The Reginald Family's Story

“What’s with all the wild pokemon?” Margriet asked.

“Just some allies,” Radegast replied, I think… “We back to the same plan? Shopping, that is.”

“Uh… sure,” Logan put a hand on Radegast’s sister’s shoulder. “We should update Marcus, ma’am.”

“I’ll see you guys at the store,” Radegast called as the other two left. He reached down to pick up some more flyers when he heard a voice.

A woman was approaching from a couple of blocks away… She was approaching… until she slipped and fell. “I got this,” Radegast informed Elder and Rage. While the fifteen-year-old jogged to help out the woman, Elder turned to Gambit and Siena. He kept an eye on the Lord-Regent in case the split-up became more permanent than intended.

“Alright, let’s get this guy delivered and-“ He then heard the question about the Sandslash being licked. “Yeah, paralysis. Just to make sure he doesn’t break these bonds. Anyway, we’re kind of in a rush to get healed up and stuff, so let’s deliver this guy posthaste, a’ight?”

“I WOULD CARRY THIS ONE ACROSS THE STARS A HUNDRED TIMES, AND BACK AGAIN TWICE AS MANY!!!” Rage bellowed the challenge to the heavens, “SERIOUSLY, THIS GUY’S PRETTY LIGHT!”

Meanwhile, Radegast slid to a stop next to the woman. “Yo, you alright? Let’s get you on your feet, buddy,” he offered a hand to pull her back up with. "I'm not sure if it's safe yet or-" That was when the cheering erupted. Evidently the city was officially safe.

She mumbled into the flyers, too embarrassed to move right away. She heard the foot steps coming at her and cringed. It meant someone saw her. The running skidded to a stop, “Yo, you alright? Let’s get you on your feet, buddy,” A guy said, which embarrassed her even more. It took her a moment to sit up. "Should I act prideful and swat at his hand, getting myself up or should I accept it and be ni...look at them arm muscles. Dear lord. How old is he?" She thought while looking him up and down. In the end she took his hand and was helped up.

The cheering that erupted caused her to jump. "For the love of everything....what is going on here?!" She had to scream over the noise. "OH AND THANK YOU!" She smiled and dusted herself off once she let his hand go.

Gambit and Siena led the Primeape and the Haunter back towards the building they had seen before everything started to go down. It was still vacant of any life, human and Pokemon alike. The two members of Team Vitality were pleased by this. Although they both doubted that anyone would take interest in an abandoned building while a large scale invasion was going on. The only difference to the setting was that now the ground was covered with leaflets the AXIS Peacekeepers had rained down. It was a bit obnoxious, but Gambit and Siena knew it was necessary to let everyone know they meant no harm.

"Alright, I guess we can take him from here," Siena stopped at the entryway. Gambit retrieved the tied-up Sandslash and waggled his finger, the familiar usage of Metronome. The next moment, Sabre was floating in the air, up and over the building and through the gaping hole in the roof.

"Rats," the Togetic muttered, "Was hoping I could Fire Blast him up there."

"Well I'm glad Telekinesis shone through instead," Siena rolled it's eyes, "I'd rather not have our suspect beaten within an inch of his life before we question him."

"But I wanted to see if I could make it in one shot!" he whined.

Siena ignored him and turned towards Elder and Rage instead. "Thank you guys for helping out. Things got a little crazy back there, but I'm grateful it worked out. I was worried we would have to take the offensive for a moment. Anyway, we'll be around, as you probably know by now. Call us if you need us!"

"It was an honor to meet you two, by the way!" Gambit gushed, "Especially you Rage! It's not everyday someone goes toe to toe with the second in command of the Psychic Rebellion and lives to tell the tale. You kind of have a reputation at the Crimson Guild. Perhaps you all could help us out with Zane and his Psychic Rebellion? You guys have seen first hand what they do to those they don't deem 'worthy'."

"You guys don't have to decide right now," Gambit hurriedly added, "Just...think about it for a few days. You can give us an answer the next time we meet. But just know that Crimson would definitely be grateful if you could!"

The two let the offer hang in the air for them to think about in the next days to come as they proceeded to fly up towards the entrance, vanishing from the sight of Elder and Rage. It wouldn't be too far a walk back towards Radegast's company.

Radegast eyed the woman with only mild confusion as he pulled her up to her feet with as little effort as only a hardened traveller could take. Between her hesitation and her odd overreaction to a simple offer of help, this woman struck the fifteen-year-old as some kind of new arrival who had just entered Nimbasa just when the fighting left. What were the chances of that? Regardless, he smiled. “Some big city-wide fight. Looks like it’s over now,” he replied over the cheering. “Looks like you just arrived, eh? Hospital’s over there if you need it,” Radegast pointed out the red-roofed building two blocks away. Coincidentally it was close by where Elder and Rage were.

“We’ll think on it,” Elder replied. Rage did not say anything. In such a small space, his booming voice may accidentally shatter the nearby windows. Truth be told, the two of them seemed very puzzled at the fanboyish gushing. “Though I don’t think we did anything that impressive…”

Regardless, they left the building, just in time for Radegast to arrive. Radegast’s dreadlocks swayed as he jogged back to Elder and Rage. Deep-down, he wanted to get them tied back up into a ponytail, or at least held back from the front so the dreadlocks don’t impede his vision.

“We good?” Radegast asked. He knew the answer already, seeing as the Sandslash was no longer with them.

“YES! WE SHALL GET PATCHED UP NOW!” Rage bellowed as he began to march heavily towards the Pokemon Centre. Radegast chuckled, shoved his hands into the pockets of his tattered pants and followed suit. Elder eyed the woman that Radegast had brought along.

“Sup?” the Haunter asked the woman.

Roxie placed a hand on her hip as she stared at Skyva, a straightforward confident smirk on her face, "The name's Roxie. I run the gym in Virbank City. A neat place to visit when I'm around. Otherwise, it's a smog town. What about you two? What does a scientists' child do when she turns the age of ten?"

She blinked in surprise as she placed her hand on a small pack she wore fashionably on her side, "Shit! I almost forgot! Come on!" She bolted out the Pokemon Center with about as much speed as Radegast had when he had left, expecting Skyva to follow. Roxie's adrenaline began to course through her as she looked around the streets of Nimbasa, searching for those iconic dreads. He said he was going shopping...but at which complex?

Luckily she turned a corner right as these words were uttered: ...that’s the thing you held onto? That and the hat?"

Turning towards it, she immediately spotted the worn navy colored hat hiding those dreads talking to a woman who had an air of authority accompanied by what appeared to be smarm...a typical nature of a resident of Nimbasa City. Only...this one looked familiar. Roxie could've sworn she'd seen her somewhere, not in person, but on something. Like in a magazine or on a billboard or something...

Roxie approached the two with nary a second thought.

"Hey, Radegast!" she reached into her pack and pulled out something round, holding it out to Radegast for him to take, "I gave you the wrong disc when we battled back then. This is the one I wanted to give to you. It'd be useful for that Haunter, I think."

In her hand was a disc, a Training Machine to be more specific. The label on it read "Venoshock". A perfect accompaniment to Toxic.

“Ah, so you picked her,” Elder had said shortly before he and Radegast high-fived and headed out from the hospital. “I getcha.”

At the store, before Margriet could enter, Roxie caught up. She produced a Technical Machine and handed it to the fifteen-year-old. “Wrong disc?” Radegast hummed. “Did you want the Cut back?” He asked as he accepted the TM. He crouched down for Elder to immediately learn the new attack. “‘Cause I could give it back and-“

Margriet cleared her throat. “Aw jeez. Gimmie a break, sis.”

“I’ll take a break once you got style again, bro. You know you’re in front of the rock star Roxie, right?” She stepped closer to the woman. Her voice was suddenly professional, very unlike her annoyed jabbing at her younger brother’s expense. “I’m Margriet Reginald, I’m Radegast’s sister. Pleasure to meet you.” The Raikou snarled at Radegast, but acted polite to the gym leader. “If it’s not too much to ask, would you help me help my brother get back in style?”

Skyva just stood there listening until Roxie ran off to be with Radegast. Slowly she backed out, her and MewMew waving goodbye, before she ran to meet up with the, MewMew in her arms. When she reached the group, her breathing a low pant, Skyva waved. "H-Hello! Sorry to interrupt, is it okay if I stick with you guys for a bit?" She asked softly while smiling. MewMew smiled as well.

