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!”

[[Desolate Divine]]

Beauty of lockdown. An episode in a day. You know what's coming next...

[[Desolate Divine]]

Spiritwater Episode 7: Onslaught

Spoiler:

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

“Is that Victini?!’ Jarena exclaimed, however Cassandra, already on edge from the talk of taking the fight to Agatha, didn’t hesitate.

“You heard him, let’s move!” Cassandra shouted, already painfully aware of what the warning was about.

As Cassandra sprang to her feet, she made for the fire alarm on the wall, slamming the large red button hard.

“Everyone out!” Cassandra shouted, hoping anyone near Section B would get the message that this wasn’t a drill. “Run for it! We’re under attack!”

There was a crash of broken glass behind them, as the trio ran for the door, not wasting time to turn around and see who it was. She felt a knot in her stomach leaving Sami, but told herself that if they stayed to help her, or try and get her out, they’d meet the same, if not some worse fate.

Cassandra felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, but didn’t have the time to try and get it out, as she darted through the hallways, not so gently encouraging people who were moving too slowly and blocking the passage out. A few moments later, the sliding doors to Heahea City came into view, and the trio focused on them, getting out into the street, and running for the first cover they saw, which was the main pier of Heahea City, or more specifically, the wet, muddy sand underneath it.

Not looking back, the trio sprinted for the pier, and dropped off the sides, taking cover under the heavy wooden structure. It was only then that Cassandra poked her head out to see what was happening. What she saw however, stunned her into disbelief. She looked on in shock as Violet joined her, wondering what could elicit this reaction.

“Is that… Giratina?”

Standing at four and a half metres tall, the dual typed Ghost-Dragon Pokemon was tearing at the building, ripping it apart as people continued to flood out. Despite having six legs, it had no visible arms, and instead stood on its rearmost legs, treating the building like a giant scratching post.

“Agatha has Giratina?” Cassandra asked in shock. Whilst their own experience in Shadowcraft made them a force to be reckoned with, Agatha seemed to be ahead of them, and despite being a former Elite Four member, the presence of Steven, Cynthia, even Jon, kept that fact from wearing them down. Giratina however, changed things….

Inside the hospital room where Abital and Avery both rested, Abital on a hospital bed, hooked up to heart monitors and an IV drip, and Avery with their eyes closed in a chair, Meir the Raichu was the first to realise something was wrong. Wanting to get Avery’s attention, he walked over to the chair, tapping his paw against Avery’s ankle, and letting out a small electric shock. Avery woke with a start, looking down at the Pokemon.

“Meir, what’s wrong?” Avery asked, groggy from the nap.

“Something’s coming…”

Before Avery could ask for clarification, the fire alarm began to blare, waking Abital who sat up, looking around puzzled.

“Everyone out!” called a familiar voice from Section B, though Avery knew it was neither of the two doctors present when they were there getting treatment for Abital.

Avery stood to their feet, and quickly began disconnecting the various monitors from Abital, who grabbed the cannula from his hand, and carefully but firmly pulled it out, wincing in pain.

“I’m sorry, but we gotta go…” Avery said to Abital, hoping that the few hours of actual rest would be enough for surviving whatever hell seemed to be going on outside. Abital nodded, scooping up Meir in his arms, as the pair fled the hospital.

As they emerged into the street, hexes were flying everywhere. Abital ducked at the last moment, feeling the rush of air as something rushed over his head, striking someone a few metres away. The accidental victim began to erupt in pink bubbles from their flesh. He looked back, feeling a pang of guilt, wanting to help, but rushed forward, knowing if he stayed to help, Avery would stay as well. Instead he rushed forward. He readied his Capture Styler, for when the opportunity arose. Avery looked over, seeing Meir carried under Abital’s arm, and the styler, and Abital saw the somewhat puzzled expression on Avery’s face. He quickly signed the word for ride, having his hands full and running making anything more nuanced difficult. Avery realised Abital was looking for a Pokemon to capture and ride, however, it only worked on Wild Pokemon, and there were none large enough to provide a ride in the city streets, especially with all wild Pokemon, like most people, fleeing the area.

As Avery looked over their shoulder to spot a Pokemon big enough, they noticed the one of the biggest Pokemon they had ever seen. Despite never seeing the Pokemon in person before, growing up in Sinnoh, they knew exactly what they were looking at.

Giratina.

Giratina roared before continuing its destruction of the hospital, as Avery grabbed two of their Pokeballs, and tossed them in front of them and Abital. Daybreak and Knautia materialised, as Avery grabbed Abital’s sleeve and pushed towards Daybreak.

“We’re getting out of here!” Avery shouted over the chaos, as Abital nodded, jumping onto Daybreak. Avery climbed onto Knautia, thankful that all but of their Pokemon but Gloria were large and quadrupedal.

The pair rode hard for a few minutes, putting some distance behind them, before slowing to catch their breath. As they did, Abital looked back in the distance, towards Giratina, the guilt obvious in his face. Noticing this, Avery spoke.

“Abital…”

The ranger looked over at his partner.

“It’s okay,” Avery said. “We’re safe, and that’s what matters.”

Abital went to sign a protest, but Avery cut him off, knowing that if they didn’t now, they would just be wasting time.

“There’s nothing we could do. We don’t stand a chance against those witches. We only just managed to get you on the mend, and even then, you’re still not at a hundred percent…”

Abital looked between Avery and the scene they had left behind, before signing a question.

“Where do we go now?”

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

On the phone to Elesa in the storage room, Abbee heard the familiar voice of Cassandra shouting for everyone to get out, as the fire alarm began to ring.

”Abbee, what’s that sound?” Elesa asked.

“Sorry Elesa, I need to go. I’ll call back later,”[/i] Abbee said quickly, ending the call, and moving towards the door. She hesitated, however, when the sounds of screams erupted from the hallway outside. After a few moments she heard unfamiliar voices chanting incantations, and realised just how dangerous it was outside.

“S**t…” she muttered to herself, locking the door, and herself inside. She desperately weighed her options. Stay in here, and potentially get crushed when the building collapsed, and the way it shook and rattled, it seemed like that wouldn’t take too long, or go outside and risk being attacked by the intruders, who took little reasoning for Abbee to guess the affiliation of.

She opened her phone to send a message, and noticed a missed call from Dylan, a few minutes earlier, before it buzzed again, as Dylan’s name appeared on the screen. She went to answer but realised over the sounds outside, she’d need to yell to be heard, and would give away her position. She declined the call before sending a text.

"The hospital is being attacked, and if I talk, they might hear me. Locked myself in a storeroom outside Section B, however will be seen if I try and escape. Get backup..."

Outside the building, Violet and Cassandra looked in shock at the carnage that unfolded. Moments after they had taken cover, dozens upon dozens of hooded figures, accompanied by ghost Pokemon had emerged from the shadows, and began their assault on any poor soul who got caught up in the disaster-zone.

Some trainers sent out Pokemon and attempted to fight back, however were quickly brought down by various hexes and curses. A trainer with an Incineroar was turned into a bronze statue, as was his Pokemon, whilst a young woman and her Clefable seemed to have fireworks set off inside them, causing Cassandra to look away. When she could bring herself to look back, the only evidence of the trainer and Clefable’s prior existence was a scorched mark on the ground.

It wasn’t just those who fought back that were targeted. Those who fled and were either too slow or too unlucky suffered the same fate, and whilst Cassandra wanted nothing more than to help, she knew it was impossible. They had no time to grab anything before they fled the hospital. All their reagents and tomes were inside, and likely would be crushed when Giratina levelled Section B.

“Oh God, this is bad…” Cassandra muttered as she turned around. “They just straight up murdered that girl and her Clefable..."

She turned to see Violet and Jarena staring in eerie silence at the purple and green flower petals, sprouting from Jarena’s waist.

“Cass, she’s been hit!” Violet shouted, before scurrying in the sand towards Jarena, where she had fallen to her knees. “Help me stop this thing before it overtakes her whole body!”

With each passing breath, the hex that had struck Jarena took a further hold, turning her into a flower, as more leaves tore through her scrubs, and her hair began to turn cherry blossom pink.

Cassandra joined Violet in a rush, unable to undo the hex right now, but muttering an incantation in sync with Violet, that would hopefully slow down the progression of the curse. After a panicked minute of focus and chanting, they seemed to suppress it for now, and stop it before it had completely taken over her body.

“Oh man…” Jarena said in shock, looking over her now plantlike body. “Oh man, this is really freaking bad! These guys are insane!”

“Jarena, are you… alright?” Cassandra asked, not intending to be asking a stupid question, given her friend was a few petals away from being a flower, but needed to know if Jarena still felt healthy enough to get out of here.

“Not particularly,” Jarena replied, trying to remain calm, despite herself. “But, it could be worse… I could be a bouquet…”

“She’s well enough to get out of here,” Violet answered for her. Before they could continue however, all three turned to the edge of the pier, where out of the corner of their eyes, they saw a small form drop down into the sand beside them.

“Normally I’d say ’it’s great to see you all again,’ but it is a crappy time for reunions…” Victini said to the trio, trying not to stare at Jarena’s affliction, but failing. “I was watching the hospital, and saw a few groups getting into position. By the time I warned you, Giratina had appeared and…”

“It’s alright,” Jarena said. “We’re still alive. I mean, this is something we can fix, right?”

Jarena gestured to her now floral body, and Violet gave a shaky nodd.

“We’ve fixed worse over the last week,” Violet answered. “Problem is that we don’t have time to do it right now. The longer we wait here, the more likely Giratina or the witches find us. Our books are still inside as well…”

Cassandra hated the fact that Violet was right. They stood little chance of helping Jarena out now, and needed materials they didn’t have on hand, even if they could recite the removal spell perfectly from memory.

“Can you walk?” Cassandra asked, thinking she may need to be carried.

After a failed attempt to stand on her now stem-like legs, Jarena struggled to her feet, before losing balance for a second, and being recovered by Violet, who helped her remain steady.

“I think so…” Jarena answered uncertainly. “This is so weird…”

“Honestly, our best bet is to get out of here for somewhere safer, and see if we can recover what we need from the wreckage. Otherwise, they’ll sweep the area, and we’ll be sitting Psyducks out here…” Victini noted. “Come on, I know a way out…”

Following Victini’s lead, they waited for a break in the attack, where their attacker’s were ganging up on an old woman with a Delcatty. The woman got struck by a curse, causing her to turn into wood, as the Delcatty looked on in horror at her trainer, before being struck by another curse, causing its skin to decay, leaving a collapsed pile of bone and fur on the pavement.

They ran north, and after a few minutes, heard a familiar voice call out.

“Are you alright?!” Dylan shouted, as he felt his phone buzz with Abbee’s message.

“We’re okay,” Cassandra replied, referring to herself and Violet. “But Jarena got hit. We managed to slow the curse down, but it’s starting to slowly progress again…”

“I thought there were more leaves than before…” Jarena said, forcing a weak, sarcastic laugh. Dylan however didn’t seem to respond, as he stared at his phone, his face pale.

“Abbee’s trapped inside…” Dylan said, looking to Victini, who he had noticed was with Triad. “She thought you had left Mossdeep with these guys, and only found out today that you weren’t with them…”

Victini’s eyes widened in horror as he realised why Abbee had been there when she was.

“She came to the hospital to try and find you!” Dylan yelled at the Pokemon angrily. “She didn’t want you out here with nobody watching your back!”

“Dylan!” Cassandra said, understanding why he was so angry, but having a soft-spot for her former partner. However, she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence.

”I’ve screwed up. I get it…” Victini said quietly, telepathically so Dylan could understand. ”I promise, I’ll get her out…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****
“So fill me in on this curse…”

Jon stood by his motorbike on the eastern end of Heahea City, on the phone to Steven. It had been a few hours since Cassandra had identified the curse, however Steven had been in meetings with other squads most of that time, and had only just returned Jon’s call. In the last few hours, he’d been investigating some warehouses on the eastern end that Steven had noted had discrepancies between different versions of plans, which could indicate a hidden room. However, he had found nothing.

“It’s nothing that Triad has ever seen before. A hybrid curse,” Jon explained. “Apparently it is impossible to blend two curses together that retain their individual effects, but whoever left this one did…”

”And what were the effects?” Steven asked.

“It would turn someone into a Shroomish, whilst making them a mobile drone for Agatha. Whoever left the curse would see through the eyes of the person it affected,” Jon explained. “Triad said that they’d know if somebody had visited Section B under that effect, and nobody has. However, we were lucky to get it early. If this were going on without us knowing…”

”It would be a disaster…”

Jon grunted in agreement, before continuing.

“I have a plan. I’m going to come up with some false intel. A script. And leave it with Triad. Then, if they find somebody in Section B under this effect, they can leak the intel, and we can use it as a trap…”

Before Jon finished explaining his plan however, he heard a door slam open on Steven’s end of the line, and muffled, yet worried voices speaking.

“Steven, what’s going on?” Jon asked. There was a pause for a moment, before Steven replied.

”Heahea City Hospital is under attack. It’s Agatha. Unsure of how many followers. But she has a Giratina…”

Realising just how dangerous of a situation they were in, Jon hung up the phone, before getting Latios’ Pokeball out. He let the Eon Pokemon out, before climbing onto its back.

