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

[[Desolate Divine]]

Spiritwater Episode 2: Preparations

Spoiler:

Knock knock knock…

Justin stirred slightly at the sound coming from his apartment door, however was still too asleep to comprehend that he may need to answer it.

Knock knock knock…

As he was pulled further from slumber and into the land of the conscious, he started to realise that something wasn’t right. He opened his eyes, and looked at his phone, which was on charge, the display dimmed but turned on, showing the time to be 11pm. He had only been asleep for an hour, having his last classes for the year the next morning. He began to wonder who was knocking on his door that late at night.

Knock knock knock…

“I’m coming,” Justin called out, as he grabbed a shirt and a pair of shorts off his bedroom floor, and quickly began to dress. He hopped out of his bedroom as he attempted to climb into the shorts whilst he moved, and donned the shirt just as he opened the door, to see Charlotte, standing on the other side.

“Did I wake you?” Charlotte asked, noting the hallway behind Justin was unlit.

“Yeah,” Justin answered, knowing Charlotte well enough to know there would be little consequence for answering that question honestly. “What’s going on?”

“Inside,” Charlotte said, nodding. “I don’t want to be overheard…”

Confused, Justin stepped aside, turning on the light, as Charlotte entered. He closed the door behind them, as she made her way to the lounge, sitting comfortably on one of the couches. Justin, no less confused, made his way to the couch opposite Charlotte, not offering a drink knowing she would help herself. She was a regular visitor at Justin’s apartment, and had made herself at home.

“Jon’s cancelling the summer program,” Charlotte said quietly, as Justin’s eyes widened.

“Wait, what?” Justin said, his voice raised slightly in shock. “Why?”

Charlotte placed a single finger to her lips, to gesture Justin to be quiet, before speaking again, keeping her tone controlled.

“The League have received a tip off that something bad is going to happen, and are launching an operation to stop it. Jon, Dylan and Abbee have all been recruited to help out…”

“Why didn’t they ask us?” Justin asked. “If they’re recruiting Dylan and Abbee…”

“Do you really think Jon recruited them? You know what he is like. He wouldn’t want them anywhere near this thing, and they probably fought tooth and nail for him to let them come…” Charlotte explained. “He said it is something to do with witchcraft, and potentially a lot worse than the S.S. Wishmaker incident…”

“Well if Dylan and Abbee could convince him to let them come, surely we can convince him too,” Justin began though Charlotte shook her head.

“He has something he wants us to do instead…”

Justin looked at Charlotte, curious to know what this task was, and she continued.

“He has got a rough idea of Chris’ movements over the next few months. League information, with the tournaments he is registered for and all that,” Charlotte explained. “Jon wants us to go to Goldenrod to see Chris, and try and help him out of this funk he is in-”

“Charlotte, I know you’re not dumb enough to buy that,” Justin said, his voice slightly raised. “He’s just giving us a job to do so we feel like we’re doing something and are okay to not be there with him!”

Charlotte shook her head.

“I thought the same thing, and asked him why ask this now, considering you and I were going to be flying to Lilycove this weekend anyway…”

“And what did he say?” Justin asked, having been thinking the same thing as Charlotte when she was on the phone.

“He said that before this tip off came in, there was always time after summer to help Chris work his s**t out,” Charlotte said, her tone turning solemn. “But he has a bad feeling about this operation, and knows there is a real chance he might not make it home…”

Justin was shocked to hear Jon had told Charlotte this. From day one, Jon had seemed like a superhero. Unshakable, and when it really mattered, unbeatable. Between their scuffles with poachers, saving the Eon Academy from being bought by Mark Hill, and beating Camilla Blakely with a single Pokemon, Jon seemed almost more myth than man to Justin, even though he knew him personally, and Jon had told Justin and the others numerous times they were far closer to his level than they realised.

“He really thinks he could get killed during this?” Justin asked. Charlotte nodded.

“The S.S. Wishmaker is child’s play compared to what he is worried will be happening in Alola…” Charlotte explained. “And you know what he is like. Even if he is one of the best trainers of this decade, he wouldn’t let that cause him to underestimate what he is coming up against down the line…”

Justin nodded, understanding why Charlotte was okay with this.

“So we’re going to Johto instead?” Justin asked. Charlotte nodded.

“Not for another month. If Chris knew we were intentionally trying to make contact with him by going, he’d suspect Jon is trying to use us to get to him,” Charlotte explained. “Chris is battling in heaps of smaller tournaments, that I normally wouldn’t battle in, and would start asking questions if I happened to compete in one as well. But there is one in Goldenrod in five weeks, that is the sort of tournament he has faced me in since we were both in the adult bracket. Running into me there is hardly suspicious, and as for you coming with me…”

Charlotte seemed to have a thought, which took over. She glanced over at Justin.

“What’s Candice’s availability like during summer?” Charlotte asked.

“She’s flat out,” Justin answered. “Summer makes Snowpoint a little more pleasant for outsiders to make the trek to, so she usually has more challengers during summer to make up for how quiet it is the rest of the year…”

“Good,” Charlotte answered. “You can say Candice was too busy for you to spend much time with her, so when I mentioned competing in Johto, you decided to come along to cheer me on…”

“Think he’ll buy it?”

“It’s not unreasonable,” Charlotte explained. “Honestly, it would be easy to convince him he is being delusional if he does think we are up to something…”

Justin nodded in agreement as Charlotte continued.

“Honestly, there isn’t much to it. I’ll battle him, and try and make it an enjoyable battle, and after, see if we can spend a few days with him, and try and help him work some of his issues out,” Charlotte explained. “Honestly, we could potentially do this, before making our own way to Alola to help Jon…”

Justin’s eyes widened hearing this.

“I thought he told us not to come on the mission?”

Charlotte grinned.

“He did, but now, my summer is free, and I hear Alola is nice this time of year. I might feel like a holiday…” Charlotte explained. “Jon just told us to spend some time with Chris, but that will be a few days at most. And if we happened to be in Alola and Jon happened to need help, I don’t think he’d be in much of a position to stop us…”

Justin couldn’t help but smile.

“You know this doesn’t help dispel this whole [i]terrifying[/t] schtick you’ve got going on?”

“Why do you think I’d want to?”

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

The next day, Jon had made a point of spending as much time as he could with Lili. Whilst the campers were due to arrive in half a week, Dylan was spending the day trying to sabotage the property enough that if questions were asked about their reason for cancelling the summer program, they could answer them, and Jon wanted to make sure everything was set before he started telling people that the program was cancelled. The last thing he wanted was to give Dylan’s reason to a few parents and find out from Dylan halfway through notifying everyone that the cover up wouldn’t work and they had to change their story. As such, he would be contacting parents tomorrow to notify them that the camp was cancelled, with Dylan having all day to make it believable. Dylan had flicked the circuit breaker on the property, in order to not risk electrocuting himself during the sabotage, meaning that all electronics without batteries were currently out of commission.

Seeing as his next few weeks would likely be spent with Steven, planning for the operation before he went, he was wanting to spend as much time with his daughter as he could. He wanted to spend that time with Alyssa as well, however Alyssa had work to do, and whilst he now had less to do until the prep for the operation ramped up, Alyssa taking time off work herself would raise questions.