"Well we can't have him running around like that, now can we?" Roxie answered Margriet, "The way he looks, Elesa won't even want anything to do with him. We've got some work ahead of us."

The three of them were about to enter the store when Roxie heard Skyva catching up, her Mew in her arms. She shrugged at the request, "I don't care. Radegast, I'll leave the decision to you."

With that, she walked inside and glanced at the selection of clothing. There were a lot of bright colored shirts with all kinds of nifty patterns and designs on them, a majority of them inspired by Pokemon. She stood among them all, searching for the right clothes that'll fit Radegast's style while fitting everyone else's around him.

"Yeah, come along," Radegast smiled, "I mean, I haven't actually shopped for five years or so, what do I know about fashion nowadays, eh?"

Side by side, Radegast and Margriet entered after Roxie. “I’ve modelled for half of this stock,” Margriet gestured toward the women’s section.

“I’ll pass on that, thanks,” Radegast quipped as he and his sister weaved through assorted customers into the men’s section.

“Come on, Radegast, I think you’d look lovely in some of the stuff I wore,” his sister teased. Radegast and Margriet may have been identical in height, but wherever she was slender and slim, he was bulky and schlubby. Only Radegast’s arms held the greater signs of the intense travelling he had done in the past.

“I’ll let you have your fun picking something out,” Margriet clapped a hand on Radegast’s shoulder- where the acid burn was set. “I’ll get you some stuff I’m sure you’d appreciate.”

“Maybe some shotgun mouthwash, Marge,” Radegast smiled.

This resulted in a really nasty reaction. “Ooooh! I don’t even know why I offered! You’re just the worst!” Margriet stomped as she snapped.

Radegast couldn’t respond, he was laughing so much. “Sorry, that was crossing the line there. My bad.”

Margriet stormed off, leaving Radegast in peace to pick out his fashions. Knowing his sister, she’d put her brother in some stupid nice suit that wouldn’t last a minute in even the tamest cave. Cargo pants, a new hoodie, a tee shirt, and… Radegast glanced down at his shoes. They were shredded, full of holes, with only the faintest patches of blood from long-past encounters. It was mostly his blood, but there was no telling what an officer would do if they looked closely enough to notice. He then noticed just how much larger his feet had gotten. The reason the shoes felt comfortable to him was because they were shredded to the point where they better resembled sandals. “Son of a bitch, how come you never told me my shoes were garbage?” He asked Elder.

“I thought they were supposed to be like that,” Elder stroked his chin in fascination, “I was wondering why you humans would design such oddly inefficient footwear.”

“Maybe she was right,” Radegast began thumbing through the different clothes set up on each of the circular shelves, “But I can’t afford any of this stuff… so that probably means she’s treating me… I wouldn’t want that, I wouldn’t want to owe her anything, or anyone for that matter.”

“Well, we have a tendency to fight dirty, let’s just use this to our advantage.”

Elder’s gestures and signs told Radegast the gist of what the Haunter was saying. “There’s fighting dirty, and then there’s betraying trust,” he eyed the Haunter knowingly.

The Haunter nodded thoughtfully, “Of course, of course.”

Skyva sighed internally. She just needed to get a feel of the place and the only person she semi, not really, knew was Radegast. She walked in behind everyone and looked at all the clothing. Listening to the girl talking to Radegast say she modeled some of the clothing. She was too keen on shopping, always picked out the same thing in different color. Holding MewMew in one arm she picked up a shirt on the rack before putting it back. "I rather spend my money on something...more useful." She said lowly.

The girl storming off caught her attention. "Well then.." Skyva mumbled before walking over to the small group. "I see you don't care much about fashion." She said to Radegast, glancing toward Roxie and not even going to try to start on her sense of fashion. "I stick to what I know...if it is comfortable and useful...it is good." She said smiling. MewMew wiggled out of her arms and flew over to a dress. The dress was a little to low cut and short for her taste. A blush crossed her face.

"M-MewMew...no....get over here." She whispered while chasing the MewMew around before finally catching it. "Goodness sakes. I don't even think he would like that kind of thing anyway." She mumbled to the mewmew.

Rubbing her chin at the expansive amount of apparel around her, Roxie tried to place herself in the shoes of Radegast...which would also need replacing, she thought as she looked down at the tattered bits of leather still left on his feet and begging to be killed. Something that looked some form of sleek so as to please Elesa and have her take notice. She was also aware that Radegast was a nomad so she would keep durability, comfort, and functionality as a factor in her decision.

She made a side glance as the sister stormed off in apparent disgust. It seemed like she wasn't going to be any help for the time being, which was fine with Roxie. She hadn't proclaimed it yet, but the Virbank Gym Leader got the impression that any design she chose out would have to go through Margriet first. Of course, that was only if she bought it. Roxie looked to Radegast once more, seeing confusion wrought over his face with a tiny bit of discomfort and apprehension. Roxie knew he likely wouldn't be comfortable with anything Margriet picked out. She also made a passing glance to Skyva, who seemed absorbed with her Mew as she appeared just as lost in this store as anyone else. It looked like the task of shopping for a teenager fell unto her.

Don't worry, Rad. I gotcha fam...

Just as she thought that exact line in her head, her eyes passed over a set of boots. They were steel-toed and made of a sturdy material, which was good for the long run. What caught her eye was the tiny accents of purple spikes jutting out each end from where the strings appeared through the holes, creating a sort of criss-cross design through the laces. They looked pretty awesome.

"Yo, Rad! Check it!" Roxie pulled the boots off the display and threw them towards the boy. They were a bit heavy, but they weren't that hard to throw.

"No offense intended, but you're a bit on the bulky side. Those will work for you much better than trainers!" she sifted through the jeans and quickly pulled out a pair of navy cargo pants that was the perfect size for Radegast. Flinging them in his direction, she accompanied them with a pack of grey wool socks that were perfect for traveling and wilderness survival, a black thermal shirt that was to be worn underneath all clothing to conserve heat or cool the wearer off dependent on the situation, a few cotton t-shirts in solid block colors of a similar theme that were made with a sturdy thread.

"Don't ask about how I got your sizes," Roxie said as she placed these clothes by his side, "I've been doing this a while. I am NOT picking our your underwear for you though. You can make that big boy trip all on your own. Now all we need is a jacket to tie it all together...hmm..." she walked over to the wall where all the designer jackets hung. "Too glitzy...too plain...ugh, pure leather? Who the fuck would buy this? Almost looks like something Nick would wear, except it's too shiny. Where the fuck- ah! Got it!" she practically leaped on the counter to pick up the only jacket of it's kind. It was made of leather only it wasn't nearly as shiny. The sleeves were a dark purple, matching the small accents on the boots. Flipping it over, the design on the back had what appeared to be a white silhouette of a Skorupi, tying the whole coat together...almost like it foreshadowed the evolution to come. It was perfect.

"Watcha think?" Roxie brought the coat in front of Radegast's eyes, flipping it over from front to back for him to see everything, "It's like it's calling for you or some other dumb spiritual thing."

“That’s how I roll,” Radegast replied to Skyva’s personal tastes in fashion. Particularly the boy was partial to what was comfortable. “Bu-u-ut I don’t think Marge and Roxie dig my sense of fashion… Probably not yours either,” Radegast stepped over to the Mew, who had indicated a dress that he hoped to hell that Margriet didn’t do a photoshoot in. He did not need that image in his mind… goddamnit…

“Anyway,” Radegast turned back towards the men’s section, where he started in. Roxie was suddenly in an unusual craze, picking out shirts and pants and shoes left and right. Radegast tried on the steel-toed boots, only to find them surprisingly flexible and light. “This is actually slick,’ Radegast eyed the… ‘sandals’… “Jeez, those used to be a size six…” he tossed the old shoes in a nearby garbage, and per Roxie’s preferences, got to underwear shopping himself.

Boxer-briefs were the way to go, mobility and relative warmth in one clean package. He didn’t even need to try them on- he already knew his size.

The shirts and pants were tried, many of them Radegast liked, but there were only so many he could pick. He wound up taking the thermal undershirt, a black and a light grey shirt, the navy cargo pants, the socks. He stepped out of the dressing room once more, with his hand-picked items in a shopping basket on the floor.

Then the jacket was thrust into his hands. His blue eyes glinted brilliantly from beneath the dreadlocks that hung over his face.

“I’ve been thinking, you never had a dark sense of humour when I knew you,” Margriet returned with a shopping bag filled to the brim with assorted supplies, “You’ve seen some terrible things, haven’t you?” She produced a black single-strap backpack that would easily complement any outfit, even the one Roxie had picked out.

