Fuchsia City

An odd sound started to fill the air... the sound slowly grew in intensity, before suddenly, a light suddenly flashed in the middle of the street. A blue blur suddenly darted out of it, before attempting to slow down, the blur's form starting to become more visible... it was a pink haired young woman around the age of seventeen, skidding her boots against the ground in an attempt to slow her speed. Eventually, the young woman stopped, wearing a triumphant grin. "Heh... damn, I'm good with teleportin' now."

Ink held Sandshrew in her arms as she walked down the crowded sidewalk just outside the gym. There were moments that she had to squeeze past battles in progress, making her feel pressured to dip her toes in the pool, so to speak. But she had no intention of acting like an actual trainer just yet. No, instead she was just looking for her friend, though it seemed her Sandshrew had other ideas as it squirmed to get out of her arms.

Titania Brightsmith came out of the Gym behind Ink before seeing a familiar sight, though Ink might not recognize her old friend in her imposing get-up. "Hey! You with the Sandshrew! Stay right where you are, I'll come get you!"

It was like a sea just parted as everyone chose to stay out of this woman's way. It was moments like this that made all the grueling training she went through to get here all worth it.

Ink blinked at the voice and winced while turning to look towards it. Had someone really picked her out for a battle? The sight of Titania threw Ink a bit before she finally recognized her and threw a hand up to wave to her friend. "Titania, hey!" With only one arm down around Sandshrew, the small pokemon found the opportunity to escape, leaping down and scurrying off towards another pokemon to pick a fight. That little guy was always so aggressive. Before Ink could snatch him back up, the creature dug into the ground and disappeared. "Hey! Sandshrew, get back here!"

Titania Brightsmith just chuckled. "Relax, Ink. Just stick close to me, I'll go get your friend. Go get 'em, Claw!" A large mole with steel implements of destruction popped out, giving the two of them quite a wide berth. "Keep 'em offa me, I gotta have room ta work," the Excadrill snarked before going down after the little one.

"You don't let Sandshrew out very much, do you? Pokémon can be like pets, but this one wants to get out and explore. I'm guessing it's been causing quite a bit of havoc around the apartment, hmm?"

Ink frowned. "Well, he has shredded through two doggy beds now...I would let him out more but I don't know how to train him. I feel like he just needs a good work out but I'm too chicken to let him out of my sight..." Sighing, she crossed her arms and stood next to Titania, turning to watch for her Sandshrew who just then re-emerged just in range to give a good bite to a poison type pokemon. "Hey! Be careful!"

Titania Brightsmith smiled. "All right, looks like he's found himself a good scrap. Those claws he used on the doggy beds? I bet they'll do some damage to that Ekans there, too. Go on, tell him to use Scratch."

Ink looked worried. "But I don't want him to get hurt...Er, use scratch, Sandshrew!" For a bit of comfort, Ink reached out and took hold of Titania's hand, eyes glued to the battle her Sandshrew just started.

Titania Brightsmith smiled as Sandshrew lunged forward and raked the enemy Ekans with its wicked claws. "Ooh, look out. Sandshrew looks like he's having a lot of fun battling, especially with the--LOOK OUT!" Dude to Ink's inexperience, all Sandshrew could do was stand there and try to defend itself from Ekans employing the attack Poison Sting. It didn't seem to affect him much, but then he shuddered.

"Uh-oh. I know what this is. You have to find a way to get him out of there before he passes out. Keep fighting if you have to!"

Ink didn't comprehend what was happening at all. All she knew was that Sandshrew looked like it was sick. "Sandshrew!" Really showing her inexperience, she let go of Titania and rushed in between the two battling pokemon, sweeping Sandshrew up into her arms before darting off. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was run. Slowing down a few hundred feet off, she looked down at the creature she was cradling. "What's wrong little Sandshrew? Are you okay...?"

"You idiot!! Claw, get in there and cover her!" A single swipe put the snake out of commission, but there were more pressing matters on her mind. "There's a center not far from here. Come on, before you do something that I can't protect you from."

Clearly, Ink had a lot to learn about care, feeding, and training her new companion. And Titania wasn't sure if she could manage to fit that into her busy schedule. "Okay. At the center, they'll heal your Sandshrew free of charge, but you have to put it back into the ball I gave you. After that, we're going to Castelia City and you, girlfriend, are going to have to go to school."

Ink blinked. "School? But that's what I came to tell you - I graduated! I'm all done with school!" she tried to explain while rushing towards the center. Once there, she handed over her poisoned pal and waited in the front room with Titania. "I don't know why I ever took that Sanshrew from you...I need a puppy, not a pokemon." Ink said with a sigh.

Titania Brightsmith sighed. "You didn't take it--I gave it to you, remember? I wanted you to share the joy I have of sharing every day with these awesome creatures. That's what I was thinking. Guess I was wrong this time. Hey, it happens, right?" She gave the signature mechanic's shrug. "Just know that he'll always be there backing you up, no matter what. And now that you're in my world, you two have to learn how to work together as a team."

“Home sweet home,” Elder said. The two of them were staring at the peninsula they had to pass by as the ship moved closer and closer to the port-city of Vermillion City. The enormous Bike Bridge loomed overhead, opening up at a small section in order to accommodate the large ship making its way through.

“Should we visit?” Radegast asked.

“I dunno.” Elder admitted.

They had been aboard for approximately seven days. Throughout the trip, Elder and the others had their fun darting through maintenance tunnels while no one was looking. Radegast, however, continued his training, while seated in his hidden compartment. By the time they arrived at the shores of Kanto, Radegast’s phantom fingers were nearly second-nature. However, the cruiser staff did notice some missing stock, and a search party was sent out more than once. Fortunately, the good hiding places were places no human could comfortably fit inside.

On the day before arrival, Radegast watched some humans chattering from the shadows, and listened in on their conversation. There was talk about the Alolan Champion gone missing.

Lukas… Radegast grit his teeth. He hadn’t seen Lukas since… I’m not important… but it is my responsibility…

“Let’s do it,” Radegast grinned, “I’m sure Uncle knows already. Might as well drop by.”

Under the shadow of the bridge, Crystal and Suros emerged and the four of them jumped from their hiding place aboard the ship. With a blast of ice, Crystal formed a small boat-shaped chunk of ice, which Radegast landed on with the help of Suros. They left the crate behind- now empty as the provisions had lasted them only through the few days they spent at sea.

When Suros returned to her pokeball, Crystal moved to the stern of the small boat and began paddling with her tail. Radegast and Elder provided assistance with some hastily fashioned ice paddles. With Elder’s ghostly hands and Radegast’s budding psychic ability, neither were threatened by the cold grips as they made their way south, towards the Fushcia peninsula.

As the sun held itself high in the sky, Radegast and the others arrived at the Western shore. To hide the boat, Rage emerged and delivered a punch that shattered the ice formation into tiny shards. With that out of the way, and the Primeape and Dewgong back in their respective balls, Radegast and Elder stepped up the shore and into the forests surrounding Fuschia City and the immense Safari.

The Estate could be seen from the Safari Zone, high above, half-way up a distant mountain pockmarked with crevices left behind by glacier streams. The ground the Estate was built on was perfectly solid, made even more-so by the Catacombs that stretched far below.

The Gallade had not seen the traditional tiled rooftop of the central building for six years, and there it was. Between them sat the huge varied expanses of terrain that formed the Safari Zone. Pokemon grazed and humans hunted or gazed in kind. Radegast remembered the place well; it was where he learned the underlying cruelty humans subjected to Pokemon, and where he developed his personal creed- to desire only friends instead of slaves.

Elder melted into the Lord-Regent’s shadow as Radegast kept low and stalked through the tall grass. He kept one eye on the distant Reginald Estate as he moved. He exchanged greetings with a Taurus, (He was returned with a weird look, but otherwise no hostilities) and a Psyduck. (Psyduck kept the same expression, though he did quack a “suh dude” in response.) It wasn’t until half-way through the zone that he overheard a jarring voice.

“Mommy! What is that?” A child had spotted what looked like a Gallade wearing human attire and a human backpack to boot.

“I’m… I’m not sure!” The mother replied as she produced a phone.

Radegast paused. He recognized the woman, but not the child. The last time he saw said woman, she was still carrying. “Yoko?” Radegast stood up with a smile.

The mother caught Radegast’s unusually familiar stare. “Do I know you?” She asked.

Wait, of course she doesn’t. “No.” The Gallade shook his head, the tied-back dreadlocks retained from his previous form waved back and forth. Radegast glanced at the child, and waved. The kid waved back. “See ya!”

The Gengar burst from Radegast’s shadow and stuck his large tongue out at the kid, who shrieked, only to erupt in a giggling fit. The mother, startled, dropped her phone.

“Aw dude, that wasn’t cool!” Radegast called.

“Couldn’t help it, man!” The Gengar swooped around the jogging Gallade. “Besides, she’d have called it in and we’d get one of those officers on our tails.

“Speak for yourself about tails.”

“More like speak of the devil,” The Gengar pointed back. Radegast only took a moment’s glance to see that a patrol jeep had arrived almost as if on-cue. The Gengar melted into the ground.

“Oh boy,” Radegast dipped into the tall grass especially low.

After a moment’s wait, Elder emerged from the ground next to him. “They’re reporting a non-native wearing human clothes.”

“So much for the element of surprise,” Radegast muttered, “We’ll be safe once we’re within the walls...” He glanced back at the home he ran away from, “Probably…”

—

“I can handle myself.”

“Sir, your condition-“

“I’ve prepared for it. I’ve been using my cane this whole time, haven’t I?”

“At least for your brother’s sake. He worries about you.”

“You don’t know him like I do, Percy my boy.”

“My brother and I work for Sir and Madam nearly every day.”

“For ten years. I’ve got five times that on you at least.”

“At least take my ar-“

“I’m fine, really-”

Percy Fletcher and Tarma Reginald stood just inside the front gates. Tarma’s arms wobbled slightly as both of them held onto respective canes.