“I love you, and I appreciate you doing this, but I still gotta meet deadlines,” Alyssa had said. “Take care of Lili during the day, and once she is asleep, we can spend time together…”

The pair sat in the lounge, as Jon felt his sanity slip as Lili wanted to watch yet another episode of Super Sylveon Smile Squad on his laptop. He began amusing himself thinking of gruesome deaths for Smiles the Sylveon, the main character of Super Sylveon Smile Squad. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Cassandra, Jarena and Victini sat at the kitchen table. An hour earlier, Violet had noted that the clothes they were wearing were their old ones, and they’d be more recognisable in them, given the designer labels. As such, Abbee volunteered to go into town with her, and help find some new outfits that were more like the common people’s, and wouldn’t draw too much attention.

On the table in front of Cassandra sat Victini, and next to him a tablet, where Victini showed her the recordings of the battles against the College of the North Wind. So far they had watched Justin and Charlotte’s battles, and were up to Chris’, Victini telling Cassandra and Jarena, the latter of which was bored by the conversation and tuning out, about the other three interns.

“There’s something familiar about Chris,” Cassandra said as she watched Chris’ Lugia beat Natasha King’s Glastrier. “I can’t put my finger on it…”

Victini replied verbally, given everyone in the house but Alyssa and Amelia could understand it.

“That would be the family resemblance…” Victini said cautiously, unsure of how Cassandra and Jarena would take the revelation. “He is Lance’s cousin…”

Cassandra’s eyes widened a little. Now she could see it. The same colour hair and demeanour as the disgraced former Indigo Champion.

“How did Lance’s cousin join Jon’s school, the first summer after the S.S. Wishmaker?” Cassandra asked, shocked at what she had just heard.

“Right after Lance was arrested, his family were divided over whether to continue to support him, or to effectively denounce him. Chris was in the middle of it, and wasn’t sure where he stood. So he wanted to learn more about Jon to figure out where he stood himself, and signed up,” Victini explained. “He was a bit of a handful, but he ended up getting his act together during the first summer. But…”

Victini went quiet, honestly saddened himself by the rift between Chris and half of the other people from the Academy. As much as he made fun of Chris when he and Abbee were together, he did genuinely like him.

“But what?” Cassandra asked, somewhat worried that someone related to and with such a strong resemblance to Lance may wind up following in his footsteps.

“Chris and Abbee dated for a year. Last summer, Abbee, well meaning, did something that really upset Dylan, and he tore into her. Made her cry. And even though Dylan and Abbee made up within a week and were fine after that, Chris held a grudge against Dylan for it, and most of last summer, the two of them weren’t on great terms…” Victini explained. “Then Abbee broke up with him about three quarters of the way through last summer…”

“Because of Dylan?”

“No. Chris had his dreams and plans for his future, but the way he talked about them, Abbee didn’t feel like he was leaving any room for her in them. She wanted to talk this out with Chris, but Chris felt like talking it out, and coming up with some way of including Abbee, would basically be admitting he can’t achieve his dreams as they were, whilst staying with Abbee, and kept putting off the conversation, saying they’d cross that bridge when they’d get there,” Victini told Cassandra. “Eventually, Abbee couldn’t take it. She figured that if they weren’t in a relationship for it to work out long term, and it was doomed to fail somewhere down the line when their goals took them in opposite directions, she’d rather end it now, than let it die on its own in a few years and it hurt even more…”

Cassandra watched as Lugia, now far stronger than normal given it stealing Glastrier’s ability, and also increasing its own strength, faced down Chandelure for a brief moment, before Natasha forfeited.

“Chris and Abbee were both pretty hurt by it. Charlotte and Justin got around Chris, and Abbee relied on Dylan, who was relying on her with his own stuff going on. The two of them got pretty close, and Chris saw it, and didn’t take it well,” Victini continued, the sadness obvious in his voice. “He was upset, and embarrassed, and lashed out at Dylan, and when Jon tried to lay down some hard truths on him, he lashed out at Jon as well…”

“I find it weird you seem to be almost taking his side…” Cassandra noted, as Victini shook his head.

“I’ll always be on Abbee’s side. When it became obvious he liked her, I told him if he hurt her, I’d dig out your old tomes and turn him into a Dunsparce…”

Jarena grinned having overheard that conversation, and Victini continued.

“But really, he isn’t a bad guy. He’s proud, like Lance was, but the difference between him and Lance is that he doesn’t let his pride take the wheel. He’d think more in terms of common sense, and the friendships he had with those around him. He knew that he was one of the strongest here, but also knew that he could act without thinking, and be immature, so he’d be hyper aware of it, and make sure to compensate for it,” Victini explained. “But when his pride took a hit, it was as if it grabbed the steering wheel, and swerved the car off the road…”

Cassandra’s expression remained neutral. Whilst she could admit her opinion of Chris was biased, given his relationship to Lance, what Victini described in this trainer did worry her. Victini, sensing Cassandra’s apprehension about the trainer, spoke again.

“He’s a good guy at heart, really…” Victini said. “He just has some stuff he needs to work out…”

On screen, Chris and Natasha left the stadium, before the recording skipped over the ad breaks and Abbee entered the field against her opponent Matt, with Victini sitting on her shoulder. Cassandra focused on the clip, curious to see Victini battling in what she had heard to be one of his most difficult battles to date. On screen, Abbee returned Victini to his Pokeball before sending out her Ariados.

“We knew what Legendary Pokemon Matt had, and I’d told Abbee it was mine…” Victini explained. “I had something to prove…”

Somewhat puzzled by Victini’s statement, Cassandra watched as Ariados, whilst increasing its own speed and attack power, dispatched of Matt’s Mismagius, before withdrawing Ariados via a Baton Pass, when Matt sent out his Toxicroak. Cassandra watched in anticipation, as Victini dispatched of Toxicroak with ease, before crying out, both audibly and telepathically. She understood the words, despite it being a recording.

”Bring me Shaymin!” Victini on screen had roared.

“You battled another Shaymin?” Cassandra asked, remembering her last win as a Pokemon trainer. Victini grinned.

“I beat another Shaymin,” Victini said. “No flukes this time either. I let the battle become high stakes. I convinced Abbee to let me use Sunny Day, then used V-Create to reduce my defence so Shaymin could beat me in a single hit, and my attack was raised enough from Baton Pass that Shaymin would go down in a single hit as well. The first to slip up would lose…”

Cassandra watched in awe as Victini on screen, battling in a high stakes battle, managed to avoid most of Shaymin’s attacks, before taking one, however using Guard Swap to just hold out, whilst also transferring his own weakened defences to Shaymin. Meanwhile, Shaymin hadn’t paid attention to Sunny Day, which wore off. Victini, knowing that was his moment, landed his final attack.

”V-Compress!” Abbee on screen shouted.

“V-Compress?” Cassandra asked.

“I create a telekinetic bubble around myself, and compress my V-Create flames. Then break it when I make contact. It becomes explosive…” Victini explained quickly, not wanting Cassandra to miss his glorious win. “I got the idea when Justin’s Alakazam did it to one of my V-Creates the summer before…

“I am Victini! The Victory Star Pokemon!” Victini on screen shouted audibly and telepathically. ”And my victory is right now!”

Cassandra watched in shock as Victini’s flames burned ever hotter, turning blue, before striking Shaymin, and launching it skyward.

“Since when could you make blue flames?” Cassandra asked, shocked at how strong Victini was, before feeling a momentary feeling of guilt. Had she actually put in the work with Victini, like Jon and Abbee had, he may have been this strong when she was his trainer. Remembering what Victini said about V-Compress being inspired by Justin’s Alakazam, she realised even something as seemingly minor as being able to train alongside other Pokemon at the same level would have been beneficial.

“Only that once,” Victini said, somewhat disappointed. “I have tried since, but couldn’t pull it off. I guess I was just that hell bent on winning without a fluke on the sun setting at a convenient time that it just came naturally to me…”

Cassandra couldn’t help but grin, before giving him a pat on the head.