“… Yeah…” Radegast placed the jacket into the basket. He did not see his sister’s approving nod. “I guess,”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but… are you still the same brother from six years ago?”

The silence between the siblings was thick enough to vibrate like pudding. “I’m the friend of my friends,” Radegast replied. Elder suddenly made a look and was about to speak up, but Margriet spoke.

“Blood-traitor-esque twerp that you are, you’re still my brother.” Margriet grinned, “Plus Elesa wouldn’t talk to me anymore if she found out my brother wore shoes at least three sizes too small for him. And… it is your birthday today.”

Elder glanced between the many, many shirts Margriet rejected. Every one of them puzzled the Haunter. They were all the same, strips of fabric stitched together, providing exactly the same amount of protection a shirt could possibly provide. What even is “fashion” when “practicality” was far more important? … wait… “Your birthday?” Elder asked.

“My birthday?” Radegast asked.

“… You forgot your own birthday?” Margriet groaned, “Holy Arceus you’ve really been living in the sticks?! Ugh! Why did Daddy have to let you keep going? UGH!”

Elder laughed. “It all makes sense now, buddy!” he dropped to the floor, slamming his fists on the soft carpet. “Happy sixteenth, bro!” he rose once more to jab at Radegast’s shoulder. “Dude, we gotta make up for the other fives years, eh?”

“We are making up for six years,” Margriet huffed as she half-assedly produced a pair of bandanas. Both held the same digital pattern, but one was purple while the other was blue. “An option to keep those dreadlocks out of your face, bro,” she said as she shoved them into Radegast's hands.

The single-sling backpack Margriet picked out was able to carry all the extra pairs of clothes, as well as all of the supplies Margriet had bought. The full count was as follows: 3390 Pokke, eight potions, six super potions, two full heals, two revives, a six-pack of lemonade, a four-pack of Moomoo Milk, four pecha berries, three oran berries, (the last three were returned to the bag for organizing purposes) two sitrus berries, six modified pokeballs, TM Toxic, TM Struggle Big, HM Cut, Radegast’s three badges, and the harmonica frame.

Margriet handed Radegast a series of four discs. Technical machines. “Seriously?” Radegast asked, “That’s expensive stuff, dude.”

“If you’re gonna ignore the fact that it’s your birthday, then make up for it with some of my old gear,” Margriet also handed her brother an amulet coin and a tiny purple ball. A smoke ball- the reusable hold item. “Your pokemon will need all the power they can get in order to take on Elesa and the other half of the league.”

Radegast reluctantly took the discs and placed them into the specialized pouch next to the other three discs. “Thanks,” Radegast replied, ignoring the “your pokemon” terminology. "Happy birthday…” he repeated to himself.

Skyva moved away from the women's section and over to the men's. She didn't say much, just listened. After a while she tuned out everyone, catching only pieces of the conversation. "It is his birthday!" She thought, then sighed, then left the group to look around the place. "Maybe there are some cards..." She thought again. Passing the clothing section she found a small places with nic-naks. "I don't even know the guy...but I don't want to be rude." She spoke softly to the MewMew.

MewMew helped searched with her, but couldn't find anything. She returned in time to hear that the guy was only sixteen. A weird type of gasp came from her mouth, even MewMew jumped.

"Oh? It's your birthday?" Roxie's smirk still held it's own despite this surprising bit of news, "Well happy birthday then! Now I don't feel guilty buying you all these clothes. I was wondering how you were gonna pay me back for them anyway, but I guess now ya don't have to. Lucky you, I guess."

She didn't seem to mind at all that Radegast forgot what day he was born. In her mind, some dates were more important to remember than others. She knew when her birthday was. She just didn't care about it all that much. In her mind, a birthday was the day one was born. Was there a need to overly glorify that fact? Birthdays were constant...always there.

A concert to see Dean Friday...now that wasn't something she could miss.

Remembering her whole reason for her visit to Nimbasa City, she paid for Radegast's clothing before turning a quick heel towards the exit. "Sorry to hit and run, Radegast, but I gotta jet! Dean Friday starts playing in thirty and I can't miss something that mind-numbingly awesome! Good luck on your battle against Elesa! She can be a toughie. Skyva, pleasure meetin' ya! Hope to see you around sometime. I'd really like to test Mew's resolve to Poison-Types. And Marge...well...bye!"

And with that, she was out the door, taking the receipt with her so that Margriet couldn't return anything Roxie had bought for him. Just in case there was something Marge didn't like that Radegast did...

After the items were purchased, and the receipt kept away from Margriet, Radegast exchanged a glance between his sister, Elder, and Skyva. “Never heard of Dean Friday, but have a great time!” Radegast called after Roxie. He then turned his attention to the discs he had received. As he looked through the discs, everyone burst from their pokeballs. “I got a bunch of TMs here, guys,” Radegast held up a disc. “Who wants Struggle Bug?”

The Galvantula rose a leg. “Another weapon in the arsenal! Yes sir!” The Operative also picked Cut.

The first of the new discs was Earthquake. Rage easily jumped at the opportunity to “AT LAST! I WILL DESTROY THE PLANET BY MY WHIM!!!”

The second was Dig, which was not yet picked by anyone. The third one was Rock Slide, which Rage also picked, claiming “I WILL DECIMATE THOSE COWARDS WITH THE EARTH THEY DISTANCE THEMSELVES UPON!!!”

The fourth one was Aerial Ace. Suros took that in a heartbeat. “Learning it naturally takes too long.”

Elder, of course, took Venoshock. With everyone equipped with new moves, Radegast turned to his sister.

“Thank you, really,” Radegast held a hand out. “I appreciate the family bonding, Margriet.”

Margriet huffed, and Radegast lowered the hand again. “Just so you know, I was only so friendly because it was your birthday… and for a good time, we thought you might have died…”

“I thought this was because Pops ordered you to?” Radegast smirked.

“Not entirely… Raikou does want to get back at you for what you did.” Margriet jabbed a finger at her brother’s chest. “You’d better not disappoint daddy.”

“Always do, Marge.”

With a twitch in her eye, Margriet bid farewell and left the store. Radegast smiled as he pounded fists with Elder.

“Welp, if we’re all in agreement, I guess we shall take on the Nimbasa Gym,” Radegast received five nods in response. Chrome was the one who did not not. “Sup, dude?” The sixteen-year-old asked the Beldum.

“Only hesitant to join another fight,” the Beldum replied, “This one has… instincts…”

“Hey, no worries buddy,” Radegast rose a fist to pound with the shiny Beldum. “If you don’t wanna fight, that’s your biz.” Regardless, Chrome returned to one of the empty pokeballs, as did everyone else save for Elder.

Radegast stood up once more and faced Skyva. “We’re taking on this Elesa person. Want to come with?” If Skyva decided to follow, they would walk together towards the Nimbasa City Gym.

Misty walked through the street with an angry smitten face, she had nothing left.

She wanted to know everything, who her parents were, where she was from. She looked up at the sky.

She accidentally walked straight into Jason,

"Watch where you are going!" She screamed into his face.

He said nothing. He just sighed.

"Come on Floss, Sari, we have work to do."

Maxin was a bit confused about what she meant by "It caught me," and he was about to press further on it, but Snips stopped him with a little whack of his tail to his side. The boy jumped in surprise.

"Hey, what was that for?" Maxin rubbed his side. Snips motioned towards the audience, telling Maxin that he would like to sit down and watch. Maxin shrugged.

"I guess we can stay a bit and watch Radegast take on the Gym," Maxin answered. "After all, I have yet to see how he battles opponents." He made his way to a table near the back and sat down. It had the perfect view of the catwalk and the center stage. He looked at Skyva, unsure about whether she was taking the Gym challenge like he and Radegast were or if she was just tagging along.

Meanwhile, it seemed the stage was set, ready to take on the next Gym challenger. All Radegast would need to do is walk up onto the runway to begin.

Radegast shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded to Elder as Tarma climbed back up the steps to the VIP booth. The Aegislash hovered around for a little while longer. “Young Radegast,” the Aegislash said.”

“Sup, Reggie?”

“Make your ancestors proud.”

“I’m not doing this for you,” Radegast smirked as he and Elder exchanged a knowing glance. Side by side, Radegast and the Haunter stepped up the ramp, onto the stage. The Aegislash hovered after Tarma and the aging Soundwave.

