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The titan fell to the ground, Pluto escaping into the shadow it created once he was sure that The Stalker was done.

Kabutops would appear from the ground, tearing a hole through it, and Bridgette would emerge right after, or the top half of her would, one arm holding herself up.

Drifblim appeared next to her, offering a hand and when Bridgette took it, he helped her up.

"Oh man!" Bridgette shouted as she saw the fallen titan, "we are so badass!"

Hidden Oil Field

As soon as Benedict landed, Noel leaped off and ran up to her twin, sliding to the ground beside him in grief as the two wept for their lost Gogoat and Guigsy, buried in each other's arms. The rest of the noise became a din to them.

Manny would detect the faint Aura of the Stalker underneath the foliage spread. The Meditite would be able to sense his pain at being ripped in half by a falling log, unable to move as he slowly passed out.

Alexa lowered her camera, her throat running dry. Sazerac landed on her shoulder, her wing pattern changing to a sad Elegant purple as they drooped. Alexa looked to Benedict, who she could only assume knew nothing about running into a Stalker either.

"I'm sorry," she told Roy, still stunned. "We were looking for this oil field. The kid told me it's Jullien Nostrad's, he's been...Jullien's been up to something. But I didn't think...I didn't know about the monster. Oh god, Guigsy..."

She wanted to sit down, but the nearest spot to sit was a loosened log from the titanic mass. So she just shuffled in place for a second, lightheaded. They needed to make sure this trip was worth something. So that Guigsy, and Gem the Gogoat's deaths weren't senseless.

"We can take all the evidence we find, and then we can leave his place for good. I can't let this trip be for nothing. I can't." Feeling the need to address the Donphan in the room, Alexa turned to the Bridgette and her team celebrating. "...who the hell is she?" she asked Ben and Roy, who she was closest to right now.

Hidden Oil Field

"I'm Bridgette Basker." Bridgette overheard the question as she waved her stub around, feeling naked without her prosthetic. She smiled at Alexa, her face covered in dirt and scratches. "Pokemon master in training."

Route 12 - Fourrage Way

Helena rolled her eyes. "Love you, bro." She hung up the call and returned to Grant, sitting down at the cliff edge.

"Everything go okay?" Grant asked.

Helena looked at him, feeling that pang of anxiety from her chat with Zack, and smiled. "Yeah, we're gonna meet up tomorrow."

Mumble vs. Tyrant
Mumbles the Empoleon wore his receiver marked with the number '1' proudly. The first, and strongest, of Grant's Pokemon stared down Tyrant who remained still. The Pokemon was sizing him up.

[So, what's your deal?]

[I'm the king of predators,] Tyrant snarled immediately. Mumbles hadn't expected that.

[I meant with the team. You don't look like you belong with them.]

[I don't. The squishy one wishes for me to kneel.]

[Kneel?]

[I don't kneel.] Tyrant let out a breath from his nose. [I hunt, I kill, I eat. That is my way.]

[Do you plan to kill and eat me?]

Tyrant smiled, [Of course.]

[I don't feel like it. Let's try this instead, you hit me with everything you've got, and I'll return the favor. If I win, you don't eat anybody tonight. If you win, well, I'm sure you'll eat me then.]

Tyrant didn't hesitate at the offer. Instead, he charged forward. Mumbles prepared his attack, as it flashed to life in his palm. The Tyrant slammed his head into Empoleon, who returned the favor with a Flash Cannon.

The Earthquake rocked through his body, but Empoleon stood. Even as the vibrating force transfered into the ground below and displaced it, causing it to crack and shatter, chunks of lands displacing themselves and either rising or falling. He stood, stoic, even though he knew he couldn't take another shot.

All of this was masked by the bright flash and explosion of his Flash Cannon. When the light faded, Tyrant knelt.

[I thought you didn't kneel.]

Tyrant said nothing.

[Are you hungry?]

Tyrant was silent for another few seconds. Then he said, [famished.]

[Awesome!] Mumbles smiled, hiding his pain. [Let's go hunting.]

Tommy vs. Écarlate

Tommy the Breloom was pulling his punches. Each one that struck Écarlate was weak, though strong enough to rattle the Scizor. Écarlate was used to utilizing his speed, and instant movement to close the distance in an encounter. Tommy wasn't about to let him do that. Worse yet, the Pokemon was a talker during a fight.