“You’ve come a hell of a long way,” Cassandra commended. “Abbee should be proud. I sure as hell am…”

Jarena watched, somewhat bored, as Abbee left the battlefield, having tried to speak to her opponent after who had refused, and Dylan entered the battlefield. Not wanting to sit through another battle, she saw Dylan on screen, and had an idea.

“I’m going to see if Dylan wants some help,” Jarena said, standing to her feet. Cassandra gave a slightly puzzled nod, however didn’t say anything, as Jarena left.

Half the reason for her boredom was simply nobody to have a good conversation with. Cassandra and Victini were so focused on catching up with each other after three and a half years, and Jon was spending his time with his daughter which she didn’t want to interfere with. Alyssa had to work, and Violet and Abbee were in town. Dylan however, she figured could use some company, and realistically, her and Dylan were the two closest people in age there, her having just turned twenty-three, and Dylan turning twenty-one towards the end of the coming summer.

Jarena found Dylan outside the main hall with a shovel, digging a small trench along the side, while a small toolbox sat on the ground beside him. It was a warm day, and it hardly seemed like comfortable work. Hearing footsteps, Dylan looked up, not wanting to be spotted by an unexpected visitor sabotaging the property, and was somewhat surprised to see Jarena, who he had barely spoken to walking towards him.

“Want some help?” Jarena asked casually, surprising Dylan a little. He quickly glanced up and down at her, before responding.

“Thanks, but everything from now on is pretty much a one person job…”

Jarena, having noticed the glance, shot Dylan a glare.

“You don’t think I can help?” she asked, her tone indicating she had a hunch about what his answer was. He raised his hand in a placating gesture.

“I have no doubt you could,” Dylan explained. “But really, there isn’t a great deal left that isn’t pretty messy work…”

“You know I spent three and a half years living as a wild Pokemon…” Jarena asked rhetorically. “Messy work is nothing…”

“You’re right,” Dylan answered apologetically. “Sorry. But really, there isn’t much left to do…”

Jarena looked at the ditch Dylan had dug, where a series of thick, insulated underground wires were exposed.

“What’re you actually doing?” Jarena asked, nodding towards the ditch.

“Making our story believable…” Dylan answered. “Most of the property is powered by solar panels on the roof of the main building, and a big battery that stores the excess energy for when the sun goes down…”

He nodded towards a bulky battery that was mounted to the wall of the hall.

“There is a regulator in the battery control unit which will determine whether the power comes from the solar setup, or the city's electrical grid. And this wire goes from that regulator to the rest of the property…” Dylan said. He tossed the shovel aside, before grabbing a pair of wire cutters from the toolbox. Jarena’s eyes widened as Dylan placed them against the wires that were exposed in the ditch.

“What the hell are you-” Jarena said, as Dylan cut the wires, and she expected him to be electrocuted. Whilst she knew he had turned the power off, in that moment, it had slipped her mind. He grinned.

“I’m going to put a switch, that is remote activated, on this wire, and rebury it. Sometime tomorrow, when we have prepared for no power here for a few days, I’ll turn the switch off, and have Jon’s Jolteon hit the solar battery with a Thunderbolt attack…” Dylan explained. “It should fry the battery, regulator and the visible wires, making it look like a Rotom got in and messed it up, but everything after the switch will be safe. Though we might have to have Jolteon fry a few things Jon wouldn’t be too annoyed at replacing in the buildings to add to the story…”

“Why would a Rotom be here?” Jarena asked. “And won’t the insurance company spot from a mile away that this is a scam?”

“We won’t be contacting the insurance company,” Dylan answered, and as Jarena went to ask another question, he interrupted, grabbing the switch from his toolbox and kneeling down next to the ditch. “And it won’t be suspicious that we don’t…”

“And why is that?”

“Because the story we go with, is that a Rotom got into Abbee’s laptop before she left Johto, and she accidentally brought it here,” Dylan explained, as he quickly began using a screwdriver to connect the exposed ends of the wire to the respective terminals on the switch. “Any insurance company who knows what they’re doing would find a way to put the liability on her, and refuse to pay out. They’d say Abbee’s own insurance needs to pay for it, but her insurance only covers her own Pokemon, not a wild one that stowed away in her luggage. Which is why Jon is finally doing publicity stunts on the S.S. Wishmaker like they have harassed him to do for years. Because he needs cash quickly to fix the Academy…”

As Dylan explained this, Jarena couldn’t help but remember the meeting Jon and Alyssa had with Cassandra, Violet and herself in their glorified cell on the S.S. Wishmaker, after Jon and Latios detained them. The idea he had to cover up the existence of Witchcraft, using a Zoroark, and taking the fall himself.

“You really are his student,” Jarena said with a grin. “This seems like a very Jon sort of idea…”

“I learnt from the best,” Dylan answered, as he tested the remote for the switch, making sure he could hear it flicking on and off. “But this nitty-gritty technical stuff is more my forte than his.”

Dylan quickly began to bury the wire, before patting down the freshly disturbed earth, trying to flatten it.

“So what brings you out here?” Dylan asked. “Air con or not, it must be cooler inside.”

Jarena shrugged.

“I got bored. Jon’s trying to make the most of the time he has left with his daughter before he leaves. Alyssa is working, and Victini is showing Cassandra every one of his battles that has been recorded since he teamed up with Abbee,” Jarena said. “You showed up on the screen when they were watching the battles, and I remembered you were around, so figured I’d see if you needed help…”

“From what I have heard, it’s your loss you walked out before my battle,” Dylan retorted facetiously. “According to Abbee, it’s second only to Jon’s…”

“I’m sure I’ll get a chance to check it out…” Jarena replied indifferently, not wanting to give Dylan the satisfaction of the type of response he was after. Despite their differences in temperament, she had to admit she liked Dylan. She figured in a different life, where they may have both been students here, they may have become good friends. She noticed Dylan staring somewhat intently at the patch of earth that was obviously disturbed. Whilst he had flattened it out, it was still obvious it had been dug up.

“I will get Sceptile to make some grass grow there,” Dylan said, more so to himself, however Jarena heard, before shaking her head.

“No need…”

Dylan looked up at her, somewhat confused, before she placed both hands towards the patch of earth, palms outstretched towards it. She began muttering a quiet incantation, and a green aura appeared around her hands, as slowly, grass began to erupt from the ground, growing thicker, as Jarena timed the spell, ending it as the grass seemed to be the same thickness as that around it.

Dylan watched in dumbfound disbelief.

“Everyone knows that you guys can do stuff like that…” Dylan said. “But still, it’s weird seeing it. I get the same feeling when Jon talks to Latios and actually understands him…”

Jarena grinned.

“I had to learn that trick after a few months living rough,” she explained. “We found these berries that tasted amazing, but the problem was if we brought a few back to the Starglade, the other Pokemon would sniff them out and eat them while we were out…”

Jarena’s smile widened as she reminisced.

“I found a nearby cabin, and snuck in to steal a plastic container, and started storing them in there and burying it. But it still got found, so I learnt how to do that to cover my trail,” Jarena continued. “Even lost it myself a few times…”

“No wonder,” Dylan said, now struggling to pick exactly where he had buried the wire, now that Jarena had made it blend in. After patting the ground to find the softer area, he focused on that before getting out his phone and taking a photo.