“Fly us high, and I’ll explain on the way,” Jon said quickly. “As high as we can, without the air getting too thin.”

Latios began to ascend, slowly pointing upwards until he, and by extension Jon, were perpendicular to the ground, Jon being held in place by Latios’ telekinesis. As they got higher, and cleared the buildings, Jon looked towards the hospital where Giratina was tearing it to pieces, and people, the size of ants, scattered.

Jon knew that they needed help at the hospital, and as strong as Latios was, Giratina was an unknown, and he wasn’t sure Latios could handle it on his own. He explained the situation to Latios, and when they were high enough in the air that they were practically imperceivable from the ground, Jon stuck his hand into his riding jacket, and withdrew a gloss black, unregistered Pokeball. Holding it in front of him, Jon pressed the button as a light erupted from it, materialising in the form of a seven metre long, green serpentine Pokemon, which roared loudly, causing Jon to grimace.

“What do you want?” Rayquaza had asked, with little fondness in the question. Despite Rayquaza agreeing to Jon capturing it, back on Sky Pillar years ago, it still was not happy about the situation. It had made a bet with Jon and Cassandra back then, who wanted to capture it to keep it safe from the Hoenn Military. If it could beat them in a battle, the safest hands were its own, and they’d leave. If they beat it however, it would take that as a sign that they were stronger, and could protect it. And whilst Rayquaza didn’t want to come with Jon, it had given its word, and wasn’t going to break that.

The biggest wedge between Jon and this Pokemon however was Rayquaza’s own restlessness. Until the Deoxys incident, Jon would take Rayquaza to Southern Island to train it and give it some time outside of the Pokeball and exercise once every three weeks. Any more, and Jon would risk being caught with it, and declared an enemy of the state. However, when former Hoenn Minister of Defence, Mark Hill, had set his sights on Jon and the Eon Academy, Jon had to get Steven to hide Rayquaza’s Pokeball, knowing that Hill was watching Jon, waiting for him to slip up. As such, it was nine months between trips to Southern Island, and Rayquaza getting let out of the Pokeball, and whilst Jon did increase the frequency of his trips after Hill had stopped being an issue, Rayquaza, after three and a half years in Jon’s possession, was growing restless. This restlessness was a detriment to its own cause, as Jon wasn’t going to release Rayquaza until he knew Rayquaza was safe to be left unattended. In the last year, Rayquaza’s patience for Jon had grown thin, and acted out, which resulted in Rayquaza’s term under Jon’s care being extended.

“Because right now we have a problem that Latios and I can’t solve on our own…”

Rayquaza looked at Jon, and Jon was worried Rayquaza may try and refuse, or even bargain for its own freedom. However it seemed to sniff the air, and begin to growl.

“You know what I’m talking about?” Jon asked.

“It’s odour disgusts me…” Rayquaza said through the growl. Jon knew that it got territorial with other Dragon Types. The original plan the military had was to bring Lance and his Dragon Pokemon to Sky Pillar, to lure it back there after it left. And now, this territorialism was going to help…

“We need you to give it hell… We’ll come help when we can get there without witnesses tying you and I together,” Jon explained. “Latios will be in telepathic range to communicate…”

Rayquaza nodded, though continued to growl, as it looked down towards the hospital. Despite Giratina not being visible from this height, Rayquaza knew that was where its opponent lay.

“Send it back to whatever s**thole it came from…” Jon said, as Rayquaza, let out an excited yet agitated roar, shaking the windows of the buildings below, and darted down towards the hospital.

Jon and Latios descended, as Jon climbed onto his bike, and got the engine running.

“Fly above me, and clear a path if we need it…” Jon called out, before pulling the throttle on the bike, and letting out the clutch. The rear wheel spun for a moment on the asphalt, before gripping, and launching Jon forward, as he broke every speed limit on Main Street.

“Helmet,” Jon said, activating the voice control in his bluetooth helmet. “Call Peter Miller…”

Jon swerved between two cars, accelerating past them, as Latios shifted a car in front of him telekinetically to the empty lane next to it, allowing Jon to ride past.

”This is Miller,” said a voice in Jon’s helmet.

“It’s me,” Jon answered. “Check out the CCTV at the hospital. You know what to do…”

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

After leaving Memorial Hill that afternoon, Jimmy had flown back into Heahea City, stopping by a bakery to get some small cakes, and then, deciding to test the Wayfinder, had used the stone, without giving Jirachi a command, to teleport himself back to Wishmaker HQ. Upon arriving, he found Jirachi, waiting in the Panopticon.

The Panopticon was a medium sized room, with monitors on every wall, tapped into every outdoor CCTV camera in Heahea City. Despite not having proper access to these, Jirachi was able to connect them to the Panopticon, where Jimmy could view practically all of Heahea City.

Knowing Jirachi was still recovering from the work they had done at Wishmaker HQ the last few days, something that was slower than normal without a connection to the stars, Jimmy decided to spend the afternoon watching the CCTV footage in the Panopticon, hoping to either find one of the groups of witches attacking people in Heahea City before they got to their next target, or potentially follow them on screen from camera to camera, and try and either build some profiles on them, or potentially get an idea of where they were remaining hidden between attacks.

“Jimmy…” Jirachi said, as it sat on his shoulder, between bites of a cake. “Look there…”

It had been an hour since Jimmy had begun scrolling through the different angles of CCTV cameras, and was about to click onto the next, when Jirachi pointed something out. Jimmy looked at where Jirachi was pointing, and put his face closer to the screen.

In an alley, covered by the shadows of the buildings on either side of it, was a discrepancy. A colouring that just didn’t match.

“What is that…” Jimmy said, before there was movement on screen, and part of a face appeared. Jimmy realised that it was a person, in a dark, hooded cloak, which blended in with the shadows. However the discrepancy was bigger than just one person. He clicked onto another angle of the same alley, before manually increasing the brightness and contrast, making it easier to see. He looked in shock, as he counted twelve cloaked figures, eleven of them in hiding, stood waiting for the signal from the one closest to the end of the alley.

Pinning that angle on the screen, he opened a map of Heahea City on another monitor, keeping an eye on the camera footage, as those hidden in the alley began to file out. He checked the map, to see where the camera was, and realised it was a block from Heahea City Hospital…

“Oh no…” Jimmy muttered, before clicking onto other cameras in the vicinity. Two feeds later, he saw more cloaked figures. However, this time, something different happened. One figure, wearing a cloak but no hood, drew a black object from inside her cloak. Jimmy watched carefully as he retrieved his phone to warn the League, and realised it was an unregistered Pokeball, when light erupted from it, and the bulk of the screen space was taken up by a large, Legendary Pokemon, which under orders, began to attack the Hospital.

Jimmy quickly went to call Steven, however the line was busy, causing Jimmy to curse under his breath. He saw people begin to flood out of the hospital, and felt his phone buzz a few seconds later with an update, sent to him and all operatives in Heahea City.

“Heahea City Hospital is under attack…”

“At least they know…” Jimmy said, before standing to his feet, and looking at Jirachi. “How are you feeling?”

Jirachi’s brow furrowed, as it tried to figure out how to answer the question.

“I’m okay,” Jirachi answered. “But I'm still a bit tired. I haven’t had a connection to the stars in days, and all the wishes are making me a little more tired…”

Jimmy looked at the monitor showing Giratina using the hospital as a scratching post. Jimmy knew that his talents lay away from battling, in light of the operation being run by two regional champions, and without Jirachi, Giratina would be too much for him. However, he saw on screen around the hospital and its surrounding streets, more cloaked figures emerge, and unleash hell on those unfortunate enough to be present.

“Stay here, and get some rest,” Jimmy said to Jirachi. “I may need to call on you, but will avoid it if I can…”

“You aren’t going to fight that thing, are you?” Jirachi asked in shock. Jimmy shook his head.

“I’ll leave that to those better suited for it,” Jimmy explained. “But I won’t stand by and let people get hurt…”

Jimmy made sure he had his Pokeballs all clipped to his belt, before pressing the stone, causing him to teleport to Heahea City, where he had teleported from prior. He estimated that he was ten blocks from the Hospital, and called out Salamence.

“West,” Jimmy ordered as he climbed onto Salamence’s back. “They’re attacking the hospital…”

Salamence roared, before beating its wings and beginning to fly above main street, westbound towards Heahea City Hospital…

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

Luneth sat in the practically empty Heahea City Pokemon Centre, which despite most places in Heahea closing their doors, she was thankful they were still open. Whilst Luneth had a hunch her higher ups wouldn’t appreciate her waiting at the Pokemon Centre, whilst she was technically still on duty, she would be willing to argue that most people visiting the Pokemon Centre were those whose Pokemon were being treated from battles with the roaming Ghost Type Pokemon, or like Circuit, were recovering after being treated for hexes themselves, and their trainers could provide valuable intel. Additionally, with Glimmer working solo in the northern half of the city, despite Luneth’s protests, and Circuit out of commission while he recovered, this left Luneth with just under half her normal team, without her two strongest Pokemon. Besides, running into a curse she didn’t understand was what put her in this position in the first place.

It was an hour and a half before Circuit was given back to Luneth, at which point Luneth resolved to find the stall that she saw selling the masks. Circuit still needed some rest, but that was something that she felt she could handle under current circumstances.

She thanked the staff at the Pokemon Centre, before making her way out the doors. However as she stepped out into the street, she had not gone more than a few metres when she heard it. The chilling roar of something that, based on the sound it made, was likely huge.

Slowly, Luneth turned to the right, and staggered back in shock as she saw it. Visible down Main Street, attacking the hospital she had been at not even two hours earlier, was a Legendary Pokemon, she had recognised from artworks to be Giratina.

“Does Agatha have this much power? Even without witchcraft she could destroy us…”

Luneth couldn’t shake the thought, but despite herself, her first instinct was to rush in and help evacuate people. But her body had other thoughts, leaving her frozen in place at the sight of the terror less than a hundred meters from her. At its feet, were people scattering, as they were cut down by various curses or hexes. Luneth realised that rushing in, she wouldn’t get close to the hospital before she got cut down herself. Unless they didn’t see her…”

Running to an alley on the other side of the Pokemon Centre, she made sure nobody was watching, before gathering reagents from her bag, as well as Flan the Ditto’s Pokeball, and holding the reagents against her, before beginning the incantation. Her body began to shrink, snow white fur sprouting up, ears growing, until where a human had stood, instead was an Alolan Vulpix.

Luneth climbed out of the pile of clothes, now feeling somewhat calmer, but still on edge. From what she could see, though some Pokemon were targeted, they were largely the ones who either were used to fight back, or stayed by their trainers' side when they were killed. The ones who fled, and kept moving, were largely left alone, and this is what Luneth depended on.

Pressing the button of Flan’s Pokeball with her nose, the Pokeball opened, and the Ditto emerged, looking over Luneth in the form of a Vulpix, which it was by now used to.

“I’m going to see if I can sneak behind enemy lines while they’re distracted…” Luneth said to Flan. “Keep an eye on my gear, and stay out of sight. I’ll be back for it, and the rest of you…”

Flan nodded, as much as a pink blob could nod, before shifting shape into a Toucannon, and picking up the bag with its large beak. It flew into the air, before perching on the edge of a building nearby, as Luneth began to run towards the hospital.

Giratina seemed huge in her smaller Vulpix form, however, she told herself she’d just be scouting the area. Trying to get behind their lines, and learn what she could while they were out in the open, and not expecting someone to try and sneak past.

She kept telling herself this, as Giratina grew larger, the closer she got…

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

“Going in there is suicide Victini!” Violet said to the Mythical Pokemon, though directing it partially at Dylan.

“Abbee would be the first to go in if it were one of you!” Dylan shouted back, however Cassandra interrupted.

“Jarena won’t last another half hour before she turns completely at this rate, and we need a Star Piece, as well as our tomes if we want to turn her back…” Cassandra said. “As dangerous as it is, we need to get in there…”

“Dylan, stay here and protect Jarena. We know where to find what we need to remove this curse, but if she is hit by something else on top of this, we might not be able to change her back,” Cassandra said, before turning to Victini and Violet. “The three of us will try and get in close, and wait for the right opportunity. From there, we’ll make a break for the hospital itself. Victini and I will get Abbee. Violet, get what you can from Section B…”

Dylan nodded, thankful that Cassandra was willing to go in there. Whilst he would go in there himself if that was the only option, he knew that he had a snowball's chance in hell of getting in himself, and getting himself and Abbee out without being cursed, or killed.

“Abbee is in a storeroom near section B,” Dylan explained, and Cassandra nodded, having an idea of which one Dylan was referring to.

“What sort of opportunity?” Violet asked, as Cassandra and Victini began to run back towards the hospital, Violet joining them. “Some sort of distraction? What if it never comes up?”

“Then I’ll make it come up,” Cassandra answered. “I’ll keep them busy while Victini goes in for Abbee and you get what we need for Jarena…”

“This is suicide…” Violet muttered to herself, but despite this statement, didn’t slow down at all.

