{RP} The S.S. Wishmaker - Tides of Witchcraft

[Neo Emolga]

The Diamond Ladies
Main Pool
Affected RPers: @Chakramaster, @Noblejanobii, @Desolate Divine @Shruikan

Before Jimmy could respond, Cassandra had heard Jon shout out at Doug, calling him out on his deplorable and sexist remark before threatening to break his jaw if he ever spat on anyone like that again despite what they had done. Cassandra looked up, surprised but thankful and touched that Jon was willing to stand up for her where she was in a tightly-scrutinized position where she couldn’t defend and stand up for herself, even when he was facing the possibility that it might have a negative impact when on him it came to his own standing as an operative for the League. Despite what she and the other Ladies had done, he was still willing to stand up for what was right against Doug’s disgusting behavior.

She closed her eyes, thankful Jon was willing to place his faith and offer protection to her, Jarena, and Violet. It was making her regretful she hadn't done the same earlier...

“Ha, yeah, whatever, dad,” Doug laughed at Jon sarcastically, blowing him off and not taking Jon at all seriously. “What a damn shame your mom didn’t swallow instead!”

Considering what Jon had revealed about his father and mother to the Ladies only a short while earlier, Cassandra nearly gasped, knowing Doug’s heinous and careless tossing of that kind of disgusting and insensitive remark at Jon and the horrific experience Jon had with his own father would be a deathwish to Doug. And it certainly didn’t help that Doug gave Jon a fully-raised middle finger directed at him before heading into the bathroom, a much less scrutinized place compared to the Main Pool at the moment… a place where there wouldn’t be any witnesses…

Cassandra knew… if Jon went into the men’s bathroom storming after Doug… Doug might not be coming out of that bathroom ever being able to have children of his own… if he even came out at all…

[[Desolate Divine]]

Jon Drake
Main Pool
Affected RPers: @Neo Emolga @Noblejanobii @Chakramaster @Shruikan

Doug retorted with a remark about Jon's parents, somewhat obvious he had no clue about Jon's past since he hadn't really mentioned it to anyone unless the need arose, before flipping him off and walking to the changerooms. Jon began clenching the fist of his broken hand, unaware that it was now starting to bleed through the bandages. Whilst Jon really wanted to follow him there and show him the error of his decisions, he didn't instead sighing, before turning to the people yet to be turned.

"If I did to him what I really want to do to him..." Jon said, "Well, I can't expect the League to heed my request after that. He'll still be a piece of s**t next time I see him, so that can wait..."

Jon turned to face the Pachirisu.

"Cuddles, I think you're up?"

[Noblejanobii]

Avery Miller (They/Them)
Main Pool
Affected RP'ers: @Neo Emolga @Chakramaster @Desolate Divine @Shruikan

Avery watched as Cassandra turned Ethan back into a human. They flinched a little at the whole process, since it looked a little less than pleasant. But after he changed back, Ethan seemed to be relatively fine. Avery couldn't hide their shock when the realization came out that Ethan could still understand Pokémon. Joy flooded their system as they realized they'd be able to speak with their team not just now, but seemingly until the end of their life. A grin spread across their face as they looked up at Daybreak and Picotee. "Looks like I'll get to hear your opinions on all my decisions from here on," they remarked.

Daybreak snorted. "Don't consider that a good thing. Gloria is going to nag you to death and back," he retorted. Still, Avery could see the smile on Daybreak's face. He was happy about it too. The whole team was, Avery could feel it.

Avery waited patiently as the other operatives were turned back human. A few of them were less than cordial to the ladies, which while somewhat reasonable, seemed rather harsh given they were gracious enough to turn them all back human, even if it was under duress. But it was Nathan and Doug's responses to the situation that made Avery's blood start to boil. Their lips pulled back from their teeth as they began to growl a little, the fur along their spine standing up as a coolness began to formulate inside their stomach. The whole "do as your told" and "it beats being a woman" on top of Doug spitting on Cassandra easily got a rise out of Avery. They despised close minded people, and if Doug and Nathan's remarks were anything to go by, they both fit the bill tried and true. Granted, while it was moreso Doug than Nathan who crossed the line, in Avery's mind, they both deserved punishment, and a harsh one at that.

Jon jumped to it first, calling Doug an incel, which fit his description quite well. Doug, of course, didn't seem phased by this in the slightest, even coming back with some smart*ss remark of his own and flipping the middle finger at Jon. To his credit, Jon let Doug go into the bathroom without a fight, exercising great self restraint on behalf of the ladies. Avery, on the other hand, had just rolled a Nat 0 in self restraint, practically snarling at this point from how angry they were, the cold feeling in the pit of their stomach growing as their anger escalated. Looking over at the Ladies and Jimmy, they nodded their head in acknowledgment. "Bui bui, buizel buizel," ("Let Jimmy go first, I have business to take care of") they said.

Without waiting for their response, Avery got down on all fours and dashed into the bathrooms after Doug and Nathan. By now the cool feeling has spread across their entire body, feeling like some sort of power coursing through their veins. Scurrying around, they stopped when they spotted the former-Azurill. Instinct took over at this point as Avery didn't even hesitate on what to do next. "Buizel bui!" ("Hey *******!") they shouted before firing an ice beam straight at Doug. The cold feeling dissipated from their body as the attack finished, leaving the lower half of Doug's body completely frozen. Spitting at the ice, Avery snarled at Doug again. "Bui buizel bui bui," ("I'll have the operatives come chip you out before too long") they said, "Bui bui zel." ("So don't shrink too much in the mean time".) With a wave of a paw, Avery dashed back out of the bathroom and headed back to the Main Pool, satisfied with their work.

[Chakramaster]

Jimmy Kendo
Main Pool
Affected RP'ers: @Neo Emolga @Noblejanobii @Desolate Divine @Shruikan

Jimmy watched the scene as the first operative. It...was a bit concerning at first, but he was glad to see that it worked. Not only were they returned to their human form. They kept the ability to be able to speak and understand their Pokémon. This was incredible!

Then came an operative that had been turned into an Azurill. Once changed back he smarter off at the ladies, spat on Cass, and decided it was smart to make sexist remarks at her. Jon looking aggravated as he clenched the first that was wrapped in bandages. Blood seeping through them. Doug just smart off at Jon and have him the middle finger as he walked off into the bathrooms to get changed. Avery lost it however.

Avery had practically been snarling at these remarks. Unable to hold themself back. Avery dashed into the bathroom on all four after Doug. We hear a loud voice, "Hey *******!" Avery had then happily hopped her way back out. Looking very proud. She must've taught him the lesson he deserved. Honestly, whatever happened. Doug deserves worse. No one should be treated like how Doug just acted. No one. Human or Pokemon.

Jimmy has turned back to Cass. "Pa. Chi-ri. Pachirisu." (Well I guess it's my turn, but before i do I have a question). Jimmy looked back a little. "Risu. Pachi. Chi-Risu." (Hey Grovyle. Think you can bring it here? Just be careful with it).