“So I can dig this up and fix it myself when we get back…” he explained. Jarena couldn’t help but grimace. Whilst she had faith that Dylan and Abbee could handle themselves, especially given the fact Jon had mentioned in passing Abbee and Dylan, as well as his other interns were at similar, if not higher level or battling to himself on the S.S. Wishmaker, and Dylan had shown his ingenuity and ability to plan just then, she had to remember that on the S.S. Wishmaker, they were simply trying to cover their tracks, and once that was impossible, escape. They weren’t actively trying to harm anyone, let alone kill them. Agatha however, she wasn’t sure would show that same level of restraint, nor the sort of people her invitation would encourage.

Seeming to notice Jarena’s uncertain look, Dylan repeated himself.

“When we get back…” Dylan assured. “Jon and Steven make a pretty effective team, and haven’t let us down yet. We’ll make it back alive…”

Jarena nodded, though wished she could say that with the same level of conviction.

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

“I never thought I’d be shopping like this again,” Violet said quietly, as she pulled out a top from the rack that five years prior, she would have bought. Whilst being a designer brand, it was one of the cheaper ones. Cheaper however was still a half day's earnings from Abbee’s job at the Nimbasa City Gym. She felt a bitterness rise up, and put it back. It just seemed wrong. Too tight and constrictive. Too flashy, and not durable enough for a lifestyle that isn’t drenched with privilege.

Even her current clothes, that were hers before the S.S. Wishmaker, seemed wrong. Too impractical, and stood out too much. She felt like she needed to check over her shoulder, and make sure she wasn’t being watched, despite wearing a pair of fake glasses, a hat and one of Alyssa’s wigs. However as she considered this, she realised she never found out how Jon got the DNA samples, or the clothes themselves. She was sure she hadn’t had these clothes for a little while before the S.S. Wishmaker incident, but couldn’t remember what happened to them…

Abbee stood at another rack, looking around. Whilst she was just as slim as Violet, Violet was half a foot taller than her, which meant that her experience of finding clothing would not translate well. Violet spoke up, quietly, but loud enough for just Abbee to hear.

“How did Jon get our clothes?” Violet asked, curiosity getting the better of her. “And our DNA samples?”

Abbee shuddered, which made Violet even more curious. She looked intently at Abbee, partially wanting to intimidate her into spilling, knowing that after this many years, Cassandra was immune to the trick. Little did she know, if Alyssa, Cassandra or Amelia weren’t around, Jon would happily tell her, to this day, finding the whole thing to be hilarious.

“When Cassandra asked Jon to find them, he looked on a few online marketplaces for Diamond Ladies memorabilia. He found this guy who was a massive creep, and used to be a mega-fan of the three of you. Had your autographs tattooed on his arm, which he was trying to get lasered off,” Abbee said. “He had a collection...”

Suddenly, Violet realised why Cassandra said she didn’t want to know. She now remembered the charity auction she participated in, as a publicity stunt, donating some of her clothes, with the proceeds going towards a not-for-profit. However, she was past the point of no return…

“What sort of collection?” Violet asked, growing more anxious by the minute. She already regretted asking, but couldn’t have this question weighing over her when she tried to sleep at night.

“Heaps of signed photos. Old clothes. Dirty napkins,” Abbee began, as Violet cringed further. “Used towels that competition organisers would give you during outdoor summer matches-”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Violet interjected, though looked at Abbee and realised she wasn’t finished. “That wasn’t the worst of it?”

Abbee shook her head.

“Tell me,” Violet said, forcing the conviction into her voice. “I want to know…”

That was a lie, but she knew the question would keep her awake at night.

“Jon said this guy had a listing for Anime Girl Body Pillows, lightly used, that were stylized to look like-”

“Okay, I lied, I don’t want to know…” Violet said, knowing where Abbee was going. She had wanted to know because she wouldn’t sleep at night not knowing. Now she just wouldn’t sleep at night in general…

Giving up on finding something that would fit Violet, not knowing how to shop for a woman as tall as her, she decided to try shopping for Cassandra or Jarena. However, as she remembered the three of them walking into the stadium the day before, she realised that Jarena was only an inch shorter than Violet, and Cassandra an inch taller.

“I’m not used to buying for someone so tall,” Abbee remarked, somewhat jokingly. “Honestly, did the three of you have a minimum height to be eligible or something?”

“Why, you want to join?” Violet asked sarcastically. “Position doesn’t pay well. Nothing really. But you spend lots of time outdoors in fresh air, and the health cover is great. Dental, not so much…”

Abbee laughed.

“I think I’ll stick with the gym…”

Violet’s eyes widened a little hearing this.

“You’re a Gym Leader?” Violet asked. Abbee laughed.

“I wish,” Abbee remarked. “Gym Trainer. The pleb you have to beat before the Gym Leader will give you a challenge. I started at the start of autumn. Nimbasa City.”

Whilst Victini had mentioned this to Cassandra, it became pretty obvious to Violet and Jarena that they were third and fourth wheeling their reunion, and like Jerena had that afternoon, Violet had given them some space, instead opting to do something practical. As such, she hadn’t been privy to most of what had been said.

“I never did any of the League challenges myself,” Violet said. “I was too focused on school to get a team ready to get the badges once I finished. And by the time I graduated high school, myself, Cass and Jarena had already discovered our talent...”

Even though the store was practically empty of other customers, Violet wasn’t going to risk saying too much.

“After that, going for badges seemed too small time, in light of what we could do,” Violet continued. “In hindsight, I probably should have put more of my time into training Pokemon when I was in school, and gone for the eight badges. Despite straight A’s, I barely remember my time in school, and I’m not even thirty yet…”

Abbee nodded in understanding, as she continued to try and look for clothes.

“I never did it myself. Heck, none of the interns have,” Abbee said. “Chris and Charlotte both wanted to focus on tournaments as opposed to the League itself, and I competed in a couple of them, because Dad had been training me, and figured it would be good to put what I learnt to the test. I’m not sure why Justin started training Pokemon, and Dylan had other reasons…”

“How is it working at the Gym?”

“It’s great,” Abbee replied. “It’s an Electric Type Gym, which means that I am not relying on Victini like I normally do. And because Electric types have a single, obvious weakness, I am consistently at a disadvantage, so I have to work hard to put up a fight.”

“Victini has gotten strong,” Violet said, having seen it herself during the training session. “You’ve done well with him. By the time we went legit, Victini had enough drive to pull off the odd miracle, but just lacked the practice to make best use of it. Now…”

“Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better partner,” Abbee answered, however felt a pang of jealousy saying that while her partner was back at the Academy with Cassandra. Eventually, she couldn’t help herself. “How long ago did Victini meet you guys? He mentioned you were there…”

Violet took a moment to think over the numbers, before answering.

“Three years before the S.S. Wishmaker, right when we started to really blow up,” Violet answered. “I wanted to get my hands on a Legendary Pokemon, because I knew a reputation like ours would invite challenges from stronger opponents, and people would start asking questions if we were consistently beating championship teams with Legendary Pokemon without any of our own…”

Abbee nodded, having heard the story from Victini the summer before.

“I was meeting with some less than savoury characters who were going to track down a Galarian Moltres for me, and Cass came with me to watch my back in case they tried anything sketchy,” Violet explained. “They had captured Victini a few days earlier and had another buyer lined up, but Cass decided she had to take him. She was able to be very persuasive even without Shadowcraft…”

Abbee remained silent hearing this, and Violet glanced over, seeming to notice this.