The trio made their way to the side of the street, hoping to remain unnoticed, and Dylan watched as the group of witches began to cluster together, with the area of attack now emptied. He knew it would be harder for the three of them to get past now than it was five minutes ago and grimaced. He looked back over his shoulder to Jarena, who was having another petal begin to bloom.

“I’m going to try and buy Cassandra, Violet and Victini an opportunity by picking a fight,” Dylan explained. “Spread out the enemies numbers a bit, but part of that means luring them over here…”

Jarena nodded in understanding, as he continued.

“If you stay behind me, I’ll make sure you aren’t hit again. But if you try and run, they might get a clear shot at you…” Dylan explained. “Before I do this, do you trust me? Enough to not run unless I give the order…”

At first, Jarena was concerned hearing this, however remembered Jon’s description of Dylan, and how he handled himself during the Deoxys attack. Then her own conversation with him, when he was getting the Eon Academy property ready to sabotage, and how he had an answer to practically all of her questions of where the plan could go wrong.

“If it makes it safer for the three of them, I’ll trust you,” Jarena answered. “Do what you have to…”

Dylan nodded, before stepping forward, readying a Pokeball that Steven had given him years earlier.

“Sorry Jon,” Dylan muttered to himself. “I’m blowing a secret here…”

Dylan threw the Pokeball forward, as a silver and gold Metagross materialised in the middle of the street. Placing his fingers between his lips, Dylan let out a shrill whistle, that echoed between the buildings that lined Main Street, despite the noise. He noticed that the cluster of witches in front of the hospital were now looking at him and pointing.

“Hey! You lot of ugly f**kers!” Dylan shouted. “Come get some if you have the nerve!”

The group of twelve began to advance on Dylan, in addition to a dozen ghost Pokemon, as he raised his watch, and hesitated.

“Secrets be damned,” Dylan muttered. “It was kept for a moment like this…”

Before he pressed the button however, a new roar, familiar to Dylan and Cassandra, but nobody else, pierced the sky. Instinctively, Dylan looked behind him. In the eastern sky, heading westbound, and descending quickly, was Rayquaza, on a collision course for Giratina.

“Secrets be damned…” Dylan said to himself again, now feeling a lot better about pressing the button on his watch, as the group of witches got closer.

Metagross erupted into a chromatic light, emerging as its Mega Evolution, as Rayquaza passed overhead, and slammed into Giratina.

“Grab the debris, and use it!” Dylan shouted. “Don’t let them get close, and only pick them off if you can do it safely!”

Metagross let out a grunt, as from the hospital, eight sheets of metal that made up the exterior walls raised from the ground, and flew through the air towards Metagross.

“You might want to look behind you!” Dylan called out. Two of the witches glanced over their shoulders, seeing it, and yelling at their comrades to duck. All but two did, being struck in the back of the head and knocked out cold. However, not being particularly fond of killing wasn’t Dylan’s only reason for this. He didn’t want them seeing what he did next.

“Darkrai, you know what to do…”

Metagross held the eight sheets of metal in place between the attackers, and itself, and by extension, Dylan and Jarena, blocking the curses that were launched at them, and occasionally sending one flying into the cluster, causing them to scatter, before returning it to its position.

Without the witches realising, Darkrai had left Dylan’s shadow, and travelled as a shadow along the ground, before rising up in front of them, causing a few to stagger back in shock.

“Dark Pulse!” Dylan commanded, as Darkrai, slipping into shadows to dodge attacks and curses launched towards it, emerged again, and sent in all directions, a wave of pitch black darkness, knocking back some of the witches, and being super effective against all the ghosts present.

“You’ve picked the wrong battle!” Dylan shouted out, before being drowned out by the scream of Giratina as Rayquaza wrapped itself around the Pokemon, and began to squeeze…

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

Despite the tournament being over, Chris and Charlotte had to remain on the premises for another half hour, which had become standard since the S.S. Wishmaker incident. Since then, all major tournaments had cameras focused on trainers, their Pokemon, and even the audience, in order to identify potential cheating. Whilst these were watched heavily during the battles themselves by task forces assigned to keep the integrity of Pokemon battles, the grand final match was usually scoured with a fine tooth comb, in order to make sure that winnings and titles were given fairly. This seemed odd to the pair considering the match was a draw, however Justin pointed out that cheating could be used to force a draw, and by extension, cheat somebody out of what is rightfully theirs. As such, the trio waited, whilst fans in the stands refilled their drinks, went to the bathrooms, and some even left, knowing the result, and wanting to beat the traffic leaving, before Chris, Charlotte, and the other two contestants who made it to semi-final, who placed second and third, were summoned to the battlefield.

“You got enough space?” Charlotte asked in an undertone, as the commentator awarded the competitor in third their medal. Not expecting a tied grand-final, where both competitors had encouraged it to not be broken, the podium set up was normally only large enough for one person to stand comfortably. Charlotte and Chris however, shared it, leaving little with personal space, as Justin stood on the side of the battlefield, out of the way, watching with a grin.

“I’m fine,” Chris said, before deciding to see if he could rattle Charlotte in the moment before all attention was on her, with a somewhat tactless joke. “Surprisingly…”

Whilst the attention was off them, Charlotte, not so subtly jabbed her elbow into Chris’ ribs, causing him to be slightly winded, before he laughed, knowing that was the reaction he would get for that joke. Honestly, he was glad for it. Before he and Abbee dated, Charlotte was the one who would normally feel embarrassment for Chris when he was too shameless to feel it himself, and would hit him when he needed it. To Chris, this was a sign that despite his actions towards the end of last summer, things were becoming the way they were the summer before, with Charlotte at least, and likely Justin as well. And having known Charlotte the longest out of everyone at the Academy, he was thankful for that.

“And tied for first place…” the commentator began, though only holding one medal. “We weren’t expecting to need two prizes, so for the sake of formalities, we ask that the two of you share this, until we can get a second one made…”

Chris grinned, and at Charlotte’s nod, accepted the medal.

“Charlotte Jones, and Christopher Kingswood!”

“It was you who forced the tie anyway…” Charlotte said under her breath, causing Chris to laugh to himself.

The crowd cheered, and Chris looked around at the large monitors that were mounted on the edges of the arena, finding the image of he and Charlotte crammed onto a first place podium that was on screen amusing. However, before he could share this observation with Charlotte, the image on screen changed. At first, people didn’t seem to notice, as Chris looked around the crowd. However, slowly, people noticed, tapping their neighbours on the shoulder and pointing to the monitors.

On screen was what looked to be a news studio, preparing for a broadcast. Charlotte noticed as well, having seen Chris staring in shock at it.

“What’s going on?” Charlotte asked, however the news anchor, who didn’t seem to be prepared to go live when he did, gathered his senses and started talking.

“We interrupt this broadcast, with breaking news from the current situation on Akala Island, in the Alola region,” the anchor on screen explained. ”Less than a week after the mysterious clouds appeared, trapping all on the island and nearly causing the S.S. Wishmaker to crash into the Akala wharf, and the terrorist attack on the opening ceremony of the Spiritwater festival, which has continued as multiple smaller attacks on civilians in the days since, the terrorrist group, using what is believed to be the form of witchcraft known as Shadowcraft, have just launched an attack on Heahea City Hospital. The following live footage may be disturbing to some viewers…”

The screen cut to footage of a large Pokemon attacking a building which Chris and Charlotte presumed to be the hospital. As a Sinnoh native, Charlotte had heard the legends of this Pokemon, and seen artists renditions of it in museums. However she never thought she’d see it in the flesh.

“That’s Giratina…” Chris muttered, as Justin quickly walked out from where he stood on the edge of the battlefield towards them.

The crowd watched in stunned silence as below Giratina, hooded figures emerged from the shadows, and began to attack passersby with curses and hexes, leaving the lucky ones with all manner of ailments, and the unlucky as splattered or charred marks on the pavement.

“Goddamn…” Charlotte muttered in shock.

The news anchor continued speaking, however was quickly cut off by a sound from the broadcast at the hospital, that Chris and Charlotte both recognised. A draconic roar of something big.

Within seconds, a large green blur flew across the screen, attempting to grapple Giratina. Both Chris and Charlotte struggled to hide their shock.

“That’s Rayquaza…” Chris said in disbelief, as Charlotte looked between him, Justin, and those around them.

“We have to get out of here…” Charlotte muttered. She made eye contact with Justin, before nodding towards the corridor out of the stadium and into the green room. She whispered to Chris, “on my cue, quietly step back, and head for the green room…”

Chris nodded, as Charlotte waited for the attention of everyone on the battlefield to be completely on screen. The image shifted, as the camera operator spun around to where a group of witches were moving along a street, towards a young man behind a Metagross with shaggy brown hair.

“That’s Dylan…” Chris said quietly, and watched in shock as Metagross mega evolved. Jon had given them their mega stones for an emergency, and this was the first time they had seen one of them used…

“Now…”

Quickly and quietly, Chris and Charlotte stepped back off the podium, and brisky left the arena, heading towards the greenroom, where Justin met them by the corridor entrance.

“Things are bad in Alola…” Justin said to the pair as they approached him. Chris nodded.

“It must be really f**king bad if Jon’s using Rayquaza…”

The moment the words left his mouth, Chris’ eyes widened as Charlotte swore under her breath.

“It was an accident,” Chris said, as Justin looked between Chris and Charlotte, confused.

“What was?” Justin asked. “And what do you mean ’if Jon’s using Rayquaza’?”

Charlotte put her finger to her lips, gesturing to Justin to be quiet, however it clicked for Justin, as his jaw dropped.

“You mean to tell me, Jon has a Rayquaza?!” Justin hissed, as Charlotte sighed.

“At this point, he’s going to be seeing Rayquaza anyway, he might as well know…” Chris said to Charlotte, before looking to Justin. “Remember when Lance showed up during the hearing and talked about Hill approaching him years before to lure Rayquaza somewhere so they could kill it? And Hill had detained Steven because he objected?”

Justin nodded, not believing what he was hearing.

“Steven got out for a night, and got Jon to get there before Lance and Hill did, and capture it for its own sake,” Charlotte said, finishing the story. “He’s kept it hidden in an unregistered Pokeball since before we met him…”

“How do you two know?” Justin asked. “Do the others?”

“Jon told me, because he knew I was struggling living in Lance’s shadow. He figured if I got to train alongside a Legendary Dragon that Lance could only dream of, it might help me find my own feet. The reason he went to Southern Island every few weeks was to train Rayquaza,” Chris said, feeling a wave of guilt at his own words about Jon the year before. “Charlotte found out when she went with Jon to Southern Island to train Deoxys…”

“Abbee found out from Victini,” Charlotte answered. “The Diamond Ladies faked their deaths, and Jon recruited Cassandra Silvers to come help catch Rayquaza. Victini tagged along, and the pair of them battled Rayquaza alongside Jon. And Jon told Dylan once he moved in with them. Alyssa even gave Dylan Rayquaza’s Pokeball when Deoxys attacked, and Jon wasn’t there…”

Justin remembered the horrifying night, where the five interns battled what seemed to be a battle of attrition to keep Deoxys at bay. He was about to ask why Dylan didn’t send out Rayquaza, knowing a powerful Pokemon like that could have helped dramatically, however stopped himself. He had read the laws surrounding unregistered Pokeballs in his legal classes, and knew that the penalty for having one, containing a dangerous Pokemon, was incredibly steep…

“Jon didn’t keep it a secret because he didn’t trust you,” Charlotte said intentionally. “Honestly, there were times I almost slipped up and mentioned it, and wished I didn’t know. It was a burden. He just had no reason to burden you with it…”

“So if Jon is sending out Rayquaza, when he has Latios, as well as Dylan and Abbee there with Darkrai and Victini…” Justin said, realising the scope of Chris’ comment.

“Things are the worst he has ever seen…” Chris concluded, as Justin went somewhat pale. Charlotte however had a confused look on her face.

“What did you mean ’he’s going to be seeing Rayquaza’?” Charlotte asked, directing her question at Chris, referring to his earlier comment.

“What do you think it means?” Chris answered, staring at Charlotte intently. “We’re going to Alola…”

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

Keeping to the side of the streets, Cassandra, Violet and Victini were unnoticed by the group of witches that Dylan had lured into engaging with him.

“He better not let Jarena get hit,” Violet whispered, annoyed that Dylan had decided to lure them over despite being tasked with keeping Jarena safe.

“He’s handled worse without casualties…” Victini said. “If it were anyone else, with the exception of Charlotte, I’d agree. But Dylan is rock-solid…”

As they got closer, they saw more witches scattered around the front of the hospital, attacking pedestrians.

“Violet, go to the left, and try to take one down. I’ll go to the right. Grab their cloak, and meet me inside…” Cassandra explained. Violet nodded, skulking to the left side of the street, and taking cover behind some parked cars.

“You don’t want some help?” Victini asked. Cassandra shook her head. Despite her cool and collected exterior, she was furious, and knew that it would take all the self control she could muster to stop at the one witch she needed to take down for a cloak.

