The Eon Academy [S.S. Wishmaker Side-Story]

[[Desolate Divine]]

Spiritwater Episode 6: Developments

Spoiler:

Surprisingly, it was almost forty minutes after Cassandra left that Violet and Jarena had their next patient arrive. The longer it took, the more jealous Violet grew of Jarena and her uninterrupted nap, however that quickly was forgotten when the first lot of patients arrived, escorted by an Operative Rebecca Martin of Ammolite Squad.

“There was another attack,” Rebecca explained. “Two are blind. The third has her costume bonded to her skin…”

Violet grimaced at the explanation, however both were common curses they had seen since opening the hospital, and both were ones she was capable of handling on her own. The Lickitung costume was disturbing enough on its own, however the half melted appearance of it made it even worse. She looked over at Jarena, who still napped, before looking to Sami.

“I can handle these guys by myself,” Violet said to Sami. “If anyone else shows up, wake Sonia and have her handle it…”

Sami nodded, before Violet looked towards Rebecca, then gestured towards a curtained off bed.

“Bring them over here,” Violet explained. “Removing the costume will need a little privacy, so I’ll handle that first, whilst the other two can’t see anything…”

Rebecca nodded, before directing the three victims towards the sectioned off part of the ward. Violet grabbed one of her tomes, which she vaguely remembered contained the removal spells for the curses that she was working with, before entering it.

Not even two minutes later, Jarena was woken by Sami gently shaking her arm. She looked up to see a slightly familiar young woman with long, white hair entering the room, alongside a Scolipede, seated on the back of which was a masked man, swaying uneasily, and held upright by the young woman who led them in.

“Don’t touch the mask,” Luneth, though not recognised by Jarena in her still sleep deprived state, explained. “It’s cursed, and when my Silvally touched it, he was affected too. I’ve got him in his Pokeball until it’s safe to remove the curse…”

Suddenly, Luneth had a thought.

“You can remove it, right?” Luneth asked, having not done any curse removal on Pokemon herself. “It’s the same as using it on people?”

“Yeah, same principle,” Jarena explained, trying to sound awake and alert, although still feeling a little groggy from her nap. She looked at the man, who sat uneasy on the Scolipede’s back.

“I’m gonna need a minute or two with him,” Jarena explained. “To try and figure out what exact curse was used…”

Jarena looked at the mask, and quickly considered her own knowledge of curses.

Before she could continue, Luneth spoke up.

“This isn’t a normal curse,” Luneth explained. “The effect when Circuit touched it was different to the effect on this guy…”

Jarena looked at Luneth confused.

“That’s not possible…” Jarena explained. “You can’t-”

“You can’t put two separate curses on the one item, and expect them to retain their unique effects. They will mix and be unpredictable,” Luneth interrupted, wanting to make it clear to Jarena that she knew what she was talking about. “Rule Zero. I know. But somehow, this mask has done it…”

Jarena looked at the man, and noticed towards the back of the room, two more people enter. She sighed, hoping Cassandra would be back soon.

Entering the room were two people, one practically unconscious on the back of a Rapidash, the other leading the Pokemon.

“When you have a moment as well doctors, my husband was afflicted with a hex a few days ago. Started as nausea, but it went away overnight. Since then, he has had progressively worsening episodes of fever…”

At the time, Jarena didn’t recognise Avery, having seem nearly fifty faces of both patients, operatives and loved ones in Section B that day alone. Mixed with the lack of sleep, it was no surprise that she didn’t recognise either of the two familiar faces.

“I’ll get to you as soon as I can, otherwise my colleague might be available sooner, and she’ll help you out,” Jarena offered, trying to be reassuring. “Tell your husband to hang tight. There is some cold water in the cooler in the corner of the room while you wait. It shouldn’t take too long…”

“Of course,” Avery replied. “Handle the more severe cases first…”

There were seats on the side of the room, where Avery led Daybreak, before hoisting Abital off the Pokemon’s back, and placing him gently in a seat, as Meir sat on the floor opposite Abital, watching with concern.

Whilst Abital was not in good shape, and Avery wanted nothing more than to see him treated immediately, they could see a curtained off section, where voices could be heard, and whimpers of pain from someone being treated there. Additionally, there was a masked man, on the back of a Scolipede, who, now that Avery was looking in that direction, seemed to have the doctor, and the white-haired girl, that Avery hadn’t recognised as Jarena or Luneth, quite concerned. Jarena wore scrubs, as well as had her hair tied back and covered, and wore a surgical mask. Luneth on the other hand, had very little to do with Avery on the S.S. Wishmaker, and Avery barely knew where they recognised her from.

Jarena looked over at Luneth, who she now knew must be one of the other Shadowcraft capable operatives.

“The only effect this man has shown is the staggering mindless wandering?” Jarena asked, and Luneth nodded.

“Then the effect on Circuit was almost like a shocking pain going through him. He flailed and lashed out…” Luneth explained, as Jarena nodded. “Two separate effects…”

“That’s good,” Jarena said, before continuing before Luneth could continue. “Even though the mask has two curses, I’m guessing that they’re on different sides of the mask. The one that affected the man wearing it on the inside, and the one that affected Circuit on the outside. Both of them are only affected by a single curse, which means they can be removed with standard removal spells.”

Like Violet, Jarena recognised one if these curses from earlier in the week, and had done her research when they first showed up to figure out how to clear it. She still remembered exactly what she did.

“Are you with the League?” Jarena asked Luneth in an undertone, and Luneth nodded, confirming her suspicions. Jarena nodded in return. “The mask won’t affect you unless there is contact with bare skin. Grab a set of scrubs from the locker over there, and use them to pick it up without touching it. From there, wrap it up, take it to reception, and show them your League ID. Ask for them to arrange for someone to escort you to the incinerator, and help you dispose of this…”

Luneth nodded, before going to the locker that Jarena indicated, and getting the scrubs. Once she had the mask, she wrapped it carefully in the scrubs, before leaving the room, while Jarena began the curse removal spell. Within minutes, the curse had left the man, leaving him severely exhausted and dehydrated from five days of wandering.

