search until they found a broken board on the stage. Mud pulled the board away and they all slipped down, with a few splinters. They hid down under the stage, not making a sound.

Pitch made his own stealthy leap onto the window sill and followed Zap onto the rooftop. Indeed, the sun was beginning to rise, showcasing how long the duo had been out here. While Dim's plan worked to some extent, it didn't exactly work in a timely manner. Pitch had to stifle his own yawn from peeking out when Zap did his. After all, yawns were infectious.

But he had to stay focused. They may have gotten away from the meat of the battle, but that didn't mean they were out of the woods yet. Castol's Crusaders may have seemed outmatched, but knowing the crafty Charmeleon, Pitch wouldn't put it past him to hide a few of his more powerful goons somewhere nearby just in case things got too dicey. They would be showing up soon. And Dim would be after the two as well, finding his lost Family members. Just the thought of that was enough to creep him out.

"We're not quite there yet," Pitch reminded him, "We still have to get away first. Dim will be out looking for us as will Castol when they're both done. In fact, I see two Crusaders right now!"

Pitch pointed at two Pokemon, one scurrying from roof to roof while the other flew within the silhouette of the rising sun. As the figures began to take shape, the Eevee immediately began to recall what he just said, "Wait...I don't think they have an Emolga and Pachirisu among their ranks...who are they?"

Zap tilted his head. " I saw their base once. No smaller Pokemon like a pasarichu." He paused. "We should keep going. You're right. They could be anywhere." He suppressed a shudder at the thought. He darted to the edge of the roof, silent as a ninja. He watched the sun setting, creating a warm glow over the battle. He shook his head. He needed to concentrate. He scanned the rooftops. He leapt to one, waiting for Pitch to follow. As the two leapt away from the battle, the noises soon grew to whispers. Zap glanced up, seeing the moon creating an eerie light upon the two.

Pitch started to back up as Dim floated closer and closer. He knew Baby-Doll eyes would aid him a little bit, but he needed something surefire. His gaze shot to Zap, who was still on the other rooftop and had no way to get across. He kept backing up.

Dim had all the momentum in his favor and he was reveling in it, "There's nowhere to run off to...nowhere to hide. Just you me and that bright moon right there." His eye seemed to pulse with pleasure as the moonlight filtered in with the colorful lights from Nimbasa, an odd hue surrounding Dim because of it, "You know, you could evolve right now if you were just a bit more accepting. You even have a great name for it...Pitch. Like in pitch blackness. It's like you were destined to become an Umbreon."

Pitch had already considered this. If he were destined to be an Umbreon, he would've become one by now. The same was true for any Eevolution that existed. The names may match, but those were just labels and subject to change. When the time came, he would evolve. Right now, he needed to be an Eevee.

Pitch stared back fiercely, "Not yet I'm not. I'm fine just the way I am." He felt his tail bump into the slight rise signifying the tip of the roof. He had backed himself to the edge of the building. There was nowhere else to go except towards Dim.

Dim was charging a Shadow Ball in his hand, but kept a bit of lightness in his tone, "It doesn't have to end this way. You can surrender yourself to our Family and grow and evolve. Or, I can send you to the Spirit World here. I won't tell you again." The sphere grew larger and larger in his hand as he gave his ultimatum.

Pitch looked from Dim to the street below to the moon above to Zap afar and back to Dim once more before shaking his head.

Dim tsked before continuing, "Quite a shame. We could've used you. But now, you're just a forgotten hope." The Shadow Ball was launched, heading straight for Pitch at incredible velocity.

But Pitch had already began moving. He turned and dove off the side of the building, narrowly missing the Shadow Ball as it went whizzing over his head. He dodged the attack. But now he was in free fall, plummeting towards the street below. Any second now, he would hit the pavement and become a pancake.

Unless...Pitch noticed a window sill jutting out from the side and with near cat-like reflexes caught it with a paw. He felt his momentum halt as he now gripped the edge with dear life. His whole world was spinning from adrenaline and he couldn't see anyone. Zap was on the other side and would only have seen him jump off. Dim would be following in pursuit any second now, to see if Pitch had survived. Where could he go?

Pitch got his answer when he began pulling himself up onto the window sill, using his feet to shoot himself up onto it. The window was open just a crack. Not much, but enough for Pitch to nuzzle his nose under and scurry inside. By the time Dim managed to float to the side of the building, Pitch was gone.

But Dim wasn't stupid, however. He knew the only possible way he could've gone if he hadn't hit the ground was inside. But he wasn't willing to sneak his way into the home of a human and risk being captured. He stood by the front door and waited for Pitch to walk straight into his waiting arms.

---

Lumi and Skyball scuttled on the roofs of all the buildings in Nimbasa, searching for their missing Nidorina. The closest they got to finding anyone was an Eevee and a Raichu off in the distance. They didn't say hello.