[So, what's your stake in all of this?] Tommy's number '2' earpiece was attached to his head, and Écarlate felt that it only increased the gravity of the spar - Tommy was stronger than Raijin.

Écarlate recalled losing to the Raichu, numerous times, just the night before. [Someone caused a stampede that hurt Alice.] He used a pinser to block Breloom's next punch, trading it for a Bullet Punch, settling for striking the Breloom's arm as it was up, protecting his body in a defensive manner - bent at the elbow with the hand in front of his face.

Écarlate's attack struck the fist, but Breloom's strength held, and his hand did not budge. Instead, he pushed the pinsir aside, allowing him to step into Écarlate's space and uppercut him.

[And you wanna catch the guys who did it?] Tommy stood over Écarlate, offering him a hand to help him up.

The Scizor took it, pulling himself to his feet. [I'm afraid, from what I have heard, it will be more difficult than that.]

The two stepped away from each other and entered their individual stances. Breloom entered the stance of what was apparently his namesake, and Écarlate entered a similar one, trying to read the Breloom for opening, trying to step into the stance to see if he felt any for himself.

Breloom remained still, and so Écarlate made his move, using Agility to help him step into Tommy's space, curving his claw around toward the enemy Pokemon's face with another Bullet Punch.

Tommy took the blow, trading one of his own in the process. Écarlate tensed at the blow, feeling his metal and muscle shift as the blow struck him and caused him to stumble backwards.

The level difference allowed Tommy to remain on his feet, despite the blow to the face.

[How so?] Tommy asked, entering his stance once more.

Écarlate entered his own as well, but this time he tensed his muscles again. When he had done it previously it had felt different than any other time the Pokemon had tensed up before.

Écarlate focused on it as he spoke. [There is more to it than just the Teddiursa I met in the mines. I fear that there might be multiple groups behind it. I'll need to take them all out if I am to find justice for alice.] Écarlate felt Iron Defense come over him, feeling denser because of it.

Tommy heard the shift in metal, and reacted, striking Écarlate. The Scizor took just one step back from the blow, but realized that it hadn't been as effective before. Eyes lighting up, he trapped Tommy's fist in one of his claws before he could get away.

Then he moved to strike with a Metal Claw, but Tommy caught it at the wrist, shifting his legs, and then bringing Écarlate toward the ground in a make-shift slam.

Écarlate tensed again, using a second Iron Defense before he hit the ground. Tommy was upon him them, fist coming down as he straddled the Scizor. Écarlate used the final Iron Defense, tanking the blow instead. When Breloom realized the damage was minimal, he kicked off the ground to get away.

Écarlate, however, wasn't having it, shooting a Bullet Punch up to grab Breloom. Then he kicked his legs to bring himself up, slamming a Quick Attack into the enemy Pokemon.

Tommy twisted his arm away from Scizor as the Pokemon shifted his stance to gain balance. Tommy Bulked Up, as Écarlate stepped toward him and then, when it was too late to dodge, delivered the Dynamic Punch to Écarlate's stomach.

Metal flesh cracking, Écarlate keeled over the fist, and then collapsed to his knees when Tommy moved his hand away.

[You'll need to get a whole lot stronger, then.]

Écarlate's breathe was ragged, but he answeered, [yeah.]

Raijin vs. Loki

Loki's teleports were too slow. He knew this from his fight with Dune, the Pokemon that his trainer's rival had wielded against them. The dark type had been powerful, much stronger and faster than Loki could hope to keep up with. Even with everything they had planned, the enemy had won.

Currently, Loki could only form double teams to avoid Raijin, using teleports to move between them, psychic energy wavering with each of Raijin's blows.

Calm Mind built up in Loki, and the Alakazam felt that the Raichu had let him - if only to make the fight more interesting.

His psybeams, however, couldn't reach. Even surrounding Raijin with them, and transmuting the psychic energy was too slow. Loki was running out of options, and energy, but he was calm about it.

Until the first Thunderbolt struck him. The Calm Minds, at their maximum power, afforded Loki the defense he needed to survive the blast, but it wasn't going to win the match for him.