Knowing she was needed, Sami approached Jarena, bringing a hospital bed with her.

“Get him to the emergency room,” Jarena said. “We’ve removed the curse, but can’t do anything for the physiological effects more than the hospital can…”

Sami nodded, having done this many times the last few days, before wheeling him out. As she did, Jarena made her way towards Avery and Abital, trying to remember exactly what Avery had told her.

“You said that he was cursed, and was nauseous, but seemed to get better?” Jarena asked. Avery nodded.

“He took some medication for the nausea, and seemed to be better the next morning. But then he got a headache, and became dizzy, and within hours had this fever,” Avery explained. “It would break for a few hours, and it’d seem like he was past it, only for it to return even worse…”

Jarena nodded in understanding. She had read about this curse over the last few days and was thankful that it wasn’t something as vague as simple dizziness, where there were numerous curses causing it, all of which requiring different removal spells.

“I know what curse was used, so I’ll be able to find the removal spell,” Jarena explained. “I’ll just grab one of my books, and be right that…”

Avery nodded, understanding that Jarena was just trying to make sure Avery and Abital knew that she was trying her best, and was actively trying to help them. Jarena went to the desk at the end of the room, grabbing one of the tomes, where she recalled seeing a hex with this description, and returning to the pair, already flicking through pages.

“Equitare Hex,” Jarena explained. “Lots of effects, but it is a simple one, which means removing it is equally simple…”

Flicking across to the next page, Jarena nodded.

“It’s the same family as a common dizzying hex, which means that the removal is the same,” Jarena said, putting the book down, before going to a nearby supply room, which had been emptied of medical supplies, and restocked with various spell reagents. She returned with what was needed, before pressing the materials against Abital’s forehead, and muttering a quiet incantation.

There was a green light for a moment, as Abital visibly reacted to the fever breaking. His body tensed for a moment, before relaxing, as he let out a sigh of relief. Still exhausted, he weakly signed ’thank you’ to Jarena.

“He says ’thank you’,” Avery said, knowing that not many people knew sign language. “And thanks from me as well. Everyone appreciates what you’re doing here…”

Jarena tried to smile, however Luneth returned, and she knew that she still had to figure out what curse had been used on Luneth’s Silvally.

“Stay safe,” Jarena said. “I’ll let the hospital know to keep your husband here for monitoring. I can’t imagine five days of fever is something he will shake off too quickly…”

Avery nodded, as Jarena turned to approach Luneth.

“It’s just your Pokemon left,” Jarena explained. “Is he safe to let out of the Pokeball here?”

Luneth considered the question. There was likely nowhere better inside the hospital to try and remove the curse on Circuit, and if they tried outside Section B, they ran the risk of being seen, and giving away what they were doing.

“I’ll make sure of it,” Luneth answered, calling back out Roseli, her Scoipede. Luneth addressed the Pokemon, giving orders. “Circuit may lash out, so be ready to grapple him…”

Roseli nodded, as Luneth looked back to Jarena.

“Ready?”

Jarena nodded, as Luneth sent out Circuit, ready to give the order. However, Circuit had stopped lashing out, instead, was curled into a ball, whimpering, and giving off the odd twitch.

“I’m going to use an Insight Spell to try and figure out what is wrong,” Jarena explained. “Then we’ll go from there. Watch my back while I’m concentrating…”

Luneth nodded, and Jarena closed her eyes, holding her palms outstretched, and began muttering an incantation. A light green glow appeared in her palms, as in Jarena’s mind’s eye, she began to see glowing glyphs, revealing what effects the Silvally in front of her was under. After a few moments, she opened her eyes.

“I couldn’t figure out exactly what curse it is,” Jarena explained. “But it shares a whole lot of core similarities with curses from the Naxarus family, and that’s enough for me to believe that the curse removal spell we use for all the curses in that family will do the trick…”

Luneth nodded, having done her own fair share of curse removal, and understanding the groupings of different spells. The biggest difference between her and Jarena at this point was experience, though Jarena had learnt most of her curse-removal knowledge in the last week, working in the hospital, not having any other choice but to learn and adapt.

“Keep him calm, and I’ll get what supplies I need…”

For what felt like the fiftieth time that day, Jarena went to the store room, grabbing the supplies she was after, before returning to Luneth and Circuit, and with Luneth’s permission, began to perform the incantation to remove the hex from Circuit. After a few minutes, the whimpering and twitching stopped, as Circuit’s body seemed to relax, as all the built up tension seemed to drain from it.

“There, that’s the hex gone,” Jarena explained to Luneth. “But the hex itself could have had side effects, that I’m not qualified to notice, nor treat.”

Luneth nodded in agreement.

“I’ll get him to a Pokemon Centre now,” Luneth answered. “Thank you. I’ll return the favour someday…”

Luneth wasn’t sure when she realised that the person helping her was Jarena. She didn’t even realise that she had noticed it until Circuit was back in his Pokeball, and the stress of the last few hours seemed to be fading away. She considered asking if Violet and Cassandra were also around, when Violet emerged from the curtained off section, with three people behind her. A young woman wearing a hospital gown, as her costume had been destroyed in the removal of it, as well as two other civilians, both who had their eyesight restored.

“I see you’ve been busy, Sonia,” Violet said, and it took Luneth a moment to realise she was talking to Jarena.

“I have, but I think we’re in the clear again Sasha,” Jarena replied. “If you want to sit down, maybe take a nap, I think now is the best time…”

Avery and Abital had left the room, Abital being transferred to a hospital room where he could be monitored, and Avery sticking by his side. Luneth had little reason to stick around, and with the man with the cursed mask now being observed in a hospital room, and the three Violet had treated now gone, it seemed as if they would have another moment of peace.

Luneth quickly decided not to ask about Cassandra. Likely, she was around as well, however, Violet and Jarena were obviously using alias’ to remain anonymous, and hadn’t recognised her. Why should they, Luneth thought. They spoke two or three times on the S.S. Wishmaker, and that was a long time ago.