Thankfully, every time it seemed Rayquaza had landed a painful blow, and Giratina screeched, half of the attackers would look to the rampaging pair, wondering if they could do anything to help without risking getting crushed by the two Legendary Pokemon, or eaten by Rayquaza. As the pair fought, Cassandra couldn’t help, despite herself, finding the exchange between the two Pokemon amusing.

“You have so many legs, and wings as well, yet you’re so slow!” Rayquaza snarled, as it dodged a Dragonbreath attack, before striking at Giratina with a Dragon Tail. “I’m almost embarrassed for you!”

Giratina took the attack, though didn’t seem to have taken it too badly, before roaring back, attempting to use Hex on Rayquaza.

“You’re embarrassed for me?” Giratina sneered. “You look like you should be slithering in the dirt, where you belong!”

Seeing a witch nearby somewhat more distracted by the fighting than their comrades, Cassandra looked for anything nearby that could help her, knowing that most combat spells without reagents were too weak to do any real damage. When she saw it, she felt sick.

The half decayed corpse of the Delcatty remained where it lay, a disgusting mixture of bones and fur. Seeing this, only stood to add fuel to the raging fury that Cassandra felt, and when the time was right, she leapt to her feet, charging towards the nearby witch, scooping up a handful of fur on her way. Whilst at first she had the nagging feeling that the fur may have been contaminated and cause the spell to not execute correctly, she quickly realised that would only serve to create side effects on the target, and began to hope that would be the case.

Cassandra was two feet away when the witch realised she was about to be attacked and turned around. Seizing the opportunity, Cassandra grabbed at the witches belt with her left hand whilst she was mid pivot, and yanked hard, pulling her off her feet and to the ground. Cassandra slid, crashing into the witch, and landing on top of her, already reciting the incantation. Before the witch could even respond, she had been turned into a Delcatty, looking at Cassandra in shock, as she looped the belt around her own waist that had come loose from the transformation, before grabbing the hooded cloak. Cassandra glared at the Delcatty, whose eyes flashed with recognition.

“You… you’re Cassandra Silvers… aren’t you?” she asked, Cassandra being her inspiration to start learning Shadowcraft, as Cassandra looked down on her in disdain.

“No…” Cassandra muttered, looking at her liberated belt and grabbing from one of the pouches that was labelled as ashes. “I’m your worst goddamn nightmare…”

Cassandra was surprised however, when the ashes began to glow, before she could even begin the incantation. Whilst she didn’t know if the glowing represented the hex she wanted, or another effect, she didn’t care, throwing them in the face of the witch, causing blindness and amnesia as expected. However the surprise was forgotten very quickly as she took in her surroundings.

Despite the urge to attack one of the witches who had their back turned to her, she knew that wasn’t why she had come back. Herself, Violet and Jarena ran because Jarena was hit, and they needed to get out of there. Now, herself Violet and Victini were coming back to help Abbee. However she had a thought. She made for the front door of the hospital, now blending in with the mess of attackers that were scattered in the street, however readied another transformation hex with unknown scales that were in one of the stolen pouches, and when she was close to the door, grabbing one of the witches nearby by the cloak, transferring the hex onto the cloak, which caused the witch wearing it to transform into a Dunsparce. Cassandra didn’t loosen her grip on the cloak as it slipped loose mid transformation, continuing her journey into the hospital.

Dylan had mentioned where the storeroom was, and Cassandra had a rough idea. She knew Abbee would have entered the hospital via the main entrance. Everyone but staff, Triad and high ranking operatives such as Cynthia used it, and there was only one store room between reception and Section B. As she rounded the corner, she saw the door to the storeroom, noting a set of lockers next to the doorway had toppled and were blocking the way.

“Victini, help me move this…” Cassandra said quietly, unsure if they were going to be overheard. Victini nodded, telekinetically grabbing the locker, and tossing it to the side, surprising Cassandra slightly. His telekinetic strength had grown in the last four years. As her Pokemon he struggled to lift more than double his own weight. The lockers seemed to weigh tenfold.

Cassandra quickly grabbed at the door handle, and realised it was locked.

“Abbee…” Cassandra said quietly. “It’s Cass. The coast is clear…”

Cassandra heard movement inside the room, before hearing the sound of the door unlocking, and Abbee opened the door.

“I didn’t know if it was clear and-” Abbee said, however Cassandra handed her a cloak, cutting her off.

“No time. Let’s get out of here…”

Abbee grabbed the cloak, noticing Victini was with Cassandra, putting it on, however stirred in alarm when an unfamiliar voice called out.

“Imposters!”

Cassandra looked down the other end of the hall, towards where Section B was and saw three cloaked figures, one pointing towards them. Abbee grabbed a Pokeball, as Cassandra readied a hex.

“Leave this with me…” Victini said. “Get out of here, and I’ll catch up with you…”

Before either of Victini’s trainers, past or present, could object, they saw the bay of lockers that had been blocking the storeroom door beginning to float in the air, before being launched through the corridor. Two of the witches dived to avoid being hit with it, however the third had no room to avoid it, being struck dead on by it, and the sound of bones breaking audible through the hallway.

“I got this!” Victini shouted. “And I can’t go all out in this cramped space with both of you here!”

The next thing to levitate was a large gas bottle that was labelled Nitrous Oxide, and Abbee broke the stalemate, grabbing Cassandra’s forearm.

“He’s right. He can handle this…” Abbee said, leading the way out of the corridor, as Victini launched the gas bottle, before using a Searing Shot on it. The walls shook as it exploded. Cassandra knew they were right. Despite the threat the witches posed, most of the damage they had done relied on the element of surprise. But head to head with a Pokemon like Victini, they were severely outclassed. However, Cassandra was disappointed they couldn’t reach Section B themselves, which meant that Jarena’s only chance of recovery now rested on Violet’s shoulders…

Instead of looking for reagents for her initial attack like Cassandra did, Violet had opted for spells requiring no reagents, to give herself the opportunity for a heavy hitting follow up. In the street, she had crept up on a witch, using a spell that required contact with both hands on the man’s temples, however would quickly flood his mind with various stimuli that were not there. She had seen him use a stone petrification curse on a bystander minutes earlier, and knew which pouch contained the granite powder required.

When the witch was stunned for a moment, she muttered another incantation as she ripped the cloak off his back, placing her free hand on the pouch, causing it to explode, sending granite powder into the air, before beginning another incantation, that she heard the man use before for the petrification curse, however included the modification incantation she had learnt earlier that week which would protect her from her own curses.

Unable to avoid the powder in the air, which was now actively cursed, the man began to scream, as like Sami before, he began to turn to stone, before toppling over as the ground shook from Rayquaza and Giratina’s fight.

As she made her way to a window on the side of the building which would put her on the opposite side of Section B to the main entrance, she couldn’t help but remember Cassandra telling her about the battle with Rayquaza.

“You helped beat that Cass?” Violet asked of nobody in particular, as she took in the size and power of the Legendary Pokemon.

She climbed in, and not even moments later two cloaked figures walked into the hallway, looking at her in shock.

“How did you get in here?” the witch asked. Violet took a gamble, knowing that her disguise may have failed already. She sighed internally, figuring she’d rather try and salvage the disguise plan.

“You think I’d share that with someone like you?” Violet sneered irritably. “I learnt camouflage charms in my first six months. Why waste my time teaching someone too lazy to teach themselves…”

Violet had never heard of a camouflage charm, however banked on the fact that the interrogator hadn’t either. She also banked on the fact that Agatha’s invitation would attract the worst sorts of people, and her anti-social attitude would be enough to convince them she was part of their group.

“Mind your tone-” the witch sneered back.

“Mind your own goddamn business!” Violet replied, raising her voice. “Surely you’re here because you have a job to do? Maybe do that before Giratina and Rayquaza level this place on all of us, instead of wasting all our time…”

Realising Violet had a point, with the building effectively being on a timer to destruction, the witch began looking through rooms adjacent to the hallway they were in, as Violet walked past, towards Section B.

She found the door, and after checking that nobody was in there, she entered, closing the door behind her. She quickly ran for her bag on the table at the end of the room, by the map of Akala, which contained all of their tomes, before going to the store room, and quickly trying to judge which reagents were worth the space in her bag, after getting the Star Piece needed for Jarena.

“We’re not supposed to be in here,” said a voice from behind her. She turned and recognised the same hooded witch that had pestered her before. “If you’re looking for the infidels, they’ve already left the premises…”

Thinking quickly, Violet realised that the infidels were likely her, Cassandra and Jarena. Equally quickly she responded.

“Yes, because I’ve spent the last minute here, just making sure there is nobody hiding…” Violet answered sarcastically, before looking comically close at one of the shelves in the cramped storeroom. “Nope. No infidels here. God, I’m glad I checked!”

“Listen, we have orders-”

“And what are my orders exactly?” Violet asked, raising her voice, and putting on the same tone she’d use to get her way when she had all the fame and fortune anyone could want.

“We are to flush out and capture the infidels-”

“You are to flush out and capture the infidels,” Violet answered back, cutting the man off again. “I was told to grab whatever the infidels could find useful to get their little hospital running again, on the likely chance you were too incompetent to capture them and they get away. Now tell me, how many have you caught?”

“We hit one but-”

“THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WASTING MY TIME AND GETTING IN THE WAY OF ME DOING MY JOB PROPERLY WHEN YOU HAVEN’T EVEN CAUGHT ONE?!”

On the other side of the doorway, behind the witch that was proving to be a pain in her side, Violet spotted a white, Alolan Vulpix. However, knowing what these people were like, she didn’t let her gaze wander from the witch in front of her. The last thing she wanted to do was infuriate this witch, and he take it out on a Pokemon that had likely fled into the building to escape the carnage outside.

The building shook, as a globe in Section B shattered from the force, raining glass out on the ground.

“Now stop wasting my time, and let me do my job in peace, otherwise, I’ll petrify you myself, and put you on offer as the prize for whoever wins the fight outside…” Violet said. “Would you rather be eaten by Giratina or Rayquaza?”

There was silence as the man stood back, before muttering under his breath.

“What was that?” Violet snapped.

“I said I’ll be talking to Nicodemus about all this when we get back to the Megamart…”

He left, as Violet quickly gathered a few more items, stuffing them into her bag, before leaving the building, by the side exit, where she knew that hospital staff, ironically, took their cigarette breaks.

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

Avery and Abital had taken refuge in the front courtyard of an old building on Main Street. It was the only one of its style, and had they had time to actually admire that, they’d realise it was probably heritage listed, and unable to be developed.

“We have no choice,” Abital signed. “No ship is getting out, and flying Pokemon can’t fly past the coast without being thrown back by the winds. We have to go inland…”

The pair sat on their respective Pokemon, considering their next move. Whilst Avery wasn’t fond of going inland, where they may be far from any potential help, and if caught, much more obvious and easy targets, they also knew that the city was barely safe. They had hidden in an abandoned building for the better half of a week, after being attacked in their own hotel, and within hours of reaching the hospital, that had been attacked by a large number of witches, and Giratina itself. The pair had seen Rayquaza descending from the sky, and whilst Abital thought it may be wild, Avery had enough involvement with the League prior to know that operatives with Legendary Pokemon were more common than people realised. They only hoped that whoever trained Rayquaza knew how best to use it.

Before Avery could respond, they heard Meir begin to growl, causing the hair on their neck to rise to attention, and they began to look around. Abital spotted it first. A witch, which had crept behind some dense bushes in the courtyard and was now less than six feet from them.

Normally, Abital used visual commands for Meir, however, these weren’t always ideal, if Meir wasn’t looking at him, or if he needed to give a quick command. Instead, Abital snapped his fingers, and Mier, who had been the first to know someone was there, reacted instantly, launching a Thunderbolt attack. It arced through the air, and the witch dived behind Avery where they sat on Knautia, putting the pair between himself and Meir.

Spooked by the sudden appearance, and now Meir’s fast attack, Knautia neighed loudly, before rearing back on his hind legs. Avery held on and quickly got control of their Pokemon, causing him to run forward the moment his front feet hit the ground, however, the witch had been opportunistic, having been readying a hex.

His mistake however was realising the opportunity was escaping him, with Knautia carrying Avery out of range, and deciding to launch it early, not knowing whether the curse would have its full effect with only half the incantation complete.

With Avery not in the firing line, Meir launched another Thunderbolt, which the witch dodged again, however having seen the three Pokemon present, as well as Pokeballs on both Avery and Abital’s belts, he realised this might be the best he could do, and chose to flee. Abital, on Daybreak, rode over to Avery’s side, before signing frantically.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so…” Avery grunted, however felt a wave of nausea rise up in their stomach. They quickly slid off Knautia’s back, before diving for the nearby bushes, as the minimal meal that they had at the hospital whilst waiting with Abital made an encore appearance.

“No, never mind…” Avery said weakly. “Definitely not okay…”

Avery’s mind began to race. When they had been cursed on the S.S. Wishmaker, it was that quick and painless that they didn’t realise what had happened at first. The whole world seemed to have gotten bigger. This however, had Avery concerned, wondering if this is how Abital felt the last few days. Then the realisation that the hospital, which was the only place they had known of where they could receive treatment, was on a quick trip to being levelled.

Avery looked up at Abital to voice their concern, however saw their husband’s eyes widen, looking at them in shock.