"You shouldn't fly right now, Sky," Lumi called up to her partner, who was soaring over everything and was silhouetted by the moonlight, "You'll get spotted by the PokeCatchers."

"Relax!" he called back down, "I've got the pro dodging skills!"

Lumi snickered, "You've got the pro dodging skills?"

"Dang right I do!" Skyball did a barrel roll in the air as if to demonstrate, "Ain't no PokeCatcher no way no how gonna shoot me out of the air. Besides, we can really use the vantage point."

Suddenly, Lumi caught the lights of battle in the distance, "Hey, I think I see something!"

Skyball nodded down to her, "I see it too. Some kind of brawl going down. Should we intervene?"

"I think we should at least see what's up," Lumi suggested, "Maybe let them know what the announcement said if they didn't know already."

"Something tells me they know and don't care," the Emolga hovered lower, flying a couple feet above the rooftops to talk to Lumi from a closer distance, "I mean, do you see how many Pokemon are fighting?"

"Yeah, there are tons," he said, watching a giant fire arc shoot upwards out of the alleyway, "But why are they fighting?"

"Let's go find out!" Skyball was already diving into the fight, corkscrewing in the air before spreading his wings and hovering over the scene. Lumi slid down an extruding pipe, landing softly on the ground and approaching the combat zone.

"Hey...what's going on here?" she called out.

Immediately, a flame attack was sent her way. She zipped to the right, avoiding the attack mostly, but singeing a few hairs in the process. Lumi's eyes lit up in ferocity.

"Hey now!" she protested as she hurled an Electro Ball back at whatever flung that, "Not cool!"

The attacker rushed towards her, charging up his Dragon Claw before slicing in her direction. Lumi stood her ground and, rather than dodge, took the momentum of the strike and shoved it to the immediate right of her. Just like Crimson taught me... she thought.

The Dragon Claw smashed into the ground beside the Pachirisu. The attacker paused, eyes looking down puzzled as Lumi stepped towards him and Nuzzled his cheek. The sting of electricity was enough to have the attacker step back in shock as the electric jolts of Paralysis started forming from his body. Lumi glanced long enough at the attacker to realize it was a Charmeleon.

The Charmeleon sounded angry, yet bewildered, "How did you-"

"Why did you attack me?" she interrupted him, a hard set look of her face.

The Charmeleon gripped his claws slowly and with a struggle due to the paralysis, "You're not a Crusader. Therefore, you're an enemy to us!"

Lumi's head cocked slightly as she heard the name of their group. The Crusaders? "Who are you? And who are the Crusaders?" she asked.

The Charmeleon's brow lifted, "A newbie to Nimbasa, huh? Well, the name's Castol. And I run this town!" With that, Castol dove forward, striking at Lumi with Dragon Rage. The attack found it's mark as the Pachirisu was rattled by the sudden attack.

Meanwhile, Skyball had landed on the other side of the fight, without a clue as to what was going on with Lumi and Castol. However, turning back towards the Turf War, he spotted another familiar face...the face of the Nidorina! Immediately, he flung himself into the fray with Acrobatics, dodging all the random outlying attacks and finding his mark, striking the Nidorina square in the head. She reeled from the blow, smashing into the left alleyway wall. With a grunt of pain and determination, she got onto her feet to deal with this new foe...until she saw who it was.

"You again?!" she growled.

"You really shouldn't go to the bright shiny things to hide from us, y'know," Skyball winked menacingly as he steeled himself for the fight to come.

Pitch made one last peek around the corner towards Dim before bounding for the amphitheater, "Let's go! They're probably waiting for us."

---

"RRRRRGGHHH! QUIT DODGING ME!" Castol snarled as he shot forth another Flame Burst. It would only hit the dumpster the Pachirisu was currently hiding behind.

"Dude, are you always this bratty?!" Lumi called back, part tauntingly, part genuine curiosity. The massive flame that responded only served to answer her question.

Castol still had the advantage over Lumi. That Dragon Rage really had caught her off guard and now she was much weaker in this fight.The Paralysis hadn't wore off, but it hadn't really helped yet either. And Castol was on the offensive while Lumi stayed defensive. She needed to shift the momentum in her favor and fast.

This wasn't some evil mastermind with a diabolical scheme, she reminded herself, This was a rich kid throwing a temper tantrum about not getting what he wanted.

She could do this.

Fast as lightning, Lumi zipped around the corner, charging headfirst towards Castol. The Charmeleon tried to Flame Burst once more, but Lumi dodged to her left and the flames sped past. Another low growl escaped his throat.

But Lumi was done playing games. She was a professional. She was a member of the Crimson Guild. She wasn't going to stoop down to the level of this...twerp.

She scuttled within reach. Castol had Dragon Claw prepared and ready to swing, but Lumi had already anticipated the close quarter move and proceeded to grab the arm in which he was about to use to attack her. She flung her tail in his face, effectively blinding him while catching him off guard. As Castol sputtered and spat out fur, she was already moving again, using his outstretched arm to flip around him and be behind him. A close up Electro Ball spawned from her hands and into Castol's backside in a matter of milliseconds, sending him sprawling forward.