“I’ll get going,” Luneth explained. “Thanks again!”

Luneth left, and once Violet was sure she was out of earshot, she spoke to Jarena.

“Does she seem familiar?” Violet asked, and Jarena nodded.

“I thought the same thing,” Jarena answered quietly. “She’s an operative, and knows Shadowcraft herself…”

“Could she have been an operative on the S.S. Wishmaker?” Violet asked, before dismissing the question again. “No, she looks like she is barely twenty. She’d have to have been a teenager back then…”

Before the conversation could go any further, the pair heard footsteps from the hallway leading to Section B, and sighed, thinking more patients were on the way, when they saw Cassandra walk into the room.

“Of course you get back between waves of patients,” Jarena said jokingly. Cassandra shrugged apologetically.

“This curse Dylan found was something else,” Cassandra answered. “Something I originally thought impossible, and it took me some time to figure it out and disarm it.”

At the talk of something impossible, Jarena remembered the mask.

“We had something like that show up here,” Jarena answered, as Violet looked at her, unsure of what she was talking about. “A mask with two curses on it. I think the way they did it though was to have a curse on the inside, and one on the outside. That way the person who wore it was affected, and the person who tried to remove it was as well…”

“That sounds like a loophole for Rule Zero,” Violet answered, as Cassandra looked around to make sure they weren’t being overheard.

“Thing is, the curse I found broke Rule Zero…”

Violet and Jarena looked at Cassandra in shock, as she explained it.

“One sigil, on a clipboard. But it was a hybrid of a Zekve and Koxein curse…” Cassandra explained. “Whoever triggered it would have become a mobile drone for Agatha, in the form of a very queasy Shroomish…”

Violet grimaced as she remembered reading about the Koxein curse in particular. It was in one of the tomes they owned, and even when they were using curses four years ago on the S.S. Wishmaker, the Koxein was not direct enough to suit their purposes. Whilst looking back, it could have helped prevent them from getting caught by the League, they had simply settled for making sure that anyone who saw too much wasn’t able to communicate what they had seen.

“Another one that we should have known about,” Violet muttered. “Honestly these books are so full of spells, and we know now more than ever. But it feels like Agatha is just a cut above us. Like, we learn what we do about Shadowcraft to achieve something, but Agatha is like some sort of scholar. Learning for the sake of knowing more, and honestly it is giving her an edge…”

“Try not to get too hung up on it,” Cassandra answered. “We need to be focused on what we know and what we can do, not what we should know. Agatha could find us any day now, and if we aren’t ready to put what we know to good use, then it’s goodbye Triad…”

Noting the time being closer to dinner than lunch, and Sami returning to the room, Cassandra addressed Sami.

“Look, I’m the only one who has gotten out of this building in three days, and none of us have eaten since last night,” Cassandra explained. “Think you could hold down the fort for an hour so we can get lunch? Triage any patients that arrive and if any seem like they can’t wait for us to return, call?”

Sami nodded. She was wondering when they’d relent and give themselves a break.

“Go get something to eat. I’ll be around…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

When Jon and Cassandra left, followed by Jimmy, Dylan called out his Flygon, and climbed onto its back, as it launched itself into the air, and flew them towards Heahea City, Abbee the Decidueye trailing behind. It was an hour later when they returned to Eon Squad HQ.

“Any luck?” called out a friendly voice from an open door as Dylan walked through the main living area of the villa. Dylan looked over, and saw in a dark room, lit by numerous computer monitors, was Peter Miller.

“We actually found something,” Dylan said. “I’ll help Abbee out, then fill you in.”

Dylan liked Miller. Both were very technically minded, and Dylan had learned a lot from Miller. Nothing to do with hacking into computer systems, but more so problem solving and planning.

Dylan walked upstairs to Abbee’s room, opening the door, before walking towards the large window, and pushing it open. It opened outwards, and a moment later, Abbee flew in, landing on the carpet in the centre of the room. Dylan left to give her some privacy, closing the door behind him, and waiting. A few moments later, Abbee emerged wearing some comfortable, loose-fitting clothes, and…

“Feather,” Dylan said, gesturing to Abbee’s hair, where a stray feather was poking out. She quickly removed it from her glossy black hair before changing the subject.

“So what now?” Abbee asked. “You mentioned before we left Memorial Hill that Jon’s reassigned us?”

“I asked him to,” Dylan explained. "Cassandra reckons that there isn't much point in following up the name, and Jon reckons it may be a red Remoraid, trying to throw us off, but I figure there are enough of us trying to find these curses before people get hurt, that there isn't much harm in making sure they are right. If this is a fake name, or someone else, with the information we have access to, it shouldn't be too hard to find out one way or another."

“So what next then?”

“I’m going to come up with a list of intel that Jon and Miller can get for me. Things that should help us figure out who this Brianna Levine woman is,” Dylan explained. “Right now I’m thinking of guest lists in hotels, but that may be too much, and may not be as easy…”

Abbee thought for a moment, humming to herself as she did.

“I wish I had thought of this an hour ago,” Abbee muttered, before looking at Dylan directly. “All these curses require reagents, right? Like, the spell to turn me into Decidueye needs some things, including a DNA sample, and the spell to turn me back needs water, a sample of my DNA, and a nugget…”

Dylan nodded.

“The whole point of us trying to find a hex before it goes off is to figure out what hexes they are using, and potentially find them based on the reagents,” Dylan agreed. “If we knew what reagents are needed for the hex that was left at Memorial Hill…”

“It would narrow it down, if nothing else,” Abbee finished. “Especially being a hybrid spell. Two spells in one. Chances are she needed the reagents for both, and maybe more to bond them. If there is anything uncommon there, we can narrow it down, and pair it with CCTV footage, and get a shortlist to work through…”

Abbee pulled out her League issued phone, and began typing a message.

“I’ll get in touch with Cassandra,” Abbee said, as Dylan nodded.