Toppled, Loki looked over at Raijin, already charging a second shot. He slipped away into a teleport, but it was once more too slow. As he re-emerged, it was while being struck by the Thunderbolt that Raijin had fired into it before he could get away.

Loki hit the ground once more. Sizzling, blackened, and barely able to stand, he looked out as his enemy once more.

He had nothing against Raijin. No contempt, no hatred - zero animosity. To him, it was all a puzzle. How to win, how to overcome opponents who were faster, stronger, and better in every way. He felt the same for Dune. The enemy had only made him stronger, and he hoped to face Dune again - if only to become even stronger still.

Even a queen is vulnerable if she's alone and surrounded.

Loki's high was the energy that he wielded. The sheer power of it, and the ways that he came to understand it. Infinite power with infinite form. He was an alchemist, he was Solomon, he was an architect of infinite possibility.

Raijin was faster than him, and Loki read the possibility through the psionic waves.

And then he stripped him of his speed.

Trick Room came to life, the pink constructs of chess pieces surrounding Raijin in an instant. The realization came too slow to the enemy, his comprehension, his speed, his everything drastically reduced.

Or rather, changed, so that Loki was faster - not in an actual sense, but Raijin was trapped in the illusion. He could not move faster than Loki, that was the psychic rule in place.

Loki knew the move had a duration, and he wasted no time taking advantage of it. Teleporting high into the sky, Raijin barely comprehending where he might have gone, Loki began to rain down the Psybeams.

Raijin aimed to return fire, managing to displace over a few of the beams, but he was quickly overwhelmed.

Then the light shown behind Loki as he fell. He could feel the electric charge on his skin, and thought better to end the match than to lose his chance at beating Raijin.

So, they traded blows. Psybeam for Thunder. The pillar of light flashed to life, distorting the air in white and purple energy. When it faded, and the dust settled, both Loki and Raijin lay on the ground defeated.

Ziz vs. Feather

[So, are we gonna fight or what?] Feather asked as she looked at Mandibuzz who seemed completely against the idea of fighting. Instead, she just looked hungry.

[I don't feel like it.] Ziz the Mandibuzz said. Instead she looked over toward the route and its wild Pokemon. [No, I think instead you'll attack Pokemon and lure them this way. I'm hungry.]

Feather pursed her lips. [That doesn't seem very intense.] She had fought Off-Route, the Floette had seen the face of hell. She'd gone toe to toe with Tyrant and Raijin. A bunch of scrubs didn't scare her.

[Oh] Ziz chuckled, [I'm sure you'll find this very rewarding.]

With a sigh, Feather started toward where she saw Slowpoke hanging around the water. [Whatever you say, boss.]

One Razor Leaf later, and the Pokemon was coming after her. Floette used Fairy Wind to keep herself afloat, and dodging. The Pokemon charged, and just as it ran into the spot where Ziz had indicated, the flying type swooped down and grabbed it by the head, lifting it into the air and then snapping its neck.

For good measure, Ziz also dropped the poor thing head first onto the ground. [Another.] Ziz landed on the deceased Slowpoke and pecked at its head. [This one is no good.]

Feather rolled her eyes and went out to try again. This time she caught the attention of a Pachirisu with a Magical Leaf. The Pokemon shot toward her, faster than she would have liked, and just as it was about to crash into her Ziz intercepted it, causing the Floette to flinch.

The Pachirisu squirmed in Ziz's talons, and went to shock the bird when she reached down and took off its head in a single bite.

Ziz landed, spitting the head out onto the ground. [No good, try again.]

Feather watched the display, happy that the Pokemon was opting to have her hunt rather than fight her. She gulped, afraid of facing the same fate.

This time, Feather spotted a herd of Miltank and Tauros, grazing on some grass. Targeting them, she fired just a single Magical Leaf. If she could separate just one from the herd, she was sure it would be a success.

The Miltank cried out and then all of the Pokemon turned to face her. There must have been a dozen of them in total - half Tauros, half Miltank. Feather gulped.

It wasn't a herd - it was a Horde.

[A little help?] Feather asked as she pushed herself up above the Pokemon's height with Fairy Wind as they all charged.

Ziz said nothing as she intercepted the wounded Miltank, dragging it to the ground, and then along the ground. In their frenzy, the rest didn't notice, their eyes set on Feather.