But Castol knew how to fight. He rolled into the momentum, landing on his feet once more. The glance he gave back to Lumi was terrifying...one mixed with rage and pure intensity. Lumi didn't even know so much of his face could scrunch up in such horror like that. She slowed down considerably.

That was all Castol needed. He timed the Dragon Claw perfectly, landing it square in Lumi's stomach. The knock back was as immense as the blow had been. Lumi was flung backwards and hit the brick wall with a muffled thump! before collapsing to the ground. She shut her eyes and winced from the shuddering pain that coursed through her body. Her tiny hands clenched into fists of determination.

"I-I can't-" she stammered, her left eye blinking open to see the silhouetted form of Castol staring over her. The lighting made the sinister sneer that more wicked as he stared down at her with confident eyes.

"Oh what's wrong?" Castol stooped lower, down to near eye level with Lumi, "You walk into the wrong neighborhood?"

Hook, line, and sinker! Lumi suddenly sprang forward, kissing Castol on the cheek before shoving him backwards. The Charmeleon began to stagger, his vision swimming. It was incredibly hard to focus after a Sweet Kiss like that.

"Wh-wha..." Castol's gaze looked hazy and terribly unfocused, "Wha happened?"

Lumi didn't dare try to step forward...not yet. She hit him from afar with Swift, the stars swirling around the alleyway an landing on their target without fail. Castol took the blast like a champ, deciding to return the favor with another Flame Burst heading for the Pachirisu.

"Take this you son of a-OW!"

The move backfired...literally in this case. The confusion he was feeling caused the flames to engulf himself instead. Still, because he was a Fire-Type, they wouldn't do much damage. But every little bit counted.

Now it was Lumi's turn to counter as she sprang forward and barely grazed him once more or as she liked to call it, Nuzzle 2: The Renuzzling. The familiar jolts of Paralysis jutted out of Castol as she turned around again and struck with another Electro Ball. Lumi had once more gained the upper hand in this fight.

Castol was feeling everything now, the Confusion wearing off but the Paralysis coming back. The onslaught of blows he had taken were catching up to him and he was panting from the strain. Still, he held on to his temper and his brute strength that made him so difficult to take down in combat.

"You think you've won, rat?" he growled as he shut his eyes, seeming to concentrate. A purple hue began to form around him as he tucked in, almost like he was gathering energy. Then, Lumi realized what he was doing. Her eyes widened in shock as she completely glossed over the Dragon Rage he was about to unleash...not just on her but on pretty much everyone in the vicinity. She tried to run back behind cover, but she knew she wouldn't make it in time.

"YOU HAVEN'T EVEN FOUGHT ME!!!" Castol bellowed, a mighty blast of purple shock wave energy engulfing the alleyway around them. If the PokeCatchers hadn't seen or heard anything about the battle before now, they definitely saw that massive flash of purple on the south central side of Nimbasa City. A few moments before, they would be here.

Castol breathed hard, smoldering from the blast but a victorious grin plastered on his face. He turned to see the knocked out Pachirisu lying on the ground unconscious as well as many other Pokemon, Crusader and Family alike. The other Family members had ditched the blast zone and were now retreating back to their territory. Castol and the Crusaders had won the Turf War.

With a gleaming smile, he turned back to the remaining Crusaders left standing which was only the Houndoom, the Nuzleaf, and the Espeon. All the other members had been knocked out before Castol's Dragon Rage or by it. There was an oddity, however. A Nidorina was missing among their ranks. Castol decided to put that issue off until later. He didn't have time to deal with deserters right now. He was also aware of Pitch's disappearance from the battlefield, but there would always be time for payback.

"Alright, gang," Castol's eyes pierced through the three of them, "Let's take some prisoners and get out of here."

Meanwhile, about a block away from the Turf War, a much bigger war raged. Nidorina leaped towards Skyball once more, trying to deliver something...a Bite or A Fury Swipe...anything to hit the much more evasive Emolga. But Skyball was playing his strengths to his advantage and using his speed to dodge every blow the Nidorina threw at him. More importantly, he was playing her to her weaknesses. A lot of her moves were close quarter moves, moves in which Nidorina had to be close to Skyball to hit him. However, the reciprocal of that didn't hold true.

"Gah!" Nidorina cried as she dove out of the way of the brick that Skyball had flung at her. Her glance darted upward towards the zooming Emolga overhead, "What, you're throwing bricks at me now?"

"Eh...y'know," Skyball zipped around, picking up a potted plant in the process and Flinging it at her, "Using my environment to my advantage and stuff."

Nidorina dodged right, the pot shattering upon impact. Soil was everywhere upon the rooftop they were fighting on. She kept a careful gaze on her opponent as she lowered her stance to make it harder for him to hit her.