In the afternoon, a Gallade with dreadlocks, wearing a purple Skorupi jacket, summoned the Reginald Coat of Arms. “Well I’ll be a Mankey’s Uncle,” Tarma’s jaw dropped. Percy fumbled as he tried to pull his phone from his pocket.

“Let the boy in,” Tarma barked, “Quickly now.”

“Y-Yes sir,” Percy obliged. The electronically secured metal gate swung open, letting the Gallade and the Aegislash through.

“What in Arceus’ name have they done to you?” Tarma’s voice was raspy and hoarse, like his heart sank low and dragged his lungs down with it.

“Long time,” Radegast replied. He spoke as naturally as a Gallade could. As a trained Reginald, Tarma understood the words perfectly.

“Too long…” Tarma replied, his eyes still wide from shock. “Close the gate… if you’d please.” He added to Percy.

As the gate closed, Percy stepped out quickly to help Tarma. However, the Gallade was quicker on the draw. Percy had a feeling there was a reason why Tarma accepted the Gallade’s shoulder instead. “Is this how you did it?” Tarma whispered in Radegast’s ear- or at least where a human’s ear would’ve been.

“Did what?” Radegast asked, his eyes focused on the path leading up to the mansion.

“Fusion,” Tarma hissed, “I felt it. The adrenaline pumped in for a moment, and it levelled out. Before it was like being torn apart. What secret have you discovered?”

“I’ll tell you inside- and I think Dad might wanna hear about it too.”

“Of course.” Tarma nodded, “And kid…”

“Yeah?”

“Marcus won’t say it, Celadon definitely won’t say it, but… welcome home.”

—

Radegast’s side of the family were currently away on other affairs, with Gregory and Logan and most every other family servant out on assignments to gather forces- trainers with powerful companions, whose skills would only be compounded by their numbers. The ultimate goal was to be ready to stamp out any Psychic Rebellion activity that would arise throughout Ruula- or at least the areas in Ruula where trainers were more commonplace. Judging by what Tarma said, however, the forces that were once at the disposal of the Reginalds were at-best retired and at-worst… well, they were family friends back when the brothers were young spry men, and the Lion’s charisma held people together.

Tarma’s relatively laid-back approach, which deceptively hid a high-tier information network, seemed to backfire when it came to getting raw man and pokemon power together.

Even if the Seven Clans didn’t suddenly have a political crisis on account of Radegast’s “abominable” form, Radegast wouldn’t have dreamed to ask for their help. Despite that, the Seven Clans were keen on forming an alliance to gain a numbers advantage- at least in terms of protecting the ocean. In a way, the idea of gaining them as allies against the Rebellion specifically changed nothing. Radegast felt that he had a more imperative priority than the Psychic Rebellion.

Maxin was gone, but the Necrozma was not, nor was Lukas. He had no time to waste.

Even so, the training and stowing away on a ship for several days left his Gallade form with aching muscles. I just need some sleep in a proper bed… Overwork was, after all, one of the last things anyone would want while training.

The whole team emerged once they were inside Radegast’s room. Every one of them thought the same thing, and Suros asked. “This is strange. Where are we?”

“This is my room,” Radegast gestured to the walls, which were decorated with landscape paintings and prints, with only a single Pokemon-related poster, which appeared to be a corrupted motivational poster made in jest.

“Oh!” Suros blushed. Everyone else sifted around looking at the odds and ends that Radegast left behind. Books, a set of weights, an acoustic guitar kept in an airtight case in the corner, and an old laptop on an ethnic-styled desk. As befitting the Lord-Regent, even as a child he never demanded anything. While the room was only ever entered to be dusted and the walls were still nice and clean with a warm cream colour all around, the room itself felt stagnant and cold from abandonment. If Radegast didn’t feel welcome here, he didn’t show it.

“We’ll start tomorrow,” Radegast said to Reggie.

“Where shall we start?” Reggie asked as he emerged from his wood-finish pokeball.

“We’ll talk with Master Koga.” Radegast nodded as he opened the laptop. He then noticed that the battery was missing- clearly expired after 6 years of inactivity. The Gallade wondered if the computer even still worked despite having no current maintaining basic functionality. Hard drives did eventually lose data if they did not run for over a year. “Sparring with the ninjas would be a good starting point, I think,” Radegast tapped the on button, unsurprised that the computer didn’t even start, even with the AC adapter plugged in.

“The Fuchsia Gym is run by Master Koga’s daughter now.” The Aegislash corrected.

Janine? Radegast hummed thoughtfully. He hasn't seen her in a long time. He hasn't seen everyone he knew in a long time.

The Aegislash continued, “Still, I agree with the idea. In the past, I’ve always been the one doing ninja work, so it’d be a nice change of pace defending against it.”

“Plus if they’re planning to attack me again, they’d do it like before- an ambush.”

Marcus and Celadon held expressions part grotesque and part engrossed. Margriet was the only one who seemed normal enough in Radegast’s eyes- a face stretched in absolute horror at what she beheld. Tarma could hardly believe it himself, but exposure to the news left him somewhat calmer. Though his hands did shake as he held onto one of the canes.

“Did they-“

“It wasn’t the Rebellion,” Radegast interrupted; he expected what his father was about to ask.

“You’re making new enemies while we-“

“The Regicide Crew is old news,” This time it was Tarma who interrupted, “Though as we can see, more dangerous than my sources have told me.”

“Even moreso since this,” Radegast replied, “He’s captured a Necrozma and also secured Demonbreath.”

“Demonbreath…” Tarma hummed thoughtfully.

“What is Demonbreath?” Marcus asked, suspicious.

Radegast went on to explain Demonbreath, how it had lived, how it had died, and how it had been reborn, and brought to heel by the Marine through the power of Necrozma.

“I have several questions,” Marcus said, “Do they know about us? The Reginalds?”

“They don’t know I’m still alive,” Radegast replied, “As long as we don’t strike back, they’ll keep doing their own thing.”

“Can they ally themselves with the Rebellion?” Marcus continued.

“I doubt it. Their goals are entirely incompatible,” Tarma replied. Radegast gestured towards his uncle in agreement.

“Can the Psychic Rebellion target them?”

“I think… if they did, it would only be because of Necrozma’s presence,” Radegast replied. He remembered their attempt to recruit Chrome. “They want to win over fellow Psychic-types whenever they can.

“Final question: What will you do?”

“We are going to master fusion,” The Aegislash spoke for the first time today.

“Yes, and how did you do it?” Tarma asked, “Does it have to do with that glove of yours?”

Radegast nodded. “The Necrozma gave us this shortly before…” He sighed, and then explained how it seemed to work.

“The lack of power is concerning, to say the least,” Celadon noted.

“The way to get it back is through hard training,” The Gallade continued, “We will need time, and we’ll need to visit some people I’ve met out there.”

“This is just a courtesy call,” Marcus visibly didn’t like it, but he didn’t raise an objection.

“Margriet?” Tarma asked, “Is there something you wanted to say?”

“In private,” The elder sister replied as she stood up.

The gardens were especially nice at this time of year, with deep greens and late-blooming flowers filling the voids with a variety of yellows, oranges, and purples.

“What’s up?” Radegast asked, only to take a hand to the cheek.

“How could you?!” Margriet cried, “You could’ve told me! I was worried sick!”

“Mar…” Radegast stood up.

“I almost died in a skirmish against the Rebellion! Me and three others! Cleaning up your mess! That’s what the whole family’s trying to do!”

Radegast stood silent as she spat venom, but something felt off. “It’s not what this is about, is it…?”

Margriet grit her teeth. She shook her head. Admittedly, the Reginalds would probably have gotten involved if the Rebellion got more powerful in the future. Radegast’s presence and subsequent grudge merely sped things along. “Mom and Dad, they were glad you were alive, but they were glad you were dead the first time.”

“The firs…” Radegast remembered the shipwreck, where he first met Crystal. “Mm…”

“Uncle’s always too busy to care, so I need to make up for all that. You may be the heir, but you’re also my little brother- my only brother.”

The two of them stood in the gardens, completely alone. Radegast’s friends- Elder included- were still up in his room. From the corner of his eye, Radegast spotted Elder trying to hold Suros back from darting down after the slap.

Then Margriet slapped Radegast again. “What was that for?” Radegast hissed as he felt the same spot sting even worse.

“For Skyla,” Margriet replied, “She’s a wreck because of… Maxin. She threw her anger at me, but she was angry at you. You may live free and die hard, and you and your friends get more powerful, but…” Margriet glanced towards the large ancient tree, growing above the entrance to the Catacombs, “Every one before put that power to use for the greater good. That’s what our family is: the Shield of Light.”

“We weren’t always like that,” Radegast noted, referring to the early generations of Reginald, the bloody wars during the Scorpion’s time, the Vandal, among other “renegades” who almost tarnished the line.

“Because some tried to destroy us, that means it’s fine for you to try to destroy us?” Margriet asked.

“I would never!” Radegast snapped, “It’s just… All I wanted was to make friends, to be seen as an equal. If I ever wanted to protect people, I want them to know that I’m just like them, that nothing separates us. We’re all human and Pokemon. I never wanted to be a… a VIP.”

“Hard to say that now, huh?”

“Heh…” Radegast pulled off the Limiter and handed it to her. “Here, you try it.”

“Me?” Margriet accepted the glove, albeit incredulously. Radegast darted a look towards the house, and hummed rather quietly. Shortly after, the Aegislash arrived.

“You called, Young Master?” Reggie asked.

“Wanna try fusing with Marge?” Radegast smirked.

“Whaaaat!?” Margriet quickly slipped on the limiter. It was slightly larger due to being designed for Radegast’s hand, but the inner layer seemed to form-fit regardless.

Margriet felt the paper-like ghostly arms of the Aegislash wrap around her arms as the shield and blade met the grip of her hands. Her hair stood on-and for a moment, and goosebumps formed, but as the subtle flow of power established itself, she felt normal, and somewhat light on her feet. “Oh wow…” She noted as she slowly moved her arms. The shield and sword seemed like extensions of herself, as if the blade read how she moved and an instant later followed through with an assist.