“What’s wrong?”

Abital signed, however his hands were shaky and Avery at first thought they had misunderstood.

“Daybreak?” Avery asked, having translated, before looking at the Pokemon Abital sat on, confused. Finally Abital said something else, which made them look down.

”Legs…”

Avery slowly glanced down, unsure of what they’d see, and felt their soul leave for body for a minute when they realised that the lower half of Avery’s body had been replaced with that of an equine Pokemon. One they soon recognised to be Keldeo.

“How stupid…” Avery muttered. “At least when the Diamond Ladies turned me into a Pokemon, they didn’t pick a Pokemon that would beat them senseless…”

Abital looked stunned, not seeming to process what Avery was saying.

“I guess that makes the honeymoon a bit awkward…”

This joke got Abital’s attention, as he signed irritably.

“This is serious! You could start growing tentacles next, or another head!”

Avery chuckled despite themself, and held up their hands in a placating manner.

“Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. It’s not that bad…” Avery muttered, before having a realisation. “Why do witches insist on turning me into water types? Do they realise I don’t have one on my team?”

Abital rolled his eyes, knowing getting Avery to take this as seriously as he wanted them to was a lost cause. Instead, he tried another tactic.

“What should we do now?” he signed, hoping actual forward thinking would get Avery to stop joking around about their current situation.

Avery looked around, unsure of how far they could walk in their current state. They were on Main Street, and one of the crown jewels of Main Street was the Tide Song Hotel. If nothing else, they could seek refuge in the lobby.

“Let’s get to the Tide Song Hotel…” Avery answered. “Figure out the rest from there. No sense galloping too far ahead…”


************************************************** ************************************************** *****
Abbee and Cassandra ran from the front doors of the hospital, putting some safe distance between themselves and the two rampaging Legendary Pokemon, whose radius of destruction was widening with each passing moment. In the distance, they could see eight unconscious bodies, between them and Metagross some bleeding from wounds caused by blunt sheets of metal slicing through them, and others convulsing from Darkrai’s nightmare attacks.

“Over here!” called out a familiar voice, and the pair turned to see Violet, carrying a bulging and heavy bag towards them.

“You got it?” Cassandra asked, as she approached. Violet nodded.

“It, and every other goddamn thing I could get my hands on,” Violet said, before the trio ran towards Dylan, seeing Darkrai popping up from shadows to launch attacks on the remaining witches.

At a sprint, the trio got behind Metagross’ wall of sheet metal, having taken off their hoods so Dylan wouldn’t mistake them for the enemy, and avoiding being hexed themselves when Metagross and Darkrai’s targets realised they were not their allies.

Before Dylan could say anything to Abbee, they were interrupted by the sound of a motorbike engine roaring behind them, and Abbee looked to see Jon, pulling the brakes on the bike, causing it to screech to a stop, as he dismounted, quickly kicking out the stand, and joining the trio.

“Where the f**k did Rayquaza come from?” Jon shouted, before winking at Cassandra. He quickly looked at the situation in front of him. Despite there only being four witches attacking Dylan, more were coming from the hospital, having realised that their targets were behind the trainer with the Metagross, as did Ghost Pokemon, hoping to overwhelm him.

Jon looked to Abbee, who was with Violet, Cassandra, and who he realised was the cursed Jarena, who seemed more flower than human.

“Get them somewhere safe!” Jon said to Abbee. “We can hold these guys off for a while, maybe even scare them away. But it will do no good for you all to stay here! Protect them!”

Abbee nodded, before tugging at Cassandra’s sleeve.

“Come on, we need to find somewhere safe for you to treat Jarena, even if just for now…”

Cassandra nodded as Jarena spoke up.

“The Tide Song Hotel is nearby right?”

“The lobby should be safe for what we need,” Violet answered, helping Jarena to her feet. “But we can’t waste any more time…”

As Triad and Abbee left, Jon whistled, getting Latios’ attention, who materialised next to him, while he grabbed Jolteon and Nidoking’s Pokeballs, sending the pair out to form a line with Metagross.

“Nidoking, Earth Power to give us more cover! Jolteon, give them hell if they get too close!” Jon ordered, before looking at Latios. “Find the witches that seem to be most scared, and let Darkrai know to target them…”

Latios turned invisible, before entering the fray, Jon hoping that Darkrai, which was literal nightmare fuel, would be enough to scare away the bulk of the attackers.

Jon looked to Dylan, and realised Metagross had mega evolved.

“You used your key stone?” Jon called out, and Dylan nodded.

“You brought out the big guns…” Dylan retorted. “I figured, secrecy be damned…”

“You figured right…”

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

Luneth’s plan had worked practically flawlessly. In the form of an Alolan Vulpix, nobody looked twice as she scurried through city streets, seeming to be fleeing in terror, even when she entered the hospital. Shortly after entering the building, she followed a group of witches, and tried to remain out of sight, hiding under furniture that was now made easier by her smaller form, and listening in for information. For the first few minutes, all she heard was the sounds of Giratina, who was now being battled by a Rayquaza for no reason that she understood, and the sickening glee that the attacking witches seemed to show in the brutal attacks on civilians, which they shared stories about as they searched the building.

However, most of the information that Luneth gleaned, came from an encounter between the person in charge of the group she tailed, and another witch, who showed little mercy or consideration for the first. The first had thought that the room she was in was empty, and she proceeded to berate him for not knowing a camouflage spell, something she deemed basic. Luneth felt a little concerned hearing this, having never heard of one existing, and made a mental note to look into it later. However, despite the aggression and coldness of the witches voice, Luneth had to admit it sounded familiar. The angry witch made it clear to the one who had approached her to mind his own business, and that they didn’t have time to argue over petty things, with the building likely to come down on top of them.

Figuring that the aggressive witch was likely higher up on Agatha’s payroll, Luneth tailed her, into Section B, concerned that she seemed to know exactly where she was going. When she went for the bag full of tomes on the table, she considered trying to attack, not wanting them to fall into enemy hands, however knew that her current form was more suited for stealth and silence, not fighting. Then, the witch went into the storeroom, and began filling the bag with reagents, seeming to know exactly where each one was.

When she was pestered by the same witch as before, she exploded, and the exchange provided valuable intel to Luneth. The goal of the attack on the hospital was to capture infidels which didn’t take a genius to figure out the real meaning of. This place had been home to witches working against Agatha, undoing her followers' work in cursing people in Heahea City. Triad. And Luneth realised herself and Glimmer were considered infidels by that criteria as well. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the word being capture and not kill, figuring that based on what they were doing to civilians who had done nothing to them, she may prefer death to what they would do to those who actively worked against them if they got caught. Caught up in her thoughts, Luneth didn’t realise until it was too late, that the angry one had seen her, and quickly took shelter under one of the hospital beds. However, to her surprise, she continued to argue with the man who had been questioning her, and didn’t react to Luneth being there.

After the fight, the two went their separate paths, and Luneth chose to follow the angry one. She left the hospital via the main entrance, and Luneth realised what was going on when she rendezvoused with two more hooded figures.

”Violet…” Luneth thought to herself, and realised that it was Violet’s voice that was familiar. She followed the trio, realising that one was Cassandra, and a moment before assuming the third was Jarena, realised it wasn’t her. Black hair was visible from the sides of the hood, and she was half a foot shorter than the tall Diamond Ladies.

Her suspicions were confirmed when the trio passed a group of witches, most of whom were unconscious from a battle against a Mega Metagross, and a shadowy Pokemon she didn’t recognise, but caused her blood to chill at the sight of it. They removed their hoods, revealing to the trainer coordinating the two Pokemon that they were allies, and Luneth realised her suspicion was correct. Jarena wasn’t with them, but a girl a few years younger than herself, with glossy black hair and somewhat pale skin.

There was a brief reunion with who Luneth realised was Jarena, partially transformed from a curse, which esd interrupted by the sound of a motorbike. The rider dismounted, and Luneth recognised him as Jon Drake, despite the helmet, when Latios materialised next to him, after Triad and the girl with them left, leaving Jon and a boy Luneth’s age to fight off the coming way of witches.

Knowing that she, as a Shadowcraft user working directly against Agatha, was a target of this raid, she ran to follow the large party, the youngest of which, Jon had tasked with protecting Triad. Knowing there was safety in numbers, she tailed them, as they discussed going to the Tide Song Hotel…

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

We’re going to Alola…”

Charlotte couldn’t help but grin at Chris when he said that. She had been worried about the rift between Chris and Jon, knowing in particular Chris had been avoiding Jon’s calls and messages. The whole reason her and Justin were here was because Jon wanted them to try and help Chris. Something she didn’t even know if she could do. She knew Chris, and knew if he wanted to get his act together, he’d need a reason to do it. And the fact that he knew Jon, Dylan and Abbee were in Alola, in mortal danger, and was the first to volunteer to go there to help them, showed her he had found his reason.

“I mean, I want to go there, don’t get me wrong…” Justin answered, looking between the pair, settling on Charlotte. “But when you and I talked about going to Alola, those clouds and winds weren’t keeping everyone there. No planes or ships are taking the risk to get in there…”

Chris looked at the pair confused, though his suspicions about Jon confirmed.

“You guys knew Jon was on a mission there?”

Charlotte shot Justin a glare, wondering if she was the only one of the three who wasn’t going to let a secret slip that day.

“He told me when he let me know the summer program was cancelled,” Charlotte answered. “I went to Justin’s place and told him…”

“So if you knew he was going there on a mission, and wanted to go, why come here first?”

Charlotte glared at Justin again, knowing she couldn’t lie her way out of this.

“Jon wanted us to check up on you,” Charlotte explained. “You were dodging his calls, and he wanted us to make sure you were doing okay. Honestly, until the moment he cancelled the summer program, he had been holding out hope you’d come back…”

Chris looked away from Charlotte, too embarrassed to make eye contact with her, hearing her reasons for coming. Seeing how uncomfortable Chris was, Justin steered the conversation back on course.

“So how do we get to Alola?” Justin asked. “Because the usual ways aren’t going to cut it…”

“Lugia,” Chris answered, thankful the subject was off he and Jon’s rift. “We get flights to Mistralton City, and a train across Unova to Striaton City. It’s the closest we can get. From there, Lugia can fly us…”

“Lugia probably weighs about as much as the three of us put together…” Charlotte noted. “Do you think it could carry that weight on its back, while flying? I couldn’t carry my own weight on my back and travel that distance…”

“And what about those clouds around Akala Island?” Justin added. “We’d get battered if we went through them…”

“Heracross can throw over a hundred times its own weight. Literally five tonne. Just because we couldn’t, doesn’t mean a Pokemon can’t. And Lugia is much more well built than we are. It can handle it,” Chris said to Charlotte before turning to Justin. “And as for the clouds, I have two ideas. In mythology, Lugia can disperse large storms. So Lugia might be our best bet of actually evacuating the island. And if not, then we go underwater. Lugia in the wild spend lots of time underwater and can hold their breath for hours on end. If it creates a telekinetic air bubble and holds its breath, we will go underwater on one side of the clouds, and surface when we’re close enough to the island…”

Justin looked horrified at the concept of being trapped underwater in a bubble with a limited air supply, however Charlotte was convinced. She opened her phone, and began searching online. However her expression darkened as she read what the others perceived to be bad news.

“What?” Chris asked as Charlotte shook her head in annoyance.

“Soonest flights are tomorrow night. 9pm. Everything before then is booked…” Charlotte said, as Justin swore under his breath. Chris however, remained the same.

“Lugia is unconscious from the fight, and so is Deoxys, who we’ll likely need when the s**t hits the fan,” Chris answered. “Let's get a room at the Pokemon Centre, and send the pair of them in to recover there. We’ll spend tonight and tomorrow getting prepared, sleeping on the plane and train, and fly across as soon as we step off the train in Striaton City…”

“So what, three days until we can get to Akala?” Justin asked. “Can they hold out that long?”

“They don’t have a choice,” Charlotte muttered cynically. “We have no other way…”

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

As the battle waged on between Jon and Dylan, and the witches who now set their sights on them for fighting back, and between Giratina and Rayquaza, nobody noticed a woman in her early twenties walk out from a side street. She was objectively beautiful, tall, with long black hair, and an attractive figure, walking pridefully towards the two rampaging Pokemon. Her appearance was a testament to the power of Shadowcraft, given the fact that at her age, she should have died nearly a decade prior from organ failure attributed to a very long life. The only indicator that there was something more than the eye could see, was the cloak she wore, though forgoing the hood, which marked her as one of the attacking force. Had Jon and Dylan noticed her, they would not have realised she was their prime target, Agatha.

She looked at the two rampaging Legendary Pokemon, Giratina seeming worse for wear. This angered her. Despite being an expert of Shadowcraft, she had been a member of the Elite Four for the good part of fifty years before her forced retirement, through her own skill with Pokemon alone. And whilst it appeared that this Rayquaza was simply a wild Pokemon that was acting territorial, it attacked a little too intentionally and with too much practise to not be trained.