"How did you guys even find me?" she asked as she dodged left, this time avoiding a torn up Pikachu plushie. Apparently someone had been training.

"We have our leads," Skyball answered back, swooping low to the ground to find other things to throw at her. In all honesty, the forest was their lead. Upon joining the Crimson Guild, he was quite shocked to learn of the network of information they had placed across Ruula. All in the matter of a week. They hadn't even finished building their base yet and they were established as if they had been there for years. It was amazing how a community could come together to abolish a primal evil.

"What are you doing here?" he called back, deciding not to drop the conversation right away as he flung a rotten apple at her. She took that one head-on, the fruit exploding into chunks on impact. However, it did nothing to her. She laughed at the question.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she taunted at him, "Maybe if you let me whisper it in your ear, I could tell you."

But Skyball wasn't falling for her ploy to try and get him within close range, "Ain't gonna happen, sweetie. But you know what is?"

With that, he hurled an Electro Ball at her from the distance. It moved at quite a speed...too fast for her to dodge. The pulsating electricity hit her in the left side, the force of the strike sending her backwards a few feet and causing her to topple. Skyball fluttered to the rooftop and began a slow approach.

"That," he finished simply.

And then Nidorina got up, surprising Skyball with her own burst of speed. She flung herself at him and began swiping furiously. Skyball was hit in the chest once before raising his winged arm and taking another three hits there. By then, he'd swept her legs with his own feet, Nidorina tripping up under them, hitting the rooftop hard. Skyball began to nimbly strike at the grounded Nidorina. She tried to get her own jabs in, but he was just too quick. His Acrobatics outmatched her and when the damage was done, she was beaten to the brink of fainting.

The Nidorina grunted in pain, trying to place herself on her feet once more. But it was certainly a struggle. "D-don't think you've won yet..." her left eye was swollen closed, but her right gazed at Skyball with a menacing hate, "The Psychic Rebellion will have it's victory when all is said and done."

"The Psychic Rebellion will get nowhere," Skyball stubbornly replied, a little bit of Lumi taking over from within, "The good guys will always win...always. Now what are you doing here?"

She let loose a slight chuckle, cut short when a painful cough took over, "Y...you really think...you're on the good side? People...Pokemon...they're all weak to the big picture...the big picture only Psychic-Types can view."

The Emolga raised a quizzical brow, "Then by that logic, you are a weakling to them. You will be nothing more than their pawn in their game. Do you really want that?"

Nidorina only smirked, "There's a pecking order, y'know. Poison-Types are above you Electric-Types. We are warriors. And I'd rather see the face of battle head-on."

Skyball's eyes darkened, "There's a bit of an unfairness about that."

Nidorina shrugged, "The world's not fair."

And then a massive purple light erupted behind them. Skyball whipped his head around to see the effects of it dissipating. Lumi...

A sting in the Emolga's shoulder caused him to yelp in surprise. Nidorina had taken the distracting moment to use Poison Sting on him. Already, he could feel the venom coursing through his veins. Skyball, out of a sudden moment of pure anger, Electro Balled Nidorina in the face, pure and simple. The strike was excessive, having enough raw power behind it to knock out the Nidorina for sure. After giving a glance over the KO'd foe to make sure she was out, he decided it was alright to leave her there for now. He ran to the edge of the roof and peeked over.

The first thing he saw was a multitude of fainted Pokemon on the ground in the alleyway. Among those, Skyball could see his Pachirisu companion out like a light by the dumpster. The four standing Pokemon, A Charmeleon, a Nuzleaf, an Espeon, and a Houndoom, were rounding up the various Pokemon that had fallen and moving at a quickened pace. He saw the Houndoom go over to the Pachirisu and sniff her before turning back to look at the Charmeleon.

"What about her?" he said, "She isn't a Family member or a Crusader."

"Take her with us," the Charmeleon simply replied, "She's gotta have some value to someone."

No.

All at once, Skyball dove into the Houndoom, performing Acrobatics the moment he was in range. The Houndoom reeled back in surprise, glowering over Skyball as he stood in between Lumi and everyone else.

"No one touches her," he spoke darkly, glaring at each of them as they all looked upon this new arrival.

It was the Charmeleon who approached, fist clenched and ready to take down another opponent, "Friend of yours?" he asked coldly. "You should tell her not to pick a fight with someone who's clearly stronger than her."

"She doesn't pick fights," Skyball retorted immediately, "She's better than that. If she fights, it's because someone hit her first. I'm the one who strikes first." He felt his body weaken slightly as the wound on his back pulsed even more. The Poison was starting to get to him and he was going to faint if he didn't do something about that in the next few minutes. But for now, he kept a bold face and didn't bow down to these four.

The Charmeleon chuckled smugly, "You do realize that you're outnumbered here?"

"Nah, I'm not outnumbered," came the reply from Skyball, "In fact, I'm pretty sure I outnumber all of you."

"Oh really?" the Charmeleon edged closed, "And why is that?"