His Grovyle jumping out from one of the balconies where it had been watching while hidden. He reveals the thunderstone Cass had given him earlier that day.

"Pachirisu. Su Su. Pa-chi-risu." (I still remember when you gave this to me. I wasn't sure at first if I should throw it away or what. I'm glad I kept it now). Jimmy said to Cass. He continued on (I wanted to thank you. For giving me time to understand and be with my Pokémon. Understanding them a little better now. With that...do you think there's anyway to use this thunderstone to turn me into a Pikachu like my friend here and keep my human form as well? I'm sure there has to be some kind of spell. Right)? Jimmy asked while smiling to his Pikachu).

(That's right buddy. I'd like to learn a little more about these abilities Pokemon can use. If I can keep my human form and change into a Pikachu like you. Then that'd be perfect. Wouldn't you think so)? Nodding with confidence. (If it's not possible. Then I'd like to give this thunderstone back to you Cass. If you truly want to continue being a Pokémon. Maybe one day when all is settled. You can use it to become a Jolteon if you ever wanted to. That's assuming they let you continue to stay as Pokemon now).

(If it's not possible, then that's fine. I'm ready to change back). Jimmy said as he began to step forward

[Neo Emolga]

The Diamond Ladies
Main Pool
Affected RPers: @Chakramaster, @Noblejanobii, @Desolate Divine @Shruikan

Cassandra was a bit surprised it wasn’t Jon who went in after Doug, although she had realized Jon somewhere along the line had badly injured his hand. Instead, it was Avery who had angrily charged after Doug into the bathrooms, but then a short while after had emerged looking quite pleased with themselves.

While Cassandra hadn’t seen exactly what Avery had done, she had a pretty good feeling she would have liked the result…

“Thank you,” Cassandra whispered under her breath.

Now, it was Jimmy’s turn to be changed back, but before he stepped up, he had a different proposal. Cassandra was a bit taken back, Jimmy actually thanked her for getting the chance to be a Pokémon for a while to get that closer connection to his own Pokémon, and it seemed like it had been quite an enlightening experience for him.

He then asked if there was a possible spell that would allow Jimmy to transform to and from his human self and a Pikachu similar to his naturally-born Pikachu companion. He wasn’t sure if the Thunder Stone she gave to him earlier could be used as a reagent in such a way to leverage that possibility. Or, if not, she could use it herself to evolve from Eevee to Jolteon, provided the League allowed her to stay as a Pokémon. All else, if none of that was possible, Jimmy was ready to go back to being human.

To Cassandra, it was an interesting proposal and she could see how closely bonded Jimmy was to his Pikachu, but considering the situation, she didn’t want to cast anything besides what the League was expecting her to do and what she promised to do. Meanwhile, she didn’t know of such a spell offhand, but it was not to say something like that could potentially exist on another page of the Evangtin Tome or one of her other books. For the time being, she only knew of how to transform people into Pokémon with the Pokémon Transformation Hex, or change them back again with the Affliction Reversal Spell. Something that combined the two and allowed the recipient the ability to swap back and forward was likely going to be more advanced.

“Eev-vee-vee…” (“Yeah, sorry for being a close-minded snob about using a Thunder Stone, earlier.”) Cassandra sighed, ears drooping with Eevee her head looking down in embarrassment, now seeing that Jimmy’s kinship to his Pikachu was much more important to him than evolving him into a Raichu to maximize his battling capabilities. “Evee-veeee… Veeee…” (“Sorry to say, but I don’t know of such a spell that would give you that ability to change back and forward, but it could exist. That and… with the League and all these other people watching me right now, it’s best to get you changed back to human as part of the original arrangement, at least for now until we figure something else out and the League is still okay with me even using Shadowcraft after all this.”)

But Cassandra had a strong feeling the League wouldn’t allow it. She could honestly foresee the League tossing all four of her books into a fire once this was all done, and anything that was kept at her residence was probably going to be confiscated and destroyed as well. While they couldn’t purge her memorized spells out of her head, they could put her under a very strict scrutiny of making sure she didn’t resort to using witchcraft ever again with very hard punishments if she didn’t maintain compliance. But, she wasn’t going to specifically ask as she was hoping they would forget to address that point. While she had learned her lesson on not using it to cheat for battling, she didn’t want to lose her witchcraft entirely for all the other interesting, practical, and recreational uses it would have. But nonetheless, none of it was worth it if it would only land her in further trouble and betray that last, very fragile fiber of trust the League still had in her.

“Eee-veee…veee” (“Worst case, as the others found out, you’re still perfectly capable of chatting to your Pokémon.”) Cassandra told Jimmy, trying to offer a compassionate smile, though she knew it might disappoint him. “Ee-vee-veee…” (“But unless you’ve got a lot of nuggets and human and Pikachu hair strands you’re willing to burn through to go about this the more… traditional way, I’m afraid this is all I can do unless I find there’s another spell out there that’s exactly what you’re looking for and the League isn’t bothered by me using it. But now’s just not the time…”)

In the meantime, Cassandra wasn’t sure herself of what to do about that Thunder Stone if Jimmy didn’t need it. The League mostly likely didn’t want her or the other Ladies staying as Pokémon despite the fact it wouldn’t do any personal harm to the League. By now she had gotten used to being an Eevee and while it annoyed her a bit at first, she took a fond liking to the comments about her being cute and adorable. While she had warmed up to that kind of attention, it didn’t seem to align with Jon’s plan, and right now with everything that had happened, she needed his support and wasn’t about to try negotiating again seeing as how that turned out last time. If Jon needed her and the other Ladies back as humans, she knew there was no more fooling around with that expectation. For them to trust each other and make sure the faith was well-placed, full cooperation was an absolute necessity.

After Jimmy stepped forward, Cassandra had gotten to work on the spell, still feeling Jimmy looked nice and handsome as a Pachirisu, but she knew the League wasn’t going to appreciate any funny business. Still, she couldn’t help but feel the world was going to lose one good Pachirisu today. While Cassandra got the spell ready, Violet placed the beach towel over his white and blue electric squirrel body, leaving only his head and front paw exposed, though there was a very noticeable bulge in the towel due to Jimmy’s immense Pachirisu tail.

After reciting the incantations and getting the reagents prepared, the spell was ready. Once Jimmy’s paw made contact with the glowing nugget, the glowing, restorative light had surrounded him, restoring him from his small squirrely state to the human that she had seen just before Jarena had cast the hex on him before. Now that he was human again, all he needed to do now was get changed and be on his way.

“Eee-vee-vee…” (“Thanks for your understanding, Jimmy.”) Cassandra looked to him with a smile, content to know Jimmy could still understand her. “Ee-ee-vee-vee…” (“And thanks for snapping me out of that… terrible downward spiral. I think that wake-up call was… really badly needed.”)

With that done, all that remained was Avery Miller and the three Ladies themselves. There was still no news about what the League had decided upon as a punitive and corrective action, but Cassandra kept working to push the thought of it out of her head and just focus on setting things on the right path as much as she could…

[Noblejanobii]

Avery Miller (They/Them)
Main Pool
Affected RP'ers: @Neo Emolga @Chakramaster @Desolate Divine @Shruikan

Avery watched as Jimmy was turned back into a human, leaving just them and the ladies. They still weren’t super keen at all to change back here. It’d reveal more about their identity than they cared to show off to so many people, especially strangers.