Giratina on the other hand, had been in Agatha’s possession since shortly after her retirement, and knowing that the League would watch her every move if they knew she had the Pokemon, she had not been able to train it as frequently as she liked. Despite being stronger than when she caught it, it was still not much stronger than when it was wild, and this was becoming apparent. She had to intervene now.

Pulling a small vial from a pouch on her belt, Agatha smeared a red substance across her palm, before moving into Rayquaza’s blindspot, reciting an incantation. Arcanine blood.

Waiting for the right opportunity, she placed her hand on Rayquaza, having begun the incantation. Rayquaza roared in shock, before freezing completely still. Unlike Sami before, its flesh remained as is, however in an instant, it had gone completely still, falling to the ground, as Giratina roared in indignant anger.

“I had it under control, Agatha! You didn’t need to interfere!” the ghost Pokemon roared, desiring to achieve victory on its own.

“Really?” Agatha asked sarcastically, not even making eye contact with the Pokemon, irritating it more. “So you were just letting it choke you out?”

Giratina rumbled with a growl, as Agatha continued.

“We’re not here for honour, may I remind you,” Agatha sneered. “Your task here was to level the hospital, and it seems like Rayquaza did most of your job for you…”

Giratina roared, as Agatha looked over at the mostly destroyed Heahea City Hospital. Despite parts of it standing, there was no movement in the rubble. Anyone still inside was either dead, or would be in the coming hour.

“So who was behind this witchcraft hospital?” Agatha asked of Igor, one of the other witches who had arrived with her towards the end of the battle. “I presume we found them?”

“We don’t know,” Igor answered, trying to fake confidence in his answer. “They’re not our own-”

“Oh really?” Agatha asked, raising her voice. “They’re not our own? I never would have guessed!”

Igor went to speak, however knew interrupting Agatha when she was in this mood was a mistake that could prove to be fatal.

“The whole point of this attack was to destroy the hospital of theirs, and capture whoever was behind it, though I’d be content with simply having them killed. But enough of this…” Agatha said to Igor. “Make yourself useful and tell everyone to leave this pile of rot, and head for home…”

“As you wish…”

Honestly, Agatha was content that the centre was destroyed, however didn’t want to reward the incompetence, both of Igor and her own Legendary Pokemon, with satisfaction, and let everyone feel accomplished only completing half their objectives. Whilst she did want the other witches eliminated, right now, the destruction of this hospital would be enough to keep them from getting in her way.

One of Agatha’s followers, Willow, a young woman with light brown hair, approached Agatha with her report. Willow was higher ranking than most of the witches present. Equal in standing to Nicodemus, though Willow’s authority was in the research element of Agatha’s operation, Agatha seeing potential in her, but having a hunch she didn’t have the stomach for the sort of things that she needed to have done, which Nicodemus seemed to be able to handle. If this were the case however, Willow didn’t show it.

“Their witches were disguised as doctors, that’s why we didn’t identify them at first as they fled alongside the other medical staff,” Willow explained. “We thought they would attempt to defend the urgent care, but instead, they had fled the area. Rumour has it that a few of them were hexed, but there is no way to know for sure if we got all of them…”

“Forget about them for now, Willow,” Agatha replied. “After today, these people won’t even think of coming outside their homes. Let them rot. It will buy us more time…”

Agatha signalled to Giratina to follow her with a simple hand wave. It surprised those watching that she didn’t have Giratina kill Rayquaza, however Willow knew. The Stasis lock spell she used would fade if Rayquaza were injured, even slightly. The only reason that Agatha had used it, was due to the quick effect of the spell. Giratina was closer to falling than those watching realised, and had Agatha attempted anything that took longer to take effect as a trade-off for being more permanent, Giratina may have come off second best.

Rayquaza’s limp and lifeless body lay on the ground, and Jon watched from where he and Dylan battled, furiously. Before he could act however, black smoke appeared from the ground up, the exact same way that it did after the attack on the opening ceremony. Sure enough, a minute later, the smoke vanished, collapsing into itself, and all traces of the attacking force were gone, leaving only the destruction in their wake…

[[Desolate Divine]]

We're nearing the halfway mark of the actual RP itself, and from here on, I'm hoping that things will be a little easier to follow. Whilst having multiple groups of two or three characters works well for RPs, it is difficult to coordinate in this, so I'm looking forward to all the characters effectively being grouped from next episode onwards.

GOOD NEWS: The first of six commission pieces arrived today and I should be getting one a day for the next five days. Plan will be, for the six episodes leading up to the second last episode, a different artwork will be revealed at the end of each episode! So keen for you guys to see them! Legit, ordered them in January and the queue was that long...

Hope you're enjoying Spiritwater so far! Let me know what you think!

[[Desolate Divine]]

Spiritwater Episode 8: Progress

Spoiler:

Jon shook his head in annoyance as the smoke dispersed, and all traces of the attacking force had disappeared. Whilst they had taken their unconscious, they had left their dead behind, figuring the League stood little chance of getting information out of a corpse. As Jon considered this observation however, he began to realise something. There were dead witches left behind from the battle with Dylan, and Jon had noticed the corpses there before, however hadn’t comprehended the cause of their death, in the heat of the battle.

”Jon…”

Jon heard Latios’ voice in his mind, and felt his own vision replaced with Latios. From where Latios floated in the air above them, Jon could see the emotions of everyone Latios saw, including himself. People were scared, and angry, but one person was emanating an emotion stronger than anyone else there. Dylan. Panic.

Jon looked over at Dylan who was staring at the corpses of three witches that were killed by Metagross. One seemed to have his neck broken from a hard hit, Jon presumed by a flying bit of sheet metal. Another had a caved in skull, with blood seeping from the wound, and the third had an inch wide gash from her neck, down and across her torso.

“Dylan…” Jon said, as he walked over towards his student. He was pale, and unresponsive. “Dylan!”

Finally, he made eye contact with Jon, but said nothing.

“Dylan, you did the right thing…” Jon said, intentionally standing on the other side of Dylan to the corpses, and turning him to face him.

“They had families, or friends… Someone who cared about them…” Dylan said quietly. “Someone who has lost someone they care about today. Darkrai put the others to sleep, and maybe they’ll change their ways. But I didn’t give these three the chance… How is that right?”

Jon went to reply, however over Dylan’s shoulder, saw something that concerned him. Someone walking towards Rayquaza. Jon had left the Pokemon as is, not knowing if it could even be captured, and had been keeping an eye out for this.

“We’ll talk about it in a minute,” Jon said, nodding over Dylan’s shoulder, before walking past and quickly jogging towards Rayquaza.

“Don’t,” Jon called out. “I’m going to capture it to take it to a Pokemon Centre, but it’s dangerous. I’ve trained Legendary Pokemon before, and am taking responsibility for it…”

The woman, who looked to be in her mid twenties turned around to face Jon, and gave him a menacing grin.

“How did you know they were going to do this?!”

Jon looked over his shoulder to see Dylan walking towards them, a fury evident in his eye, as he bore down on them. “And why did you wait until it was nearly too late to tell me? People died here! Really, we needed more time to empty the building before all of this!”

“What’s going on?” Jon asked, looking between the pair. “Dylan, who is this…”

“Brianna Levine…” Dylan muttered. “I was looking into her and she approached me. Told me she isn’t with them, and that she left the curse at Memorial Hill so we would know Agatha is doing the same thing to spy on us. Then she warned me about this…”

“And how did you know?” Jon asked Brianna, staring her down. “If you aren’t with them, how did you know when they were going to attack?”

“I have my methods, which I will keep to myself for now…” Brianna said to Jon, rolling her eyes slightly. She wasn’t a stranger to men like Jon, and didn’t care for his demeanour. “Whilst I don’t empathise with Agatha, and think the geriatric had should have had the decency to drop dead decades ago, I don’t particularly want to jump into bed with the League like you have…”

“In that case, then we have ways of getting information,” Jon growled, before stepping towards her. “People died here because you waited too long to let us know…”

“And less died because I warned Dylan, who was able to provide assistance,” Brianna sneered, before raising a hand, and contorting the fingers on it, as a white streak of light twisted around them. “And I have ways of making sure I keep my secrets…”

Jon stopped dead in his tracks, understanding the threat Brianna was making. Brianna grinned at the effect of her demonstration, which in reality, was nothing more than a light illusion.

"I am not your enemy, Mr. Drake. I'm not your friend either, but the last thing I want is Agatha to do as she pleases, uncontested, so you're lucky that I might feel generous enough to offer my own services and intel, only when I feel like it," Brianna explained. "Make an enemy of me, and you will be fighting a war on two fronts. Or simply stay out of my way, and I will throw you some scraps when I think you deserve it..."

Brianna looked over at the petrified Rayquaza, before speaking again...

"And as a sign of good will to that statement..." Brianna said, before clenching her first, as the white light grew and brightened, and she launched it towards Rayquaza, who instantly began to move, and roar.

"Where is the desecrator?!" Rayqauza was shouting through the roar. Realising that Rayquaza still thought it was in battle, Jon lobbed a standard Pokeball at it, almost thankful for the fact it was weakened by the battle with Giratina. There wasn't a better time. If anyone asked Jon why he captured it, he would have both the reason of possessing another Legendary Pokemon, as well as the desire to get it healed by a Pokemon Center to fall back on, and enough time had passed that him capturing it wouldn't be indicative of the deceit he, Steven and Cassandra had partaken in nearly four years earlier.

Jon was silent. Whilst he was thankful for Rayquaza recovering, he also didn't trust completely that Brianna hadn't done another hybrid curse, turning Rayquaza into a glorified camera. He would have Cassandra give it a look over when things had died down. Dylan was the first to speak up.

"How come you didn't need to use some sort of incantation?" Dylan asked, curious, having not seen that before.

"Sound is just air pulsing at certain frequencies. If an incantation were necessary, couldn't a spell be accidentally triggered? Why doesn't a recording of the incantation trigger it?" Brianna asked, almost mockingly. "The only thing really needed is a focused thought, however that presents a risk as thoughts are hard to control. If I told you not to think about that girl who was with you at Memorial Hill, your first thought is to think about her. The words act as means of focus. You can tell that to your friends... If you think it can help them."

"In terms of making sure this doesn't end with such a cheap shot again..." Brianna said, gesturing to where Rayquaza had laid before, petrified by Agatha's magic. "Tell your friends to open their Zeketh tomes to pages 216 and 384. On 384, change the paper from a red hourglass to two red overlapping hand prints. They might find something helpful there..."

Brianna turned to leave, as Jon spoke up.

"What do you stand to gain here?" Jon asked. "If you were here for reasons that weren't selfish, you would have told Dylan about the attack earlier, and not let these people die. So you obviously have something to gain from all of this..."

"Right now, does it matter?" Brianna asked, not even turning around. "At the end of the day, the only reason more people didn't die is because I warned Dylan, and Agatha got what she wanted. If I had said nothing, and Agatha had wanted to do more, it would have been much worse. My motives don't matter because without me, you're powerless. You can either accept the help I want to offer without asking questions, and stand a fighting chance, or you can refuse it, because you don't know what I stand to gain, and get wiped out when Agatha decides keeping you all alive is more trouble than it's worth."

Brianna left, as Jon felt a presence in his head.

"Should I tail her?" Latios asked.

"Don't. As much as I hate it, she has a point, and she seems to know more than she lets on about everything," Jon replied with his thoughts. "I really don't trust her, but right now we have bigger problems, and if leaving her alone helps us solve them, we will cross that bridge when the time arises..."

Jon looked over at Dylan, who looked defeated by the circumstances around them. Jon didn’t blame him. Despite Jon not appearing to be too out of his depth, this was the most difficult situation he had ever found himself in. The Diamond Ladies investigation had proven to be child’s-play compared to this. He couldn’t help but think that this was the reason why he didn’t want Abbee and Dylan coming, however…

"Brianna was half right with what she said. More people didn't die, not because she warned you, but because you took action. You did something difficult, and now more people will be able to go home again than otherwise," Jon explained. "I agree, life is sacred, and we don't have the right to decide who gets to live and who gets to die. But if someone thinks they have that right, and the only way to stop them harming others is to end their life, that is completely on them. Not you. That is the result of their decision..."

Dylan remained silent, as he turned to look back at the corpses with Jon quickly stopping him.

"Abbee was in there, and had no clue when it was safe to try and escape. She got out because Cassandra cleared a path, and Cassandra cleared a path because you got their attention and covered her back," Jon said. "If nothing else, you did what was needed to get Abbee out safely..."

Whilst Dylan understood what Jon was saying it didn't alleviate his conscience. Trying to change the subject, he spoke up.

"What now?" Dylan asked

"I'm not 100% sure yet, but if what Brianna told us is actually helpful, I think we need to go on the offensive," Jon explained. "Find where these rats are hidden, and burn it to the ground. And tonight, I’ll get Steven and Cynthia to get together whoever is trustworthy, and we’ll come up with our next steps."

"You want me to see if I can figure out where that is?"

"No," Jon said quickly. "You were right to look into Brianna, and it has left us with more questions. If nothing else, we need to figure out what playing into her hands means for us long term, whether or not she is a threat or a stuck up pain in the a**... Do you have any leads?"