[Please!] Feather cried as one of the Tauros jumped up to knock her out of the air.

Feather could hear Ziz cackling as she hit the ground, but the flying type did nothing to lend her aid.

Instead, Feather was forced to fight battle. Fairy Wind enchanted her Razor Leaf as she moved into a fighting stance. The charging Pokemon gave her no room to prepare for any real moves, however.

Buried in the flurry of combat, she could barely make heads of tails of what she was hitting, and where, instead she was quickly reduced to relying on Fairy Wind to aid her in dodging, and Razor Leaf to throw attacks here and there, striking several of her opponents at once.

Feather, however, was quickly overwhelmed. Being dragged to the ground, trampled, stomped on, and tossed about by the heads of her opponents, everything quickly became a blur of bruises and pain.

Please, someone, anyone, help me!

At first, her prayer, her wish, remained unanswered. Knocked to the ground again, Feather was sure this was the end. Until she felt herself revitalized by light. She recognized the energy of it was her own, and realized a second later the capacity of her Wish.

She could heal herself.

A second after that, she bombarded the attacking Tauros with another round of Razor Leaf. The rest of the battle was a multitude of Wishes and Razor Leaves, and Feather couldn't tell how she won, just that the enemy force had died down slowly over the course of the battle.

When it was over she stood with labored breathing, and looked over at Ziz, who was perched on the carcass of a dead Miltank, a chunk of flesh in her beak.

[Congratulations,] Ziz said through a beak full of food.

[You're a jerk.] Feather looked toward Metric, and then to the Pancham. Both looked like they were in trouble [I'm gonna go help them.]

[Yeah, you do that,] Ziz said after swallowing her bite of food. She didn't even spare Feather so much as a glance as she bent down to take another beak full of meat from the fallen Miltank.

[Jerk,] the Floette said again before setting off.

Mumble vs. Tyrant II

With one foot, Tyrant held the head of the Tauros down. His massive jaws ripped the stomach and guts from the Pokemon. With one mighty gulp, he swallowed the entire mouth full. Then, he looked over at Empoleon, who had caught numerous Pachirisu, intent on bringing them back to camp.

[Why do you not eat them?]

Mumbles looked over at his companion whose mouth was coated in blood, flesh and intestines. [So that I can share with everyone.]

A rumble emitted from Tyrant's throat as he considered the Empoleon's answer. [If they cannot hunt for themselves, then they do not deserve to eat.]

Mumbles shook his head. [I have no doubt that they could all fend for themselves, but this is what being a team is about. We work together and we help each other.]

[Weakness,] hissed Tyrant.

[Am I weak? I seem to recall that I beat you.]

A growl rumbled in Tyrant's throat. [You could be much stronger on your own.]

[I don't believe that. I've learned a lot from my friends.]

Tyrant stared at Mumbles for a moment longer, and then he dipped his head back down, to finish eating his kill.

Mayan vs. Metric

[Please, I'm scared!] Metric the Deino said as Mayan the Claydol floated near him. The Pokemon had an earpiece attached numbered '5'. Even if Metric was up against the second weakest of Grant's Pokemon, it was still terrifying.

He wasn't a fighter. Never had been. An abusive trainer that told him that he was worthless, and regularly beat him, hadn't helped his resolve any. Since joining Helena, no matter how grateful he was for the rescue, he had only proven to be useless.

In each fight against Tyrant, he was the first down, within the first blow. Against Raijin it was no different. Mayan only spat mud at him, silent and terrifying, but Metric didn't fight back.

Instead, he did his best to avoid the other Pokemon. A task made difficult by the fact that the Deino was blind. He relied on feeling out his environment to know where he was going, and Mayan's silence made it impossible to track his opponent.

Instead, he was constantly being pelted by mud, which caused him to flip into this direction or that, to try and face an attacker that he could not see.

[Please!] Metric cried, feeling himself covered head to toe in mud now, it masked the feeling of air on his skin, only causing him to feel more cut off from the world. It was in his mouth, nose, and ears as well.

With no ability to navigate anywhere, Metric only became more afraid, and then frustrated.

[Stop it!] Metric shouted. Nothing.