“No chance we can convince them to let me do this in a bathroom?” Avery asked Daybreak.

The Rapidash chuffed and shook his head. “Yeah right. Fat chance.”

Avery have a heavy sigh. “Yeah I thought not.” Taking off their Pokéball belt, they made sure that Daybreak, Picotee, and Acacia were all out of their balls.

Violet placed a couple towels over them, seeming to realize Avery’s desire for extra privacy. The incantation began and as Avery reached out to touch the nugget, they felt a weird sensation spread all over their body from the nugget. It was hot and cold all at once as they felt their body slowly change back into their human form.

Avery’s three Pokémon flanked them as the change took place, with Picotee and Daybreak using their large size to help block Avery from everyone’s view while Acacia used Psychic to hold the towels in place while Avery tied them around themselves. The less people could see the better, even if there wasn’t much to hide. Privacy was privacy even for a celebrity.

Once their towels were secure, Avery waved to the Ladies. “Thank you, for everything,” the said simply. They weren’t really sure exactly what to say to convey their feelings at the moment, but they hoped that at least those few words possibly got the message across.

With that, they headed off towards the nearest unisex bathroom with the trio of hooved Pokémon.

[[Desolate Divine]]

Jon Drake
Main Pool -> Safe House G
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii @Chakramaster @Neo Emolga @Shruikan

"Jon." said Latios' voice, "Message..."

Before Jon could ask what he meant, a voice spoke in his head, one vaguely familiar, that he soon recognized as Cassandra's only ever hearing it in interviews.

"Latios… wherever you are out there… if you can feel this or hear this… please let Jon know…

…

…we really do need his help… and I thank him for it…"

Jon was shocked at the sudden change in tone from before. When he first offered help, it was rejected, as they thought they would be better off using their magic as leverage. Now it was a sincere sounding thanks and humble request for help. What did Cuddles say to change their mind so drastically.

Avery was turned back to normal and escorted away to get changed by their Pokemon, meaning that the only ones left to be turned back were the three girls, however that could wait for a moment, especially since Jon wasn't sure whether they still wanted to stay as Pokemon or not. Those who were once Pokemon could still understand the Pokemon around them, but Jon was one of the few who could not understand a thing being said, relying on Latios, who was still barely verbal with his telepathy, to forward him any information.

Jon turned his attention to the three Pokemon remaining.

"Ladies, if you'd like to come with me?" Jon asked, before gesturing to a nearby corridor leading to the cabins.

Thankfully they began to follow him without much hesitation. Jon turned to the now human Cuddles before leaving.

"I need to talk to the higher-ups, and it's best if I do it alone for the time being." Jon explained, "I will fill you in on everything once that conversation has happened, most likely before tonight's battle. Can you let Avery know the same when they get back?"

Jon began leading the trio of Pokemon towards one of the cabins, finding himself out the front of Safe House G. This safe house was essentially designed to hold targets should they be detained. That being said, it was far from a grimy prison cell. It was a standard room, however with an entry room that was protected by a lock only operatives could open. Beyond that, it was a standard suite with four beds, a couch, TV and en suite. Jon ushered the three Pokemon into the room, before placing the bag with their clothes, minus the tome, on the ground.

"I am going to go talk to the League about this whole situation, and what happens with you three." Jon explained, "I do have a plan, that I think may convince them, but it will only work if the three of you are human..."

Jon produced from the bag the three baggies that would allow them to turn themselves back, before producing some cups of water from the kitchenette.

"The thing is that this plan involves my wife, and I have to make sure she is okay with it first." Jon explained, "I will speak to her, then the league, and be back before tonight's match. Please turn yourselves back before then, even if once this is all over, if you still want to be Pokemon, you make that happen later. A lot is riding on this idea..."

As Jon left, he spoke up one last time.

"Thank you for turning yourselves in." Jon said, "Really, if this went any further, nobody would win. As an operative, and a fellow trainer, I really appreciate that you did the right thing."

Jon left the room, locking it with his keycard, and activating the lockdown function, so that only his would unlock it, just in case someone like the a**hole who spat on them earlier decided to pay them a visit.

As Jon left the room, Latios materialized next to him in the corridor.

"I think it's over." Jon said, "Even with all the damages, you did really well."

"Swim?" Said Latios' voice in Jon's head, sounding like a child begging their parents to let a friend stay over, before an image of the main pool appeared in Jon's head.

Jon couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, you've earnt a break." Jon explained, "People should still be in their rooms, but be careful anyway. If you see anyone, go invisible. I will come get you from the pool, so don't leave there."

Latios smiled giddily, before taking off out the hallway, turning invisible.

Jon pulled out his phone, texting Steven.

"Can you, Lance and Cynthia meet me in an hour at Safe House C? I have them detained, but need to talk to all of you before we go any further."

Jon began walking, calling Alyssa, asking her to meet him back at their room, and finding a reply from Steven confirming the meeting once he hung up.

*********

An hour passed, and Jon had spent that time in their cabin with Alyssa, explaining his idea, and what it meant for them going forward. To his surprise, Alyssa was for it, thinking it the best way forward for everyone. Whilst she offered to come with him when he met the champions, Jon declined, knowing it could get intense, but instead asked her to come when he went to see the Ladies later that evening.

It was 5pm, when Jon found himself sitting at a table in Safe House C, with Steven, Cynthia and Lance sitting opposite him.

"So I have them detained, in Safe House G, which is locked to this key." Jon explained, "They were spat on by an operative after they turned him back, so for their safety, I triggered the lockdown protocol on the room."

Cynthia and Lance seemed slightly confused as to why they were in this meeting. Whilst Jon had made demands during the operation, such as locking down the ship and calling the operatives to cease engaging the girls, he was still a base level operative, only having made those things happen due to having earnt Steven's respect personally. Lance and Cynthia on the other hand, had no clue why Steven was so hell bent on getting them a meeting with this operative.

"But before we go any further, we need to talk about clean-up." Jon explained, "If we don't cover up this witchcraft, then no tournament will be safe from anything as bad, if not worse than this. Lucky for you three, I have a plan, but it will come at a cost..."

Steven looked at Jon, slightly concerned about what he was going to say, whilst Cynthia seemed curious about what was to come. Lance wondered why this tattooed drop-kick that he had heard many complaints about in the last eight hours was talking to him like some sort of equal.

"Okay, enlighten me..." Cynthia chuckled, as Steven began to look more worried.

"The events of this afternoon, where people saw Violet and Jarena turn each other into Pokemon, before the trio went on a mini rampage and publicly turned other people into Pokemon were seen, but are still a bit unbelievable. If people hadn't seen it happen first hand, or seen the footage, it would be an urban legend, but the problem is, people saw it. As unbelievable as it may be, it was seen." Jon explained, "So we need to convince them that it wasn't what it looked like, and there are two boxes we need to check with this cover-up. The first is that the story offered is more believable than what they saw, and the second is that they want to believe it."