"I have some bills she used to buy supplies," Dylan explained. "If they're legit, then I might be able to trace their path back to an account. It's a long shot, but if we can even just trace her movements the last few days it might reveal something, even if this doesn't give us the details we hope."

"Then follow that through but keep the fact you are investigating her a secret," Jon explained. "She is right, we wouldn't have done as well as we did today without her warning, and assuming there isn't anything nefarious hidden in what she did to Rayquaza, I can't deny she is helping us, so we don't want to antagonise her. But we won't be stupid about it either."

Dylan nodded in understanding. Brianna had just made every decision they needed to make all the more difficult. It was obvious she wasn’t to be trifled with, but at the same time, they couldn’t risk playing into her hands, and facilitating something worse, just to stop Agatha.

"I'll see you back at HQ," Jon said, before firing up the bike, and putting on his helmet. Dylan nodded as he began trying to figure out next steps. He still had a few hours before the meeting and wanted more than a potential dead lead with these bank notes.

“Helmet,” Jon said loudly. “Call Titan.”

The phone began to dial, the sound audible through the speakers in Jon’s helmet. Finally, a familiar voice appeared on the other end of the line.

”Yes,” said Steven, having earnt his call sign from being in possession of Registeel, the Titan of Steel.

”Eon Squad is going on the offensive. We can’t keep letting them get the drop on us,”[/i] Jon explained. ”Every time they attack we can normally fight them off, and get the upper hand until they decide to run. So I want to bring the fight to them…”

”Are you asking my permission?” Steven asked as Jon chuckled.

“I’m asking for your support,” Jon explained. “You oversee the offensive side of this operation. I want Eon Squad to be the vanguard. The pointed end of the stick. But to do that, we need intel, and we need people who despite the s**t they have seen, are willing to go head to head with these f**kers…”

”So what’s your plan?”

“9pm this evening, at Eon Squad HQ. Invite whoever you think will work well being part of the assault,” Jon explained. “Despite the s**tshow, we learned a lot today. We consolidate our intel, and actually make steps towards bringing the fight to them…”

”Agreed,” Steven answered. ”See you at nine…”

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

Glimmer left the motel, scowling at the sheer waste of time that she had just realised she had suffered through. The Shaymin in human form had spent the entire day following up a lead on a potential Shadowcraft witch. She had been spotted with a cloak, a tome, and a belt with pouches attached to it. The current equivalent of being seen walking down Main Street with an assault rifle.

Glimmer’s irritation however was that the cloak seemed to be a different material altogether, whilst the tome was actually an old book that had been coffee stained just to make sure it looked old enough. Effectively, the sighting was a group of teenagers who wanted to stir trouble by pretending to be with the witches attacking civilians, and being too young and stupid to consider the fact that League Operatives were cleared to respond to threats with force.

After giving the girl an earful, before using her own Shadowcraft to make the cloak bright pink, and effectively destroy the costume, Glimmer had left, storming out of the motel where she had been hiding, before feeling her league-issued phone vibrate in her pocket. She quickly withdrew it, and saw the callsign Titan on the screen.

“Everything alright?” Glimmer asked, not used to getting calls from Steven himself.

“There’s been an incident,” Steven explained. “Section B was attacked…”

“Was Luneth…”

“No, she was there an hour or two earlier, but was at the Pokemon Centre when the attack happened. She mentioned to Triad that she would be going there after her Silvally was treated, and our records show the Silvally’s Pokeball did get scanned by the healing machines at the Pokemon Centre,” Steven explained. “However, Luneth isn’t answering calls. And whilst it was out of range of the attack itself, the Pokemon Centre was still close to Section B…”

Glimmer wasn’t sure how to feel. All evidence seemed to indicate that Luneth was not near the site of the attack, however the unanswered calls concerned Glimmer. Additionally, she felt increasingly frustrated that whilst she was chasing a dead lead, in the form of a teenager who thought it would be hilarious to pretend to be one of the witches attacking people, Agatha had attacked what was effectively home base, and put the one minor victory the League had, the ability to treat people who were attacked, out of commission.

“I have an idea,” Glimmer said. “Leave it with me, and I’ll make sure she is okay…”

Steven remained awkwardly silent before speaking.

“Just remember, the two of you may be a pair, but on this mission, we need you to act independently,” Steven explained. “Try and make sure she is okay, but if you don’t end up finding her, don’t let that put us down two operatives instead of one. Remember, we wouldn’t have recruited her if we didn’t think she could look after herself, and same goes for you…”

“So what exactly?” Glimmer asked, and Steven answered.

“We have a meeting at nine this evening. I’ll send you the coordinates. You have until then to find her. Otherwise, she has to look after herself,” Steven explained. “If you don’t find her, the League will look into it, but I can’t be letting you look for her at the expense of all else for as long as it takes…”

Glimmer scowled at the order. She knew it was logical, and the right way forward, and didn’t envy Steven having to give it. But at the same time, Steven’s logic was what caused them to be acting separately in the first place, and now there has been an attack not too far from Luneth, and she was unaccounted for.

“I have an idea,” Glimmer repeated. “If that doesn’t fall through, we can plan next steps tonight…”

Glimmer ended the call before Steven could debate with her. She opened up the Pokemon League app on her phone which was logged in to Luneth’s account. This had been intentional, in case there was anything that Glimmer needed that required League Credentials, such as booking a room in a Pokemon Centre.

In the app’s recent activity, it listed a check in to a Pokemon Centre twenty minutes prior, which Glimmer deduced was when Circuit was healed. Her next destination in mind, Glimmer hailed one of the few taxis that was driving through the streets of Heahea, and took it to the Pokemon Centre, reading updates that Steven had forwarded her about the attack on the way. She looked in disbelief at the shaky photo of Giratina attacking the hospital, before the next photo showed a Rayquaza fighting off Giratina.

When Glimmer finally arrived, she didn’t enter the Pokemon Centre. Instead, she stood by the door, pretending to be someone walking out. To her left, she could see Main Street stretching downhill, and by the coast, about a hundred metres away, the wreckage of the Hospital, which she imagined being torn up by Giratina.

She was pulled from her thoughts by an unfamiliar voice. A Pokemon crying out, however, they seemed to know her.

“Hey! Glimmer!” said the voice, though muffled, as if said with a mouth full of food. “Up here!”

The Pokemon was squawking, which confused Glimmer, as she looked up to the source of it, and saw a Toucannon, sitting on the edge of the building next to the Pokemon Centre, overlooking the alley next to it. In its beak however, was something familiar. Luneth’s bag.

“I knew it…” Glimmer said, before calling out. “Flan, come down!”

The Toucannon spread its wings, before launching off the building and gliding down to where Glimmer waited. As its feet touched the ground, its body began to liquify, before changing colour, until the Toucannon was gone, and in its place was a Ditto.

“Where’s Luneth?” Glimmer asked.

“She turned herself into a Vulpix, and went that way…”

Flan gestured with a sludge-like appendage, towards the hospital, confirming Glimmer’s suspicions. She sighed. Finding a single Alolan Vulpix back home was not a difficult task. But finding a single Alolan Vulpix in Alola…

“She said she’d come back?” Glimmer asked, knowing the answer, as Flan nodded, though Glimmer knew the answer.

Glimmer quickly opened Luneth’s bag, removing a notebook and a pen, before tearing out a page.

“Where exactly did Luneth change?” Glimmer asked of Flan.

“Just next to the dumpster…”

Glimmer nodded, and was thankful it seemed empty. The last thing she wanted to do was leave a message and have it be mistaken as rubbish when the dumpster got emptied.

Quickly, Glimmer scribbled a sketch of a Gracidea Flower, leaving it wedged under the wheel of the dumpster, where the wind wouldn’t catch it. After that she withdrew Flan’s Pokeball, before activating it, returning the Ditto, and putting it in the bag.

Whilst Glimmer taking Luneth’s bag would potentially make things more difficult, it posed less risk to Luneth’s belongings as well as her other Pokemon. Glimmer didn’t know when Luneth would be back, and how long Flan would have been waiting. This way, her Pokemon were safe. Luneth would just need to travel a little further to return to normal.

Glimmer looked at her watch. It was getting late, and the coordinates she was given for the meeting were going to take a while to get to on foot, presuming Steven wouldn’t want to have her directing a taxi there.

“Guess we’ll see what happens next…” Glimmer said, to nobody in particular, before departing.

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

”I think we’re safe here…” Violet said, before adjusting her analysis. “For now, at least…”

The four women all panted as they looked around the lobby of the Tide Song Hotel, having exerted themselves more than they were used to in the trip from the chaos of the attack on the Heahea City Hospital. They had slipped through the open double doors into the largely empty lobby, though getting odd glances from the few bystanders who were also present. Abbee didn’t blame them. Four women, two dressed completely in scrubs and one who looked more flower than human, all bursting in from the street in a mad panic was far from a usual sight. As they caught their breath, nobody noticed the Alolan Vulpix sneaking in, before taking cover behind the furniture in the lobby.

The group gathered around the empty furniture outside of a Jirachibucks Cafe in the lobby, that had been closed since the opening ceremony attack. Too many workers were either getting attacked, or refusing to leave their homes at the risk of being attacked, forcing the cafe to close.

“How did you go Violet?” Cassandra asked, not having had the chance to ask since regrouping with Violet as they escaped the hospital for the second time.

“I recovered some of the reagents from Section B, as well as our books, so we have everything we need to restore her…” Violet explained, before her tone darkened. “But there’s something else…”

Cassandra sighed, before nodding, steeling herself for what was to come next.

“I know,” she replied. “Something we need to do…”

Both of them looked at Jarena, and Abbee looked between the trio, somewhat confused. Jarena seemed to click as to what Cassandra and Violet were getting towards.

“Oh damn… I think I know what you two are saying…” Jarena replied with a grimace. Whilst this wasn’t her first removal of this variety, it was her first on this side of the spell. “You only slowed this curse down, which means you have to let it do it’s thing before you get rid of it, right?”

Abbee’s eyes widened hearing this, and she looked at Cassandra, who confirmed it with a nod, and then a sigh.

“Yeah, there’s no stopping it until the hex completes,” Cassandra confirmed. “Once it finishes, we can start trying to dispel it, but if we try before then, it will just keep trying, and fighting against us. It will be an uphill battle…”

“Just like a fire that will keep burning until it runs out of fuel…” Violet said, irritably.

“That’s honestly a pretty accurate way of putting it…” Cassandra noted, before turning to Jarena. “You might just want to close your eyes and let us tell you when to open them again.”

Jarena stood, struggling for a moment to get her balance on the stems that were now her legs, moving away from anything that might get caught in the mess, before closing her eyes, and looking down.

“If this doesn’t work out, just… you know what? Plant me somewhere nice and cozy…” Jarena began, before shifting her tone, and sounding a bit less serious about it, on the off chance that they couldn’t restore her. She didn’t want what could be the last conversation between the three of them to be too depressing. She grinned. “Somewhere with heaps of sunshine. And in that case, it’s been awesome hanging out with the two of you. We had some good times…”

“Jarena…” Cassandra whispered sympathetically. Violet on the other hand didn’t say anything to Jarena. All that was in her mind was how difficult this was going to be with just her and Cassandra. They had no way of knowing which hex Jarena had been struck from which meant they were resorting to a Nox Purge, something that usually they performed with three people, and even then, it wasn’t a simple spell. There was every possibility that they may not be able to restore Jarena. But she did want to show her that they were optimistic.

“Abbee, go find something to cover her,” Violet said to the younger woman, who seemed like the odd one out, given her lack of history with Triad. Abbee nodded, before looking around and spotting a laundry cart. The basket that made up the bottom half was full of dirty laundry, however there were clean, white sheets and towels sitting folded on top. Noting that despite being the shortest of Triad, Jarena was still nearly half a foot taller than Abbee, and a towel was not going to cover much. Instead, Abbee grabbed one of the large queen-size sheets, unfolding it until it was only folded in half, and wrapping it around Jarena, saying nothing. She barely knew Jarena, and didn’t want to intrude on Triad’s potential goodbye.

“Ready?”

Cassandra asked the question, though her voice was barely audible. Whilst she knew she had to remove the suppressing effect her and Violet had placed, she also knew that if she did, and her and Violet couldn’t remove the hex, then she was effectively dooming Jarena to life as a plant.

Jarena nodded silently, as Cassandra took in a deep breath, and muttered a few quick words. Cassandra, Violet and Abbee stood silently, as the curse, seeming to make up for lost time, took effect again, transforming Jarena even quicker than it had been doing earlier. Within less than a minute, Jarena had been replaced with a near six foot tall flowering plant, with flowers larger and more vibrant than anything naturally occurring. It was impossible to tell she had once been human.

Violet began laying out the necessary reagents for the Nox Purge, as Cassandra confirmed the curse had completed its effect and disappeared.

“We’ve never done this with just the two of us…” Cassandra said quietly. Violet looked over at Abbee.

“Go see if you can convince reception to find some clothes for her,” Violet said, and Abbee, having no problem being told to be elsewhere during this nodded. “If they have a lost and found, something for us as well. We stand out too much in scrubs…”

Once Abbee had left, Violet looked to Cassandra, her expression determined, and successfully hiding the doubt she felt.