“I’ll have a chat with Miller, and see what he can find…”

Dylan left Abbee to contact Cassandra, while he went back downstairs, to the room where Miller was working. His workstation was impressive, with six monitors, in two banks of three, stacked on top of each other. Dylan looked and saw various programs, Dylan knew Miller had written himself, currently scanning League, government and private databases for things such as people who had arrived in Akala Island over the last few weeks. Granted, Dylan knew Peter did not have legal access to half of these.

“So what did you find?” Miller asked, pulling out a seat next to him at the desk, as he continued to type quickly and accurately.

“A hybrid curse. One that Triad thought to be impossible,” Dylan explained. “It would have done normal curse stuff, but unbeknownst to anyone, would have also turned them into a walking security risk…”

Miller looked at Dylan somewhat confused.

“The curse would have let the person who performed it, see through the eyes of the person who triggered it, no matter where they were…” Dylan explained. “If someone had triggered it, and then gone to Section B…”

“Section B wouldn’t be there anymore…” Miller agreed. “Good spot…”

“Wasn’t me,” Dylan answered. “Abbee spotted it, and I only caught a glimpse of her. But we also have a name…”

Miller nodded, opening up another iteration of his search program.

“Brianna Levine,” Dylan said, before grabbing a pen and paper from Miller’s desk and writing it down as it was spelt on the petition at Memorial Hill. “Could be an alias…”

“Well, lots of alias’ get recorded in government databases. Even if we find a reference to it, with nothing that leads to a real identity affiliated with it, what you saw, and what we know of her could be the link between that and something else that could be flagged,” Miller explained, before punching it into the computer. “Between this and the other searches, it could take all night. I can do some basic stuff while that is happening though…”

“I’ll think it over,” Dylan answered. “I'm still figuring this out as I go…”

Miller nodded, as Dylan noticed Abbee rushing down the stairs towards the room they’re in. She entered the room, greeting Miller with a nod.

“I’ve got the list…” Abbee explained. “But there’s something else…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****
"Naomi, it's the Murkrow. We are chasing up our friend who left the gift for us back there, and figure if we knew what was used to leave it, if you catch my drift, we can narrow down who it is. Any idea what sort of items would have been required to put that together? Preferably anything less than common, that we won't find at a corner store? Also, say hi to our mutual friend for me."

Cassandra read the message, a little confused by the last part. She considered calling Abbee, but figured that both of them were busy, and it was likely a misunderstanding. She began typing a reply.

“Hey Murkow, it’s Naomi.

I’m attaching the detes on the Zekve and Koxein curses, but in short:

Koxein: lily flower ashes, stardust
Zekve: Pokémon sample (needs to be a fungus/mushroom Pokémon), talcum, pumice, yew rod (needed to draw the hex symbol)

They’re not too hard to obtain, but trying to get all of these on Akala might be hard. Whoever did that hybrid hex likely already has all these reagents with them.

As for my old friend, I’d love to say hi, but it’s gotta be brief and I can’t be seen with him by other people unless it’s a really dire life and death emergency. It’s nothing against you or him, but you know why.

Take care and let me know if you need anything else.

~Naomi.”

Triad sat on a bench on the edge of Section B, eating their lunch that was late enough to be considered an early dinner, as Cassandra typed this. Violet noticed how intently she was typing as she ate.

“Everything alright?” Violet asked. Cassandra nodded.

“I think so. It’s Abbee, asking about what reagents were used for the two curses at Memorial Hill. They’re going to try and figure out where they can be acquired on the island, and work from there,” Cassandra explained. “But there was something else. She said something about saying hi to Victini, but I think she may have made a typo, and was offering for me to come visit him…”

“That would be a good way to blow our cover,” Violet noted. “A tall blonde, you can find on practically any street. But a tall blonde with Victini. That stands out…”

“That’s partially what I said to her,” Cassandra agreed, showing Violet the messages. Violet however found the idea of that conversation even happening weird, especially given how apprehensive Abbee had seemed about Cassandra and Victini the day she and Violet went into town in Mossdeep to get Triad some new clothes.

There was a relative silence from the group, Violet wondering what Abbee’s reference to Victini was about, and Cassandra feeling the strand of an idea that she was grasping at to try and pull on, and expand it from there. Jarena was the first to break the silence.

“You’ve been kind of quiet,” Jarena said to Cassandra. “Everything okay?”

“Spell reagents…” Cassandra said, externally processing, and letting Jarena in on her thought process. “Think about it. We’ve dealt with dozens of curses over the last four days. Some require only one reagent. Others require half a dozen. And at thirty to fifty people being hit a day, that’s a hell of a lot of reagents being used…”

Violet was pulled from her thoughts, realising what Cassandra was getting at.

“They wouldn’t be finding them all on the island…” Violet said. “You told Abbee that yourself. Like, a yew rod? Yew’s aren’t native anywhere on Alola, and I’m no dendrologist, but I figure that’s because the tropical climate isn’t good for them…”

“Given the amount of curses we’ve treated, they’d need a hell of a lot of reagents on hand, and they’d need the space for them…” Cassandra continued. “Like, I’m talking a warehouse…”

“It’d need to be organised too,” Jarena chimed in. “Honestly, if we didn’t spend the first few quiet periods in here labelling every damn thing in the storage room in advance, I’d be pulling my hair out…”

“Even just the calibre of what they’re doing means that they’re likely in a permanent location,” Violet continued. “They couldn’t be moving all their reagents with them every two days to a new hiding place. Geez, even the sheer amount of them. The latest estimate is what, a hundred followers? Moving them from one base of operations to another without someone seeing would be near impossible…”

“Honestly, this might be our ticket,” Cassandra said, unable to hide the excitement. “Heck, if we knew where they were coming from, we wouldn’t even have to launch an assault straight away. If we could ambush those leaving in a day, that is less people being cursed, and using up League resources. It may be a small margin, but it could be what makes or breaks this…”

Finishing her salad, Cassandra quickly called Steven, as the phone dialled, realising just how ready she was to go on the offensive…

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

”Ladies and Gentlemen! It is our privilege to have the grand final match be between Eon Academy royalty, Christopher Kingswood, and Charlotte Jones!”