"And what story do you propose to cover this up?" Lance asked smugly.

"A story of a villain, and a hero who the people like to defeat the villain."

"As soon as possible, I need you to find me a Zoroark. One strong enough to be on a professional competitive team, and well trained enough to take instruction from someone who isn't it's trainer." Jon explained, "They are capable of producing illusions strong enough to fool hundreds of people, and the illusions are light and sound based, not telepathic, which means that they can be recorded to video. During the day tomorrow, I will show it every ounce of footage of the witchcraft taking place that I can find, and get it to practice creating illusions of those scenes."

As Jon said this, he saw Steven starting to realize where he was going.

"Tonight, Cassandra is scheduled to battle Avery Miller, whilst I am scheduled to battle Ethan Caldwell." Jon explained, "It works better if Cassandra beats Avery, but if she doesn't, I will throw the match with Ethan so I battle her tomorrow evening for third place. If she beats Avery, I will make sure to beat Ethan tonight."

"How can you be so confident that you can win and make this happen." Lance asked.

"Because we have no other choice." Jon explained, "If I don't, then we will be dealing with this s**t every six months for the rest of our f**king lives..."

"Anyway, in the battle tomorrow night with Cassandra, I will send Zoroark out against her, and it will accidentally create illusions of Violet and Jarena turning each other into Pokemon, for the entire stadium to see." Jon explained, "And if that isn't damning enough, Latios will also make an appearance, placing me at the scene when all of this unbelievable s**t went down. He is clearly there in the video, and the amount of holes in the ship that he left don't look good..."

"So this hero and villain thing..." Cynthia asked, "You're the villain?"

"I am." Jon explained, "And Cassandra needs to play the hero who puts me in my place. Once this is over, the league will make a statement claiming they investigated Jonathan Drake, and determined that he had his Zoroark create illusions incriminating Violet and Jarena, in order to blackmail Cassandra to throw the match. He will promptly be given a lifetime ban."

"The Diamond Ladies have one of the most loyal fanbases, and would want to believe that Cassandra put an a**hole who was trying to cheat against her in his place, more than they would want to believe that the three of them have been cheating using some unbelievable witchcraft."

"But this is destroying your whole career?" Cynthia asked, "And why are you referring to yourself in the third person?"

"Because he isn't Jon Drake..." Steven muttered, causing Cynthia and Lance to look at him even more confused.

"My name is actually Ryan Mason." Jon explained, now used to it, "My dad was a piece of s**t and is rotting in prison, but in case they let him out, I don't want him to find me. So since I began competing professionally, I used my middle name, and my wife's surname. Jonathan Drake. I am registered with the League as Ryan Mason, but have Jon Drake listed as a preferred name. But my drivers license, the rental agreement on my apartment, my bank accounts, they are all under Ryan Mason. I go by Jon Drake socially, and the league sign up is the only document that links Jon Drake to Ryan Mason."

"Basically, I'd need you to transfer my current file over to a new one, actually named Jon Drake, and I will take a break from competing. When enough time has passed, I might come back to it, but as Ryan Mason. Only the league will ever find out the Jon Drake doesn't exist anymore." Jon explained, "Additionally, there are some conditions I want to make, some necessary for this whole cover-up to work, and some to make this worth the trouble for me, since Alyssa and I are going to have to relocate, and Alyssa and I will both have to find another job."

"Here we go..." Lance muttered, before earning a glare from Jon.

"To make this believable the following needs to happen." Jon explained, "Firstly, I know of one guest who saw and heard enough that this plan won't work. If you can get me the passports of all female trainers between the age of 15 and 25 on the cruise, I will ID her, and you can have someone approach her with a non-disclosure agreement to sign, under threat of a ban from any and all league activity if they disclose this information. You will need to debrief the operatives who were turned into Pokemon, and assess the security cameras to see if there is anyone else we need to approach with the same deal."

"Additionally, we need to separate the Diamond Ladies from this. If a public ban is made, or if they stop competing altogether, people will ask questions and start pulling at the threads, which will unravel this whole thing." Jon explained, "Once the sentence is finalized, which we will fast track to the day we get off this goddamn ship, they will get their Pokemon back. Their ban will be five years, and completely hidden from the public. They will announce a temporary retirement to their competitive careers, giving the three of you one last chance to beat them and earn back the title of champion before they do. Otherwise, you will get it back by default when they retire. They will be made to pay back every cent their won illegitimately from the league, but the ban needs to be kept completely hidden from the public. And once they have paid half of it off, they are given the option to work off their debt by helping the league deal with instances like this. We would have had this so much more under control if we had one of them in our corner. "

"No way." Lance replied standing up, "No goddamn way! Steven, who is this guy?"

"Lance sit down..." Steven replied.

"No, I won't. We lost our titles, we were humiliated by these three trainers nobody knew of a year beforehand. The league was scammed out of thousands, and it all was some sort of hocus-pocus bulls**t that they used to cheat their way to the top." Lance said, "I spent years searching for and training Dragon types, and worked my way to the top, and now this idiot wants me to let it go? Spare them?"

"Nobody cares about your dragon fetish, Lance..." Jon muttered, sick of the tone the ex-champion had been using the entire time.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Lance asked.

"I'm the best f**king chance you have at keeping that title, when you get it back, from some other person who decides to copy what these girls did, because the ex-Indigo Champion, seems to care more about stroking his rage-boner, than actually stopping this sort of s**t from happening again." Jon shouted as he stood up.

"Right, listen here..." Lance began before walking towards Jon.

"Both of you sit down..." Cynthia muttered irritably at the two men who seemed to be trying to show the other their superior testosterone, "Lance, as much as I don't like letting them get away with this so easily, he has a point. Somebody needs to go down to take the public's view away from the witchcraft. If the Ladies go down, then they become centre of attention and we can't keep this hidden. We don't have many people stepping up to throw their reputation down the toilet, but Jon is willing and able. So hear him out."

Lance sat down, muttering expletives, and seeming like he was trying to convince himself he didn't have a dragon fetish.

"So the girls are given a temporary and hidden ban, but why give them the chance to work off their debt? Would they even want to?" Steven asked.

"Because everybody deserves the chance to try and make amends. Even them." Jon explained, "And I think they will. When they first spoke to me, they tried using their ability to turn the operatives back as a bargaining chip, and their subsequent actions were to force us to use that. Then they gave it up. They turned everyone back, with no conditions, before letting me take them into custody. I think they realized that they have messed up and want to show they can be better."

"Okay, surprisingly enough, I agree with most of what you have said so far." Cynthia explained, "This is our best bet of keeping this whole thing hidden from the public. But you said you had conditions to make it worth your while. What are they?"

"Cassandra isn't going to be paid for her place in this tournament. So I want the fourth place prize in addition to whatever I earn. Adjust the prizes based on all of this. So if I come in second when Cassandra beats me, Avery third and Ethan fourth, I take first and fourth prize money, Avery takes second and Ethan takes third. Additionally the league will pay for all damages I am liable for during this operation. Mostly from Latios." Jon explained to Steven's horror.