"Because that Espeon is on our side!" he pointed an accusing finger at her.

The three Pokemon looked at the Espeon with a glaring look. The Espeon snapped at them angrily, "On come on, guys! Really?! You seriously fell for that?!"

"They seriously did!" came the call at the end of the alley. Skyball gave a wink as he turned round the corner with Lumi on his shoulders. The Charmeleon let loose a low growl of anger.

"AFTER THEM!" he commanded, the Nuzleaf and Espeon giving chase. The Houndoom began to tear after them, but Castol stopped him. "No, not you. We need to take care of these guys."

"We don't have enough support right now," the Houndoom reasoned, "We can't take any prisoners tonight, not after you sent those two after them."

Castol realized his mistake immediately and punched the dumpster to his right out of pure anger. It made a massive dent in the side. The Houndoom gulped.

"Then just take our guys then," Castol finally sighed in irritation, "Let the PokeCatchers deal with the rest."

The Houndoom nodded and began rounding up his fallen allies, tossing them onto his back. Castol took a couple of fainted Pokemon on his shoulder, a smoldering heart of revenge set in his look.

There would be hell to pay for this night.

---

Pitch and Zap made a careful approach to the amphitheater, unsure of how many Crusaders lurked there. He was pretty sure the Family didn't know about this spot of his, so he wasn't worried about seeing the glowing eye of Dim any time soon. And so long as Castol had his focus spent on the turf war, he wouldn't be after Pitch either. But he didn't take chances. And that was why he was still around today. So that was why he checked corners, crept along the wall, and made a half hour out of a task that would normally be a minute.

Fortunately for them, the purple blast had likely attracted all the PokeCatchers in Nimbasa, meaning they had to deal with none.

"Alright, in here," Pitch motioned as he crept inside, staring around at the blackness that had shadowed the place. It didn't have windows, so the insides of this building was shrouded in darkness with the exception of the safety light that glowed on the stage, a precaution for anyone humans who entered so that they weren't stumbling around in complete darkness.

Pitch's ears lowered slightly in disappointment as he gazed around and found no sign of Glow and the others. "I hope they chose to come here somewhere," the Eevee lamented on his decision, "Glow? Aurora? Mud? You guys around here?"

Glow's ears perked up. " Pitch?" She let out a shocked gasp when her eyes laid on Zap. "Y-you came back?" Aurora and Mud followed out with similar reactions.

Zap glanced around with a sigh. "I-I'm sorry." He added to Pitch "For everything I put you through." He looked at his paws sadly. "It's all my fault."

Pitch felt the jolt of the floor beneath them with each tug, letting them know they were making progress. He spoke in between tugs, "For one, it's abandoned, so that means the whole place is mind. Two, it's one of the most obscure spots in Nimbasa. Very few people know about it and no one cares to explore it. Three, it's extremely secure. It takes a bit of work to get into the place where I live and until recently, only small Pokemon could access it. You see, it's not actually visible from the ground, but there's a massive hole in the roof where Castol's gang broke in three days ago. Completely bypassed my whole trap system and everything. But luckily, and this is the fourth reason, there's always a back door I can exploit if worst comes to worst."

Finally, the room came into view. Pitch stopped at the sight in front of him. The makeshift sunroof illuminated three Pokemon gathered around, talking and eating. Two of them looked familiar, the Pachirisu and the Emolga, but Pitch had yet to encounter the really tiny mouse-like Pokemon that was with them. The three of them froze when the forms of Pitch and Zap made their way into the room.

"What are you guys doing here?" Pitch demanded, "How did you guys get in?"

The Emolga glanced up at the sunroof before looking back at Pitch with a mischievous grin, "What is this, some sort of trick question? You've got a gaping hole in your roof, bro."

The Pachirisu took a step forward, "What are you guys doing here?" she asked authoritatively.

"This is my home," Pitch replied, "I live here."

Before Siena and Gambit could begin to reply to the Umbreon, the ground began to shake around them. Gambit was hovering, so it was ineffective to him. However, Siena was still in Land Form and began bouncing around like a pinata on a child's birthday.

"What the-" Siena glanced up towards the sky at the sound of the bombs hitting the streets below, "That fight escalated quickly."

Gambit turned to Siena, a look of apprehension accompanying that determined gleam on his face, "What do we do?"

A moment passed. Siena's eyes darkened, the cute Land Form disappearing before everyone's eyes to reveal it's Sky Form to everyone.

"We do what any Crimson Guild member would do," Siena told Gambit, "We fight for our home."

With that, Siena kicked off the ground, shooting up and over the building. Gambit turned towards the Umbreon and her company and shrugged, "Well, you don't have to help us. But it looks like a full scale invasion is going on and we could really use every Pokemon to our advantage."

Meanwhile, Siena landed through the gaping hole in the roof, right in between Lumi, Skyball, Dee, Pitch, and Zap. Pitch reared back in shock while Dee ran forward.