“You don’t have to worry about Cass trying to take Victini from you,” Violet said, attempting to be understanding, but also firm to make sure there was no room for misinterpretation. “My Pokemon had been stolen before we decided to disappear, but Cassandra made the decision to set her Pokemon free, Victini included, and let them fend for themselves. And now Victini is happy with you, and has grown heaps. Cass wouldn’t interfere with that. She has just missed him, and doesn’t know when she will see him next when all this is over, so I think she’s just trying to make the most of the time she can spend with him before they have to go their separate paths again…”

Abbee flushed red with embarrassment that Violet had read her worries so easily. Violet however had answered the wrong unanswered question. However, she didn’t indicate this to her, instead, letting Violet think the matter was closed. She was too embarrassed to voice her real concern.

“Thanks. It’s just been a bit odd, seeing Victini with another trainer…” Abbee remarked.

“You’re telling me,” Violet said jokingly, before resuming her shopping.

Abbee’s real worry wasn’t that Cassandra was trying to take Victini away. She believed Violet when she said that Cassandra wasn’t trying to do that. Her real worry was that when this situation in Akala is over, that Victini would want to stay with Cassandra. Wanting to change the subject, Abbee remembered an idea she had for the mission.

“I got an idea I want to run past you…”

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

“So far Eon Squad is yourself, Dylan, Abbee, Peter and Ford…” Steven explained. “We need to fill it out.”

It was evening, and Steven had joined them at the Eon Academy to discuss the mission, as well as give Cassandra, Violet and Jarena their new identities. Jon and Steven sat in the kitchen of Jon and Alyssa’s house, whilst Triad were gathered elsewhere, planning how they would get to Alola together, albeit unnoticed. Dylan was scouring the various rooms of the property for electronics that would not be a major loss to fry for the cover up, and Abbee was in her room in the lodge with Victini, though nobody but Violet knew what they were up to...

Peter Miller was the computer expert and closet hacker that had assisted Cynthia with making contact with Steven during his first detainment by the Hoenn Military, and since then had been laying a trail of false sighting of Rayquaza away from Hoenn. Since his recruitment to Eon Squad, and the mission overall, Jon had asked him to start moving the sightings of Rayquaza towards Eastern Unova, and from there, Alola.

Ryan Ford, or Ford as he went by, Jon being thankful as he still unintentionally reacted to the name Ryan, was a relatively new recruit. He was only a year or two older than Dylan, having joined the League’s list of operatives after the S.S. Wishmaker. Unlike Jon however, Ford was not a circumstantial recruit, but instead worked full time for the League, and as such, had received extensive training in areas such as fitness, unseen movement, unarmed combat as well as firearms. Steven had intentionally placed him in Eon Squad, knowing that whilst Ford excelled in all his training, his intuition, planning and decision making were lacking, all of which were Jon’s strengths. He was certain that under Jon’s leadership, he’d be a serious asset to the squad.

Jon looked through a pile of folders that Steven had brought, each containing details of operatives, both permanent and casual, that Steven was considering calling on. Jon looked through the folder he held in front of him, before putting it on the pile which he had dubbed the not Eon Squad pile. The corresponding Eon Squad pile was much shorter, containing only the folders of himself, some of the contents of which Jon found to be amusing, as well as the folders of Peter Miller and Ryan Ford. There were no folders for Dylan or Abbee, given the fact they had never worked directly for the League, and therefore, there were no dossiers made for the pair of them.

“Another one?” Steven asked, nodding towards the newest rejection. “I know she wasn’t as exceptional as Ford, but she would still be a good fit…”

“She has a husband and three kids. The youngest is less than a year old,” Jon answered bluntly. “Eon Squad will be hitting the frontline when the s**t hits the fan, and I don’t want to be responsible for these kids losing their mum…”

“So you’re not going to recruit anyone with people to leave behind?”

“Her file listed that she failed a training exercise, by mistaking a target for a civilian,” Jon answered. “That sort of thing is likely to get her killed. So no, I’ll bring people along even if they have families, if I think they’re exceptional enough to have a good chance of going home to them. Otherwise, they can work in one of the reconnaissance or defensive squads…”

Jon picked up the next file, noting the name.

Luneth Tarot.

Jon opened the file, and was surprised when the image he was met with was one pulled from the League Trainer Database, of a young woman who seemed a couple of years older than Abbee, though surprisingly, with an even more pale complexion, and stark white hair. Her eyes were pale violet, and Jon couldn’t help but feel like he had seen her before…

Steven noticed Jon reading this file more intently, before glancing at the name, and chiming in.

“She’s an interesting one,” Steven explained. “Technically, she isn’t an operative, yet.”

“Then why have I got her file?” Jon asked. “If she hasn’t done any work for the League, that means she hasn’t received minimum training like I had to when you first recruited me…”

“After the S.S. Wishmaker Incident, the League received a letter from her, telling them that she had access to Shadowcraft, but still wanted to compete, so was being open about it so that precautions could be taken to make sure that there was no concern of her cheating like the Diamond Ladies,” Steven explained. “She beat all but the last gym in Galar, and all the gyms in Kalos and Sinnoh…”

“She’s got more badges than I do,” Jon agreed, having only gotten badges from Kanto and Hoenn himself. Steven nodded.

“Additionally, this morning, she reached out to the League to tip them off about Agatha, having had the same dream…” Steven explained, before finally, Jon remembered where he had seen her.

“She was there, when Latios and I first tried to take in the Diamond Ladies. She tried to interfere, and I had to get my operative ID to get her to stand aside,” Jon explained. “Remember when we decided to try and cover it up, I mentioned there was a teenager who had seen and heard enough that the cover up wouldn’t work, and we’d have to get her to sign a non-disclosure agreement? I asked you to send me information on all girls between fifteen and twenty on the S.S. Wishmaker so I could find her…”

“You never did find her?” Steven asked, slightly surprised.

“By the next morning, the cover-up was dead in the water, so why waste my time trying to find her?” Jon answered, before thinking for a moment. He then placed the file with the others in the rejection pile.

“She could be a massive asset to Eon Squad as a Shadowcraft consultant,” Steven protested, and Jon nodded.

“She could. But I can work directly with Triad, and I will be making sure that if any of my squad figures out who they really are, they keep their mouths shut,” Jon explained. “Luneth would be useful in my squad, definitely. But she could be even more useful outside of my squad, being a Shadowcraft consultant who isn’t trying to remain anonymous…”

“Fair enough,” Steven admitted. Jon raised a valid point. He was picking his squad so pedantically that it wouldn’t be difficult for Triad to be their consultants whilst remaining anonymous. But the League had a history of letting information slip, and if there were any loose-lipped operatives who needed a hex removed, it would be better for Luneth to handle that instead of being tied up with Eon Squad. Knowing that Jon would be here a while, Steven continued.

“We have four weeks until the Spiritwater Festival starts. The S.S. Wishmaker will depart Slateport in three weeks, and operatives from Hoenn, Johto and Kanto will be arriving at the Department of Defense HQ in Slateport a week from today for two weeks training,” Steven explained. “It won’t be anything too comprehensive. Basic fitness, tactical skills, operation briefings and firearms training…”

Jon nodded as he looked through the next file, surprising Steven by adding it to the three on the Eon Squad pile.

“Definitely train them, but I won’t be carrying a firearm. Neither will Dylan, Abbee, or any casual operative who isn’t well and truly experienced in using them,” Jon said, cutting Steven off before he could object. “If I’m considering a casual operative for the squad, compared to a permanent, it’s because they’re good with Pokemon, and we aren’t just battling a witch, but a former Elite Four member…”

Jon grabbed the next file, and continued reading as he explained.