"So you're only doing this to make a buck..." Lance muttered.

"I'm doing this because I am throwing away the chance to compete and make a living the only way I know how for the next few years, and Alyssa is going to have to try and find another job, without using her past work for references, because they know that she is married to Jon Drake." Jon explained, "I'm offering to be the scapegoat, but I'm not offering to be bent over..."

Cynthia cringed at the implication, whilst Steven spoke up.

"So say we pull this off. The public are fooled, the Ladies receive the agreed upon punishment, and you and Alyssa get a nice little paycheck." Steven asked, "What happens to you two after this?"

"We had been looking at this nice little cottage in Mossdeep." Jon explained, "It was still a year or two off, but with the prize money and our savings, we would be able to buy it outright, that way if we struggle to find work for a little while, we aren't going to be homeless. Besides, our apartment in Lilycove was starting to feel a little small."

"Is there anything else?" Cynthia asked, somewhat loudly, seeming to try and stop the potential tangent of Jon and Steven getting a beer on the weekend after he moves.

"I think that's it." Jon explained, "The important stuff really. There might be a few more details I come up with, but nothing that you would disagree with if you agree to this."

"Well I don't agree." Lance replied, "This idiot can't keep his Pokemon from destroying the boat, and expects us to not only trust the future of the league to him, but also pay him for it? I can't agree to that."

"Well I trust Jon, and if he thinks we can pull this off, I believe him." Steven replied, "It's a majority rules vote. That's how we settled these sorts of disagreements when we were planning this operation, and it's how we will settle this. Which means, Cynthia, you get to make the call here."

Cynthia was silent, before looking Jon in the eye.

"What does your wife think of all this? Have you spoken to her?" Cynthia asked, "Because it isn't just your life you are uprooting here, and lets be honest, to show the Ladies a little mercy. It is hers too."

"Why do you think I asked Steven for us to meet in an hour?" Jon replied with a grin, "I spoke to her and she was for it. She had her reasons, but sees this as an opportunity for bigger and better things for us."

Cynthia listened to what Jon had to say, before speaking up.

"I am in favour of the proposed plan." Cynthia said, as Lance's jaw dropped.

"No, this will not happen!" Lance shouted.

"Lance, remember the agreement we all signed when the league asked us to spearhead this investigation?" Cynthia asked, "The league is a subsection of the government, and we were given authority to act on behalf of both, in favour of a decision that has a majority vote between the three of us. We have since reached that majority vote. Which means the decision has been made."

Cynthia stood up, looking down on the dragon trainer.

"The decision made is to make sure that our first priority is keeping the existence of witchcraft covered up. And if Steven and I believe you to be a threat to this secret, we are allowed to treat you as we would anybody else who we deemed a threat..." Cynthia explained, "I don't care if you agree or not, because you were outvoted. Will you work with us and try and give us a better chance of pulling this off, or will you keep acting like a spoilt child, and throw yourself off a cliff just to drag us down with you?"

Lance was silent before mumbling.

"You're on your own." Lance replied, before making his way to the door, "I will keep this all under wraps, because I do want it to work. But I don't think it will, and I won't be going down when this fails catastrophically."

Lance walked out as Steven sighed.

"Sorry about him." Steven replied, "He has always been very proud, and he lost his title to Jarena when she was fifteen. The comments made about him in some of the less than reputable media sources really hit him hard, and I know he was hoping to prove everyone wrong about the last five years."

"Anyway, moving forward with this plan, what do you need from us before the end of the cruise??" Cynthia asked, "The Zoroark, and Cassandra to compete?"

"Steven, have you got the girls belts? The ones with their Pokeballs?" Jon asked.

"I kept them on me. I wasn't going to risk them getting their hands on them and getting away."

"I will hold on to Cassandra's Pokemon for the time being, and keep them safe. If you can get Violet and Jarena's Pokemon to Jimmy Kendo and Avery Miller, I'd appreciate it. Only until the cruise is over, and their sentence is finalized." Jon explained, "Their experience with agents has not been pleasant. They were abused and spat on as they tried to turn them back. Their Pokemon are important to them, and I think they'd be more likely to cooperate if they knew their Pokemon were being looked after by people they have reason to trust. Or at least, people they know aren't going to put the Pokeballs in a hydraulic press as revenge."

"I can make those arrangements." Steven replied, pulling a bag onto his lap from the ground and handing a belt over to Jon that was lined with Pokeballs, "I will make contact with the two agents you named and entrust these with them."

"In that case, do you mind if I go fill them in on the plan?" Jon asked.

"You do that." Cynthia explained, "We will try and get the pieces ready to fall into place. I just hope this all works..."

****

The meeting with the champions went for about an hour, and at 6pm. Jon returned to his room, finding Alyssa waiting for him, before telling her of the League's agreement with the plan. Jon stashed the Pokeballs containing Cassandra's Pokemon in the room, before stopping by a pizza shop in Central Park. Pizza box in hand, the pair made their way to Safe House G, letting themselves in the front door, before knocking on the door leading into the room with the girls itself.

"It's me, and I have my wife here too. Can we come in?"

[Neo Emolga]

The Diamond Ladies
Safe House G
Affected RPers: @Desolate Divine

After following Jon to Safe House G from the pool, the Ladies had gotten the idea that it didn’t matter to the League whether they transformed themselves back or not. Cassandra herself still wasn’t sure what was going on entirely, but Jon was her last thread of hope in this situation. At this point, even if he had betrayed them, it didn’t matter, they had already hit rock bottom and were at the full mercy of the League anyway.

It was easy to mistake Safe House G for just another guest room instead of a holding cell area. After taking them there, Jon mentioned he was going to talk to the League regarding the situation, but it would involve the three of them having to return to being human. Cassandra nodded, feeling if that’s what Jon needed them to do, they’d have to go along with it. From how she saw it, she had lost all freedom of choice at this point and it wasn’t until they got off the ship would they finally gain a bearing on where they would go from here.

Still, before leaving, Jon thanked them and appreciated their compliance. After closing the door behind him, the three of them were alone in the room.

“Bun-ear-rryyyy…?” (“Any clue what this guy’s really up to?”) Jarena asked, shrugging. “Bun-buneary…” (“He certainly seems… nicer once we started cooperating.”)

“Eeveeee…vee…” (“Nothing to lose at this point.”) Cassandra sighed. “Ee-veee-veee…” (“Everything went so much to hell that he could totally throw us under the bus and it wouldn’t really make a difference.”)

“Furr-rett…” (“God, what a hell of a day,”) Violet muttered, looking off to the side. “Furr-rett…” (“Yeah, guess we’d better get changed back now. ”)

But there was still a pressing question of what was to come after this, and Jon had left it opened ended.