“Weird,” Radegast noted.

“What is?”

“You’ve got a better grip on Reggie than I do.”

“That is because your body is unfamiliar to you,” Reggie replied.

Radegast harrumphed, Margriet laughed.

—

“Jani-i-ine!” Margriet called as she entered the gym, “Jani-i-ine! I’ve got someone you’d like to see!”

Seemingly from thin air, the young ninja appeared from a spinning panel. “Margriet!” She called. The two of them exchanged hugs. “My BFF! How have you been, Margriet?”

“Fine, thank you. How’s your father?”

“Still a member of the Elite Four. He rarely has time to come home, though.” Janine replied, “It’s really made me independent, being a Gym Leader. Maybe one day I’ll do what you do!”

“Oh no, you don’t wanna do what I do. I’m in the spotlight, that’s the opposite of what a ninja does,” Margriet and Janine laughed.

“So who’s the someone?” Janine asked.

“It’s a bo-o-o-y,” Margriet teased.

“Oooh!” Janine hid her face with her scarf, “Father wouldn’t like that.”

“A boy you had a crush o-o-on,” Margriet continued.

“No way!” Janine’s entire face turned beet-red. The scarf didn’t even help. “H-h-he’s back!? I thought he… you didn’t tell him anything, did you?”

“Not if you want to tell him first,” Margriet jabbed at Janine’s sides to get her to lower the scarf.

“Stop it!” Janine giggled.

“Anyway, he’s right here! It’s Radegast!” Margriet stepped aside, revealing a Gallade stepping through the door with a traditional bow. A Gengar stepped in afterward.

For a moment, Radegast and Janine stared at each other. Then Radegast turned to Margriet and asked, “Did she actually have a crush on me?”

“You didn’t even notice? She sent you Valentine’s Day gifts and everythi-” Margriet’s eyes widened, dumbfounded, but her question was drowned out by a horrified scream, followed by a thud on the tatama floor.

“Holy-!” Radegast flinched as he rushed down to Janine’s side. “You okay, man?” He attempted to project a fan-shaped hand and wafted air into the Gym leader’s face.

“Sorry,” Janine said after she returned, “It’s just… I felt your Qi, It’s…”

“Horrifying, I get that a lot,” Radegast clenched his jaw.

“His Qi?” Margriet was familiar with the term, having been friends with Janine as long as they had lived in Fuchsia City. In Ruulan physiology, Qi and Aura were essentially synonymous.

“I can’t fathom how it flows,” Janine stared at Radegast’s chest, then his arms and legs, and then his head- evidently staring at the Chakra gates. “It’s like ours, but at the same time it’s like a Pokemon’s. It’s… alien… like…”

“Two bodies fused into one?” Radegast asked.

“Three,” Janine corrected.

“Three.” Radegast’s eye twitched, “But that’s not possible.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was one Pokemon who did this, only one,” Radegast replied, “How could it be two?”

“You know…” Janine stepped closer and felt Radegast’s body, “The pressure points are the same, just shifted around for the different body… “Thick muscles too…” she muttered.

“I’m sorry?” Radegast asked.

“Nothing,” Janine continued examining, “I never really noticed up until now, but that extra body seems like… it was there all this time.”

Radegast cocked an eyebrow, and noticed Janine’s face turned red again. “You want to take a picture?” Radegast asked, only to get swatted by Margriet. Elder laughed.

“I must apologize for my brother’s crudeness, as usual,” Margriet rolled her eyes.

“What do you mean crude?” Radegast objected, “I meant for study! I mean…” He turned back to Janine, ”You know about this extra body, right? Why is it there? How come you never noticed it before?” Elder and Chrome only felt something different about Radegast, but they noticed personality over the strange genetic aspect, and both wound up attributing the strange feeling to that alone.

“It was so subtle… I’m sure Father would’ve noticed it, but I couldn’t have…”

“Right, I never met your old man…” Radegast hummed, “Wait, what about Margriet then?”

“I never thought to closely examine you, actually,” Janine turned to Margriet. After a close examination, Janine replied, “That’s so strange. There is something else there.”

“What does it mean?” Margriet asked, looking visibly unnerved.

Janine shook her head, having no idea.

“Sis…” Radegast had a sudden thought, “You don’t think Mom and Dad…”

“I don’t think they’d stoop to something like that,” Margriet replied, “Could it just be our bloodline?”

“It would explain our natural affinity for Pokespeak,” Radegast noted.

“I did do months of training before I mastered Pokespeak myself,” Janine added.

“But then that would mean most of our family might have this,” Margriet crossed her arms.

“Reggie,” Radegast spoke, and the Aegislash emerged, “Did you know about this?”

“Of course,” Reggie replied, “You never thought to ask.”

“Why are we like this?” Radegast asked.

“… I don’t know,” Reggie replied.

Radegast blinked, “You don’t know,” he repeated.

“The First Reginald had a similar… aura. It is likely what allowed him to discover Soul linking in the first place. Bear in mind the technology that exists today was not even an idea generations ago.”

“You say he was always like this since you’ve known him?” Radegast asked. Reggie nodded, “Then the origins of this weirdness is beyond us. In any case, how this happened isn’t important. What is important is that it’s there, we’re aware of it, and now we gotta work with it.”

“Agreed,” Margriet replied, “… So why were we here again?”

“We wanna train,” Radegast pumped an arm, “Reggie and I, we need to fight together to build a chemistry. Can we train here?”

Janine stared at Margriet, and then back towards Radegast, she then smirked, “Sure, Gastly,”

Elder guffawed at the old pet name. “Gastly?! That’s rich, man!”

Radegast pursed his lips in annoyance. “Are you gonna let that happen, Marge?”

Margriet glared daggers at Radegast. “Don’t drag me into this!”

To keep Radegast’s form a secret, they trained out in the forests surrounding Fushcia City. Radegast moved sloppily as he stumbled with nearly every movement- from stance to grip and everything in between. He knew he had a long road ahead of him, but he didn’t realise the magnitude he had to really deal with. Progress began slow, but steadily improved at a greater and greater rate as he finally began to get used to his body.

The Talonflame roosted on a low branch. Her eyes were closed, and her body was rolled into a comfortable ball. She was the only one sleeping out of the crew- all of whom were taking a rest from their respective training to watch. They all collectively cringed when something heavy hit the ground with a thud.

A sound ringed in his ears, as detail and colour flooded in from pitch-white. Radegast felt his arms move automatically as he stumbled back up onto his feet. He felt dizzy, and his mind seemed to probe around randomly with formless arms. The ringing barely overwhelmed the sound of “Are you okay?”

As the formless arms retracted into his mind once more, Radegast turned his gaze towards a blurry figure, whose definition focused more clearly by the second. “Fi- ine…” Radegast slurred, “Juss’ fine…”

“That was a nasty hit,” Elder called.

“I’ve had worse,” Radegast meant it as a joke, but he felt his stomach drop. No, no point thinking about that now.

“Let’s take a break,” Janine said, “Your friend looks worried.”

Radegast’s eyes met those of his friends. They didn’t seem that much more concerned than they have been since that day. However, he seemed to register exactly what the ninja meant when he spotted Suros. One eye was open, ablaze, and unblinkingly staring at Janine.

“I’m alright, Suros,” Radegast grinned as he slumped down on a nearby log. The Aegislash sword and shield left his hands of their own accord. “I’ll get used to this body, I swear it.”

Suros’ eye seemed to soften at the reassurance, but the fire did not completely vanish. Radegast noted it. She must be thinking of Felwinter. he figured.

“He’s getting better, though,” Elder spoke up, “His grip’s solid now.”

The Talonflame said nothing, but the fire in here eye did fade once more.

“He won’t go again,” Elder jabbed, “He’s starting to look like you, sometimes.”

If Talonflames could blush…

After a quick lunch and some practice on the psychic end of things, Radegast once more fused with Reggie and sparred with Janine. Her light footwork contrasted sharply with Radegast’s overly sturdy stances. The next several days, Janine had Radegast wear a set of ankle weights and jog through the forest. This improved his footwork tenfold, and had an impressive effect the next time they sparred.

After many losses, Radegast finally knocked Janine off her feet. The Gallade sweat and panted, but the satisfying clang and the sound of someone tumbling through the dirt and grass reinvigorated him.

“Nice hit!” Janine flipped back onto her feet. “Now I’m getting serious.”

Radegast hit the dirt several seconds later.

The training continued for another couple of days, until a rest day arrived. Gladly welcoming the opportunity to rest and stretch his aching muscles, Radegast lay in the same meadow where they trained for a good long time. Everyone else left to get some grub, save for Rage.

“FRIEND-RADEGAST!” The Primeape faced the sky, facing opposite from Radegast.

“Oh good, you don’t call me that Lord-Regent stuff,” Radegast sighed, “Come to think of it, you haven’t said a word for the longest time.

“I MAY HAVE GOTTEN USED TO IT WHILE BEING A STOWAWAY!!”

“It’s good to hear from you again, though. I wanted your thoughts, as a fighter.”

“YOU ARE GETTING BACK TO THE WAY YOU WERE BEFORE,” Rage’s comment was automatic, as if he already knew the question was coming. Fighting was all the Primeape seemed to care to know about, after all.

“Before, as in when we fought?”

“YOU ARE GETTING STRONGER.” Rage clarified, “I WILL FIGHT YOU WHEN YOU ARE READY, AND THEN I WILL SMITE YOU WITH MY INFINITE STRENGTH!”

“You really wanna fight me, don’t you?”

“YOUR TYPE ADVANTAGE IS NO MATCH FOR PURE RAGE!”

Radegast laughed, “I’m looking forward to a proper rematch, man.” He suddenly paused. “Hmm…”

“THOUGHTS, FRIEND-RADEGAST?”