“I’ve used firearms on multiple occasions, but I’m no marksman. The guys who Lance sent back in 2018, I shot at point blank range, and the captain of those poachers, I had the sawn-off shotgun pressed against his head. It was a miracle I managed to hit one of the others from the boat. And Dylan and Abbee will have never fired one before training. Their strength is battling,” Jon explained. “And if we give them a firearm, we only give them the temptation to fight with something they are less experienced with. I’d rather them not have the option, and have to rely on their Pokemon, because that’s where they’re at their strongest…”

“But it isn’t just Pokemon trainers you’re going up against,” Steven explained. “We barely know what Shadowcraft can do…”

“From what Cass has told us, the Diamond Ladies barely scratched the surface of what Shadowcraft is capable of. When Cass and I battled Rayquaza, Rayquaza was about to knock me sky high with its tail, and Cass saved me with a barrier she conjured up with Shadowcraft,” Jon explained. “If we are potentially against more dangerous users of Shadowcraft than the three of them, bullets from a government issued handgun won’t do much. Our best bet with traditional firearms is a sniper rifle, catching them by surprise, which Ford is trained in, and I’ll be requesting he be issued one.”

“You have an answer to everything, don’t you?” Steven asked, again, begrudgingly admitting Jon was right.

“It’s because I laid awake all night last night, trying to think of them all,” Jon said, whilst his tone was jesting, the words were sincere. “Honestly, there is a lot that can go wrong, and if I can come up with a small idea that can improve our chances, then I’ll come up with a thousand more if I can…”

“I’ll drink to that…” Steven muttered. “You got another beer?”

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

Dylan groaned as he placed the TV next to the battery mounted to the side of the Eon Academy’s main hall. It was an old one, that Jon and Alyssa kept in their bedroom. After moving from their old apartment in Lilycove, they had purchased a new one for their lounge, with this old one being put in the bedroom, though hardly used. If either of them wanted to watch TV, they’d watch it in the lounge, causing this one to gather dust. Next to it were a few lamps from the lodge bedrooms, Dylan’s old laptop, as well as a microwave, kettle, and a few other appliances from the lodge’s kitchen. Whilst Dylan had tried to pick items that were likely to be replaced in the coming years, he still felt uncomfortable as the running total for replacement costs was well over a thousand dollars, all for the sake of making their story believable, and that wasn’t including the battery and regulator that were going to need replacing as well. He kept telling himself it would be covered by the League after the mission, however still felt a little uncomfortable.

The plan was for the story to be that a Rotom got into the battery and caused a huge surge, doing massive damage to their electrical system. Whilst Jon’s Jolteon was going to hit the battery with a thunderbolt, overloading it massively, the isolator switch Dylan had installed would protect everything else on the property’s electrical grid. However, if they simply had a dead battery, and all their electronics were okay, then the story would have holes. As such, they had to sacrifice some electronics. Dylan would have these hooked up to the regulator directly when Jolteon overloaded it.

That morning when he had told Abbee his plan, she had volunteered some of her possessions. Namely her laptop, since the story was the Rotom stowed away inside it. Being somewhat technically minded, he offered to remove the hard drive from it, as to not destroy Abbee’s data. However he hadn’t gotten it from her yet…

He entered the lodge, making his way upstairs. He could hear Triad planning their trip in Cassandra’s room, what he knew to be Chris’ room, however he wasn’t looking for them. He walked to Abbee’s door, and could hear movement behind it. He knocked on the door, and was surprised to hear the movement change from being calm to now somewhat erratic.

“Abbee?” he called out. “You in there…”

”She is, but…”

The voice was Victini’s in Dylan’s head.

”She says you can come in, but don’t freak out…”

Somewhat concerned that Abbee wasn’t answering herself, Dylan turned the door handle and pushed the door open. He saw Victini, sitting on Abbee’s bed, and opposite him, stood a half-bald Decidueye, next to a pile of feathers...

“What the fuc-” Dylan cried out, as the Decidueye cried out in shock at Dylan’s reaction. Dylan grabbed Dusknoir’s Pokeball, to try and put this stray Pokemon that Victini seemed to have let in the lodge to sleep.

”It’s Abbee!” Victini said quickly, trying to get Dylan to calm down. The Decidueye squawked in agreement, as Dylan, more shocked than he had ever been in his life, lowered the Pokeball.

“Abbee?” he asked, to which the Decidueye squawked again. “Why are you a Decidueye?! And why are you missing so many feathers?”

”Decidueye are native to Alola, and she figures she can get around a little easier if she is one of them, and blend in too…” Victini answered, nodding towards the desk. ”Violet prepped a heap of hexes and hex removals so she can turn herself between forms…”

Dylan looked over to where Victini nodded, seeing a small leatherbound notebook, the covers tied together to hold it shut, as well as a dozen water bottles, each containing a strand of Abbee’s black hair, and a gold nugget. Behind them was a thick, dark green piece of fabric. He had to admit, this wasn’t a bad idea. Alongside Justin, Abbee was the most recognizable of the interns, being the daughter of a famous battler. However, blending in as a wild Pokemon could be beneficial. He walked over to touch the book.

”Don’t touch that!” Victini called out, as Abbee squawked in agreement. ”Violet put a hex on every page to turn Abbee into a Decidueye!”

Dylan recoiled, before remembering his other question.

“Why is she missing so many feathers?” Dylan asked, nodding to the pile on the ground.

”We’ve been pulling them out…”

“Why?” Dylan asked, knowing Victini was just being difficult to amuse himself and slightly annoy Dylan. “A bald Decidueye will stand out more than Abbee…”

”We’re going to make a cloak out of the feathers and that fabric that she can wear while she is a Decidueye, and from a distance, it will look like she has a thick coat in her Pokemon form. It will have pockets sewn into the inside to hold the book, and the removal spell,” Victini explained. ”And if she has to change back into a human out in the field, it means she won’t be arrested as an exhibitionist…”

Dylan flushed red slightly with embarrassment, noticing the clothes Abbee had been wearing that afternoon piled on the floor behind her, as Abbee avoided making eye contact with him, and continued pulling out feathers.

“Won’t the cloak stand out if she is a human?”

”People wear costumes for the Spiritwater Festival, so it would actually help her blend in…” Victini explained. ”Did you want something?”

Dylan remembered why he came, having forgotten at the shock of seeing Abbee turned into a half bald Decidueye.

“Abbee’s laptop,” Dylan explained. “I’m getting the hard drive out, before it gets fried with everything else…”

”On the table, but don’t touch the book…”

Dylan nodded, stepping carefully past Abbee and Victini to grab the laptop and its charger. He made his way back to the door.

“Carry on,” he said jokingly, as he left, still shocked at what he had seen.

Dylan left, leaving Abbee and Victini to keep plucking Abbee’s feathers, causing her to wince in pain nearly every time. After another fifteen minutes, Abbee the Decidueye stood completely bald, and Victini struggled to not laugh at the sight.

“If only you put my thumbprint into your phone,” Victini said. “A photo would be hilarious…”

“Don’t you dare,” Abbee replied, now able to understand him like Jon and Triad did. She walked towards the desk, grabbing one of the sealed water bottles, and began attempting to remove the lid, which was difficult without her normal human hands.

“Let me,” Victini offered, however Abbee rejected the proposal.

“I will need to be able to do it myself when we’re in Alola,” Abbee explained. “I gotta get better at it…”

After a few minutes, she finally got the lid loose, exposing the nugget in the water, which she knew would turn her back when she touched it. She looked over at Victini.