“Bunnn-earryy…?” (“Hey, you know, maybe we could hang onto a bit of our fur like… just in case?”) Jarena asked with a bashful smile. “Bun…earyyy…” (“In case we… you know, ever get sick of being humans again. I’ve kinda taken a liking to this! I’m adorable!”)

Violet rolled her eyes, shrugging, but agreeing there may come a time very soon when they’ve absolutely had it with human society considering what had happened in the course of one day.

“Furr… urr-rett…” (“Fine, shed a little, bag it, and save it.”) Violet replied, seeing this as more of a done-with-humanity suicide pact. “Fur-rett…” (“There’s no guarantee this guy’s plan will work either, but we’ll at least have this in case things go so badly we need to fake our own death.”)

With that, they intentionally brushed and scratched at their own fur until enough of it shed on the floor that they were able to gather up enough of a small pile to work with. Cassandra saw this as a fallback option, and she had been an Eevee for so much of the day that it would be a bit tricky to get accustomed to being human again, at least for a short while. Still, when she really closed her eyes and considered could she stay like this for the rest of her life, she felt she could. At this point, she just wanted to be happy in the end, even if all her things were gone. But that ultimate decision needed to come later…

Now that they were in private, Cassandra got to work on transforming the three of them back to being human again, seeing as how this had to happen as part of Jon’s plan. It took some rummaging through the bags to get the human DNA samples they needed, but once found, they had all the things they required to get the spell working and Cassandra had memorized the spell by repetition at this point. She no longer had the Evangtin Tome, but she knew the spell now.

Violet had volunteered to go first, and her transformation back to human had gone smoothly, same for Jarena and shortly after, Cassandra herself was able to get back to being human once again, casting the final spell for herself. After getting fully dressed and bagging the fur samples of their previous Pokémon forms as a backup option, it was now just a matter of waiting for Jon to return.

“Man, feels a bit weird being this tall again…” Jarena replied with a curious smile as she laid back on of the bed. “Being a Buneary is really cool, though! I could totally make that my jam. I mean it was weird and goofy-feeling at first, but I kinda liked it!”

“Can’t complain,” Violet replied, brewing a cup of black coffee for herself. “Didn’t think I’d ever settle in being a Furret of all things, but it’s not bad. I’d do it again.”

“Yeah…” Cassandra sighed, sitting on the bed. “Not sure how much Jon knows, but I’m hoping this doesn’t land us in prison. At a minimum, I imagine we’re looking at a lifetime ban from the League, probably can’t enter a gym or stadium ever again with a restraining order of some sorts that we can’t come within X-number of meters or whatever. Not sure what’s going to happen with our Pokémon though. God, I hope they don’t confiscate them…”

For the three of them, it was difficult to tell. At this point, they were anticipating what could possibly be the worst outcome and try to preemptively cope with it. Cassandra was trying to be optimistic, but she still had to prepare in case Jon’s plan didn’t work out even if they followed his instructions to the letter. Despite Cassandra’s desire, she had to take it as if she was never getting them back.

“Not looking forward to being dead broke after this…” Violet asked, pouring her coffee before sitting down. “That’s the part I hate the most. Fans turning their backs on us, that’s something I can cope with and I can tell them to go to hell. It’s the damn money that’s the problem to me.”

“Let them take it,” Cassandra replied, looking down. “Whether we go millions or billions into debt, it doesn’t matter. Can’t get water from a dry well no matter how much you think it owes you. Declaring bankruptcy would really be the only way out.”

When the day first started, Cassandra couldn’t picture herself ever saying to hell with it all, but now she could. Fancy cars, large estates, jewelry… they were all just things in the end. After losing so much, it was as if she was prepared to throw it all into the grinder. It was like feces landing on top of her birthday cake followed by her throwing the whole thing out even though only the very top had been affected.

“Ugh… debt stinks,” Cassandra muttered. “Working that off is just going to be slow and sucky.”

“Let’s just wait and see how much we’re talking about here,” Cassandra replied to her, seeing that their next move depended on how successful Jon was. “If we’re getting hauled off to prison anyway, then it’s not even relevant.”

“Ewww…” Jarena winced in disgust. “Geez, I’d way rather go Buneary over that! Cute over jumpsuit, am I right?”

“Like Cass said, let’s just see what happens,” Violet told her. “We’re ready for the worst, at least.”

To pass the time, the three Ladies just wanted TV, as long as it was anything besides Pokémon battling to get their minds off of what had transpired.

When 6pm had finally arrived, Jon had returned, knocking on the door.

“It’s me, and I have my wife here, too,” Jon spoke from behind the door. “Can we come in?”

“Yeah, sure,” Jarena replied, figuring Jon was asking just in case they had only just started changing back into their normal clothes. “Come on in!”

[Chakramaster]

Jimmy Kendo
Main Pool
Affected RP'ers: @Neo Emolga @Noblejanobii @Desolate Divine

Earlier that day

Under all the commotion getting on the ship. The Diamond Ladies were swamped with fans. It's tough when you're famous. You have a hard time getting around and paying attention. Meanwhile as the crowds on the ship stayed busy. Victini had looked closer at the ship. Noticing something familiar in the distance. The Jirachi mural on the ship's hull. He flew up and took a closer look and noticing something.

"A-Ha! Thought I saw you up here...Jirachi" he said aloud in his friendly voice. "Time to get up sleepy head!" I was Jirachi he found. Sleeping along a rounded crease in the ship where it was out of the sun and cool, but not too hot. It had wrapped itself in its flaps to stay cozy. It was perfect for a sleepy Pokemon like Jirachi and way out of view. No one could've ever suspected.

Jirachi mumbles under his breath, "I'm awake I'm awake...maybe 5 more minutes." He said as he turned to the side.

"Oh come on! I know you didn't come here just to sleep. This ship has a big YOU on it. You're like a Star!" Victini told Jirachi.

"It gets so tiiiiiring being a star. Everyone looks up to you. You can't win them all. Jirachi says looking half awake back over at Victini. One eye open.

"Says the Wishgranter to the Pokemon of victory." Victini hums to himself.

"I don't know, Victini. Sometimes victory can come in many ways. Just like the saying humans have said. Be careful what you wish for. It may not always turn out how you imagine. Sometimes victory might not be how one may think. I just feel. I needed to be here today. That something big was about to unfold and I could maybe even. Find a few friends here in the process today. Someone too hang around with more. I've been so lonely it's just made me sleeeeeepy." Jirachi said with another yawn.

Victini noticed the crowd breaking up and needed to get back to his trainer. "Well enjoy the fun and shows Jirachi! I've gotta get back!"

As Victini left. Jirachi turned and saw the Diamond Kadies he flew back up to. All the crowds and people arriving. So much fun to oversee. Keeping its place high and away from view.

---

Present

Just had his turn getting turned back into human. He made sure the towel was still securely wrapped around him. Then, looking to his Pikachu who climbed back on his shoulder.