—

Margriet had just completed preparations for stepping out on-stage. She was wearing an outfit she had modelled for when she and Logan were in Castelia. “Elesa,” she started, “One of the challengers you might be facing is my brother. Would you be a dear and don’t go easy on him?” she asked with a friendly smile through one of the dressing room mirrors. “My uncle is watching.”

The first obstacle Radegast would have to hurdle was the beaut in Black. A sleek yet tight suit accented all of Model Nikola's curves and she almost seemed to blend into the marble runway beneath her, almost like she melted from the floor to greet the boy. The only other color that was on the suit was a bright yellow bolt in the center of her chest, the insignia of the Gym Badge. It glowed under the stage lights that popped on around the two of them.

"You have a lot to prove before you get to meet Elesa," she noted condescendingly, "Though that suit is a pretty nice start!"

She tossed the first ball in, a pink Flaaffy appearing from it, ready to do some combat. The runway model stood behind it, crossing her arms and waiting for Radegast's move.

"Whatcha think, buddy?" Radegast asked the Haunter. Despite the sheer beauty of these models, the sixteen-year-old seemed pretty much oblivious. Radegast was paying more attention to the condensed purple gas next to him. Elder's signature gaze commited every initial detail of the Flaaffy to memory. The Haunter then hovered forward. "Ah, taking point, are ya?"

Up in the VIP booth, Uncle Tarma did not move an inch. His eyes were wide, and almost as filled with intensity as the Haunter's. The Aegislash silently hovered next to the old man.

The Haunter made the first move. He swooped in, with claws dripping with Toxic poison. Elder jabbed as quickly as he could.

"Cotton Spore!" Nikola pointed as the Haunter swooped in. The Flaaffy closed her eyesand shot her arms forward, releasing massive amounts of floating pieces of cotton. The exchange of blows would send both Pokemon back to their initial positions.

The Flaaffy was poisoned badly. That much was assured. But the Haunter now looked like a fuzzball with the excessive drag it had accumulated in the exchange. Not to mention it would be much harder to fly around with all that cotton stuck to it. It made Elder incredibly slow.

Elder raised a clenched fist, which made Radegast's smirk switch to an expression of no-nonsense. The sixteen-year-old produced Elder's empty pokeball and recalled the Haunter. As Elder vanished into red energy, the cotton swabs began to float in all directions. Now that they no longer clung to the Haunter, they dissipated harmlessly around the stage and into the crowd. Elder immediately burst out of the pokeball, and tapped on another pokeball on Radegast's belt.

The Beldum appeared. "Chrome, I set 'em up. Wanna knock 'em down?" Elder asked.

"This one would like to get stronger," Chrome replied as it hovered into the center spotlight. With a slow-ish charge-up, the platinum-coloured Beldum burst forward to attempt a Zen Headbutt.

Nikola took the switch to prepare for something she planned to do later, "Flaaffy, Charge!"

The Flaaffy began to rub her feet together, producing static charge as the Beldum appeared in front of her. Now that she was more "amped" up, her eyes held a more surge-like glint to them as the Beldum approached with Zen Headbutt. She took the hit dead on.

"Ooooh, that one's pretty," gushed the model, " But I guess I have to take it out. Thunder Shock, go!" came the call. While the two were interlocked from the blast, Flaaffy surged, the jolt of electricity having no problem with hitting the Beldum. The power of this move was significantly doubled due to the Charge she performed before Beldum entered the arena. The result of this was a very shocking discovery for Chrome as it would likely be forced backward from the electricity jolt. That would do MUCH more damage than anticipated, leaving Chrome with the worry to be knocked out on the next hit.

"Oh, so close too!" Nikola pouted.

"Significant damage!" the Beldum hummed. Radegast stole a glance at the VIP booth, but then he glanced back at Elder. "Plan B, eh?" he grinned.

Elder nodded as Radegast recalled the Beldum. Elder swooped in once more. His fists began to burst in dual sprays of some kind of poison. Elder swung both fists as he manifested a Venoshock for the first time.

"A multiplier of you own, eh?" Nikola's eyes narrowed as the Flaaffy was completely wiped from the blow. "Man, you're kind of like Roxie."

She recalled her first and input her second, an Elekid with a bad attitude. Both him and Nikola seemed to share that same smirk with them, that same glower of a superiority complex. It was clear that this was the model's signature Pokemon.

Radegast produced a super potion to apply to the weakened Beldum... only the Beldum began to glow brighter than the platinum sheen. "Huh..." Radegast regarded the glowing creature with some sort of positive emotion. It seemed like pride, but it was more like... nostalgia...

--- THREE YEARS AGO - HOENN REGION

“What is that?” Elder asked. He and Radegast were sitting between a solid, yet oddly comfortable deposit of stone, located at the tip of a huge mountain. Behind them, slight heat waves rise. In front of them, the entire region of Hoenn expanded all the way to the huge blue oceans far, far off the horizon.

“Looks like a Snorunt,” Radegast replied.

“What?” The Ghastly turned to the human. Radegast pointed up into the sky. A triangular clown with an unusually symmetrical shadow slowly drifted high above. “Oh, nice! … But that’s not what I meant.”

“Hm?”

Elder pointed out the unusual sight to the human. Far down the mountain, a flash of red appeared between rocks. The approximate location appeared to be the same hiking trail Radegast and Elder had used to scale the inactive volcano.

“It’s a hiker,” Radegast leaned back in his makeshift seat. He could have used the bench several feet behind him, but he found this off-beat seating area surprisingly comfortable. “Hey, sup?”

The red poked over the rock to reveal a red-haired woman with gleaming, matching eyes. “Oh hey! Are you also a hiker?”

“Just a traveller,” Radegast and Elder both rose their hands in a chilled-out wave.

To Radegast and Elder, the thirteen-year-old boy looked rather normal. To Flannery, all she beheld was a kid almost her age wearing tattered clothes, and covered with a layer of ash disturbed only by several handprints. The boy was absolutely filthy, as if he hadn’t seen a proper bath in a long time. “Jeez, you look terrible.”

“Well, that’s your opinion,” Radegast shrugged, “I’m Radegast.”

“Flannery,” the girl replied, “My grandpa runs the Lavaridge Gym.”

“A Gym leader?” Radegast whistled, “Impressive.” The boy did not seem all that impressed, but the friendly demeanour did not indicate any ill feelings.

“Wanna battle?” Flannery asked, “I’m training to take grandpa’s place.”

“I guess if one of my buddies wants to help,” Radegast turned his gaze to Elder. “Up to you, bro.”

“Rage is always down for a fight,” Elder condensed a section of gas into a more solid chunk and tapped one of the four pokeballs.

With a shrill, piercing battle cry, the constantly enraged Mankey burst forth in a flash of red. “ELDER I WILL HAVE YOU DESTROYED IF THIS IS ANOTHER ROSE BUSH!!!!”

“Nah, bro,” Radegast scratched behind the Mankey’s ear, calming the pig monkey instantly. “This trainer wants to battle… Flannery, right?”

“Mm-hm,” Flannery sharply harrumphed like a gym leader-in-training. “Go Numel!” she called as she threw a pokeball with all her might. The Numel appeared, and cried it’s name.

Rage stamped on the ground not unlike a sumo wrestler. “YOUR GREATEST MISTAKE WAS THINKING YOU CAN DEFEAT ME! BUT ENOUGH TALK! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU’VE GOT!!!”

The Numel got into battle mode, baring it’s teeth with a bloodlust oddly fitting with the lazy-looking camel. Flannery called “Lava Plume, go!” From the hole atop the Numel’s hump, liquid fire blazed and splashed against the ground, cooling quickly upon contact with the ground, but emitting a lot of steam from the hidden pockets of water within the mountain stone.

Rage darted from side to side, expertly tapping his feet between splashes of slag. Being much stronger and faster than the Numel, Rage closed the distance while dodging every lash of deadly fire.

With a fist, Rage chopped directly across the side of the Numel’s head. The blow was fast, clean, and devastating. The critical hit had landed, and the Numel was launched to the side under the force of the blow.

“ORAAAAAAA!!!” Rage bellowed while thumping his chest savagely. Flannery beamed the Numel back into the pokeball seconds before the rounded creature could start rolling down the hiking path.

Suddenly, Radegast’s senses became oddly dull. A sharp pain sliced through his being like a bolt of lightning, and all feeling vanished. Like a sack of potatoes, Radegast dropped to the ground.