The crowd cheered, as Chris walked out onto the battlefield, wishing that the commentator hadn’t referenced his time at the Academy. Chris wasn’t ashamed that he had been a part of it. Quite the opposite actually. Instead, he was ashamed of his own actions, and didn’t feel like he deserved to be uplifted by the Academy’s stellar reputation.

Despite this, Chris hid it well, putting on his public relations smile, and waving to those present, as did Charlotte on the other side of the battlefield. When the crowd began to die down, they both made their way to their respective sides of the battlefield. Chris grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, holding it in at his side. Whilst it was not standard for both trainers to reveal their Pokemon at the same time, given the Eon Academy’s reputation, and live streams making it clear that this was their way of battling, the organisers of the tournament had adjusted the format to for this battle match what Chris and Charlotte were used to. They knew that the pair were going to give a hell of a show, based on the battles they had seen of them, and were going to do what they could to add to that.

Opposite him. Charlotte grinned, withdrawing the Masterball from her belt. Chris’ eyes widened when he saw she was opening with Deoxys, however what she did next shocked him even more.

Charlotte removed the belt containing the rest of her Pokeballs, and held it out to her side with her left hand.

“Wanna make this interesting Chris?” Charlotte called out. “You game?”

It was a challenge. Despite not saying it directly, Charlotte was proposing they only use a single Pokemon each, and based on the fact she had the Master Ball containing Deoxys held out as her first Pokemon, Chris figured she was challenging him to battle Deoxys with his Lugia.

The crowd had gone silent seeing this gauntlet thrown, and watched in anticipation for Chris’ response. After a few moments, Chris grinned, replacing Garchomp's Pokeball, before removing Lugia’s Pokeball, and then his own belt, tossing it to the side, where it was out of reach, and signalling that he wouldn’t use them. Upon seeing this, Charlotte did the same, as the crowd roared in excitement.

”My word, it appears Charlotte Jones has offered to raise the stakes of this battle, using only their Legendary Pokemon!” the commentator said through the speakers. ”This change of pace leaves no room for mistakes! One heavy hit, one missed opportunity, and this battle is over!”

“You know I haven’t used Lugia in a tournament battle since I lost to you?” Chris called out to Charlotte, readying the Pokeball.

“Chris, I’m not your groupie. You do a lot of things that I am not aware of, or just don’t understand!” Charlotte called back, earning a grin from Chris. “Say what you wanna say, or don’t, and we’ll get this party started!”

“I’m just saying,” Chris said, as he threw the Pokeball. “Lugia’s had a growth spurt…”

Lugia materialised from the Pokeball, and Charlotte was shocked to see the Pokemon, which had been three and a half metres from nose to tail last time she battled it, was now five and a half metres. She estimated Lugia weighed close to two hundred and fifty kilograms.

“Goddamn, what have you been feeding him?” Charlotte asked in shock. Chris laughed.

“Honestly, I eat like a uni student, because Lugia eats me out of house and home…”

Charlotte threw the Master Ball forward, and Deoxys emerged. Whilst she still had her slight worries about Deoxys, every time she battled with it in a situation like this, it rose to the occasion. Now was another chance for it to prove its progress.

“Begin!”

Knowing Deoxys was listening to her thoughts, and was now much more attuned to them, Charlotte didn’t bother to verbalise which form she wanted Deoxys to take.

Deoxys’ attack and defence form were both incredible in their respective attributes, their opposites were lacking. Deoxys' attack form couldn’t take more than one or two good hits, and its defence form could take all the hits that were thrown at it, but couldn’t retaliate anywhere near as well, and was slow. As such, that left its standard form, and speed form.

Deoxys normal form was good offensively, and had somewhat above average speed, its defensive capabilities weren’t great. As such, Charlotte had decided to use its speed form, which, whilst not as good at attacking as Deoxys normal and attack forms, was faster, and had better defence, without sacrificing speed and attack power like the defence form did.

In an instant, Deoxys body shifted into its more aerodynamic, streamlined form, and Charlotte gave her first order.

“Agility!” Charlotte commanded, as Deoxys, using a mixture of specialised movements, and its own psychic abilities, increased its speed twofold, making it over twice as quick as Lugia and giving it the chance to make another move before Lugia could. “Now Shadow Ball!”

Whilst most people would be rattled by Deoxys’ insane speed, and now the super effective attack coming their way, Chris remained calm, knowing that Lugia’s strength was its superior bulk. Lugia could still attack well, but it could take a hit far better than most Pokemon, even without accounting for its ability.

Shadow Ball struck Lugia, who barely seemed to wince, given the fact its Multiscale Ability protected it from the first hit, as Chris gave a command Charlotte could not have expected.

“Imprison!”

Charlotte’s eyes widened, as she realised what Chris was planning. Imprison would prevent Deoxys using any moves Lugia knew, and given both Pokemon were Psychic types, that was a lot. The biggest consequence of this however was the fact that both Pokemon knew Recover, and now Deoxys would not be able to use it in this battle. Charlotte knew Chris was likely to order Lugia to use Recover, and had banked on being able to do the same with Deoxys. However, now, only Lugia could use it…

Thinking quickly, Charlotte came up with a countermeasure as Lugia roared, letting out a psychic wave that rattled Deoxys. Her idea, whilst not as effective as Lugia’s use of Imprison, would make it slightly difficult for Chris to drag the match out with Recover.

“Torment!” Charlotte commanded, as Deoxys’ eyes glowed, and it launched a telepathic attack on Lugia. Her reasoning was that Recover could restore roughly half of Lugia’s energy during the battle, but if Deoxys could wipe out more than an eighth per attack, Lugia’s energy would drop overall. “Now, Dark Pulse!”

Deoxys superior speed allowed it to make two moves, as the gemstone in its chest flashed black, before emanating a black wave of darkness, which struck Lugia, who was readying its own attack that Chris had commanded.

“Aeroblast!”