“Turn around,” Abbee said, Victini obliging. When she was sure Victini could see nothing, she pressed the tip of her now featherless wing in the water, making contact with the nugget. It began to glow, as she felt her whole body shift, and her form return to her more familiar human form.

“Don’t turn around yet,” Abbee called out, in her familiar human voice, as she grabbed her clothes off the ground, before getting dressed quickly. “Okay, you’re good…”

Victini turned around to see Abbee in her now human form, having quickly gotten dressed.

“Top’s inside-out,” Victini noted, causing Abbee to look down and realize in her rush she hadn’t checked. He quickly turned away as Abbee fixed it. “What would you do without me?”

Abbee remained silent, not answering the question, it having been on her mind the last twenty-four hours more than the entire three years prior. Finally she spoke.

“Cass and the others are leaving tonight…”

Victini’s expression shifted, showing a sadness in his eyes.

“You’ll see them again,” Abbee offered, however she wasn’t bringing this up for the sake of small talk. There was something she wanted to know, and Victini’s reactions would give her the answers she was after.

“I know,” Victini said, trying to convince himself as well as Abbee. “But…”

“But what?”

“They’re going into dangerous territory, and won’t have any backup until we arrive in Akala for the Spiritwater Festival…” Victini said quietly. “They have none of their original Pokemon, and are relying on finding new Pokemon on their way to Akala, and I’m worried about them…”

Abbee felt a pit of guilt in her stomach, at how selfish she thought she was being, and was thankful Victini didn’t need to read her thoughts to communicate with her anymore. She had been terrified that Victini would want to leave her and partner up with Cassandra again. And now, she knew Victini did want to go with them, though it was because they were taking a higher risk, and he wanted to have their back. She was angry at herself for having a problem with that, and being jealous of Cassandra. However, when she spoke next, trying to compensate for this, she took it too far.

“You want to go with them, don’t you…” Abbee asked quietly. Victini struggled to answer.

“I don’t know…” Victini answered. “You’re my partner, and I want to stick with you. But they’ve only got each other, and when things went bad for them on the S.S. Wishmaker, I couldn’t do enough to help them. And now, I’m letting them go off on their own, this time into danger…”

In a reasonable state of mind, Victini’s first statement about wanting to stick with her, would have been enough to ease Abbee’s concerns. However, the guilt at the selfishness she thought she was acting in, wanting to keep Victini with her, when Triad were leaving on their own, and Victini wanting to go with them, caused her to overcompensate, and act rashly.

Abbee grabbed her phone, unlocking it, before opening the League App, which had replaced the Pokedex a few years earlier. She opened up Victini’s page in her app, and pressed a button on that. Attached to her belt, which hung on her bedpost, Victini noticed his Pokeball click, as he realized what Abbee had done. Not wanting to get in the way of what she thought would make Victini happy, she had released him from his Pokeball.

“Abbee, what are you-” Victini began, but Abbee cut him off.

“If you want to go with them to Alola, and watch their backs, you have my blessing to do it…” Abbee said, as much as she hated the fact she was. “I have my other Pokemon who can help keep me safe. But they don’t right now…”

“I could have gone without you releasing me?” Victini replied, still unsure of what Abbee was thinking, releasing him from his Pokeball.

“More than anything, I want you to be happy, and if after all this is over, you would be happier with Cassandra, you have my blessing to stay with her…”

Victini remained silent. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to stick with her until the end. But he knew that right now that wasn’t completely true. He wanted to make sure that Triad remained safe during the mission, and the most logical way for him to do that was to go with them now, and figure things out with Abbee once the mission was over. However, Abbee had right now, given permission beyond just joining them for the mission, and should he convince her that her blessing to stay with Cassandra after was unnecessary, she may revoke her blessing to go for the mission as well…

“I’ll go with them…” Victini said, as Abbee forced herself to hide the utter sadness she felt hearing those words. “And we will talk more after the mission…”

Abbee nodded, giving Victini a weak smile, that had Victini decided to telepathically communicate instead, and poked around in her mind, would have realized was completely forced, and that she already regretted her offer.

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

It was nearing eleven in the evening when Jon, Alyssa, Steven, Dylan, Abbee and the members of Triad all stood in front of the battery, which powered the entire electrical grid of the Eon Academy property. Victini sat on Abbee’s shoulder, as Steven handed Cassandra, Violet and Jarena their new documents, containing fake passports and driver’s licenses, as well as ten thousand dollars in cash, to get them from Hoenn to Alola.

“Sasha Winters,” Violet said as she looked at her new name. She turned to Cassandra. “Do I come across as a Sasha?”

“I think you could pull off a Sasha,” Cassandra replied. “What about you, Jarena, if that’s even your real name?”

“Sonia Fairchild,” Jarena said. “Sonia is okay, but Fairchild is just weird…”

“Ironically, Fairchild is the surname of a woman who had to prove the children she birthed were her own. I remember seeing a documentary about it years ago,” Violet explained. “Maybe people will think you’re one of her kids…”

“What about you?” Jarena asked Cassandra. She looked briefly at her documents before answering.

“Naomi Hart,” Cassandra answered, causing Jarena to grin.

“Yeah, you could definitely be a Naomi,” Jarena laughed. Steven coughed to get their attention.

“I don’t expect you to split up getting to Alola, but try not to be seen together. Hoodies, hats, even wigs,” Steven explained. “Don’t let people see how much cash you have, and try and make it look like room costs are a lot. If people see three young women with a big pile of cash, they will start asking questions.”

“It’s ironic that this is now a big pile of cash to us,” Violet joked. “Five years ago, if someone offered me ten thousand for a TV appearance, I’d be paying for a pile of manure to be dumped on their doorstep. Now it’s all the money we have in the world…”

Steven nodded.

“Also, don’t book rooms or buy tickets as a group. It’ll draw attention,” Steven said. “And make sure to shower often. I know Pokemon don’t mind going a few days without cleaning up, but you’d be surprised how noticable a person who hasn’t showered for a few days can be…”

“I think they know what they’re doing Steven,” Jon interjected, knowing Steven could go on for hours at this rate with what they should and shouldn’t do.

Steven nodded, though actually had something he needed to tell them.

“When the S.S. Wishmaker arrives in Akala, hang around near the docks,” Steven explained. “Don’t make contact. Latios will reach out to you, and will arrange where we meet. You’ll need to fend for yourselves in Akala until the rest of the operation team arrive…”

“We’ll be okay,” Cassandra assured Steven. He nodded, as Jon looked towards Dylan.

“We doing this?” Jon asked, nodding towards the battery.

“We are, but let’s just run through the plan one more time…” Dylan said, not wanting to rush this, and risk screwing something up.

“Triad leaves tonight, and begins making their way to Akala Island to scope things out and wait for the main force to arrive over the next few weeks. You use the remote switch to disconnect the battery from the rest of the electrical grid, and plug everything we don’t mind frying into the battery directly. Then Jolteon fries it…” Jon explained. “The Eon Academy is now unable to run their summer program, and tomorrow, you and I will spend the day making phone calls to tell everyone it is cancelled. And I will make a deal with the organizers of the High Seas Tournament to do some media appearances in return for a decent pay-out…”

“Once that is out of the way, you three and myself will make our way to Slateport City unnoticed, where we will be staying at the Department of Defence facility to do two weeks of training, whilst Alyssa and Amelia will stay at Alyssa’s brother’s place in Rustboro, which will be watched day and night by Rustboro Police,” Steven continued. “The story will be that you are with them, Jon, until the S.S. Wishmaker departs Slateport. The three of you will be effectively under house arrest, since you can’t be seen in Slateport too early…”

Jon nodded in agreement.