“Get rid of the pokeballs!” one voice shouted, “Leave them!”

“Why? They’re perfectly good fo-“

“They’re tampered, son. Let’s go.”

…

Radegast awoke, his dreadlocks disheveled in his face as he lay on his side. The cot he was left on was hard and flat. There was nothing fluffy to speak of. He might as well be laying down on an oversized bedroom shelf.

Probably because it was a shelf, in a room full of cases of multiple types. Every cage was empty, but in the middle of the room, a box glowed blue with crackling energy, and hummed an overpowering noise that barely disguised the sobbing within.

“Flannery, are you alright?” Radegast stood up, only to feel something tug at his wrist. With a glance, he found out that he was chained to the wall next to the cot. The links had not seen humidity in a long time, and were solid. He tugged a couple more times to confirm that the wall was just as solid. “Shit…” he muttered as he sat down on the cot. Soon enough, someone’s going to check up on him… That’s what they did in a prison, right?

Voices began to echo from a door on the far side. Radegast focused to understand what they were saying. “The girl got away.”

“It wouldn’t have been good to capture her regardless. Didn’t you recognize the hair? That was the Lavaridge Gym Leader’s daughter.”

“She defeated two of ours and recovered the belt and pokeballs the boy had.”

“That just means she’ll be heading back to call the police. At the very earliest, they would arrive within an hour. That’s plenty of time to pack up and vanish.”

“This would be a huge setback, though.”

“Then it’s good we have the Heir to the Reginalds in our custody. The Shield’s brother would pay dearly to have their only son back.”

“You hear that?” the voice continued as the door swung open. “You’re our meal ticket, kid.”

“How did you recognize me?” Radegast asked.

“It’s not like a layer of ash will cover that face, those eyes, that jawline. That’s not how foundation works, kid. In any case, we should get started on evacuation. Tell the grunts to pack up everything, get disguises ready. We’ll need to decide on a rendezvous point and several decoy clues for the cops.”

The door slammed shut, and the voices subsided along with fading footsteps. Radegast shot a look at the glowing blue box, and then he focused entirely on the cuff.

“I can take care of myself,” Radegast growled as he pressed his free hand’s thumb against a point on the chained-up thumb. After second thoughts, he grabbed the ash-covered hood of his hoodie and wrapped it around his head, so his mouth could bite down on the thickly layered fabric.

He had never attempted this before. Biting down on the makeshift “belt”, Radegast pushed hard. He winced and tried very hard to not squeal in pain. With the thumb dislocated, the hand barely managed to slip through the cuff.

With another wince, Radegast pulled the thumb back into place. “I can take care of myself,” he repeated weakly. He was rather spent from the pain, but he had no time to rest. Silently, he paced closer to the box.

A Meloetta sand sadly in the middle of an electrified cage. The magnetic waves that the bars emitted within the box negated psychic energy. Radegast only needed to take one look through the viewport to understand just what kind of shady business these goons were up to.

Radegast gripped at the handle of a door in the box and pulled. The outer box swung open rather easily. Considering the electrified bars, the box door hardly needed a reason to be locked.

The Meloetta flinched and backed as far away from the ash-covered boy as possible. Radegast ignored the pokemon. At the bottom of the box, a fair amount of circuitry painted a complicated picture that the thirteen-year-old couldn’t possibly comprehend. Radegast reached to grab some wires and pulled without hesitation.

With a shower of sparks, the crackling blue vanished. Radegast stumbled backwards with a handful of over-stretched wires with snapped solder endings. “Son of a gun,” Radegast hissed as he blinked his eyes to regain his vision.

“You set me free?” a voice asked- it was in pokespeak, but the voice was calming and beautiful, like a singer’s voice.

“I’m breaking out,” Radegast replied as he pushed himself back onto his feet, “My friends aren’t around. I’d hate to ask for a favour, but could you help me out?”

“It’s the least I could do,” the Meloetta twirled. The music-sheet hair wrapped around her hair a couple of times, leaving her in her Pirouette Forme. “They used a clever trap to capture me, because they are too weak to resist my song.”

“Hey, if you’re gonna be doing some sound-based stuff, should I plug my ears?” Radegast asked.

“Don’t worry, human. Allies will enjoy the music,” the Meloette hovered gracefully to the doors, and placed both note-like palms against the door. With inherent Fighting-type ability, the door was blasted off it’s hinges, just when a guard was about to open the door and investigate.

“Jesus dude!” Radegast stumbled over the guard and checked for a pulse. “Oh thank goodness, he’s knocked out,” he sighed in relief before taking the stun baton the guard had strapped to his belt. The pokeballs on the guard’s belt did not open. They were not like Radegast’s modified pokeballs. They would not open on their own unless unlocked manually.

Meloetta continued hovering carefully, with Radegast close behind. The two of them took turns to take down guards. Meloetta brought it’s opponents down with either it’s fists, or with powerful psychic potential. Radegast, however, jabbed them with the stun baton.

“You are a natural fighter… for a human.”

“I’m not even sure what you said there, buddy,” Radegast pulled the baton away from a now-unconscious guard. “Why did they capture you, anyway?”

“They called it Project Siren, it was meant to use my song to hypnotize huge groups under their control to-“

“Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t have asked a question like that to someone I can’t understand. That’s my bad.” The Meloetta halted and glanced at the human. The human boy read nothing but concern, and a whole lot of pain. “Eesh, must’ve been something shitty,” Radegast replied. “Well, I’m no fan of cages, so Imma help you out.”

“You won’t take this opportunity to capture me?” The Meloetta indicated a fifth pokeball in Radegast’s trousers pocket. Evidently, they did not confiscate that one, as it was empty… and broken. It hung open, uselessly in his pocket, with both ends of the clamshell design pressing lightly against his leg.

“Wait… I have an idea…” Radegast pulled the pokeball out from his pocket.

“To capture me?” Meloetta regarded the human boy with amusement, “I’d like to see you try.”

Radegast noticed the Meloetta had crossed it’s arms. “No no, not like that. Listen…”

—

“Help!” a voice called from down the hall. “I need a medic over here!”

The doctor rushed out. A uniformed grunt was carrying another grunt over his shoulders. “The intruder got out! This guy got hit with the door. He’s bleeding!”

The doctor rushed the two of them inside. The doctor then called for the two grunts stationed inside the infirmary. “Damn, he’s probably got a concussion. You said he was hit by the door, right?”

“Yeah. The kid and that thing we’re keeping hold on broke out. I don’t know how they did it.”

The doctor produced a small light and checked the glaze in the unconscious guard’s eyes. Suddenly, the doctor was filled with a tingling sensation. The feeling of a blast of electricity.

Radegast pulled the stun baton away to leave the doctor laying over top of the unconscious patient. The Meloetta burst from the pokeball and arm-barred the two guards at once. “They are quite uncomfortable… And I can’t believe that actually worked.”

“Yeah… I thought for sure one would have noticed I didn’t look like an adult…”

“You and this one were about the same height, actually,” the Meloetta examined the doctor as Radegast closed the door and began looking through an unlocked terminal.

“Finally,” Radegast smirked as he found a full blueprint of the base. “Looks like our shortest route to the exit is this way,” He pointed out a couple of quick turns, followed by a straight shot down a long, huge corridor. It resembled some sort of garage from the perspective of one who would read the blueprints. “Looks like that area might be too open.”

“We have the disguise, though,” Meloetta pointed out.”

“We do have the disguise,” Radegast repeated without knowing. “Alright, let’s hide these guys.”

Like the previous guards, Radegast and Meloetta hid the four unconscious men far in the back of the infirmary. Thankfully no one showed up. The Meloetta returned to the broken pokeball and Radegast readied his act once more. He slung the stun baton back in it’s sheath on the uniform and strolled out. Radegast kept the brim of the uniform’s hat relatively low, so no one would see his eyes and recognize him easily from a distance. He took light steps, and listened closely for anyone who would approach.

Somehow, no alarms had been sounded yet, even by the time Radegast arrived at the huge chamber. It was no garage, however. An enormous stealth bomber sat dormant at one end, being worked on by nameless workers. No one had spotted the disguised Radegast. Besides the stealth bomber workers, Radegast was the only person in the hangar.

He had half a mind to run… but it seemed too easy… It almost seemed like a trap to run toward the exit. Plus, these guys had something really terrible in mind. Radegast tapped on the pokeball to inform Meloetta to come out. The pokemon eyed the bomber with disgust. “That’s what they want to use me for.”