Lugia roared, as a golden light erupted from its jaws, slamming into Deoxys, and throwing it back, however not knocking it out. Charlotte looked between the two Pokemon and figured the match was fairly even right now.

“Nasty Plot!” Charlotte ordered. “Then Protect!”

Deoxys used Nasty Plot, increasing its attack power in special moves, before erecting a Protect barrier, blocking Lugia’s bulky frame as it crashed into it, using the Dragon Rush attack Chris had ordered.

“Charge Beam!” Charlotte called out to Deoxys, knowing that whilst the attack would hardly finish off Lugia, even with the Nasty Plot effect, it would add to it, allowing her next move to potentially end the match. “Now Psycho Boost!”

Despite battling a Lugia, who was part Psychic Type, Deoxys strength was in its exceptional psychic powers. However, practically all of Deoxys Psychic Type attacks were now unusable due to Imprison. There was one however, that Charlotte knew that only Deoxys knew. A signature attack. Psycho Boost.

Deoxys readied for the attack, placing its two tentacle appendages in front of its gem-like organ in its chest, however to Charlotte’s surprise, nothing happened.

“Psycho Boost!”

Charlotte looked in horror as Lugia roared, and a purple orb of pure psychic energy manifested in front of its jaws. It launched towards Deoxys, hitting the extra-terrestrial Pokemon directly.

“Shadow Ball!” Charlotte ordered, knowing that Deoxys had no Psychic attacks it could use against Lugia, however she had hesitated at the shock of Lugia using Psycho Boost, and was only able to get a single move in before Lugia began its next attack.

“Double Edge!” Chris commanded, knowing Lugia’s special moves would be weakened from Psycho Boost, and that all Deoxys needed at this point was a single, good hit. Whilst Lugia knew other moves that would make contact like Dragon Rush, he also knew that they took slightly longer for Lugia to perform, compared to something as simple as Double Edge, which was a recklessly brutal tackle, and when battling a Pokemon as fast as Deoxys, he needed all the speed he could get.

Chris knew what the result would be, however had remembered Jon’s earliest teaching. If you’re going to lose, and you can force a draw, then force the draw…

Lugia slammed into Deoxys, knocking itself out with the impact, as well as Deoxys, who was hit with all two-hundred and fifty kilograms of Lugia’s mass. The crowd went silent, waiting to see which Pokemon would stand, however both trainers knew the battle was over. When the crowd realised, they remained silent.

”It appears to be a draw…” the commentator said uncertainly, and Charlotte, despite herself began to laugh. Chris who couldn’t help but grin, found the laughter to be infectious, and fell victim to the urge himself. Those in the audience, and Justin, who watched from the stadium entrance behind Charlotte, watched in confusion as both trainers approached the centre of the battlefield, struggling to not laugh at the draw that they just had.

“I can’t believe it…” Charlotte said to Chris between wheezes as she shook his hand in the middle of the battlefield. “This battle is so hyped up, and everyone is so excited to see us battle with our Legendary Pokemon…”

“And just like always, we can’t have a clear winner…” Chris finished, struggling to keep a straight face. “What a f**king anti-climax…”

"How did Lugia know Psycho Boost?" Charlotte asked, attempting to restrain herself, as Chris grinned.

"I showed Lugia the footage from our last match when you used it. He's been working hard to master it…"

The pair continued to laugh uncontrollably, as those watching began to chatter, wondering what just happened, and how the match would continue.

As the pair spoke, they were approached by the umpire, who looked at them, confused by the events, and by the two trainers' reactions to the result.

“I know you two wanted this to be a single Pokemon battle, but if this were a three on three match, and you tied, you could choose to continue with a fourth Pokemon until there was a clear winner?”

Charlotte grinned at Chris, who addressed the umpire.

“We could battle with ten, and it would be the same…” Chris explained. “Last time this happened, it took two years of competing against each other to break the draw streak…”

“He’s right,” Charlotte answered. “I won our last battle, but Chris has caught back up to me. Just call it. We tied…”

The umpire looked confused as the pair began laughing again, before walking back to the commentators box, to inform them of Chris and Charlotte’s decision.

Whilst two years prior, getting another draw, in a battle as big as this, would have infuriated Chris, right now, he didn’t care. This was the most fun he’d had in months, win, loss, or even a tie…

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

It was nearing 6pm when Abbee saw Heahea City Hospital come into view. She hated the fact that she was having to come here for the reason she was, but knew that if she didn’t deal with it now, she might not get the chance to.

“I’ve got the list…” Abbee explained. “But there’s something else…”

Dylan looked puzzled at Abbee, not sure what she was talking about. Her tone wasn’t one of worry or stress that was normally present when there was ‘something else’ during this operation. Instead it was frustration.

“I gave Victini permission to go with Cass, and he left with her,” Abbee explained. “Except I just found out he isn’t with her. She sent him back to me because it would draw too much attention, and Cass thinks Victini is with me…”

“Where is he then?” Dylan asked, as Abbee passed her phone to him to show him the message which included the list of reagents.

"Probably trying to be some sort of superhero, sitting on a building with some gargoyles watching over her..." Abbee said. "Once he sets his mind to something he will do whatever he can to make it happen. But of all times for him to act like this…"

“Go find him now,” Dylan said, as he began searching for something on his own phone.

“But what about finding Brianna Levine?” Abbee asked. “She’s already seen you, but not me…”

“This is important. If Victini is trying to be a vigilante, it means nobody is watching his back, and if he gets captured, which is a lot easier since you released him, then we have no idea where to find him…” Dylan explained. “And I’m just going to go check out some pawn shops for stardust, just in case. If she did get the stardust there, I doubt she’d return and risk being caught…”

“And if she does?”

Dylan whistled, getting the attention of someone not present in the room. Or so it appeared. In a heartbeat, Darkrai rose from Dylan’s shadow, causing Miller to jump in his chair and spill his energy drink on himself.