"Siena! Good to see you!" Dee spoke harshly and quickly, with authority, "Any details about what that was? Is there a Ground-Type inbound?"

"Negative, Dee," Siena spoke a similar lingo, "An alien invasion. And we're going to take it down."

"Ooooh, aliens!" said Skyball enthusiastically, "How many guild points will that go towards our team? We can finally dethrone Team Madness!"

"Skyball..."

"THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN! WE SHALL BECOME CHAMPIONS! FIRST THE GUILD, NEXT THE WORLD!" Skyball's mocking tone was enough to send Lumi into a fit of laughter which the Emolga quickly joined.

Dee sighed, "If you could put that much energy into your jobs, I wouldn't have to come rescue you all the time."

"Hey now," Lumi leaned on the tiny head of the Dedenne, "How were we supposed to know a Turf War was going to break out while we got this Nidorina?"

A low growl emitted from deep in the Dedenne's throat, causing Lumi to stand up straight. Dee was not in a mood for nonsense.

Meanwhile, Siena talked with Pitch and Zap, "If you two would like, you are more than willing to help us out. Otherwise, seek shelter. Things could get dicey."

Just then, a large form landed gracefully in the opening on top of the building. The large orange dragon's eyes were like saucers as it described the scene above them, "Holy mother of Arceus...there's a massive revolt going on. Pokemon of all shapes and sizes are fighting these massive machines. What the hell did you guys cause out here?"

"Oh, hey Unix!" Lumi waved cheerfully, "Perfect timing!"

"You know us," Skyball shrugged sheepishly, "Our shenanigans and all."

Dee sighed irritably while Siena raised a brow, "Wait...you said Pokemon are already fighting them?"

"Yeah. Humans are revolting against the invaders. All their Pokemon are out there, fighting back. I've never seen so many in one place. It's massive!"

"Well, then we have to help them!" Siena replied determinedly, staring at Team Volt, "I think it'll be fine if Rubira joins you guys now. No need for secrecy at this point."

Lumi shurgged, "She may have taken the initiative and already joined the fight. She's got a better view than we do."

Siena nodded, "Right. Unix, send word to Crimson. Tell him everything's going haywire in Nimbasa. We may need to pull teams together to join us if necessary. Tell him he may need to join us."

Unix nodded and took off at such intensity that it made the building shake slightly. A few seconds later and he was already en route to the Kalos Region, away from the fighting in Nimbasa.

"Alright, guys," Siena arched her body, "Let's show these guys the full brutality of the Crimson Guild!"

Siena and Skyball flew out the opening above while Dee and Lumi took off through the grate system Pitch and Zap had just come from. For a moment, nothing moved. Then Pitch began to run in the same direction.

"I think I'm going to help them out," Pitch looked at Zap, all serious placated on his face, "Will you help me?"

Zap nodded. "Honestly, this is just getting weird." He follwed behind Pitch.


Glow yelped as the ground began to shake, although Fluff just flew upwards. "What the?" Aurora and Mud seemed to be having similar reactions. "What in the name of arches is going on?" Mud yelled.

The members of the Miso Force took to the sky as the Ground-types approached, all five splitting up to defend against their assailants. Kinoko immediately spoke up. "Alright guys, time to fight! Our lives are more important than the contract, and damn if we don't manage to finish it, even for no reward! Your quota is many to one, but we can take it! Destruction should be kept to a minimum, but if you need to do it to survive, do it! Let's go guys!"

Kinoko swung around in a loop in the air as she evaded bolts of lightning while deflecting some others. She then spread her arms and fired several purple energy spheres that tracked the attacking Pokemon. "You think you stand a chance? We didn't want to fight! But so be it, you forced our hands!"

Hana went back to the ground to face the ground types, jumping over the Dig attempts as she bended and stretched her arms and legs in unnatural ways. "Kee hee hee hee! Kee hee! I'm getting warmed up! You can't hurt me! None of you can, so let's play!" She was attempting a sort of whack-a-mole with the Dig users, issuing punches and kicks, as they emerged, with her stretching limbs.

Mirkan would land elsewhere before Trainers and their Pokemon, flipping his hair aside. "Do we really need to do this? Very well." He would utilize Rapid Movement to approach their Pokemon nearly unseen, and attempt some swift physical attacks in punches and kicks delivered with an uncanny elegance and grace.

Maynace would fight off any Pokemon chasing her as she weaved around buildings, occasionally firing magenta colored energy waves back at the Pokemon. "Right then mates, you think you're tough?! I'll show you what a true rock star elite can do!" She continued her fast and agile weaving and bobbing.

Slale landed on the ground and blocked attempted Dig attacks by firing eye lasers at the trails in the ground the Pokemon left. "Children's tricks won't work on me. You're in for the long haul, so prepare yourselves." He was calm as ever.