“Do you know how to fly it?” Meloetta nodded, pointed an arm at one eye. “Saw it done, eh?” Radegast smirked, “Wanna trash it?” Meloetta’s face beamed as it nodded once more.

Radegast used his commanding Reginald voice to bluff the workers into heading to Central for an emergency meet. The workers did not question, in fact, they ran like they were just threatened by a gangster. Once they boarded the vessel, Meloetta once again popped out from the pokeball and high-fived Radegast. “I can’t believe that worked!” Meloetta sang.

“Alright, let’s get this party started,” Radegast searched assorted cupboards for supplies as the Meloetta took the pilot’s seat and began adjusting for the smaller body of the pokemon. “Got a parachute here,” Radegast pulled the parachute from a locker. “Let’s get this going fast. Those workers will absolutely blow our cover.

The stealth bomber whirred to life as Meloetta remembered every detail of the launch process. The engines were revved, and the entrance was closed to a flatness that seemed seamless. “Wait…” Meloetta paused as it came to the last step.

“What?”

“This needs confirmation from Central…”

“Shit… there’s gotta be an override somewhere,” Radegast began checking the controls for anything that could be related. Few of the buttons were actually labeled. “Shiiiiit.” The alarm then sounded off. “Shhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

“OH! I remember! There’s an override on the co-pilot’s panel,” Meloetta pointed at one of the other two chairs. “I remember they did a test on that system.”

Radegast scrambled to that seat. “Which one is it?”

“The big red one.”

“There’s like, three of them.”

“Hit all three of them!” Meloetta’s impatience rang loud and clear to the human.

Radegast slapped all three. The second one turned out to be the override.

“Yes!”

“Good thing too. I just remembered that the third one’s the self-destruct.”

Radegast cringed. “Oooooohhh….” The first button, however, fired off dozens of flares, which caused the approaching guards to scramble in panic. “Alright, let’s fly!”

Meloetta punched it, and the stealth bomber began to move. Pokemon were now being summoned, and were launching attacks at the bomber. “Damn,” Radegast flinched as a thunderbolt bounced right off from the cockpit window. “They really pulled all the stops to build this thing… I almost feel bad we’re gonna trash it.”

“I’m not,” Meloetta flatly replied as the bomber picked up speed and deflected a Rock Throw with ease. The aircraft was designed to really shrug off some serious anti-air capabilities. “They tormented me to sing for hours on end while they tested the Siren system…”

Radegast glanced toward the back of the bomber. Beyond the loading ramp they had just used, a storage container with similar bars to Meloetta’s cage sat, crackling and blue. At the bottom, a label read ‘SIREN’. “Anyway, once we get out, you might wanna lay low for a bit, or at least jump to the next region.”

“Something tells me there’s another option,” Meloetta said as Radegast rose from his seat.

“Or, we turn around, and disguise our sky-diving with something truly spectacular,” Radegast searched a panel directly under the plaque. Inside a small drawer was an unusual disk. Without a second thought, he shoved the disc into his pocket. It looked immensely important. Maybe the police could use it… or maybe it could be insurance to keep this strange group off his back.

Meloetta seemed to like what Radegast was thinking. “You must be a good trainer.”

“Nah,” Radegast replied, causing the Mythical pokemon to double-take. “I’m no trainer. My dad is, but I’m not my dad.”

The bomber was turned around, and set on auto-pilot to fly low up the mountain, past the mountain, and self-destruct over the ocean out past the dead volcano. Meanwhile, Radegast and Meloetta would use the cover of the trees to hide their early jump.

Soon enough, the bomber soared, tilting slightly to barely avoid clipping the tip of a particularly higher peak of the volcano. Distant shouting was muffled immensely by the trees that surrounded Radegast. After throwing off the uniform Radegast quickly moved through the trees, down the mountain.

As they reached Lavaridge, a distant rumbling noise washed over the volcano. Officers were already on their way up the mountain to investigate, and all of them were immensely worried at the implications of the explosion. The lead officer called for backup, and a lot of help from other cities.

Radegast slipped in with the rest of the crowd, and seemed like he had been there the whole time. “What was that?” he asked innocently.

Many citizens muttered something about an explosion. Soon enough, police helicopters began forming up around the top of the mountain.

“Radegast?” a familiar voice asked. Radegast turned to see Flannery.

“Yo, are my friends…” Radegast then saw Elder carrying the belt and belt bag next to Flannery. “Oh thank goodness, I was worried about you guys.”

“Speak for yourself, Lord-Regent. I saw them take you away.”

“Next time,” Radegast pounded fists with a condensed block of gas as he whispered, “We’ll take on some criminals together, a’ight?”

Elder jabbed Radegast’s shoulder, and the two of them laughed. Flannery gave the two of them an odd look. “Are you really okay, though?” Flannery asked.

“Yeah, perfectly fine,” Radegast replied, “Bu-u-ut I think I should get going. You understand.”

Flannery extended a hand, then thought against it. “Well, you might want to hit the hot spring before I can shake your hand.”

“No can do,” Radegast puffed his chest, which caused Elder to laugh once more. “I gotta get into hiding, in case some of those guys get past the police.”

The thirteen-year-old boy vanished into the bordering trees, carrying the belt Elder retrieved. Once they were out of view, Radegast tapped the one pokeball in his pocket. The Meloetta burst out. “About time,” Meloetta hummed in annoyance.

“Sorry about that,” Radegast said, “Had to make sure I wouldn’t be seen as an escapee.”

“Well, thank you for your assistance,” the Meloetta regarded the Ghastly with a condescending look. It shook it’s head to let the notesheet hair flow down in an Aria form.

“A Meloetta?” Elder asked with a dull expression. “What kind of Mythical-based superweapon could some criminals build with a Meloetta?”

“Hell if I know,” Radegast chuckled with a shrug, “Point is, we’re free to go. I guess we’ll see each other later then?” he held a fist up towards the Meloetta.

It’s expression softened, and the note-like fist met the human’s. “You are just adorable, thinking you can gain my trust so you can capture me.”

“Eh, believe what you want,” Elder rolled his eyes.

“Excuse me?” Meloetta asked.

“Believe what you want,” Elder repeated, “That’s technically what being free means,” he grinned widely.

The Meloetta seemed put off by this demeanour. Radegast rose his hands. “Look, if you don’t wanna join the crew, that’s perfectly fine. Everyone’s free to join and leave.”

“This must be a joke,” Meloetta seemed almost… unsure.”

“Bro, he breaks pokeballs to make sure we still have control,” Elder picked up his own pokeball. it flopped open, as uselessly, yet technically functionally as the one Meloetta had used. “It’s your choice with the Lord-Regent. What other trainer would offer that?”

“I apologize for my… rudeness,’ Meloetta bowed low in mid-air, “Regardless, I must decline.” It shook it’s head.

“No worries bud, you’ll always be a friend in my book,” Radegast’s stance slackened a little as he grinned happily. “I got some buddies like that already, you know.”

“I’m sure you’ve earned their trust as well as you’ve earned mine,” Meloetta replied, “If we cross paths again, I’m sure adventure would follow.”

“Here’s hoping next time isn’t a crazed criminal hell-bent on controlling a city,” Radegast and Elder laughed, unaware that the Dam was only a couple of years away.

They parted ways, and Radegast’s next sighting by an unaware civilian was in the small town of Odale, several weeks later. He graciously used the services of the Pokemon Centre, and was one again out of sight.

--- PRESENT DAY

Elder, however, was not one to stop the fight to enjoy a glowing light. He's a dirty fighter, after all. Once more, he swooped in to jab the Elekid with the same Toxic poison as before.

Nikola grinned as she knew the Haunter was setting up his dirty tricks once again. This would give her time to set up a dirty trick of her own.

'Alright Elekid! Let's show this ugly brute what's what! Light Screen!"

The Elekid closed his eyes and held his palms out. Immediately, a barrier of Light emmitted between the Haunter and the Elekid as the two separated. Nikola's Pokemon was poisoned once more, but Nikola had her doubts she was going to win this fight anyway. After all, she was only the opener.

Elder grinned wildly as he activated the Venoshock. The Light Screen would really do nothing to "protect" against the attack. That was not how the move worked.

Radegast chuckled with glee as the shiny Metang experienced depth perception for the first time. Chrome examined the two arms it had grown, and pulsed a magnetic wave of... some sort of joy. "This one can fight now," The Metang hummed. "No more tackles... I would like to use one of those discs, human." Chrome pointed at Radegast's pouch.