"Hey you're you again! Can you really understand me now?" His Pikachu said

"Yup! Every word buddy. Too bad my other request could t happen, but it was worth a shot." Jimmy said as he looked down and picked back up the thunderstone. Then looking to Cassandra and the other ladies in their Pokémon forms. "I think I'll hold onto it for now. Thank you again Cassandra. You too Violet and Jarena. We wouldn't have ever got to become Pokemon in the first place and now be in the state we're in if not for you." Jimmy said as he began to turn around and walk to his gear. Grabbing it along with his clothes to go to the bathroom and get changed.

Cassandra again thanked Jimmy for his words as he was walking off. Stopping briefly to turn around smiling.

"Spread kindness, and goodness is sure to come your way." That's a saying many people go by, but it never hurts to just overall give kindness to those in need and not expect anything in return. Who knows. Maybe one day if all this blows over. Maybe there's good out there for you ladies yet. Some of us here can clearly see that now. I wish you the best of luck. I'll do what I can to help back you up and help you through this too." He said as he began walking to the bathroom to put his clothes back on.

Jimmy opened the stall door after having changed.

Jimmy had left his bag and the thunderstone on the sink. His Pokémonwere near the door talking amongst themselves and he overheard them. Chuckling a little cause he can understand them now.

Washing his hands he heard a voice. "I saw what you did." It said to him.

"Huh? Did what? I didn't do anything weird! I swear!...huh?" He said looking around. "Up here silly!" Jimmy looked up. In one of the vents he saw. "A Pokémon?"

"Yup! I'm the star of this ship! I'm...."

"Jirachi..." Jimmy said before he could finish.

"You could've let me finish. Yup! That's meeee!" Jirachi said as it flew down around him. "You probably know all about me since you know my name."

"Well I know enough. You're a pretty rare Pokémon. What're you doing in a place like this?" Jimmy had asked.

"Looking for fun and friends! And I choose you! Will you be my friend?" Jirachi said hovering in front of his face.

"So many trainers here. Other mythical Pokémon and even Latios. It seems you could use a friend like me. You'd be as special as your friends."

"You mean the other operatives? Well they're not...friends, but I know them now. We worked together to." Jimmy was cut off by Jirachi.

"I saw the whole thing. I know you Jimmy...or should I say Cuddles." Jirachi laughed.

"Hey I'm not like that anymore!" Jimmy said half laughing.

"Well you had fun and I'm sure the others did too." Jirachi told Jimmy. "There's so many out there that need help. I can't do it alone. I know you want to help just as much. We can do it together. It's why I chose you Jimmy. Will you be my friend?" Jirachi said once again looking to Jimmy. Really hoping he would say yes.

"Well why not. I've always wondered what it'd be like to have a mythical Pokémon. I got curious again after hearing Avery's discussion on it earlier too. Now. Here's my own chance." Jimmy said as he reached into his bag and grabbed a Pokeball. Pressing it to Jirachi's body as it was engulfed. Shaking only once before clicking. He immediately let it out from its Pokeball and both let out a cheer as well as his other Pokémon. Grovyle and Salamance were left outside the bathroom while Pikachu and Rotom were happy to have a new friend with them as well.

Jirachi flew down to his thunderstone he left on the counter. "First, let me give you a gift." Jirachi said as the thunderstone glew. It turned into a pendant that wrapped around his neck. "I heard your request to Victini's friends earlier. So. Consider this the first gift of many." Jirachi said.

Jimmy looked at his new pendant. Closing his eyes before smiling and looking back to Jirachi. "Thank you, Jirachi. Now. Let's go help grant some wishes. For those truly in need." Jimmy said as they exit the bathroom with their new friend. "Thank you guys for all your help. You too Grovyle and Salamance." He said before calling them both back into their Pokeballs. "You too Rotom." Returning him as well. Leaving only Pikachu and Jirachi out.

"Now who should we go see first?" Jimmy said as they walked away from the bathrooms as the crowd around the pool had mostly cleared. Jon and the 3 ladies included.

[[Desolate Divine]]

Jon and Alyssa Drake
Safe House G
Affected RPers: @Neo Emolga

Jarena called out for Jon to come in, so he tapped his keycard against the door, , as Alyssa turned the handle.

The pair walked in to find the three girls sitting in the lounge area, watching the TV.

"This is my wife Alyssa. Alyssa, you know who these three are." Jon said, as he walked over to the coffee table, pocketing his keycard with his left hand, before grabbing the Pizza box he had supported by his broken right hand against his torso, and placing it on the coffee table. Jon began to notice fresh blood appearing on the bandages, unaware that the heat of the box was increasing the bloodflow to his hand.

"S***..." He muttered to himself, before making his way to the ensuite, "Sorry, I gotta clean this up."

Jon began removing the bandages he had applied himself, before running his hand under some cold water to slow down the bleeding. Once it had slowed down enough, he soaked the bandages in some hot water, wringing them out, and leaving them on the counter in the bathroom to dry as he grabbed a bit of paper towel to try and put pressure on the parts of his hand that were still bleeding.

As he did that Alyssa sat cautiously on one of the couches.

"I figured you were probably starting to get hungry, so Jon and I stopped by one of the shops on the way here." She explained, "While he was in his meeting, I did some digging and found an interview you did with a teen magazine a few years back Jarena, where you said your favorite pizza was Pepperoni? I hope that's still the case."

Jon returned via the kitchenette, grabbing some plates with his clean hand before placing them on the table and taking a slice of pizza.

"Help yourself." Jon said, gesturing to the food, "I have spoken to the Steven, Cynthia and Lance, who I pitched my idea to, and they accepted it. Well, Steven and Cynthia did. Lance is too damn proud to see the bigger picture, but was outvoted by the other two."

"Right now the most important thing for everyone is that the witchcraft is covered up. The problem is a lot of people saw you two turn eachother into Pokemon, and footage is online of it, which means it will be tricky, but not impossible." Jon explained between bites, nodding towards Violet and Jarena, "Lucky for you, this whole thing is still pretty freaking unbelievable. That three of the top trainers have actually been using supernatural powers to cheat. And this is going to work in our favour."

"In order for people to not believe something that was seen like this, the cover up needs to be both something more believable, and something people want to believe. And this plan will tick both those boxes. A story of a hero rising up to take down a villain." Jon continued, "Tonight, Cassandra, you will battle Avery. Whilst I think Avery does deserve a win here, there will be other tournaments, and whilst this plan could still work if they do win, it would have much better chances if you won. Then tomorrow night you battle me in the final. If you beat Avery, I will do whatever it takes to beat Ethan and see you in the final, and I wouldn't make that sort of claim if I didn't know I could beat him. If you lose to Avery, I will throw the match so you and I face off for third place tomorrow evening."

"Right now Steven and Cynthia are tracking down a trainer with a Zoroark, who is strong enough to be competing at this level and obedient enough to follow my instructions even though I'm not its trainer. I was a little worried about how difficult that may be, but Steven and Cynthia think its a pretty safe bet they will find one, so I am not too worried. I will spend the day showing it all the footage we have available of you two turning each other into Pokemon, and any other supernatural stuff you did, and get it to create illusions that replicate it close enough that nobody would suspect it." Jon said, "Zoroark are not telepathic Pokemon in anyway. Their illusions are distortions of light and sound, capable of fooling hundreds of people, which means that if filmed, the illusions are recorded. During our match, I will send Zoroark out as my second Pokemon, and it will accidentally start creating an illusion of the scene from earlier today that everyone saw. And if that doesn't make me look suspicious enough, Latios will come out next. But what is most important Cassandra is that you need to beat me, and make a damn good show of it."