“I wonder if I could borrow that armour,” Radegast said. The Graveller Tribe were still on friendly terms with them, despite having not visited for quite some time.

“THEY CAN’T DO ANYTHING WITH IT,” Rage reasoned, “THEY HAVE NO MORE HUMAN FRIENDS, AND THEIR ARMOUR MAY WIN GLORY BY FIGHTING INJUSTICES IN THE WORLD!! RAGE CALLS THAT A WIN-WIN!”

“There’s an idea,” Radegast smirked, “We’ll make sure to drop by after we’re done here…” Other promises began to resurface from his memories, “Oh…”

“PROBLEM?”

“I remembered my promise to Elder,” Radegast said.

—

“You learn quickly. This sort of thing must come naturally for you,” Janine noted as Radegast pulled her back onto her feet once more.

“Well, you saw me on the school yard that day.”

“Those four guys? I remember you got a lot of detention for that.”

“Surprised I wasn’t expelled,” Radegast shrugged, “Must’ve been my family… How is everyone?”

“They’re all trainers out on their respective journeys.”

“Figures,” Radegast sighed.

“You’re not so different, you know. You have a full team here.”

“I never caught any of them.”

“But those pokeballs?”

“I broke the capture locks. Anyone can use’em- even your friends if they wanted to.”

Janine tilted her head in interest. “You really haven’t changed- you’re as stubborn as when we went to school.”

“I’m sure that’s the only thing unchanged,” Radegast smirked.

“Six years,” Janine sighed, “It does a lot to change a girl’s heart.”

“I guess you don’t anymore, huh,” Radegast clenched his jaw. He couldn’t bear to imagine how he’d have turned out if he had noticed- if he had stayed instead to explore that possibility.

Janine said nothing, though Radegast could see in her eyes that she was expecting something. “What?” Radegast asked.

“Nothing,” Janine blushed.

Radegast blinked, “You sure?”

“Yeah,”

“Oh!” Some old memory clicked in his mind, “Did you want your Valentine’s card back?”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Wha-“

“I left it in my room, but I kept it. I liked the calligraphy a lot. Anyway, I thought I heard your mind say something about a card, but…”

Janine stood speechless for a while. After all, she had painted the card herself. She then hid her face in her scarf and ran. “You’ve changed after all, you mind-reading pervert!!”

“Wha…” Radegast held up a hand, completely puzzled, as he turned to Elder. “Oh no, what the fuck did I do, Elder?”

Elder was laughing.

“Elder…”

The Gengar rolled onto his side, still laughing.

“Elder…” Radegast started to chuckle as he found the Gengar's laughter contagious. Soon after, he realised that they were now alone, “Elder, I remembered my promise.”

Almost as if his heart stopped, Elder suddenly grew silent. “That’s right,” The Gengar sat up, “I dunno… should… should we find her?”

“It’s unfinished business,” Radegast replied, “Our goals are all about unfinished business at this point.”

She’d be in Hoenn if she’s still wild,” Elder hummed, “But the Graveller Tribe is on the way, right?”

“We’ll be taking a boat to Hoenn,” Radegast replied, “We’ll head off as soon as this training is finished.”

"Fuchsia City," an all too sinister looking Krookodile growled as he overlooked the city he stated, "You better be right about this."

"Trust me," the Wobbuffet to his right said, "The Wilding Network knows what's up."

"Lead the way."

The Wobbuffet stepped outside of the treeline and onto the freshly mowed grass of the home they were standing in front. Gnash followed, moving in a straight, tactical fashion towards the building, complete with an action roll. He plastered himself against the wall and was looking left and right. After watching, the Wobbuffet slowly sauntered up.

"Dude," he said, "You realize no one cares about wildings around here, right? There's a Safari Zone for a reason."

"Maybe not to you," Gnash shot back, "But I'm not a local around these parts. I'm not failing the mission because I wasn't careful enough."

The Wobbuffet shrugged, "Your call, then."

Gnash muttered some kind of insult under his breath before venturing onward.

Fuchsia City wasn't as big or populated as it was vast. There was a lot of forest sprinkled into the civilization, already giving it a rural feel. Adding to it's size was the long roadways that separated each buildings and the ever imposing Safari Zone. Most of the buildings represented an ancient civilization vibe with classical and oriental aesthetics that the region was known for. Apart from the Pokemon Center and PokeMart that always remained updated, most estates in the area were older in architectural design, including the Pokemon Gym. Walking through this charming city, one would typically be encapsulated by it's beauty.

All Gnash noticed was how much cover he had to work with as he moved. While the Wobbuffet walked casually through the city, Gnash was diving into bushes, sneaking through tall grass, and ducking behind buildings, remaining as invisible as possible. Despite his erratic pace in comparison to his companion, he kept up. Before they knew it, they were in the Safari Zone.

"Alright, this is where you go on and I go about my business," the Wobbuffet gave Gnash a salute and took a step back.

Gnash chuckled cruelly, "Nice try, but you're coming with me."

The salute dropped, fear registering slightly on the Wobbuffet's face, "'Scuse me?"

"I need to make sure you little 'Network' isn't trying to lead me on. Unless, you have a problem with that?"

Wobbuffet tsked, "I think you worry too much."

This was met a a harsh grab as Gnash lifted the Wobbuffet off his feet, "I'm never worried. I'm careful. And I'm careful because I can't afford to not get what I'm searching for. And I'll do anything to make sure I get what I want." His claws popped out and he held them against the Wobbuffet's light blue skin menacingly, "Remember that."

The Krookodile dropped him and they continued to walk in silence.

---

Their journey through the Safari Zone was uneventful apart from an encounter with a trainer from Goldenrod City. The encounter was short lived as the young boy ended up running down the road in terror with his backpack torn to shreds and two knocked out Pokemon. Gnash made no celebration other than a satisfied grunt before venturing onward.

Not too long afterward, they exited the Safari Zone and ventured through a small patch of forest before they came to a wall. Gnash closed his fist as a signal for the Wobbuffet to stop, who did not hesitate to. Gnash turned back to him and he nodded in confirmation. This was the place.

"Stay here," the Krookodile commanded, "I'm gonna scope it out."

As the Wobbuffet stayed put behind a tree, Gnash began moving within the shadows the treeline provided, remaining out of sight and out of mind. All the while, he was examining the wall he was beside.

About ten feet tall, he noted in his brain. Made of smooth clay, from the looks of it. Seems more decorative than I figured it would be...

He glanced to the left and the right, making sure no one was around and checking for cameras before he stepped forward to get a closer look. He gently placed a finger on the smooth surface, careful not to leave a mark or easily identifiable print. He blinked at what he felt.

It's cold...

Colder than what a wall in this climate would typically feel like. Gnash raked a claw against his scaly skin and tried to think up plausible solutions. Only one came to mind. He thought for a moment, then dug his finger into the ground. He had to feel around for a minute before his finger felt something that made him jerk it back out.

Ice.

Rubbing his finger and nodding in understanding, he covered up his tracks and the tiny hole he made before diving back into the treeline and continuing to walk the perimeter. A smirk formed on his face. They are as smart as they led us to believe.

His walk continued until the corner was reached. Gnash peeked around it and spotted more of what he needed to see: Two guards stationed up front by the gate, two PokeBalls apiece. It also told him this was the front entrance and probably the only way in without scaling the wall or trying to go under...both of which had their own caveats.

Sneaking in would be a pain...

To get a better vantage point, the Krookodile dove back into the forest, found a tall tree, and climbed it. From the top, he remained relatively hidden among the leaves and gazed towards the grounds below. It was mostly open with little to no cover leading towards the big mansion and a few more guards walking around. A few clumps of vegetation sprinkled here and there, he analyzed as he took note of the two extravagant gardens in the front and back and the stone building off to the side that made him think there was more to this place than even the huge house and immense garden provided. But it made sense, at least to Gnash. With expansion upward shown and expansion outward gated, the only way to expand in secret was down.

Now he was connecting the dots.

The Krookodile made his way down the tree by leaping from branch to branch, not bothering to take the time to slowly scale back down. He had plans to make and no time could be wasted. He landed with a soft thud! and made his way back to a smirking Wobbuffet.

"So...was I right or was I right?" the Wobbuffet retained a lot of his swagger after the last time they talked.

Gnash nodded curtly, "Heavily fortified, guards all over the place, no real way under or over without getting something's attention. Yep...seems like the place all right."

"I told you man," the Wobbuffet grinned, "The Network almost never fails."

"Then we'll keep in touch," Gnash glanced back towards the wall, "You're free to go."

As the Wobbuffet sauntered off, the Krookodile reached into his knapsack and pulled out the Distance Communicator. Flipping it on and adjusting the dial so that the receivers in the nearby labor camps and strongholds would hear, he began to relay his message:

{ZZZZT!} Attention Psychic Rebellion Officers! This is Commander Gnash. I request back-up outside Fuchsia City due north of the Safari Zone. Fifty members apiece. Make your approach silent and do not enter the point of interest until I say. All Labor Camps, bring a few of your captured individuals as well. You know the procedure for transporting them. Make sure none escape or make any noise. I'll explain the purpose when you get here. Over and out! {ZZZZT!}

“Care to explain your business?” A calm, yet booming voice echoed behind the Krookodile.

Before he could turn, an immense clawed hand gripped tightly around the beast’s neck, and wrenched him backward, seemingly into the wall behind him. Only there was no wall. Suddenly, the Krookodile found himself in the middle of the Safari Zone, in a location filled with Savannah and little cover to speak of.

“I told you they’d work,” A gurgling, hollow voice sounded, that of a Golurk. It was not the one that had grabbed the Krookodile, however.

Gnash tried to curse towards the large golen-like Pokemon, but couldn't find his voice due to a towering Palkia that glared at the pathetic creature that it held with an iron vice-grip.

“We have tightened up security ever since the last time a little Pokemon stole from the Family.” The Golurk noted robotically. He stated everything matter-of-factly, yet with an unnerving politeness. “But even those from the Safari know better than to encroach on the Reginald Estate. You are not from around here.”