'Oh, want a new move?" Radegast asked as he flipped through the different discs. Chrome tapped a finger lightly on the one labeled 'Rock Slide'. "Alright," Radegast registered the move in the indescribably technological way that TMs... did their thing... and shit... fuck how do they even work you slap them on a dude's head and shit? How the fuck do I describe that?

"Exactly like that," Nikola replied immediately to the writer for Radegast before turning her attention back to the fight.

The Elekid tightened it's fists and pulsed, a bright yellow wave extending outward from his body as it engulfed the Haunter. The familiar purple jolts appeared on Elder's body as he would likely sieze up from the Paralysis set in on him. However, the damage had finally set in. The Venoshock would've wiped him out had the Elekid not set up Light Screen before Venoshock, allowing him to get a Thunder Wave in before passing out from the Poison. Nikola stamped her feet in frustration before recalling her Pokemon and stepping to the side.

"Ugh, I guess you can pass," she muttered before looking towards the stage.

Elder's eye twitched in annoyance as the paralysis kicked in. Radegast had to move up-stage in order to drag the Haunter off to their side of the unorthodox arena. "You able to talk?" Radegast asked.

"And move slightly," Elder replied through gritted fangs. "Or maybe one of the Full Heals..."

Radegast produced one of the Full Heals Margriet had bought, and applied it to Elder. The paralysis faded rapidly, and Elder could move unimpeded once more. "Alright, one down... looks like two or three to go."

"We got this, buddy," Radegast pounded fists with the Haunter.

The second trainer in their way brushed her long flowing hair to the side as she stepped forward. What would be instantly noticed by both Radegast and Elder was that it was electric blue. Her get-up, unlike the sleek black tights Nikola had wore, was vibrant and loud. Multiple bright neon colors in the shape of dotscoated her entire aparrel, giving her the look of a walking disco. The only noticeable mark upon her was the Gym Badge insignia shining brighter than the rest of the colors, the yellow bolt a constant reminder of what Radegast was trying to go for. The beaut in Neon produced an Ultra Ball and tossed it casually in her hand.

"Well, well, not a bad choice of apparel," Model Fleming winked as she posed, "Looks like you took a dig through Roxie's closet."

She produced a Blitzle, who whinnied in response to the lights and the runway and struck a pose herself. It's eyes were also electric blue and waiting to see what  Radegast and company would do first.

Radegast regarded the beauty with the same indifference, as if he had seen models trillions of times, and was now completely unaffected by their astonishing looks... Perhaps Margriet and his mother were to blame on that front, or maybe there was something else that made him very different to most other people. Six years in the wild, as Margriet said in the store, is bound to change people on a deeper level.

"Well, I couldn't refuse," Radegast shrugged, with his hands still in his jacket pockets. "Wouldn't wanna look a gift Blitzle in the mouth, you know?"

Elder seemed to vanish into a puff of smoke. The gas rematerialized back on the field, and Elder's eye flashed bright. A ghostly hallucinogen flared and embedded into the Blitzle's mind. Following the attack, Elder swooped back to keep his distance, ready to follow up the Confuse Ray with another Toxic injection, or retreat if an attack was launched in his direction.

Fleming knew what kind of angle Elder would be playing at immediately the moment the Confuse Ray hit. To which, she had a retaliation planned, "Thunder Wave, go!"

But the Confusion did it's part and Blitzle ended up being hurt in the confusion.  Adding insult to injury was Elder with another Toxic injection. Fleming tried again, "Alright, this time! Thunder Wave go!"

But luck was not on her side as the Blitzle hurt itself again, taking in even more damage from the Toxic piled onto it. Fleming would sigh in relief as the Blitzle shook it's head and regained focus, the Confusion wearing off after those two strikes. She called hurriedly to her Blitzle.

"Thunder Wave, go!"

She wouldn't get the attack off fast enough, meaning Elder would have another chance to strike before the Wave hit and the paralysis sunk in. Perhaps she could get one in...

lder's fist materialized with a puff of smoke. A Sucker Punch was launched, poised to clock the Blitzle in the jaw. The Thunder Wave did not have a chance to be launched. The Blitzle collapsed under the force of the punch and Fleming grinded her teeth in frustration.

"Okay, no more miss nice gal! Flaaffy go!"

The familiar pink form of Flaaffy reemerged, a confident smirk on it's face.

"Oh, you were being nice?" Radegast quipped, "Sorry, it didn't seem like it. I thought you were going all-out there."

Uncle Tarma's raspy laugh erupted from the VIP booth. "Come now, my boy! You shouldn't taunt a lady like that!"

Elder considered his options for a split-second, before coming to a dastardly, terrible plan. "Rage!" Elder called as he retreated.

The Primeape burst from the pokeball, materialized in mid-air, and bellowed a wordless battle cry that shook the acoustic buffers all along the walls. With a single fist, Rage slammed into the stage flooring. A concentrated earthquake shook the entire stage. Elder was unaffected, while Radegast seemed to expertly shift his balance.

"By Arceus, I'm gonna need a hearing aid at this rate, kid!" Tarma jabbed.

Fleming had a hard time keeping her balance, especially in her high heels. Flaaffy had a much worse time with it, becoming knocked out before even having the chance to do anything. This left the model literally stunned.

"What...the fuck..." she muttered, too shocked to even step out of the way for Radegast to go past her. There was enough room on the runway to scoot past her.

"Hey," Radegast held up a fist to bump with the model as he passed. "We all have off days, it's all good." Rage bellowed a victory shout before returning to his pokeball. Elder could barely stifle immense laughter. "Hey come on," Radegast said as he noticed Elder shivering in a pathetic attempt to hide his unintentional mockery, "That's not polite."

Uncle Tarma, however, was roaring with laughter, as was the wheezing Noivern that lay next to his oldest friend. "That means you too, Uncle!" Radegast barked.

"Tarma Reginald, please control yourself," The Aegislash robotically suggested like a slightly unnerved butler. "You are mocking the establishment.

"Yeah, whatever Reggie said, I dunno what he said," Radegast shrugged.

The third and final hurdle on the runway stood out from the other two. While the beaut in Black was sleek and the beaut in Neon was vibrant, the beaut on Fire was intense. Her stance held no humor in it and her eyes always seemed to look furious. But what was most off-putting about this trainer was her clothes. Despite being in the Electric-Type Gym, she dressed in a gorgeous red dress that seemed to lick out towards the audience as if they were flames. Even her PokeBalls glinted as if they were embers of their own design. She was gorgeous and she knew it.

She spoke no words, only flicked her wrist and sent a Pokemon out, ready to battle. Another Elekid as Radegast would figure out. This one held itself in a stance of combat and eyed the dreadlocked teen with an intense stare. She was ready to put on a show.

Radegast's eyes were completely relaxed, completely the opposite of Elder's critical gaze, and the short-lived Primeape's eyes that blazed hotter than the beaut could dare to dream. "Whatcha think, buddy?" Radegast asked, as calm as ever.

Elder took point. Any move he had was risky at this point, since they no-doubt knew his moveset entirely... except for Lick... but Lick was not an advantageous move since Electric-types were immune to paralysis. Elder decided he would retreat as soon as he had more intel.

This lady knew better than to wait around. Instead, she took the opportunity to get an early strike in.

"Shock Wave," she called, her tonality in her voice representing intensity and vigor.

The Elekid proceeded to charge up it's attack...and was interrupted by the familiar fists of Sucker Punch. Elder's gleam of delight in his eye and chuckle accompanying the first strike seemed to stir frustration in the Elekid's demeanor. Her attack struck quickly and almost immediately after the Haunter's punch. There would be literally no room to dodge such a strike.

Elder was sent flying from the blast. He crumpled onto the ground with a groan. "Worth it!" Elder called weakly. "Let's get Chrome back out, I could use a medic or something."

Radegast couldn't help but corpse. His laughter was complemented with the Haunter's own. "Shit dude, that was awesome!" Radegast said.

"Mind your language, boy!" Tarma called, though the stern tone was betrayed by tears of laughter in the old man's eyes.

"Actually I'm perfectly fine," Elder resumed hovering, "But I did some good setup there. Whatcha say, Chrome?"

"This one will utilize a greater arsenal to achieve victory... like so," The Metang hovered past Elder and rose both arms. Using magnetic potential, the Metang formed rocks from dust in the air, on the ground, on tables and shelves. Chrome fired off a Rock Slide directed at the Elekid.