Each member of Miso Force made sure they did not attack buildings or Trainers, only the Pokemon. They carried themselves with a certain code of honor, and they weren't going to break that code unless they would die for not doing so.

As the Pokemon and trainers began to rise up and fight for themselves, the Fireknaught definitely needed to change the directions of a few things and try to use this to their advantage. Two of the Fireknaughts were hidden, so it was very unlikely for them to be attacked, and the one that was visible stood there with three pokemon and his weapon slung over his shoulder. This was the first thing the squad leader knew he had going for him, having a bond with pokemon, even if they were the outcast pokemon.

The Razor Leaf would cut the strap holding the rifle under his arm, but there was no tanks, just three Fireknaughts; two hidden and one present. Machamp, Voltorb, and Geodude took positions around the squad leader, protecting him. While protecting him the squad leader would make communications to the other Fireknaughts, and the pokemon to the other Pokemon.

"Land the transport convoy. The Pokemon have the other airships tied up. Someone send message to redirect the Disruptor Missile. Nobody do anything drastic, the Ruulans are our allies.", the squad leader spoke to the few others in the area.

While everyone was doing what little they could, the squad leader tried to connect with the Miso Squad, "Looks like we might want to work together here. If you will get out of this city, I can arrange a temporary shelter to keep you hidden. I can tell now that you're not here to harm or you would be blasting these Pokemon with some kind of power, I hope you can accept an apology for acting out of fear rather than intelligence."

The Pokemon surrounding the squad leader tried to talk with the other pokemon, "Why are you attacking us?! These people share a bond with our planet just as we do! Their hearts are for us! We should worry about the army above us, not the people helping us!" The pokemon pleaded hard for their masters while defending any attacks that further come.

The squad leader would respond back to the man shouting, "We are not the invaders! We have lived beside you and worked with you for some time! Do you not remember the attacks on Castelia City and who was there?! These aliens are capable of blowing us to pieces, but even in their attack, they are defending themselves without harming anyone! Who is the one attacking people with lethal weapons?! Who is the one dropping soldiers on this magnificent city?! You want independence? Let us help you achieve that!..."

The Fireknaught squad leader lifted his hand to the sky, "We can all see who's planet this is, and the Fireknaught accept that. We want to be your brothers and sisters. Never would you see us do such a thing to a city! The only enemy you have here is the one who is willing to risk your lives, the one shooting instead of escorting."

While the Fireknaught spoke, his Pokemon all looked upon the crowds with sadness in their eyes. They felt their masters were being treated how they were treated in the wild or old owners. Even the Pokemon questioned the situation and why they were being attacked, a depression causing thought that was easily seen in the faces. The pokemon knew little on politics, but they knew when someone was trying to help, they knew the Ruulans were trying to help themselves, but couldn't process why they weren't helping them, particularly because the Pokemon knew only people with Ruula's energy within them could bond with Pokemon.

--- THE PAST

Steelfist stood before the group, surrounding them with countless Mankeys. Elder rolled to an unconscious lump in front of Radegast. “Odor Sleuth… Huh…” Radegast crouched down to place a hand on the Ghastly’s head. “Good try, bud,” he said as he recalled the Ghastly into the safety of the modified pokeball. Only unconscious would Elder tolerate the device.

Radegast stood up, towering over the clan that filled most of their vision. The Primeape spat poison-infused saliva, ignoring the Toxic that Elder had managed to apply. “Weak,” Steelfist huffed as he flexed. He was bigger than Rage, even bigger than even Rage remembered.

“Let me get this straight,” Radegast stuffed his hands into his pockets, “Your pride’s hurt and you’re not gonna let bygones be bygones?”

“My rule of the region will be absolute just as soon as I destroy the only one who had beaten me before.” Steelfist jabbed a finger at the human, but kept his eyes on the single Mankey that was not part of the crowd. “This human is your new trainer? He has done little to improve your skills compared to me. I will break him to prove to the world that none can best me.”

“NO!” Rage shrieked, but Steelfist was fast for a Primeape. He burst forward. The fist was sent to Radegast… and just as easily pulled away.

None saw what happened mere microseconds before, but before they knew it, the Fletchling was shredding the Primeape. Terrible pecks were delivered with the rapidity of a minigun. Clumps of fur were sent in all directions, barely doing anything to muffle the screaming. The surrounding clan of Mankeys grew pale and stiff like marble as even blood spurt and lashed the ground with crimson.

“Suros! Dude!” Radegast called as he just then realised what just happened.

Just as quickly as she began, she darted back to the human’s shoulder. The Primeape lay, broken and bleeding… but still breathing. Steelfist rolled to his side with a pained groan.

“Holy shit dude!” Radegast’s hand automatically reached for a potion.

“NO!” Rage bellowed.

“Dude, he’s hurt!” Radegast held up the potion as Rage limped between him and Steelfist. “He’s…”

“CRIPPLED,” Rage replied. He indicate the Primeape’s legs. They bent the other way in a gross fashion, “NO POTION CAN HELP HIM. WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!”