“This one thinks it can loot the Catacombs," With its free claw, the Palkia swiped, and slashed open a hole in space. On the other side, a fancy living room could be seen.

“Oh, they caught one already? Go see who it is, would you Mark?” A raspy voice called from one of the sofas.

A man, like a fifty-something version of Radegast, shifted into view, and stepped through the portal. Unlike the boy that had bothered the Psychic Rebellion twice before, Marcus Reginald's hair was short and perfectly neat. His features sagged with age, but did nothing to ruin the trademark jawline. Gnash glared in hatred at the man, but there was something else in his eyes as Marcus spoke...it was fear.

“A Krookodile, huh? If you are the same, I must say it is a pleasure to meet someone who could bring my daughter to the ropes.” He spoke as if just barely containing an unfathomable amount of fury and disgust.

An older woman- appearing somewhat younger through artificial means, also stepped through. “It thought to sneak in through the back, near the catacombs, just like the first time.”

A Shedinja hovered down from a blind spot in the sky. “The Old Weaver’s brood detected the intruder easily. It is not subtle at all. It used a device that Pokemon don't normally have to call for backup.

“Pokemon with tech,” Marcus noted as he nodded to Palkia, “Not like your reinforcements can do anything to help you. Waste no time, Palkia."

With a swipe, a portal opened below the dangling Krookodile. The Palkia lowered Gnash half-way through the portal. With a snap of its claws, the portal snapped shut, severing the Krookodile in two. As the light left his eyes and he began his plunge into the spirit world, he heard the man's voice one last time.

“We are Reginald, the Shield of Light” Marcus warned coldly, though he still maintained a warm demeanour, “Our generations have surpassed worse things than you.”

As if he had done this a thousand times before, the Palkia opened another portal and tossed the top portion of the now lifeless Krookodile through it, effectively cleaning up the mess. Meanwhile, the Shedinja was approaching Marcus holding out a black, square box...the Distance Communicator.

"This is the device it held," the Shedinja plopped the receiver- which Gnash had dropped before- into Marcus' hands.

"It's still on," Celadon observed non-chalantly.

Marcus brought the mouthpiece close to him. "Stay the course, Psychic Rebellion. We'll be here to meet you. Just don't expect common courtesy." he said. Shortly after, he tossed the piece into the air, where the Palkia atomized it with a single swipe. He then turned to Celadon. "Now then, back to our lunch."

---

The Wobbuffet stood off to the side, having witnessed the entire scene from afar. Not only did he get to watch it, he got to listen in as well, since the Krookodile failed to turn off his Distance Communicator before he was nabbed and ultimately executed. When everyone was gone, he simply shook his head.

"Dude...that was brutal..." he said to himself, turning around and walking back into the forest.

Another black square box sat in his hand and he now lifted it up to his mouth to speak. "You satisfied with that?"

"Very," an all-too familiar voice answered with delight on the other end, "A nice display at the end to get to listen to them too. We got lucky there."

"We did," Wobbuffet answered back, "So am I in command now?"

"I'd say you've more than proven yourself...Commander Belowsky."

The ring of his name accompanied with the prestigious title sent giddy shivers down the Wobbuffet's spine, "I won't let you down like Gnash did."

"In the end, he proved to be useful," Zane stated almost dejectedly, "Now we know way more about the Reginalds than we ever did before."

"I'll call off the gathering," Belowsky began to switch the knob back to the public setting, but Zane interjected.

"No...let them come."

"Mmm?" Belowsky was caught off guard, "They'll be slaughtered, sir."

"No they won't...I can make sure of that. Just make sure they don't walk blindly towards their fortress like your former had."

"Y-Yes sir," Belowsky turned the channel and made the appropriate announcements, giving them specific coordinates to meet up at. When he was done, he turned the channel back to the direct line with the Psychic Rebellion's head. "Done, sir."

"Good. Now did you get an appropriate head count?"

"All present body you asked me to search for is accounted for. Margriet has been seen in town many times recently. So has the boy...Logan is his name? And you heard the other two a few moments ago."

"Is Radegast among them?" there was excitement in his voice when he asked the question.

But Belowsky provided the fruits of disappointment, "I'm afraid not sir. I would've let you know immediately. I checked the Network and everything. No sign of a boy with brown dreadlocks."

"And you checked. That Aegislash isn't among them?"

"I don't know, sir."

Silence on the other end, making Belowsky feel a bit awkward. Then, Zane finally replied, "Not a problem. I've got a plan in motion. I'm not going to stop now because of some metal sword who thinks he's something special. Get a hold of me when all listed parties arrive."

"Will do, sir!"

"And Belowsky?"

"Yes sir?"

"Don't be surprised if someone else shows up to your party."

A click on the other end and the conversation was over.

“The True Soul Link. A fusion of two into one in every way. It’s only a theory, but I think it could be possible with just the right… something.”

“That’s what you say all the time, but have you figured out that something yet?”

“I know it requires the ability to link souls in general. At least we have that.”

“So you say, Mario. Have you considered the question of how this true soul link would affect the two parties?”

“I have, but I cannot answer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That is the how Mario Reginald rolls.”

--- (Co-written with NeverEndingFlip)



Late at night, in the wilderness of Hoenn, Radegast and Elder moved quietly through grasses taller than the average human. On the relatively tall horizon, off to the side, the two of them could see the lights adorning a large weather station. Elder's ghostly vision allowed him to see in the dark. Radegast learned a similar thing from Chrome, a psychic vision of sorts.

“Oh!” Elder’s eyes lit up in a sudden realization. He had seen this place before- although it has changed drastically through the passage of time. The two of them changed course and headed into a thick forest.

The trees were too thick for Radegast- who opted to simply climb up and squeeze through the less dense brush. Elder, on the other hand, had no issues at all- although he kept pace with the Gallade.

“It must be here. I remember it!” Elder began to dart ahead as Radegast continued clambering through the forest. On occasion, he had to snap some dead branches with his bladed elbows. “Here!” The Gengar called. With a burst of excited adrenaline, Radegast picked up the pace, and slid down a fallen stump towards his friend’s voice.

Squeezing past a few shrubs, Radegast came across a tiny clearing- barely the size of a small cabin. The Gengar was up ahead, seated on a small stone.

A simple marker sat near the base of an interestingly gnarled tree. Time and water had rotted away most of the wood used for it, but a single flower left at its base looked fresh.

“It’s been here a day at-most,” Radegast noted.

“She still cares,” Elder sniffled, “But who is she?”

Radegast then realised there were a couple of husks. Each one appeared to be little more than tiny dried sticks, but the overall structure told him that they were the same flower. “Once a year,” the Gallade realised. By that logic, there should have been at least six flowers. Radegast figured previous ones must have been taken away by natural causes.

Elder stood once more and melted into the ground. Radegast picked out his own spot, and sat down cross-legged, as he waited for Elder to complete whatever he planned to do. Soon enough, Elder returned. “The bone structure,” he muttered.

“You examined your own skeleton?” Radegast thought the idea somewhat absurd.

Elder smirked for the first time in a while, “By the shape of the skull, I think I was previously a Toxicroak. Whoa!” He clutched at his head.

Radegast raised a hand, but realised there was nothing he could do. Even if he could do anything in his new form, ghost-types were not affected by Psychic types.

“I remember,” Elder said, “It was a clan.”

Radegast scratched his head. Clans were no surprise given everything he had dealt and learned about throughout their travels. Rage had a clan, Crystal had a clan, Weyloran and Suros too. This wasn’t exactly news to him at this point.

“A clan far north, in a jungle across the channel.”

Now there was something they could work with. Radegast smirked. “So we’re leaving Hoenn already… Although… there must be some way for us to cross from Hoenn to the wilderness mainlan-“

“Young Master,” The blade emerged from its pokeball. Its robotic voice seemed suddenly shakey. “Something is wrong.”

“Huh?” Radegast asked. The blade appeared uncharacteristically on-edge, no pun intended.

“By this distance… I could make it back in 15 minutes…”

“What’s happening?” Radegast grew more concerned.

“I feel Tarma’s mind. The Estate… is being attacked.” The blade tapped on the wood-finish Pokeball set in Radegast's belt. “Do not lose this- it is the only way to bring me back to your side.” The Aegislash then rocketed away at incredible speeds. It soared into the sky and then sped down the horizon back to Kanto.

Elder and Radegast exchanged concerned looks. “They’ll be fine- they’re my parents and uncle,” Radegast didn’t agree with their principles, but not even he could doubt that they were incredibly powerful trainers. That said, he couldn’t help but worry. No one attacked the Reginald Estate unless they had great confidence in their abilities or their plan. “They have to be…” Was Margriet there? The Gallade clenched his jar as anxiety began to well up.

The grass and foliage around him began to ripple, and Elder called it out. Remembering Vorpal’s training, the Gallade ran through some calming exercises. He couldn’t afford to lose control. Such were the terrible risks of being a psychic-type.

---

All was quiet around the Reginald Estate, initially. The midnight moon hung in the sky at waning crescent, low in the east, but high enough to where it was recognizable above the treetops in the crystal clear sky. There was a small biting wind, one that rustled the leaves around them softly and with serenity. It was a perfect night to walk about.

However. no one within the estate was doing something as leisurely as walking out. Many guards with full teams patrolled the interior gardens with tired, yet focused eyes. High above the estate, Logan led a small team of flyers on a sky patrol. Marcus and Celadon stood by the front door, arm in arm, with Percy and Gregory Fletcher on either side. They seemed to be sensing the very air itself, tasting the cold for some sort of sign- some form of omen. Margriet was inside, alongside her uncle. Tarma, with his failing body, used Soundwave and a cane as his supports while the rest of his team stood on-guard throughout the house.

Despite the pleasures of the night, things couldn't be more tense.