The Elekid crossed her arms as it took the full force of the newly formed Metang's attack...and lived to tell the tale. She had one eye closed and she seemed to be struggling from the hits, but she was still able to get another move off.

"Elekid, Electro Ball!" she called.

The Elekid produced a pulsating orb of electricity in it's palms before firing it at the Metang with full force. It was more than double it's speed, meaning it would hit for more damage. The Metang would likely be able to take a couple more hits like it, but any physical move it could get off would likely mean the Elekid's defeat.

The Metang followed up the rock slide by moving forward. At-first like a glacier, but the magnetic power began to build an incredible amount of momentum. The Electro Ball splashed against the Metang, technically with no physical force. While it did the great amount of damage, it did nothing to quell hard physics. The Metang bowled towards the Elekid, aiming to grab the pokemon and bring it into a devastating Take-Down.

The Elekid groaned as it fell from the force of the strike that wasn't as devastating as the Metang thought, but it did the right amount of damage and that was better. The model merely grunted before tossing in her second Pokemon and the last one to beat before Radegast could face Elesa...a Blitzle. This one played no games unlike his counterpart controlled by Fleming. He held that same furious stare...that same intense drive within him to be fabulous...to be glorious...to be powerful...

The Metang retreated, very much weakened from the recoil of it's attack and the Electro Ball. Elder held a hand up high, which brought a confused expression from Chrome. "It's a high-five, bro," Elder said, "Come on, gimmie some skin."

"I don't understand this tradition," Chrome flatly stated before returning to it's pokeball. Elder's spines drooped slightly, only to spring back to a youthful straightness as he tapped on Rage's pokeball once more. "You got yourself an admirer," Elder teased as the Primeape burst out once more.

"A WHELP!" Rage shouted, "AND NOT THE LEADER? I SHOULD BE INSULTED!!! BUT I AM NOT!!! AN INSULT TO THE INFINITE POWER OF RAGE IS A MERE SPECK OF DUST! I AM STRONGER THAN CHEAP JEERS AND JABS! I AM STRONGER THAN WORDS!! I AM STRONGER THAN SOUND ITSELF!!!"

"Might wanna... like, do that then," Elder smirked.

"WHAT?!" Rage's eye twitched. "OH!... DAMN THE GODS!! DAMN THE EARTH, FOR I SHALL SUNDER AND... UUUUURGH!!!" Steam began to waft from the incredibly furious Primeape. "I WILL... I... FUCK LET'S JUST FIGHT!!" Rage then bounded into the arena. The Blitze seemed a little more agile, but a Blitze was still grounded. Rage extended his legs in a stance similar to a Sumo wrestler. With a stamp, the stage once more shook violently.

As to why Radegast wouldn't just use Rage and his Earthquake for the duration of the runway, the Gym staff would never know. Perhaps it was to spread the experience across Radegast's team. But, regardless, the final hurdle was hurdled, the finishing blow delivered, and the final model stepping aside to let Radegast take the spotlight at center stage. 

"Good luck," was all Ampere said to Radegast.

"Thanks," Radegast held a fist to bump with Ampere. "You're pretty cool as well."

"I'M JUST TOO POWERFUL NOW!" Rage shrieked as he passed by Ampere alongside Radegast, "IS THIS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE SUROS? IT'S AMAZING!"

"We just took on subordinates," Elder said, "We're going to be facing the real challenge soon... Shouldn't we rest up before the last fight here?" he asked to Radegast.

"Any chance we could heal up after three fights in a row?" Radegast asked in that very stoner-like demeanour he held, "I mean, why not?"

Ampere nodded as Fleming and Nikola joined her. Together, the three models walked onto the stage and stood off to the side. Whenever Radegast was ready, he could proceed to fight Elesa.

After a quick rest, where Elder and Chrome recovered some health, Radegast stood firm and approached the stage. "Alright, let's get this party started!" he called.

Uncle Tarma whooped, which triggered a coughing fit. Soundwave automatically pat Tarma's back lightly to try to help the process along.

All of a sudden, all of the lights faded. Nothing could be seen except for the barely visible motion of the crowd below them and the dizzying array of lights that seemed to fly around in random and various patterns. If Roxie's stage had been preset and punk rock-like, Elesa's stage was techno-esque and very modern.

"To meet a Reginald is an everyday occurence," came a feminine voice over a microphone, "To work with one can be considered a standard. But to fight one...now that's an honor."

During the fights to get to the stage, Radegast may have been oblivious to the audience that had been watching, the largest one out of any of the gyms so far. But now that his mind wasn't on combat, he could take in the full atmosphere he had set in his wake. Many were roaring their approval towards the teenager in dreadlocks that stood alone on the stage, chanting his name over and over. "Radegast! Radegast! Radegast!" It was no surprise as to who had taught the mass of people his name as a very young Maxin stood in the corner and gave the teen a thumbs-up.

"Three Gyms you have gone up against," the voice continued, "Three Gyms you have conquered. Some were easier than others. Some were more worthwhile than others. But now you stand in my Gym. And while I can't speak for you, I can only hope this gym becomes a turning point for your journey, for the better I would assume."

The lights flashed on by the entrance, revealing a woman with a clear sense of style. She wore a massive billowing yellow scarf that seemed to be larger than her figure over a tight fitting electric blue and yellow skirt and sports top. Her hair was jet black with a single blonde strand running across the front of her face. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of red shades and the headphones she wore ovver her ears were ornate and cream colored, a blue antennae sticking out of the left ear cup while a red one stuck out of the right. The way she strutted across the runway asserted confidence in her form. The crowd went wild when she walked onto the stage and stood face to face with Radegast for the first time. She was taller by quite a bit, the teenager would find.

"Ready to go for the Bolt Badge?" she asked.

Among the models that formed the backdrop, Radegast spotted his sister, sporting an electric-yellow and blue bellydancer's outfit that matched much of the fashion present on-stage. Radegast put off answering Elesa's question by calling out to his sister. "Yo! Put some clothes on, Marge!"

Margriet took every ounce of self-control to avoid purpling in fury. However, not even that self-control withstood the subsequent guffaws of Tarma Reginald. "Damnit kid you're killing me!" Tarma wheezed, "Nah but for real, put some clothes on, Margriet," he joked.

"Uncle!!" Margriet's face turned a deep red.

"Just kidding," Radegast smirked, "Anyway, let's do it."

The Gym Leader merely smiled as Radegast appeared to straighten himself, "Oh, relax young Reginald. There's no need to present yourself like that." She smiled...genuinely smiled, at the dreadlock sporting teenager before continuing.

"Radegast, many things are learned from a Pokemon battle. Not just things like the strength, skill, and strategy of a trainer, but things about their personality as well. More importantly, we learn about ourselves and shape who we want to be and how we wish to present ourselves to the people around us. I learned just as much from you as you likely did from me...maybe even more. The way you present yourself in front of me, not out of desire or pride but out of companionship and compassion...it's not something I've seen from a person with a last name such as yours in a long time." Elesa made a slight glance upwards towards the VIP booth and gave the spectator there a knowing grin before grabbing Radegast's hand and holding it out in between them. Elesa's electric blue eyes bore right into Radegast's calm exterior.

"You have a lot to prove, young Reginald. To your friends, who see you as an equal. To your family, who doesn't. To the world which contains a lot of mixed entities, both good and evil. Most importantly, to yourself and where you want to end up at the end of your journey. These paths will come in due time and when all is said and done, you will make a decision. I hope you make the right one. Until then..." she let go, releasing the pin she had placed in his palm. When Radegast would unfurl his fist, he would see this:



The Bolt Badge gleamed with an uncanny luster to it, one that out-shined the other badges Radegast had collected so far. It seemed to sparkle within the stage lights, much like everything else that was of Nimbasa City origin. At the same time, the massive screen behind the two of them lit up, showcasing the face of Radegast plastered onto it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Elesa spoke, holding a hand out as she presented Radegast on the center stage, "I hereby award Radegast Reginald the Bolt Badge!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as the familiar chant of the teen's name began to sound once more. Elesa's smile returned to it's familiar gleam, the gleam of a performer as she presented him with 3840 Poke and the TM for the move he was more than familiar with...the glory of Volt Switch.

"Thank you for helping me retain my spark," she told the boy as she gracefully held her hand out towards the catwalk that led to the exit, "You may leave when you are ready."