Radegast felt the eyes of the terrified Mankey surrounding them. Slowly, that fear turned into hate, and their eyes began to twitch.

“NOW!” Rage tugged at Radegast’s cargo pants to pull him along. “BEFORE MOB MENTALITY STRIKES!”

Radegast clenched his teeth, cursed, and pocketed the potion once more. He then began to run. Suros yawned as the furious cries of an entire clan emitted behind them. They shouted wordless cries of hate and curses.

None could catch up to Radegast’s longer stride, nor Rage’s superior speed. If there were any who could, they would’ve contended with Suros.

“Suros,” Radegast panted as the cries shifted from anger to mourning. After an hour of running, the Mankeys had given up, far far behind. “You okay?”

“Steelfist wanted to harm you,” Suros simply replied as she buried her head under a wing to roost.

“Doesn’t mean you should cripple a dude,” Radegast replied, “Remember when we met Rage?”

“I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DID IT,” Rage harrumphed, “BUT IT WAS TERRIBLE, WHAT YOU DID!”

“Eh, that’s fair,” Suros shrugged, “So long as the Lord-Regent is safe…”

Radegast pursed his lips together, “Don’t worry so much about me, buddy. I can handle myself,” he lied.

--- IN THE SUBWAY, THE PRESENT

“Half-lied, you mean,” Elder quipped. “Now that the dam’s no longer classified.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Radegast chuckled.

“Sucks that I missed it, though,” Elder rolled his eyes, “Being knocked-out and all,”

“Well, that’s why you asked for the story while we waited for all this to deal with itself, isn’t it?” Radegast asked. Suros sighed while roosting on Radegast’s shoulder. “So long as you don’t cripple any more,” the fifteen-year-old added.

“I don’t feel like crippling things most of the time anyway,” the Fletchinder whistled.

“I see you’ve been practicing your Pokespeak,” Margriet noted.

“I honestly have no idea what they’re saying,” Radegast replied without looking up.

“It’s more about reading intention,” Margriet said, “That’s something Daddy and Uncle Tarma always knew.”

“Pops and Tarma do know Pokespeak, though.”

“That also helps.”

Logan produced his phone as he directed late evacuees into the subway. He called Marcus. “It’s Logan, are you-“ he paused for a moment, “Yes, I’m aware of what’s happening in Nimba- … Yes, they’re safe. They’re in the subway… Hang on,” he put Marcus on speaker phone and brought the phone to the siblings.

“I’m glad you didn’t join the fight,” Marcus replied, “There is a lot of political mumbo jumbo and miscommunication that’s made the entire situation incredibly confusing. If you had gone in, you might have been arrested.”

“Are you doing anything about it?” Margriet asked.

“I’m no official of any political standing, so my place is ensuring the safety of my family, even if they’re runaways.” Margriet stole a knowing glance at her younger brother.

Radegast couldn’t help but look at the Sandslash, Sabre, still tied up and under Rage’s and Elder’s watchful eye. The Haunter even licked the Sandslash before the story to ensure paralysis prevented any attempt to break the binds. “Just a precaution. You did try to kill the Lord-Regent,” Elder had smirked.

“You sure you don’t want to come home after this?” Margriet asked Radegast, “After this travelling? It hasn’t been the same for five years.”

“I’d have been happy to have vanished, to be honest,” Radegast crossed his arms, “With friends like these, I’m already the greatest I need to be.”

Margriet did not smile. “Still don’t agree, eh?”

Marcus added, “Even Tarma agrees, you need to-“

“What’s that?” Radegast rose from his seated position. The ground rumbled, but the incredibly sturdy architecture of the subway held. “Damn, must be some intense fighting out there.”

“Stay safe,” Marcus said, “Stay in the subway unless it’s compromised, and follow government instructions if there are any broadcasted. You got an electric-type with you?”

“Sir!” the Operative was out and about, patrolling the area.

“Yo Op, you able to catch radio signals down here?” Radegast asked.

“I would be an embarrassment to the unit if I couldn’t!” the Galvantula saluted.

“Thanks buddy,” Radegast smirked.

“Good, keep an ear out for broadcast signals from Ruulan government or police. Stay safe.” Marcus then hanged up.

Radegast and Logan exchanged glances. “That Primeape’s pretty strong,” Logan said, “Took out Marth in one punch.”

“Is Marth gonna be another grudge-holder?” Radegast joked.

“Nah, he knows about you and Palkia,” Logan smirked, “It’s no big deal.”

“Five years,” Margriet hummed thoughtfully as she fully registered what Radegast said, “You’ve made a lot of enemies, haven’t you?”

“Lotta friends too,” Radegast shrugged, “Can’t expect the world to love you.”

“Speak for yourself,” Margriet huffed in a very diva-like fashion.

“I will, Marge,” Radegast smirked.

“You want me to throw you out of the subway entrance, bro?”