“Sorry,” Dylan said in an aside to Miller, before looking back to Abbee. “If she does return, she’ll be going to sleep…”

Abbee had no idea where Victini would be specifically, however, she knew that he would be keeping Cassandra in visual or telepathic range, and she had spent most of the last few days in Section B. And if Abbee were with Cassandra, she’d be in range as well, and able to get his attention…

She entered the hospital, and was stopped by reception, until she subtly showed her League ID, before being directed to Section B. She hadn’t been to the hospital before, and wasn’t a hundred percent sure of her way around, so walked slowly, looking out for any sign that she may miss, however was pulled from her search by her League issued phone buzzing. She looked on the screen to see Elesa’s name on it.

Abbee groaned, knowing that Elesa was only looking out for her. Elesa had known Abbee was on the S.S. Wishmaker, and Abbee knew that once Elesa found out about the crash, and any other disasters on Akala Island, she’d panic, so had broken protocol slightly by reaching out to Elesa on her League issued phone, having left her personal one back at the Academy, and telling Elesa that she accidentally threw her phone overboard when the ship had jerked. She had told Elesa that it was a temporary phone she got in Heahea City, to get by until she bought a new one after she got back. Unfortunately Elesa had continued to check in whenever news of what was happening on Akala Island became intense, wanting to make sure Abbee was okay.

Abbee sighed, knowing she should be thankful her boss actually cared enough to check in, especially with Elesa knowing that Abbee’s only family was her brother. Knowing that Elesa would likely want to know everything, and Abbee wasn’t in a position to tell the truth, she quickly found a storage room that was unlocked, opening the door, and answering the call.

“Hey Elesa,” Abbee said, trying to sound calm. “How’re things?”

“I should be asking you!” Elesa said, unable to hide the worry in her voice. “Every time I watch the news, or go online, I see stories about things going on in Heahea City! I read this morning about a cursed swimming pool. People who touched the water would begin to absorb it, until they couldn’t anymore and…”

“Yeah, I heard about that,” Abbee said, interrupting Elesa before she could go too far. “Thankfully it was another hotel…”

“Thank God!” Elesa said. “Honestly, this whole situation is terrifying…”

Abbee hummed in the affirmative, having learnt quickly with Elesa that she likes to talk, and the only way to end a conversation with her properly, and not risk ending it and having her call back in an hour, was to actually let her speak long enough. And the fact that Elesa had already started, meant that Abbee would be stuck here for another twenty minutes at least before she would get a chance to end the conversation…

************************************************** ************************************************** *****
Whilst Abbee was explaining her predicament with Victini at Eon Squad HQ, Dylan had been searching online for pawn shops in Heahea City, finding three. Stardust was a naturally occurring substance that had medical properties, however most trainers simply sold it at pawn shops. His goal was to find out where Brianna Levine, if that was her real name, bought the stardust, though was well aware she may have brought it onto the island with her.

The first pawn shop Dylan visited was the one closest to Eon Squad HQ, and having spoken to the owner there, had learnt little of value except that nobody matching Brianna’s description had visited there. As such, Dylan went to the next one, which was the one closest to the hospital.

He walked into the well lit shop, which had a vast assortment of items, from TVs, to computers, to bicycles, to jewellery. The store itself seemed virtually empty of customers, with the exception of two people who inspected guitars that hung on the walls. Looking around, Dylan found the counter, and approached it, where a middle aged man stood, greeting him with a smile.

“What can I do for you?”

Dylan, making sure the two men looking at guitars weren’t listening in, discreetly removed his League ID from his pocket, and placed it on the counter.

“If you can spare me a few minutes, I just have some questions…” Dylan said quietly.

“Damn, they’re recruiting you younger and younger these days…” The man replied, matching Dylan’s hushed tone, before double checking the other customers weren’t listening in. “This something to do with all the shadowy s**t keeping the ships here, and the p***ks who are scaring away all the customers?”

Dylan was going to neither confirm nor deny, but knew at this point there was little reason to. Everybody knew there were issues on the island with Shadowcraft, and it made sense the League was investigating. Dylan nodded.

“I’m looking for someone who used some Stardust to place a curse somewhere, and figure if they got it here on Akala, it was probably from somewhere like this,” Dylan explained. “Anyone buy any from you in the last few days?”

The man’s face lit up with surprise.

"Normally, I'd laugh in your face, since Stardust is something that most trainers find on the trail and never get around to selling. I probably have people selling it to me once a week, but that's all that happens, and I pass it on to manufacturers when I have bought enough of it," the clerk explained. "But last night, I had someone come in and buy what I had of it, and it wasn't cheap either..."

"A woman? Silver haired, but still fairly young?" Dylan asked, remembering what he saw of the person leaving Memorial Hill the day before.

The man nodded, as Dylan continued.

"How did she pay for it? With a card?" Dylan asked, though not optimistic.

"No, cash."

Dylan scowled. Whilst each region had its own currency, serial numbers were automatically recorded in ATMs and banks, so tracing a cash trail wasn't impossible, but was difficult, and considering the fact that Jon and probably everyone else above him thought this was a waste of time, it was time he didn't have. He'd need to find more, but what...

"You haven't deposited the cash yet have you? Or given it to someone else?" Dylan asked.

"If it were anything else, I'd say you were s**t out of luck..." The man explained, "But not many people pay in $100 bills here, so you're lucky..."

The main opened the register, extracting four $100 bills, as Dylan got his card out to transfer that amount from his bank, figuring that he’d seek reimbursement later.

"I know she paid with two of these. I couldn't tell you which, but it might help..."

Dylan thanked the man, before taking the cash, and leaving the store. As he walked down the street, he rounded a corner, stopping abruptly when he found himself face to face with a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties, with silver coloured, ash-blonde hair, and piercing white blue eyes that stared directly into his, with a slight grin.

"We finally meet..." the woman said, "I'm Brianna, and I just want to talk..."

Before Dylan could respond, a white circle of light appeared on the ground surrounding them, though seemed invisible to those who passed them. Glyphs around the inside edge spun around the pair slowly, with an eerie glow.

“Don’t,” Dylan called out, not to Brianna, but Darkrai who lay in hiding, knowing that the Pokemon would likely try to put her to sleep, and Dylan had no clue what this circle would do. He looked at Brianna directly. “Is this a threat?”