Marcus' Golurk sat in a meditative position directly outside of the front gate. Unmoving, the massive stone creature was like a sentinel that guarded the front gate to its dying breath.

Marcus suddenly felt a shiver. Within a few seconds, Tarma opened the door. "You felt it too, brother?"

"An omen?" Tarma asked.

"I felt it too," Margriet spoke up, with a hand on her belt. "What does it mean?"

Celadon said nothing. She merely disengaged from Marcus and reached for two Pokeballs. Marcus did the same.

The wind picked up slightly, causing the trees to sway. The guards kept careful watch for anything that seemed out of the ordinary, a tough job given the conditions of the surrounding forest and how much movement there was. But they were trained specialists. They knew what to watch for and how to watch for it. Even then, they also had an enormous network of Nincada spread throughout the surrounding forest, with hidden webbing strewn throughout. If anything so much as breathed in the surrounding property, they were going to know about it.

The wind whistled. And then...

The Golurk's head moved. It detected movement. Around the same time, Marcus caught something high above. With a flick of his wrist, a Swampert emerged. Celadon tossed the two balls she had in her hands, and summoned her Flygon and Shedinja. Tarma eyed the skies with a youthful, serious energy, but slipped back inside regardless. Margriet summoned her Poliwrath.

"Rotom," Marcus spoke simply. Marcus' Rotom had free reign throughout the electrical system of the entire Estate. A series of spotlights flared to life, filling the immediate area with an almost day-like level of light. Yet, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. Everything was in place, the garden looking exactly how it looked throughout the day.

In front of the Golurk, however, there was a single figure approaching. The Golurk got to its feet and stood its full height. A young girl in a long, flowing dress, stepped forward without a sound. Her left eye was covered by flowing brown hair.

"It is not safe at the moment," The Golurk called to the woman, "Please return to your home."

"I am," the girl replied. The Golurk then noticed that the woman wore a pair of gauntlets- which she rose to point at the Golurk.

At that moment, a glass shattered nearby. Common sense told any active listeners that a window had been breached with something. Careful onlookers would've seen a blur of green fly through said window and cause the sound.

Margriet heard the glass shatter, and prepared the other pokeballs, summoning her full party, save for Raikou- who would've been too large for even the spacious estate. Tarma positioned himself in between his own team of friends.

"Crobat, Poison Gas!" Margriet's four-winged bat began belching and flooding the upstairs with the titular gas, aiming to flush out whoever or whatever had broken in upstairs. Margriet's Weavile poised itself to strike first against any who attempted to escape down the stairs.

Most would fail to look at the breaking glass, however, as the sound of splintering timber and smashed stone would flood the skies with sound, as the Golurk was launched through the gates, rolling through the front gardens. With a quick wordless bark, the Swampert braced himself and caught the Golurk before it could crash into the mansion.

Marcus peered around to see what had launched his bouncer with such immense force. Another crash soon followed...another window breaking. Now across the front lawn, random blurs were landing from the skies, cratering the ground around the Estate.

The sky patrols began hearing the sounds of battle, and they all swooped down to join the fighting. They launched ranged attacks as they descended. All of them found their mark. In fact, the Pokemon didn't even seem to be moving, nor did they look like they were standing.

Marcus' eyes widened as he realised what was happening. "Decoys! Decoys!" he called, only to feel an unseen grip around his throat. Celadon's own eyes widened, albeit in fury, as she unleashed the remainder of her team and barked orders to take down the culprit who was choking her husband.

The woman in the long dress stepped across the threshold. With a flick of her wrist, Lucy Reginald launched Marcus through the front doors. Even the tough oak wood cracked as the door came off its hinges and Marcus was sent sprawling into the expansive living room.

Tarma beheld the sight of his brother flying through the door with an air of confusion. "Bro..." he said.

"It's her!" Marcus groaned as he struggled to push himself onto his feet. "Damn it all! Why is she..." The anger and pain in his eyes betrayed an emotion he had never displayed openly: fear.

Tarma's eyes widened, but he stumbled anyway to his brother's side. He summoned the remainder of Marcus' team and barked in the Reginald voice, "Support your comrades outside!"

Celadon, on the other hand, was barking commands at an incredibly rapid pace, sending an enormous variety of attacks at the approaching Lucy Reginald.

"Ma'am," the Shedinja spoke robotically, "Movement detected. The Old Wearer's brood are detecting breaches in all directions."

"I'll handle her!" she called, referring to the woman in the flowing dress and the cybernetic gauntlets that connected to her back via coiling cables, "Everyone stay focused on the Rebellion!"

Lucy smirked. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Celadon."

The wind was starting to howl, growing stronger and stronger by the minute. At the same time, the treeline leading to the wall was growing more and more restless, looking like a moving entity in itself. And then the first set of Pokemon attacked. A couple of Zubat swooped out of the forest first, tackling the first two guards. A few Psybeams shot out into the wall, causing a few chunks of concrete to break away, revealing a layer of ice within. The number of attacks slowly grew, however, with more random Pokemon striking at the guards and multiple ranged strikes putting more holes in the wall.

Soon, the entire perimeter became a pandemonium, with attacks of all kinds darting back and forth, exchanged between combatants. Commands were drowned by the immeasurable volume of noise caused by blasts of psychic energy, undead auras, and everything in between. Many guards were knocked down, but others used their respective Pokemon combatants to cover their fallen comrades, allowing them time to summon their own fighters.

Then it was Celadon's turn to be sent through the door. After several minutes of blocking and returning attacks, Lucy swept Celadon's whole team off to one side. "Oh, it's great to be home," Lucy smiled widely as she continued stepping toward the home of her childhood- of her mother's childhood- of her grandfather's childhood. "But nostalgia gets in the way..." she rose both hands, palms facing the mansion, "... Of progress." The walls around the open doorframe began to split and crack as she tugged on the architecture with unseen hands.

"Mom!" Margriet called as her mother was launched through the doorframe as well. Marcus, having recovered enough, managed to catch her.

"Margriet!" Tarma called, "The Coat should be here soon! We need more time!"

The young girl gulped nervously, but she took one look at the woman stepping slowly outside, and then she nodded. With the rest of her team covering the interior defense, Margriet summoned her Raikou, and moved to press the attack on Lucy.

"Oooh!" Lucy's visible eye lit up, "I think this will suffice." She finally stopped her approach and widened her stance. "What do you think, Zane?"

"I think..." the sinister sneer in the Common Tongue spoke from behind Margriet, "That's perfect. Sonya?"

A small giggle was heard directly to her right, "That'll work."

"In that case," Lucy thrust a hand forward, which launched Margriet away. The young girl could only watch as she was flung away from her companion. There, she saw the figures of a Zoroark and a Meowstic. They both oozed satisfied expressions. This time, her Poliwrath leaped in to catch her.

Then with both hands out, Lucy began to grip at the Raikou psionically. The Raikou roared in annoyance, and readied an enormous discharge of electricity. "Not quite," Lucy smirked as she swung both arms outward. In-sync, the Raikou's legs were flung outward, sending it sprawling on its stomach with an impactful thud. "All yours," Lucy said as the unseen force began to press down on the Raikou, forcing it to leave an impression of itself in the ground. The woman in the gauntlets then continued stepping toward the house.

The Meowstic giggled again as she brought forth a machine. It looked fairly plain in design, a small gray gun that resembled nothing as big or as menacing as the Master Blaster's cannon. However, there was a small circular opening built into the side that would be visible from Margriet's perspective...a circular slot that was filled with the presence of a Master Ball.

"No!" Margriet called as she regained her breath. All of the guards were preoccupied. Logan's team were engaged in a battle that quickly became a losing one, now that all of the heavy hitters were brought to their knees in the Reginald living room.

She could only watch as Sonya pulled the trigger, unleashing a controlled beam of red light that enveloped the Raikou. The beam then retracted, pulling the legendary Pokemon with it akin to a Pokemon being recalled into it's PokeBall. When the beam dissipated, there was a whir and a click. The Master Ball uncharacteristically stood still during this exchange, unable to shake like PokeBalls did. Finally, there was a second click, a more recognizable one...the click of a Pokemon successfully being captured.

"Aaaaand done!" Sonya turned to Zane, the look of pure giddiness on her face, "Ya ready to head out?"

"Indeed," Zane nodded as he turned to Lucy, "You may do what you wish. Give us the signal when you've cleared the area so we can perform our little test."

Lucy smiled sweetly. "You got it!" she spoke in a bubbly voice.

Sonya and Zane bolted, running out the front door and into the fray going on outside.

She lowered her stance, slowly took in a deep breath, and bellowed a battle shout as she thrust both arms forward. An immense wave of psychic energy emerged and slammed into the Estate. Walls cracked and buckled as the force slammed like the world's greatest wrecking ball.

Just when it seemed like the entire estate would come crashing down, the psychic wave was suddenly dissipated. The gleaming silver blade and the faded green shield hovered. The air around it rippled with power, as the Reginald Coat of Arms blocked the attack launched by Lucy.

"Her..." the Aegislash muttered. "I should have known there was a reason why you were having trouble with the Rebellion."

“Reggie, there's no time to chat.” Tarma tossed one cane, and extended a shaky, boney hand. “Everyone…” he added to the members of his party, “The Family comes first.”

With grim, yet determined expressions, the sound-type Pokemon all nodded.

“Tarma!” Marcus called, wincing at the pain of his injuries.

“Marcus!” The elder brother returned, as the Aegislash’s paper-like arms snaked all around his frail body, “The Family… is yours.”

“No!” Margriet shrieked.

The team of five dissolved with a flash of white and purple, siphoning into the one figure that combined souls with the mighty Aegislash. The old frail body was betrayed by a sudden liveliness, as if a healthy monster took its place that very instant. Tarma’s eyes opened, glowing pure-white, and emitting rippling purple flames without heat.

Lucy’s eye widened in excitement. “The key!” She laughed as she adjusted a few dials on her gauntlets, staring unblinking at the immense power that was unleashed.