Mud slapped him across the face and he finally yelled, [I SAID STOP!] and fired a Dragon Rage.

He couldn't hear it connect, but he did hear the vague voice shout [This way!] It sounded vaguely like Feather.

So Metric fired in that direction, and this time he heard Mayan erupt into noise with a cry of pain. His Dragon Rage had met its mark!

[There! Are you happy!]

Metric was hit in the face by more mud.

Priscilla vs. Pancham

It had been the perfect opportunity. Pancham had scoured the land for his target, losing her almost anytime he found her. It wasn't until he caught sight of her in Shalour City that he decided to lie in wait.

When Helena had emerged from the Pokemon Center, Pancham had attacked, only to come face first with the button of a Pokeball, his tiny arms unable to reach the girl.

Now he could see her on a cliff face, talking with another human, but she was no longer his primary target.

The Tyrantrum who killed his father was.

Pancham stared down the Audino, a device on her ear with the number '6' on it, that stood between him and victory.

[For the last time, move!]

Audino remained still, only smiling at him. Pancham charged, as he had before and just like last time, he was unable to avoid the electricity of Thunderbolt that emerged from Audino's palm.

The electricity overtook him and launched him tumbling backwards, smoking and defeated. A moment later his consciousness was back and his wounds were healed.

Pancham jumped to his feet, determined to try again. For the fifth time, his charge failed. Even if he tried to avoid running in a straight line, or jumped, or anything else - it all ended the same way. No matter what Pancham tried, the Audino would strike him down, and then bring him back from unconsciousness to try again.

It didn't matter how much he Leered, or how Worked Up Pancham got, every attempt would end the same, but he was determined to try, until he had fallen the sixteenth time.

Staring up at the sky, completely exhausted, Pancham gave a cry to the world.

[You're really mad] spoke a soft voice, accompanied by the head of what must have been an angel. Pancham's voice caught in his throat.

Feather the Floette, white flower in hand, stared down at Pancham with a smile on her face. She looked a little banged up herself, and just as exhausted.

[I'd offer to help you reach her, but I think I'm all out of Wishes.]

[It's not her I want,] Pancham finally said, rolling over - which caused Feather to move back a step - and he managed to push himself up to his knees. The sudden bloodflow made him lightheaded, so he didn't move more than that.

[Then who is it?]

[The big one.] Pancham pointed toward Tyrant and Mumbles. [He killed my father.]

Feather frowned, a look of sympathy and pity moving across her face.

[Your human protects him.]

Feather shook her head. [No, I think she wants to take him down, too. She keeps sending us after him, and is training us to fight him. I think your best shot at revenge is to stick with us.]

Pancham stared at her as this realization set in. Not only would he be able to avenge his father, he'd have friends to help him do it.

[Partners?] Feather offered her hand. Pancham hesitated, but took it.

Grant and Helena

Grant whistled as he watched the training unfold. "Remind me to take you seriously from now on."

Helena blushed at the statement. She looked over at Grant and felt a pang of sadness that Zack hadn't been around to see how much her team and her had grown. She wanted to see him again, to show him. She grasped the locket around her neck as Mumbles returned with dinner.

"Okay everyone!" Grant shouted. "Time to eat!"

Helena looked at Tyrant as he approached as well. The Pokemon snorted and, just to be safe, Helena returned him to his ball.

"Do you plan to evolve your Floette?" Grant asked and Helena looked over at him and shrugged.

The Pokemon arrived in twos, saved for Loki and Raijin who were carried by Écarlate and Tommy respectively. The trainers returned their respective fallen Pokemon.

"Eventually, but she's just so cute like this."

"I dunno how you can overthrow the government and keep adorable Pokemon."

Helena sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeeaah." There was a tinge of anxiety at the mention of the government. Helena could feel its growing presence now, and she feared it would flare up.

Deciding that changing the subject would be the best idea, Helena looked at Grant and said, "you know, I've never had a boy that was interested in me before."

Grant's face was immediately bright red. "Yeah? Is that so?"

"Yeah. So, you wannaaaaa make out a bit?"

Grant somehow managed to get redder. Helena imagined her face was just as red, but she fought through it. Grant was silent for a few moments, and it only made her nervous.

"Yeah, we could do that," Grant said.