“From there, we spend a week on the S.S. Wishmaker, and travel to Akala Island for the Spiritwater Festival, and mount the full investigation there…” Jon concluded. He looked around. “We ready to do this?”

There was a nod of agreement from those there. Jon let out his Jolteon, as Dylan grabbed the fire extinguisher he had brought out, readying it for the fire that was likely to happen.

“Hit it Dylan,” Jon called out. Dylan pressed the button on the remote, and Jon watched as the lights in the lodge on another part of the property disappeared, the switch having disconnected them from the solar battery. “You ready?”

Dylan nodded, before Jon quietly have Jolteon the command.

“Jolteon, Thunder…”

Jolteon silently let out a Thunder attack, not crying out like it normally would, knowing the need for discretion. The bolt of lightning hit the battery, causing it to explode into flames, as all the devices and appliances hooked up to it began to hiss and pop, before letting out an electrical smoke smell. Dylan moved forward to put the fire out, however Jon stopped him.

“If a Rotom got in at this time of night, we wouldn’t be here with a fire extinguisher this quickly to put out the fire…” Jon explained. “Give it a minute or two, so there is enough damage to sell the story…”

“Jon, the hall is on fire…” Dylan answered, but Jon shook his head.

“The hall is solid brick. The battery is on fire, and will scorch the brick, but not burn it. Let it burn a little longer…”

Dylan obliged, though felt guilty seeing the fire burn on the wall of one of the Eon Academy buildings, before Jon finally nodded, figuring enough time had passed that one of them had emerged, seen the fire, and grabbed a fire extinguisher. Dylan squeezed the trigger, causing a white gas to erupt from the nozzle, suffocating the flames, and leaving the battery as a smouldering wreck…

“That’s it…” Dylan said, sounding shocked. “We’ve passed the point of no return…”

Steven nodded.

“Tomorrow I will send a military electrician here to give the damage report, and make sure they know what to write in it. We’ll move the fried electronics back to where they belong,” Steven explained. “As far as the rest of the world is concerned, a Rotom got onto the property inside Abbee’s laptop, and it got in and fried the electrical system. It will cost too much to have the Academy ready to run this summer, and take too long. The summer program is cancelled, and the three of you are now free to do whatever you like…”

“I think I may go on the S.S. Wishmaker again,” Jon said sarcastically. “For old time’s sake…”

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

Once the battery had been overloaded, Cassandra, Violet and Jarena gathered the few belongings they had, before making their way to the front of the lodge, where Jon, Alyssa, Steven, Dylan, Abbee and Victini waited for them.

“We’ll see you in Alola…” Cassandra said, as they all said their goodbyes. Jon nodded.

“Don’t let them catch you before we get there,” Jon said, as Jarena laughed.

“More like don’t foil all their plans before you arrive,” Jarena answered. “We got this…”

“Well, I’m glad you’re confident,” Violet answered, earning a grin from Steven.

“We’ll make contact as soon as we arrive,” Steven said. “Just lay low until then and scope the place out. Don’t do anything that could give away why you’re there…”

After a few more minutes, Triad left, making their way to the front of the property, where they would depart on foot. The next morning, they’d take the first ferry of the day back to Lilycove City, when they were hoping the ferry would be empty and those who were on it would be too tired to potentially recognize them. From Lilycove they would begin a roundabout journey to Akala Island, trying to find and train some new Pokemon on the way.

As Triad disappeared in the darkness, and Jon, Alyssa, Steven and Dylan went back to the house, Abbee remained where she stood, with Victini on her shoulder.

“I guess this is goodbye for now as well,” Abbee said quietly to Victini. Victini nodded sadly.

“I just want to make sure they’re safe,” Victini reassured Abbee. She nodded, as Victini jumped off her shoulder into the ground.

“I’ll see you sometime in a few weeks then…” Abbee said, wishing that she had let herself be selfish and not let Victini go, however, knew it was too late.

“See you in Alola,” Victini replied. “Stay safe…”

Abbee watched as Victini began to run in the direction Triad had left in, before sighing and walking back to the lodge, which was now pitch black.

As they reached the gate, Cassandra, Jarena and Violet spoke quietly, discussing which route they would take to Alola, and where they could find Pokemon that were experienced battlers. However they were interrupted by the familiar cry of a Pokemon behind them.

“Wait for me!”

Cassandra turned to see Victini rushing to catch up with them.

“What’re you doing?” Violet asked, however Cassandra knew the answer.

“I’m coming with you guys…” Victini answered. “You have no Pokemon yet…”

“Victini…” Cassandra began to protest, however Victini interrupted her.

“You guys may be thankful for how things turned out on the S.S. Wishmaker, but that doesn’t change the fact I was too weak to help you when it counted most…” Victini interrupted. “But I’m not weak anymore, so please, let me help you now…”

Cassandra sighed, before looking to Violet and Jarena.

“Go ahead. I’ll catch up…”

Jarena began to protest, however Violet nodded, grabbing her by the forearm and turning her towards the main road, continuing their journey. When they were out of earshot, Victini looked up at Cassandra disappointed.

“Why don’t you want me to come with you?” Victini asked, sadness evident in his voice. Cassandra shook her head.

“I want you to come with us, but that’s not the way things are anymore…” Cassandra said, her tone gentle yet firm. “You’ve been with Abbee now as long as you were with me, and you’ve gotten to be really strong-”

“Which is why I want to come with you!” Victini protested, however Cassandra continued.

“You’ve gotten to be really strong because Abbee stepped up and actually was a trainer for you. You two have gone through thick and thin together, when you and I skated through and avoided any real challenges…” Cassandra explained. “It’s not right for me to benefit from the work she put in, especially after I took the easy way out, and you didn’t get stronger because of that…”

“She gave her blessing for me to come with you!” Victini argued, though left out that Abbee had also given her blessing for Victini to stay with Cassandra if that’s what he wanted.

“Because she wants you to be happy, even if it means she misses out,” Cassandra answered, not letting herself show irritation, as she picked up Victini. She appreciated Victini wanting to have her back like old times, however knew it wasn’t right. She didn’t know Abbee well, but could tell she cared about Victini. That and she was one of Jon’s students, and the first time Cassandra had met Jon, he had offered to put himself out, giving up his alias of Jon Drake, and taking the fall for her crimes, to give them a chance to turn things around. Even if it was largely to prevent the existence of witchcraft getting out, she knew Jon was the sort to do things he didn’t necessarily want to do to help people, and she figured Abbee, having that trait herself, would have had it amplified under Jon’s tutelage.

“Abbee has worked hard to give you what I chose not to…” Cassandra explained, as she hugged her former Pokemon partner, before putting him back on the ground. “You should be keeping her safe, not us…”

“But what if something happens?”

“We’ll be fine,” Cassandra said. “Victini, it’s not up for debate. I’m not changing my mind. You’re Abbee’s Pokemon. Go be with her…”

Victini sighed, as Cassandra turned to walk away, indicating the conversation was over.

“I’ll see you in Alola…” she called out, as she waved, barely visible in the dim light.

Victini stood still, as Cassandra eventually disappeared from view. He looked for a moment back to the Academy, where he knew Abbee was. He knew Cassandra was right, and he should go back to Abbee, but remembered his time with Cassandra, between leaving the S.S. Wishmaker, and going into hiding. How much the world had rejected her, and how badly her, Violet and Jarena were treated. Making a decision, hoping that both Cassandra and Abbee would forgive him, he walked silently towards the gate, following Cassandra at a distance, to watch over her during her trip to Alola…