“Sir!” The Palkia slashed open a portal. “We must go.”

Marcus could only grit his teeth. “Everyone, to the portal. Tarma will… hold them off.”

The Rebellion forces charged, rearing to pursue and finish off the rest. However, one swing of the blade, and Tarma unleashed a wave of kinetic energy, a wall that shoved all away from the evacuees. Everyone except for Lucy, who had lifted both gauntlet-clad fists and nullified a section of the wave with a projected field. “The key!” She repeated, giddy with anticipation, she then charged to meet Tarma in combat.

“Fool!” Tarma’s voice sounded like the shrill cries of thousands of the damned, combined with the powerful bass of the Aegislash itself. He braced his stance, and took a great counter-swing. The blow was caught between both gauntlet-clad hands. “Wha-“ Tarma’s blazing eyes widened.

Lucy’s teeth grit with strain as her implants whirred within. “So much power, I can almost keep up!” Her hair flew back, revealing her false eye. The patch was open, revealing a strange black eyeball wth a glowing purple iris.

“Mother’s little trick,” she said, “Grandpa took fifteen minutes to murder her. How many do you have, when I’m even stronger?”

Tarma’s memories paired with Reggie’s, recalling the terrible battle of attrition. The immense power of Giratina in its own element proved to be equal to the Aegislash even with a fully unleashed fusion. This girl was doing the same thing… but on her own.

“What have you done?” Tarma’s voice crackled with more energy than any living thing could handle. He pressed the assault regardless- his priority was allowing the family to escape.

“History is written by the victor, dear uncle- whatever is left of you in there.” Lucy ducked and weaved past more slashes. “The Vandal was always a true Reginald!”

The exchange of blows continued. Blasts of deflected energy inadvertently kept up the cover Tarma initially wanted, in order to buy time for the Family to escape.

“You’re not even going to kill me?” Lucy taunted.

“Reggie… cmon,” Tarma’s voice began to waver as his time drew closer and closer to its limit. “This is like last time. She’s no longer family, don’t hesitate! I am trying, but… Lucy… She’s gone Primal!” Reggie realised, though his voice was shared with Tarma’s, “I should’ve known! Primal?? What is Primal?”

Lucy’s mouth curled into a grin. “You never told them the truth?”

Reggie did not respond, but Tarma continued the attack with a desperate vigour. More clangs and whiffs that sent mighty gusts slamming against the surrounding walls and trees as the two of them duelled with incredible power.

All of a sudden, Lucy cringed as the blade met her shoulder- sinking down to her collarbone as it passed. She emitted a sudden cry. “C’mon,” Tarma repeated, more to himself than anything. He made a good hit, but he almost hit the artery. It’s not over yet. Lucy’s excitement gave way to an adrenaline-fuelled anger, but the pain had stunned Lucy enough for a follow-up. The blade came down in an overhead slash.

But the blade never struck. An inch before a killing blow, the momentum ceased, and Tarma’s body dissolved within the embrace of the paper-like arms. The blade and shield were flung away from the sudden release of energy. Almost as soon as it had appeared, the great blaze of fusion vanished without a trace.

After a moment of hesitation, Lucy stepped forward. She had planned to outlast the fusion, but she was still in shock at how close she had cut it. She dropped to her knees, and brought a gauntlet-clad hand to her shoulder. It came back red, but not light red. Her smile returned. “Farewell, Uncle,” she spat blood. The exchange of blows had shaken her right to her core, causing immense internal bleeding. and microfractures. However, her implants whirred with life as fractures were mended and burst blood vessels were patched together. The source of this healing might was, in fact, a Full Restore.

Lucy Reginald was laughing. "Now then," she grinned widely as she stood up once more. As she began to head around the remnants of the mansion, she saw the blade and shield of the Aegislash stir with recovering might. All of a sudden, it washed in red light, and shot away, through a wall, in a general south-east direction.

"Damn," she muttered, "But that must mean..." It wasn't something she could pursue now. The Psychic Rebellion had their little test with their toy. Lucy had bigger plans, and she had to move quickly or else try to test her mettle at handling a shot from the superweapon.

The pink petals of the giant ancient tree loomed over her with an almost nostalgic shade. For a moment, the memory of reading with her mother flashed across her eyes. "Mother..." she muttered as her smile faded. "This is for you, and for me."

With no gestures, the twin stone doors of the Catacombs swung open. Lucy headed down with silent steps. For a few minutes, she left the outside world, on her personal mission.

She didn't take long, later emerging with an ancient coffin hovering over her shoulder. Unlike the others, this one seemed like one solid slab, with no visible crease to separate a lid.

The Vandal was a true Reginald, the words echoed as she stared into the direction the Aegislash vanished into. After taking a deep breath, the false eye glowed once more, and she shot into the sky, leaving behind a streak of crackling purple energy.

"There's the signal," Zane pointed towards the purple streak in the sky. "She's gone."

"Perfect," Sonya's smile was much more sinister this time around, "Let's see how much firepower it's packing now."

On her shoulder was another device, this one resembling a large cannon crafted with smooth metal plates and a lot of menace. This was the Master Blaster. Sonya pushed a button, and a small whining noise began to emanate from the cannon. A smal light began to appear within the barrel, growing more and more intense with each passing second. The whirring grew louder and the Meowstic's eyes began to light up, both out of the intensity of the light and the enjoyment she was feeling.

3...2...1...

The noise that erupted was deafening. The current of energy seemed to explode from the cannon, illuminating the area around them with a hot white glow. It felt like the very air was being sucked out from their surroundings. As for the beam, it burst through and eviscerated any trees in it's path...which was five times bigger than the previous time it had been fired. The humongous beam traveled uninhibited and unstoppable where it finally found a stopping point...

Directly into the Reginald Estate.

The entire length of the grounds, building and all, was washed in the intensity of the Master Blaster, completely eviscerated by the stored energy of the four legendaries that powered it. It lasted for about a second or two before it was gone, plunging the world around it into the darkness of night once more. Sonya had to rub her eyes to let them adjust to the sudden light changes as she surveyed the collateral. What was left behind was a massive crater at the point of impact, charred black and smoldering with heat. The smoke began to billow as she realized nothing remained. The house, the garden, the catacombs...they were all gone.

The Reginald Estate was no more.

"Oho ho ho hooooooah!" even Zane's jaw was dropped at the spectacle, "That's insane!"

Sonya let a smile escape, "Well, that's what you get when four legendaries combine their might for a common goal. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to report this in and tell Zane the good news."

Zane slowly began to morph, his body starting to melt, but Sonya stopped him short, "No. You keep your disguise, Commander Dot. It's better that way."

The bulbous mass of color reshaped into the Zoroark, nodding when complete, "Of course, Master Sonya."

"Take command and lead your armies back to where they came," Sonya ordered, "And tell them to be ready. We will begin the uprising soon."

"Yes ma'am," the Commander answered back before taking off into the forest to do what she had asked.

Sonya, in turn, began making her own way towards her transportation: a boat parked outside of the city limits. She held the greatly strengthened Master Blaster on her shoulder and the Capture Gun on her left hand. Her eyes were brimming with victory.

"Ready or not, Crimson. Here we come," she said, solely to herself.

---



Radegast held up the ball with the wooden finish. He felt a pit form in his stomach all of a sudden, and he pressed the button. Nothing happened for a good few minutes, but suddenly a blast of red energy darted from the sky and into the ball.

“Reggie!” Radegast called as the Aegislash emerged, unscathed, but still rippling with residual purple flame. “You fused! I could… I could feel it from here!”

“Tarma is gone,” Reggie said.

“Wh-“

“The Estate is lost.”

“No…”

“Marcus, Celadon, Margriet, and all surviving guards were successfully evacuated- Tarma sacrificed himself to ensure it.”

Radegast’s legs gave out, only to be caught by Rage.

"Where are they?" Radegast asked, "Who else was lost?"

"I do not know," the Aegislash admitted, "Palkia evacuated everyone via portal."

"That's good, at least..." Radegast muttered.

"But not before the Rebellion captured Margriet's Raikou."

"To add to that weapon..." Radegast grit his teeth. "We're running out of time."

"There is one more piece of bad news: your cousin spearheaded the attack."

"Who?"

"... You don't remember your aunt and cousin?"

Radegast shook his head. He was a mere infant when Gregorovich left for the last time, the last time he had seen that great lion's mane. "Why didn't I know?"

"They were disowned from the Family. It's a long story, but... we do have a lot of ground to cover..." Reggie dipped back into the wood-finish pokeball, emitting an aura of sadness. Radegast felt it, and returned it in kind.

First Grandpa Greg, now Uncle Tarma. Radegast clenched the Limiter gauntlet into a fist. "All I wanted was friends..." the words seemed empty to him now. Between the Rebellion, the Regicide Crew, and now this unknown cousin...

Cousin... Working with the Rebellion? Just what the hell is up with this family?

Despite the overwhelming odds, Radegast knew that it didn't change anything. He still had his goal.

Fuchsia City,
Scene of a Crime,
The Manor



Who attacks a manor and decimates it along with everyone inside of it? Isn’t mankind supposed to be a civilized and ancient species, or is it just in their nature to destroy while sitting fancy bathing in their own idea of a ‘civilized’ society? Were humes always so cruel? So stuck in their denial? Xiulan asked herself about mankind on a regular basis. It was unfortunate that to encounter the designs required for her study that she had to travel to places of tragedy. She needed the knowledge, though, to fuel her. Anything else other than sating that curiosity was unacceptable.

The sun had risen over an hour ago with Xiulan watching it ascend and then breathe into the world the light of life, the light of nuclear fission taking place millions of miles away. The tower of black smoke that dissipated its light as it rose, creating a festival of ash and death in the skies, had disappeared by now. The police and the firefighters of Fuchsia City seemed to do their job well, and, if things like this happened on the regular, then Xiulan was certain that she knew why. Patience was a requirement for this job, the professor understood. Chaos always found a way into one’s work, and sometimes the chaos of those thriving in this world at the expense of others was the only way that one’s work could occur.