Grant sat down next to her and leaned in. "Are you sure you're not gonna slam the door in my face again?"

"There aren't any doors around here." Grant slid over to her, leaning in. Helena gasped at the closeness, propping herself up on her hands as she leaned back, and Grant moved closer.

She felt his hand on the small of her back, holding her as well. Then came the tingle of electricity as his lips drew closer. Helena only felt more nervous.

So nervous, infact, that she said "I'm glad you're granting me permission this time."

Grant stopped, and pulled away. Helena was immediately confused.

"Okay, no, no puns." He stood up. "Mood killed."

"Wait!" Helena shouted, feeling flustered and dazed. "I'm sorry, it just came out!"

"Nuh uh, Ms. Redgrave. I'm not having any of that."

Grant gestured for his Pokemon to bundle the food up. "I'm going to bed."

Helena remained where she sat, suddenly she felt like crying from embarassment. "What about dinner! We agreed on a picnic!"

"Maybe next time." Grant said as he waved and departed. Helena didn't chase him.

Instead she flopped onto her back and looked up at the sky.

"Blew it."

Shalour City

Bummed, Helena had returned to the Pokemon Center to heal her Pokemon. With Grant ditching, she'd lost her hotel room, which meant she'd be booked at the Pokemon Center.

So, Helena spent her free time browsing her phone. When she came across a picture of Zack and Salieri in an alley holding hands, she had to try her best not to start laughing again.

Her anxiety eased, but only slightly. Helena typed a reply to one of the pictures,
"I know those people. Zack Redgrave and Salieri Soledad. Their ship name is #Zackieri."

It would be trending by morning.

Route 12

Grant felt like a jerk. He'd gone toward the city, gotten to his hotel room after dropping his Pokemon off at the center, and then returned to the route.

"Shouldn't have left her," he said to himself as he scratched his head. The route was a mess where their Pokemon had trained, but that only made Grant feel proud. Lots of routes held plenty of scars, but it was always nice to leave your own. Like a way of saying I was here.

She's a pretty good trainer, too. Grant smiled to himself. He wanted to build her up, the same way he wanted to build Benedict and Salieri up. He wanted some proper rivals for the league. With Helena, if they both made it, he could create his own awesome finale for the tournament. Make sure he looked good when he finally became champion.

Grant grinned to himself. "Last chance to do it," he said, lifting his arm up to look at his Poketch swag. "And we're so close, too." After this he would go to college, get a real job, live a normal life.

But first, Grant was going to accomplish his dreams.

Hidden Oil Field

Roy took a deep breath, reigning in the anger as he stood away from the group. It wasn't Alexa's fault, he told himself, but it was someone's. Whether it was their mysterious source, who hadn't had the decency to show up, or this Nostrad guy, it didn't matter. Someone had nearly gotten them all killed, and one of them had been.

He itched his arm, looking around the field. Upturned dirt and filth had caked half of it, the rest crushed or broken in the battle. Huge vats containing oil had ruptured, spilling black across the mud. The ones that had escaped the battle didn't fair much better; rusted and weathered, with their metal panels loose and unbolted. The chainlink fences dotted around the site were in disrepair, some having fallen down in the wind and left there. Around the end of the oil field, the vegetation had died out, poisoned by the oil-soaked land.

The ground hummed beneath his feet. Some measure of life in this waste. Was it some kind of generator? Lights still blinked on device panels and above doors. They had power. Why would someone allow this place to fall into such a state but keep the generator running? Mechanisms continued to dredge oil from the earth, but the containers leaked it right back out. An environmental disaster for sure.

He heard Alexa talking and snapped back to reality. They had to find a way out of here. Roy walked back to earshot, looking for a likely building. 'Maybe they set up a teleport zone or...?' Nevermind. Teleport zones were only useful as destinations to avoid Teleportation accidents. And besides, you needed a teleporting pokémon to use them; they weren't stocked with any special machinery.

Roy shrugged. 'I got nothing.'

Lumiose City Streets

'She's a teenaged girl squared,' Zack said as they hit the streets, heading back to Gotengo. 'She gets emotional and says stupid s**t in the heat of the moment. You should hear her play chess. "I am the master of chess, you see only five moves ahead, I see the next ten both of us will make!" Get real.'