“Not a threat,” Brianna said, too casually. “Just a way of making sure we can trust one another. What’s your name?”

Dylan replied intending to give his alias, however as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he hadn’t given it.

“Dylan Squier,” Dylan answered, before raising his eyebrows, and realising what this spell was doing. He was being forced to tell the truth

“Nice try Dylan,” Brianna answered. “Don’t worry, I already knew your name. I just wanted you to know exactly how pointless lying in this circle is. But don’t fret. I’m equally as affected by this as you are. But I think you will want to hear what I have to say…”

“After what we have been dealing with from your group, why do you suddenly want to talk?” Dylan asked, not bothering to hide his suspicion or cynicism of the woman in front of him.

“I’m no ally of Agatha, and I’m not loyal to her cause. I’ve only seen harm come from that many witches all gathered together, and want you and the League to do what you can to stop them…” Brianna explained. “You’re working for the League, aren’t you?”

Dylan remained silent, knowing any attempt to lie would give away the truth, however his silence was confirmation enough.

"In the interest of fairness, my name is Brianna Levine. I am a Shadowcraft wielder," Brianna explained. "Though I do not ally myself with Agatha, and have no intention of allying myself with the League. However, I do want the League to have a fighting chance against her, so I am willing to offer some wisdom when I feel like it..."

"If you aren't affiliated with them, why did you leave a curse at Memorial Hill, like they have been doing all over the city?" Dylan asked, as Brianna grinned even more.

"Because I wanted you to find it..." Brianna replied. "That hybrid curse I left was far from the first of its kind placed here. Agatha and her coven have been laying them in Heahea all day, and if I hadn't have left one as obviously as I did, you and your little Diamond friends wouldn't have had a clue until it was too late..."

"So you were tipping us off..." Dylan asked, curious how he knew about Triad's true identity, though trying not to confirm it with his expressions, until a grim thought crossed his mind.

"Too late for what?"

"That hospital you and your friends are running?" Brianna began. "Agatha has noticed, and by my estimate, it will be levelled by the time the sun sets…"

Dylan's eyes widened as he rushed past Brianna towards the hospital, pulling out his phone.

He called Abbee, however the line was busy. He swore before calling Jon who also was unable to answer. Finally he called Cassandra, and whilst the phone dialled, nobody picked up...

"S**t..."

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

After eating their early dinner, and treating another half dozen patients who arrived, Triad stood around a table in Section B, with a rough map of the southern half of Akala Island that Sami had fetched for them whilst they treated their patients. Sami had left an hour ago to go and find a map that covered the northern half of the island, however for now, this map was keeping them occupied.

“It seems almost too obvious,” Violet muttered, looking at the map.

“Huh, really?” Jarena asked, wondering if she should have noticed it by now, and had no clue. “Where do you think it is?”

“Here…”

Violet pointed towards a Thrifty Megamart on the map.

“A Megamart?” Jarena asked. “What, you think they’ve taken it over?”

“Why not?” Violet answered, as Cassandra pulled out her phone. “Honestly, they could potentially be posing as employees, and keeping the Megamart running during the day, but hiding everyone out back while it is open. It’s not like they have to worry about ordering stock. It’s far out of the city, so I imagine nobody shops there enough for them to need to get more stock in…”

“You’re right,” Cassandra said. “Nobody shops there because it is abandoned…”

Cassandra opened a webpage that she had seen the preview of, before reading what was published.

”In 2000, plans were unveiled by developers to build housing estates on the east coast of Akala Island, hoping to increase immigration to Alola, increase quality of life for those living on Akala Island, and provide more affordable housing on the island, outside of the cities. Wanting to make the most of this opportunity, Thrifty built one of their signature Megamarts in the proposed area, ahead of development starting, in order to cater for initially workers in the development, and eventually, residents, opening doors in 2002.

Whilst the decision had been made to develop, and the decision to build the Megamart was viable, the first residential development work unearthed an ancient, native Alolan burial site, which is forbidden to be developed on or disturbed further by law. Upon further investigation, the bulk of the proposed land for the development shows signs of being part of the same burial site, and the plan for the housing estates was abandoned.

Due to the sheer lack of customers, the Thrifty Megamart closed its doors in early 2004, and has remained untouched ever since. The building itself cannot even be demolished, due to the risk of disturbing the burial site, and as such, remains standing. Since then, it has become home to many Ghost Type Pokemon, and as such, trespassing is forbidden, in the interest of public safety…”

Violet grinned hearing this. This only stood to prove her point more.

“So we have an abandoned Megamart, likely emptied of any stock that remained by Thrifty so it wouldn’t go to waste, and now home to an ungodly amount of Ghost Pokemon,” Violet summed up. “If this isn’t the large, empty space, hidden from Heahea City, that is used by our Ghost specialist target, then I’ll eat my left shoe…”

“It will be well defended,” Cassandra said, looking over the map again at the surrounding area. "Hexes could be everywhere, like a minefield…”

Jarena grimaced, as Violet continued.

“But, if they can spare us from here for a day, we could check it out from a distance. Or if not, ask one of the offensive line squads to scout it, see if there is any activity there. And worst comes to worst, if we can’t get close, I’m sure Jon could be convinced to have Rayquaza blow this motherfuc-” Violet explained, however they were interrupted by the door opening.

Sami entered, however was practically unrecognisable. She was gaunt, with an ashen face, and stumbled into the room, almost zombie-like.

“Guys, I don’t feel so good…” Sami moaned weakly, looking worse by the second.

“Crap, guys… She’s been hexed…” Jarena said, standing to her feet. “Sami, hold on, we’ll-”

Before Jarena could tell her what they’d do, Sami’s skin and clothing hardened, turning slate grey, into stone. The expression of weariness and shock had become her last, as she turned into a statue.

Before they could even process what was said, all three heard a familiar voice, telepathically speaking to them.

”Ladies, if you can hear me, RUN! GET OUT NOW!”