Sirens were no longer streaming their sound into the atmosphere, and Xiulan was thankful for that. It gave her team the semblance of peace that it needed to set up a sizeable tent of white fabric filled with electronics and equipment where they could analyze what they had discovered and monitor the situation. The tent rested just outside of a neon yellow barricade of some sort of plastic material plastered with ‘crime scene’ monitored and patrolled by a set of officers. For the past half hour or so, Xiulan had watched the happenings there with eyes of her own, not needing to rely on the technology. Others thought that she was just in thought, but that wasn’t the case. Funny that - when one looks like others they seem to assume that one is like them.

Xiulan was just waiting for the go-ahead of a safety examination. Unfortunately for the police officers, they were a bit unnerved, though it was safe. The reason was the feeling of something being off in their reflection - as if they were being watched by themselves, as if their eyes were seeing something that their brain didn’t want them to see. Still, the reflection was them… right? The origin? Well, Xiulan wasn’t ready to share that just yet. Let’s just say that sometimes eyes are everywhere, and that reflection of one’s own that might be seen has secrets that carry an impending sense of doom more so than even monstrous beings in the in-between, and, like those monstrous beings, every so often the truth will be seen. Generally, though, the truth is a dangerous thing...

"Let her in, Officer. It's structurally sound, time to start determining if this is arson. You never know, maybe someone wants to claim the insurance money. And plus, we can watch each other's backs. I'm scared that this might be related to the Master Blaster, though the destruction is far more localized...maybe whoever's operating it was involved?"

After some heated negotiations, a woman with a mix of brown and red locks (was she testing out a new hair color?) finally stepped through, those steel-blue eyes looking right through anyone that dared to meet her gaze. It made glancing down at her generous bust covered in an oil-stained white blouse and baggy, wrinkled khakis a dangerous proposition. She didn't wear her Poké Balls at her waist like most, but kept them among a variety of tools in a metal tackle box she carried in one hand despite the massive weight.

"You. You want to know what happened here. So do I. Let's watch each other's backs and get to the bottom of this."

Fuchsia City,
Scene of a Crime,
The Manor

Murder She Saw

The safety inspection had finished. Generally when one appeared to be as squishy as a human, or when there would be people in general whom possessed the vulnerability of such a species, people were more careful. That, or they took advantage of the innate weaknesses of mankind, and used it to their advantage, whether it be in battle, technology. Sometimes taking advantage simply meant convincing a human population to devastate their own planet for the sake of making money first at the expense of the lower classes, then at the expense of themselves. Xiulan’s depth of study sometimes examined the effects of mankind upon the population of Pokemon. Ghosts weren’t the only Pokemon that could spawn from humans, or at least the actions of humans, and some of these even spawned from pollution or the fact that the Ruulan humans simply make things.

”Every action made by non-Pokemon on this planet impacts the world, yet things like this are still done.” Xiulan thought as she looked upon the manor. Her eyes allowed her to glimpse inside in that manner of which only she knew, and they saw murder. The swirling cyclone of soul-force within had more than likely whipped up new Pokemon by now. Some of those Pokemon might be ghosts inhabiting a sword, though the powerful Honedge by the name of Mursa hovering by Xiulan’s hip senses none of her kind nor did Xiulan. Perhaps there might be Pokemon that arise from the dead allies of deceased trainers, the deceased trainers themselves, or even ghost-type Pokemon that were attracted to the area. Whatever happened, Xiulan knew that she would come out of this with more knowledge than she possessed before regarding the formation of ghost-type Pokemon. Her team’s equipment had gathered information already, after all.

The professor wasn’t certain about what she would encounter. All she knew was that there were ghosts here, quickly formed due to the severity of events, and that those that weren’t captured through Pokeballs would be stored away through a device that some might view as nefarious. The device, no matter how others viewed it, was nonetheless exceptionally useful. It would even capture the residual soul-force in the area, for use in Xiulan’s experiments.

“Professor.” A tanned man younger than Xiulan, but still wearing a labcoat called out. That snapped Xiulan out of her thinking. She turned to face him.

“They’ve assessed the scene and determined it to be safe enough for us to approach. The team is ready.” The man explained. Xiulan hummed in recognition of the man, and then moved towards the scene, her team trailing behind her.

“Officer.” Xiulan nodded to the woman watching the barricade. She flashed her League I.D. badge to the officer to confirm her identity, and then moved under the barricade tape that the officer lifted up.

The Arrival! A Washed-up TRAINER Has Appeared, What Will XIULAN do?

Something was happening even before Xiulan had reached the door of the manor - or what was left, anyway - but it wasn’t exactly what Xiulan had expected. The woman looked back to see a trainer that might be at least around her age, or even older, talking to the officer that had just let her in. Apparently, the trainer had successfully convinced the officer to let her in. Xiulan quirked her head as the trainer approached her.

“Very well, trainer.” Xiulan said.

“I am Professor Xiulan Song of the United Pokemon League.” She gave her greeting, holding out her hand to shake.

“Might I ask who you are?” Xiulan asked.

"If you don't know who I am, then I guess I'm doing something right in my efforts to dodge the media." A weary sigh and a practiced mechanic's shrug. "Titania Brightsmith, former Indigo champ. I want to retire and work on cars, but something keeps pulling me back in. Anyway, this place is a fucking mess. This wasn't just a Pokemon battle that got out of control. This was a siege. Who knows what the people that lived here were trying to protect? And does it tie into all the other shit that's going on all over the world? Honestly, I'll give Ruula this, it's nothing like Terra where all the crap was localized in specific cities."

The world-weary ex-champ sent out a Skarmory to help lift the debris and let people get a look at what might be the reason for such wide-spread devastation, explaining that since it was technically outside city limits, this sort of thing was outside Janine's jurisdiction. "See anything interesting in there, teach? That's weird...there's only one human body, but it's scorched beyond anyone's hopes to ID. Must be someone who stayed back and bought time for the rest to get the fuck out. But that doesn't explain how the whole structure went to shit like this. If the supports were knocked out during the battle, the mansion would have fallen in on itself like a controlled demolition. But there's a whole wave of rubble and dead trees out in one direction...oh no."

There was a distinct expression of barely contained terror on Titania's face as she turned toward Xiulan. "There's only one thing I know of that's capable of this kind of mass destruction...the Master Blaster. It's still out there. It's the reason I un-retired...to try to decommission that piece of shit and whoever's using it."

Fuchsia City,
Scene of a Crime,
The Manor

Xiulan quirked a brow. Interesting. So, the woman had seen fame before, but did not wish to keep it? Perhaps Xiulan should give mortals more credit than she had so far. She was always picking at their flaws, the very things that make them mortals in the first place, and even the natural inclinations that seem to spread wide and far among them. Titania, eh? Interesting. Perhaps things would start looking up in this realm of Ruula.

“I thank the Gods for that. From what I’ve seen, Terra seems to be a mess at the best of times.” Xiulan responded. Thoughts of Terra and frozen plains where rumors of frost golems not of the kind type ravaging it filled her mind. Hopefully her associates would take care of that problem some time soon so that the plan could continue. She motioned for her subordinate to bring over a suitcase. After he opened it, she pulled out a device, and pressed a button. From it projected a scene that wasn’t exactly what Xiulan wanted in terms of quality, but would achieve what Xiulan herself doing would cause too many questions to be asked - the reconstruction of a crime scene.

“While studying evolution one will learn that everything has a past and a future that traces back even before the conception of that thing. This device allows you to view the various stages of evolution. It’s a prototype right now, but it should give us an idea of what happened.” Xiulan said. She was concerned by the mention of a ‘Master Blaster’. Some kind of weapon?

The scene before her answered that question as the projection fizzled out into static before resetting. Xiulan paused it, and exhaled heavily.

“I see.” She said. The faces of the people in the projection were blurry. It’d be so much easier just to do this herself, to get more detail, or to even have a more sophisticated device, but she couldn’t. Not right now. She had to ‘develop’ a more sophisticated version of this device to do what she needed to.

“We need to acquire that weapon at all costs, Ms. Brightsmith.” Xiulan continued.

“Shall I rewind it? After a time it will become more distorted, but we could perhaps garner valuable information.” She said. The device relied upon forensic evidence, energy scans, emotional resonance, and could harness slight temporal capabilities to provide color to thing and make the projection more detailed. Unfortunately, it still had its limits, and they were quite severe.

At that moment, they heard a roar of a creature coming from above them. Both Titania and Xiulan could look up to notice a figure flying above them and descending quite rapidly. As it zoomed closer, more people started to recognize the purple dragon descending upon them that was known as an Aerodactyl. As the wind gusts of the Pokemon's flapping wings could be felt, the people would recognize the face of the one that was riding it. The snow white hair was telling enough, but the sharp blue eyes gave the teen an iconic imagery of his own. He wore a white T-Shirt and blue jeans seemingly by design, like he was supplementing his natural features. But what might even be more iconic than he was the one that was on his shoulder.

"Squirr squirr!" Lucky exclaimed, pointing towards the charred remnants of the building they were landing next to.

"I know, buddy," Winter nodded in agreement, "That's pretty nuts."

The flapping of the wings stopped as the teen finally landed, sliding off the Aerodactyl. He turned back to face what was obviously his own Pokemon and patted his back.

"Thanks Rio," he grinned, "Always appreciate ya."

Rio grunted contently in response before the flash of red enveloped him and he disappeared back into the PokeBall. Now Winter turned to face the two women, easily recognizing one of them. His eyes lit up and the grin turned into a full blown smile.

"Titania!" he exclaimed with jubilee, "Long time no see! I thought you were down in Alola doing your own thing."

He remained vague about what in particular she was doing down there, knowing full well she preferred to be left alone. In stride, he stepped forward, extending a hand for the former Champion to shake. Even though he did claim the title from her as the Indigo Champion, he still held her in high regard and respected her deeply.