Fact was she'd still win, but Zack reserved the right to think it was stupid.

The trainer frowned when Salieri brought up Grant. He always told himself he wouldn't care if Helena became sexually active, that it was all apart of respecting her choices and other bullshit, but a part of him instinctively hated anyone she might be interested in. And Zack trusted his instincts.

'You know that s**t can make someone go blind, right?' Zack thought for a second. 'Where'd you get it?'

Snowbelle City

It was easy to appreciate the mornings when they all felt like Christmas. Looking out the window at the frozen city, the flakes of snow falling from the sky, the environment forever changed by the subzero temperature of the gym.

"It's beautiful," said the woman on her bed. Emily turned to look at Sintre.

Sin, as Emily called her, was beautiful, but withered. Not by age, but by malnutrition. Her blonde hair overflowed from her head, cascading down her left shoulder, and down her back, where it pooled onto the bed, as if she were repunzel. On her feet, it reached her ankles. Alabastar skin, amber eyes, and white pajamas laced trimmed with a light pink. She'd look perfect, Emily thought, as she held the mug of her hot chocolate in both hands and sipped it, if not for the right half of her head - shaved bald with a scar running from her brow all the way to the curve where the side of her head became the back of it.

"Yeah, it is." Emily watched as the woman stared, and then squinted, fixed her eyes, and then repeated the process.

"Um," Sin looked down at her mug. "Thank you for the hot...." she squinted at it.

"Chocolate."

"Chcolate!" Sin's face lit up, and there was a knock at the door.

"I'll be right back," Emily said with a wave, and she went to answer the door. Peaking just once through the hole to see who her guest was, she unlatched and flung the door open.

"Hey there, pops."

"Inferno," Jean-Pierre greeted her with a smile. "I've got a job for you~"

"Oh!" Emily's face lit up. "Goodie, what is it?"

"Kill everyone on this list." He handed it over to Emily, and she looked down to read the names. "Don't touch the girl in the photo, though. You're just to torture her, and make sure she knows who sent you, and blame the government a little bit."

"Yeah, can do," Emily looked up at Jean-Pierre. "When do you want me to start?"

"First thing tomorrow morning. Kill as many as you can by nightfall."

"Can do, pops."

"Good girl."

When he left, Emily looked down at the list again.

Alice Olivier
Grant Mei
Bridgette Basker
Henrietta Avalite
Azucena Abello
Benedict Montgomery
Salieri Soledad
Zack Redgrave
Katelyn Redgrave

"Awesome," Emily said, and she pocketed the list and returned to bed.

Shalour City

After showering and changing into pajamas, Helena lay in her bed. Her Pokemon were still with the nurse, which was fine. Tomorrow would be a big day. Last day to get any badges before the break, and if everything went well Helena would have her fourth.

But she couldn't ignore her anxiety as it built up. Because not everything was going to go well. Things were happening behind her back. Terrifying things, lurking in the shadows of where she could see them. The Court, Team Flare, Ratio, Jean-Pierre. Real monsters, real threats - to her family, her friends, her own well being.

Now alone, in the dark and silence of her room, it all got to be too much. Maybe it was the soothing effect of Ratio's aura fading away, maybe it was just the lack of stimuli and distractions, but Helena was once more faced with the crushing reality that everything was going to end up really really really badly.

And so, she cried, until she was too tired to cry, and the world melted away, and she managed to sleep.

Route 12

It had been a task tracking Grant to and from the city, but it was worth the effort. With no witnesses, Bacque could be sure of a clean job. He'd been on duty all week, but today he'd been given a name.

Once the trainer's guard was low, Bacque approached, his long golden hair gleaming in the sun. At his side was his Seismitoad, Gren. It slumped and slouched as it lumbered along, its eyes peeking out from heavy lids. Just another trainer out with his pokémon, albeit a glowing, beautiful trainer with an ugly lump of a frog.

They came close, within arm's reach, moving in utter silence. Gren reached for Grant, but at the last second Bacque stayed his pokémon's touch with a short shake of his head.

'Hey there,' Bacque said, making sure to present an easy smile when Grant turned around. He'd had a lot of practice in passing for human. 'You're Grant, aren't you? I'm a massive fan.'