"After this, the league will investigate Jon Drake, and determine that he planned on using his Zoroark to create an incriminating situation around Violet and Jarena, as well as have his Latios steal their belongings, to use as blackmail for Cassandra to throw the match. I will even write up a psychotic blackmail note to help. However the Latios was badly trained and didn't follow instructions and go invisible. Jon Drake will be branded a cheater, banned for life and the case closed. That girl who was talking to us when I first approached you, and any others who can't be tricked will be located by the league and made to sign NDAs." Jon explained, "In the eyes of the public, you three were victims of someone using false pretences to cheat their way through the tournament, but Cassandra was the hero put this bastard in his place. It's a story that is more believable than the three of you using witchcraft, and that people would actually want to believe. I've seen how crazy your fanbase is about you. Makes me kinda glad I stayed out of the spotlight."

"Here is what happens to you three after all this is over. Lucky for you, the league cares more about covering this up than punishing you, and any sort of more severe punishment right after this story is told will surely raise questions. Jail time was never really an option, because no current laws account for witchcraft being a thing. We might be able to push an assault charge, but even then it is stretching it massively. Moving forward I think the league will be pushing for the wording of laws to change to cover such things without straight up revealing the existence of it, but right now, there isn't much we can do in terms of charging you." Jon explained, "Additionally, any sort of public ban right after this would raise questions and discredit the whole cover up, and if the cover up is discredited, everyone knows about the witchcraft, and we are dealing with situations like this one every six months. So the league have agreed to the following punishment for you. A five year ban, kept completely hidden from the public. This is the last official League competition for this season, so you have a few months before anyone starts expecting you to compete. Once a bit of time has passed from now, you three will announce a temporary retirement, and give the three champions another chance to win their titles back before they get it back by default on your retirement. And it being a five year ban, once that is up, you can return to competing, minus the witchcraft, seeing as if you never compete again, it will eventually draw attention back to this cruise, and we don't want people digging up the truth ten years from now."

"Right now your Pokemon are in my care, Cassandra, and Jarena and Violet, your's are in the care of Jimmy Kendo and Avery Miller. I arranged it that way because I hope by now you can trust that when we say we will look after them, and that we aren't going to act like that a**hole who was an Azurill." Jon added, "They will be returned the day the cruise ends, other than during the battles, once your sentence is officially finalized."

"In terms of finances, your sponsors will not find out about this, but you will be expected to pay back what you illigiitimately won from the league. Granted, the league will be lenient in regards to how you go about paying it back, and over how long. A reasonable monthly target will be set, and as long as you are showing that you are making an effort to reach them, they will not seize your assets and leave you homeless." Jon explained, "If you don't dawdle and sell off the estates and fancy cars pretty quickly, you should be able to quite easily find somewhere more modest to live, relatively comfortable, and keep the league satisfied with your efforts to pay them back."

"This next bit is up to you, but once you have paid half of the debt off, you will be given the option to work off your debt if you'd like." Jon continued, "As much as we try and cover it up, some people will still think what you did was real, and whilst it won't be as frequent as if we do nothing, something like this will happen again, and having someone like you advising will definitely allow us to keep things somewhat normal. Or you can tell the league to deal with it on their own, and keep paying off your debt the way you had been prior."

"As for Alyssa and myself, Jon Drake will disappear." Jon explained, "I mentioned before that my dad was a peice of s**t. Truth is, my name is actually Ryan Mason. Jon is my middle name and when Alyssa and I married, I started using her surname socially speaking, and for tournaments, so that if he gets let out of jail, he isn't going to see me on TV or something and know how to find me. Or at least, that was the case. With Jon Drake now publically hated, I guess it is time to hang up that name, and start going by Ryan again. The League will make a fake file for Jon, and when enough time has passed, and I can make myself a bit more difficult to recognize, I may return to competing as Ryan, or I may not. We will see. Either way, Alyssa and I will have to move, and find new jobs. Alyssa agreed to take my surname, and had been thinking of starting her own company anyway, so this is probably a good opportunity to make that happen."

"Don't think of this at all like you're causing us problems with this arrangement." Alyssa said, slightly surprising Jon, "Truth is, a lot of this has been on the table for a while, minus the being branded a cheater thing. This is just a good push in the direction we wanted to go anyway."

Alyssa started holding Jon's hand as she continued.

"Truth is, ever since we got married, we have both wanted to have kids, but have just always had things going on that made it not the right time." Alyssa explained, "Our apartment in Lilycove really isn't the sort of place we want to be raising a kid, we both travel way too much in our jobs, and-"

"And I didn't want my kids to inherit my issues." Jon explained, "I have been running from my dad for the last fourteen years, the last ten going as far as to use a different name, dye my hair and tattoo myself so that he couldn't recognize me. Alyssa knew all of this from the moment she met me, because she guessed I wasn't who I said I was and I begged her to keep it between us, but she chose to live this life of secrecy. I wouldn't have married her if she didn't make it abundantly clear that she was willing to live this life, and she wouldn't have married me if she wasn't. But I know too well a kid doesn't get to choose their parents. I don't want to have to tell my own kid that they gotta use a fake name so their grandpa can't find us, or that they have to keep who we are secret."

"This whole arrangement means we have to move, but we'd been looking at buying a house anyway, just not able to afford it. But since Jon is giving up his livelyhood for the sake of the league, they are compensating him for it enough that us buying a house is now possible." Alyssa said, "If now is the time when I leave BattleNET, I can wait a little while before working again."

"And I've realized that for me it's time to stop running." Jon explained, "It's been fourteen years, and until recently, I have still thought of myself as the scared little kid, hoping his dad wouldn't notice him. And whilst that's what it took to survive back then, now it's holding me back."

"So if everything goes according to plan, and we cover this up at this cost, don't worry about us." Alyssa explained, "It's nothing we really could have prepared for, but we will be better off for it in the long run."

"Though there is just one more thing I gotta add in here. Once this is said and done, there is not a thing I can do to stop you from using your magic. There are no laws against it, and as long as you aren't doing anything like this or anything to harm other people, I am not going to tell you that you can't keep using it." Jon explained, "But, if you do use it, and someone sees, everything we are working for with this arrangement will be gone in an instant, and nothing will be able to cover that up. Your sponsors will probably come knocking, and fans will turn their back on you. And people who realize that they lost because of this will probably not be too forgiving. I just want to make sure you know that. That even if we pull this off, it will still be a balancing act for the rest of our lives."

"It's a lot to think about." Jon explained, reaching for another slice of pizza, "But I honestly think we can pull this off, if you're willing to try and help make that happen. As I said, Steven and Cynthia represent the league right now, and they are for all of this..."

"What do you think?"