“You know how to do this,” Violet said, her tone leaving no room for discussion. “Just focus on doing it, and forget about the possibility of not…”

Cassandra nodded, trying her hardest to force the anxiety out of her, before Violet began the incantation, and Cassandra joined in.

Violet felt the Star Piece in her hand begin to heat up, and allowed it to burn and be consumed as fuel for the process. They only had one shot, and any attempts to cheat the spell with another would overload it and potentially kill all of them.

The duo both felt lightheaded and dizzy as a surge of energy was pulled from them, however they both forced themselves to remain focused, as what once was Jarena began to glow. Abbee returned with a tee emblazoned with the ’Alola!’ greeting, and a pair of sweatpants, which the receptionist had assured her had been cleaned before being put in Lost and Found. She watched in awe as Jarena’s body, starting from the head, and slowly moving down, began to revert. Cassandra and Violet kept their eyes shut, forcing their concentration on the spell. Abbee quickly turned away, making sure no onlookers were paying too much attention, and shooting one group a glare, causing them to pretend to be looking elsewhere.

It got to the point where Jarena was able to grab the sheets that Abbee had wrapped around her, and hold them in place, and after a few seconds longer, the spell completed, as Cassandra and Violet both collapsed.

“Holy crap, you guys did it…” Jarena said in disbelief, before realising just how much of a toll the spell took on her friends. “Are you guys alright?!”

Both of them were on the floor wheezing for air, having been completely drained of energy from the spell, which had it taken any longer, would have caused both of them to pass out. After a minute or trying to recover, Cassandra and Violet both sat up, able to breath normally, but still woozy.

“That’s why we stick together…” Cassandra said, finally able to speak again.

When she was sure her friends were okay, Jarena took the clothes Abbee had acquired, before going into the bathroom to get changed into more than a bedsheet. After five minutes, Abbee felt her phone begin to buzz, and realised it was Jon. She stepped off to the side, answering.

“Are you guys okay?” Abbee asked.

”We’re fine, just a little shaken up, but neither of us are injured…” Jon answered. ”They took off not long after you guys left. Same as the opening ceremony. Smoke appeared everywhere, and after a minute disappeared just as quickly, with all but their dead gone…”

Abbee breathed a sigh of relief that both were okay, as Jon asked a question.

”How’re your three?” Jon asked, referring to Triad as the three operatives Abbee had been tasked with protecting.

“Sonia has been restored, but it nearly knocked Naomi and Sasha out to do it,” Abbee explained. “They’re recovering now, but doing better than they were five minutes ago…”

”That’s good,” Jon said. ”Listen, after the fight, the big guy and I were approached by your target…”

Not wanting to risk using Dylan’s name on a call that, despite they being assured was secure, could potentially be listened in to, Jon had been vague, as well as with his reference to Brianna Levine.

”She had approached him before the attack, and warned him, but only with just enough time for him to give support, not stop it completely…” Jon explained. ”She made it abundantly clear she isn’t on their side, but isn’t on ours either, and only helps us when it aligns with her own goals…”

“She considers a practically too late warning to be help?”

”Turns out she left what she did back at Memorial Hill to tip us off that they are doing that, and then when she arrived, she undid the curse that they left on my cranky friend…” Jon explained, before pausing. ”And there’s something else…”

“What’s that?”

”She told us to tell our friends to look at pages 216 and 384 in their Zeketh tomes, and something about switching an hourglass hour for overlapping, red, handprints?” Jon explained. ”When they feel up for it, can you ask them to check it out?”

“Will do,” Abbee answered. “Anything else?”

”One more thing. Meeting tonight at HQ, the bosses are bringing people, and I want our squad and Triad there. We gotta start hitting back. 9pm…”

Abbee acknowledged the order, before ending the call, and making her way towards Violet and Cassandra, who sat on a bench against the wall, recovering their strength.

“That Jon?” Cassandra asked, and Abbee nodded.

“He and Dylan are okay. The attacking force fled not long after we left,” Abbee explained. “But he wants me to let you know that there is a meeting tonight at nine at HQ. Steven and Cynthia are bringing some people to it, and he wants you three there. I think it will be to plan going on the offensive…”

Cassandra nodded in agreement, thinking it was well past time they did. Jarena arrived as Abbee continued.

“There was something else. I’ll explain later because I’ll forget the details if I don’t share it now…” Abbee explained. “But Jon got tipped off that pages 216 and 384 of your Zeketh tome will be helpful, and something about switching out the red hourglass for overlapping handprints…”

Violet looked at Abbee in surprise, before grabbing the aforementioned tome from her bag and beginning to flick through to the pages Abbee listed.

“Dylan was approached by this Brianna Levine before the attack, and she warned him, but intentionally waited long enough that all he could do was provide support. Not evacuate the building or anything,” Abbee explained. “Then she approached Dylan and Jon after the battle…”

Cassandra’s eyes widened hearing this.

“Who is she then?” Cassandra asked. “Why would one of them warn us? Do they want to risk their own getting captured?”

“She says she isn’t with them…” Abbee explained. “She says, and Jon believes her, that she isn’t on either side. She doesn’t want to see Agatha get what she wants, but doesn’t want us being wiped out either. She has her own reasons for being here…”

“I’d believe that she doesn’t want to see us wiped out…” Violet muttered, as she finished reading page 216. “This is good stuff…”

“What is it?” Jarena asked, looking over Violet’s shoulder.

“Expavescimus Charm…” Violet answered. “Looks like it redirects spells at the attacker…”

“If only I knew that an hour ago…” Jarena joked and Cassandra chuckled in agreement.

“It would definitely help. Another instance of we really don’t know all that is in here…” Cassandra retorted as Violet flipped to page 384.

“And this one is a Luxum Patibatur curse…” Violet explained. “It will cause the victim to haemorrhage energy. Effectively putting them in the position we were in after we did the Nox Purge. Needs human blood, ginger and paint thinners…”

Violet seemed confused about something, as Cassandra considered how beneficial both these spells would be. The first would be good for protection, however the second required three reagents, two of which were liquid and hard to carry around, or divide efficiently to do numerous spells. Whilst draining their opponents of energy would be very beneficial, the cost made a simple blinding hex like she used on the witch that she turned into a Delcatty would be cheaper in terms of reagents and easier to produce. Before Cassandra could raise this point however, Jarena asked a question.

“What about that part about the hourglass?” Jarena asked, and Violet looked to Abbee.

“What did Jon say exactly?” Violet asked.

“Replace the hourglass with two overlapping handprints,” Abbee said, forcing herself to sound confident, even though she had the slightest doubts about her memory.

“I thought so,” Violet said, before looking to the others. “The hourglass is a reference to the time delay modification spell that we were talking about. You draw an hourglass shape with red ink on some paper, burn it, and include the ashes in whatever spell you want to modify…”

“And Brianna has told us to replace that with two overlapping handprints?” Jarena asked, as Violet nodded, trying to piece it together. Cassandra’s eyes widened as she realised what this was.

“It’s how she made the hybrid curse…” Cassandra said. “At Memorial Hill. It’s an adaptation of a modification spell. We use the modification on the first curse, and then add the second…”

Cassandra began to think about the two spells that Brianna had referenced. Expavescimus Charm and Luxum Patibatur Curse.

“So the two spells on those pages, when mixed, would redirect any attack back at the attacker, and at the same time, drain them of their energy…” Cassandra explained, as Jarena whistled.

“That’s next level stuff…” Jarena replied. “Someone’s done their homework…”

“Not even that…” Violet answered in disbelief. “These tomes are just records of spells that have been shared. But it seems like this Brianna Levine has somewhat of an understanding of how to create specific spells…”

“And apparently she left the curse she did to tip us off that Agatha is doing the same…” Cassandra muttered. “Which means that Agatha likely has that same understanding…”

“We’re going to need to get those reagents ready. Most of them should be easy if we make a point of it…” Violet explained, as the others nodded. Whilst all of the reagents were easy, they would not all be in one place. The Expavescimus Charm needed dust from a broken mirror and feathers from an unevolved flying-type Pokemon. Whilst the Luxum Patibatur Curse would require human blood, paint thinners and ginger.

“The mirror and paint thinners will be easy to get from a hardware store,” Cassandra explained. “The ginger we can get from a supermarket, and there are plenty of Wingul feathers on the beach. Human blood might be a little tricky. I don’t think either of us are in the position to donate any to the cause right now…”

As they considered this, Abbee had a thought.

“Also, Cass,” Abbee said. “If you run into Victini again, can you let him know I really want to talk to him? He wanted to go with you guys and I told him he could. I figured he did because he left after you guys and didn’t come back, but I realised from your message that he wasn’t with you. I am guessing that you told him no, and he decided to try and watch over you like some sort of guardian angel without you knowing…”

Cassandra sighed, not having considered that Victini had followed them from Mossdeep. However, now that she thought about it, she knew her former partner usually would do whatever he set his mind to.

“I’m not mad or anything,” Abbee said, making sure that was clear. “I just wish he had been honest with me…”

“It’s complicated…” Cassandra sighed. “He just wants to keep everyone happy, and you know how ugly things got four years ago. He wanted to help us with starting over, and nothing we tried could make amends…”

”Not yet at least! But, in light of everything…”

The telepathic voice was Victini's, causing the four present to look around.

”Honestly, I think now is the perfect time to stop this whole dead charade. It’s a lot nicer with the three of you around…”

“Victini…” Cassandra said. “You know we can’t do that. We tried to help after last time, and nobody wanted it. Now, we reappear with everything that’s going on, and we will be the first ones they blame. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if people who still believe we faked it are speculating this online. We want to help people here, and if they know it’s us, they will reject it…”

Finally, Victini revealed himself, proving that he was much closer than they had realised, emerging from behind a large pot plant. He grinned, happy to see his friends again without the impending doom of a witchcraft attack looming over them.

“That was four years ago…” Victini said, now verbally, with all four trainers present being able to understand. “You’ve spent the last week treating everyone and their mum on this island. I don’t think somebody who would have been a statue if not for you would still think badly of you…”

“I don’t know…” Cassandra replied. Whilst she had to admit Victini made a good argument, she still remembered the rejection the three of them suffered four years ago. Violet’s Pokemon being stolen.

“At least try, and go Pokemon again if it fails…” Victini answered. “But be brave! Be you!”

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

It had been a long half hour for Jimmy. Having teleported from the Eastern edge of Heahea City to Wishmaker HQ, the only way he could teleport back from Wishmaker HQ to Heahea City without using Jirachi’s innate wish abilities, and by extension, tiring the already tired Pokemon more, was by teleporting to the exact place he had teleported from. He had flown on Salamence’s back, and when he first began to see witches attacking civilians from the sky, he ordered Salamence to descend. As Salamence got close, he shifted form into a Pikachu, before readying a Volt Tackle, and launching off Salamence’s back into the closest witch.

From there, it was chaos, as Jimmy shifted between forms, commanding his Salamence, Grovyle, Sylveon and Pikachu from both forms, as they attempted to fight off attackers. It took twenty minutes before the smoke he recognised from the opening ceremony appeared, and the attacking force disappeared before it dispersed.

Since then, Jimmy’s focus had been on helping those who had been attacked. He began searching the streets, looking for those who were afflicted, and figuring out which ones were in the worst shape, determining whether he’d send them to one of the doctors clinics in Heahea, since the hospital was now a ruined wreck, contact the League and get them to send medical support, or, if worse came to worst, simply have Jirachi heal them with a wish, though tried to avoid resorting to that. Jirachi was on its way back to full energy, and if it didn’t exert itself too much, should be at full strength by the following morning.

Thankfully, Jimmy had arrived quickly enough, and was on the border of the attack zone enough that not many people had been hit. Those who had, were only struck with temporary curses, like dizzying curses, which would wear off, and Jimmy had instructed them to find somewhere to sit down.

As he looked however, he noticed something on the other side of the street. Two figures. The front was a man Jimmy didn’t know personally, riding on a Rapidash, however behind him, was someone Jimmy recognised, also seeming to be riding something, which was obstructed by the parked car on the opposite side of the road.

“Avery!” Jimmy called out, waving his arms. “Are you okay?”

Abital heard Jimmy call out his partner’s name, and looked over to see him. Jimmy quickly checked there was no traffic, before crossing the road, as Avery and Abital stepped out from behind the car.

“Okay is pretty subjective…” Avery said, letting off a weak laugh, as Jimmy rounded the car, and saw that Avery wasn’t riding a Pokemon like Abital was. Instead, Avery’s lower half had been replaced with that of an equine Pokemon.

“Holy sh-” Jimmy began, before looking between Avery’s top and bottom halves. “Are you in pain?”

Avery stumbled forward slightly, still not completely used to walking with four legs, as they answered.

“I was dizzy and nauseated when it first hit, but that was temporary,” Avery explained. “Now it’s just getting used to this…”

Jimmy thought it over quickly. Whilst he could have Jirachi restore Avery, that would be draining for the wishmaker, and without a solid connection to the stars, both on Akala island where the clouds blocked some of the connection, and in Wishmaker HQ, the restoration time for Jirachi after healing Avery would be another day.

Abital looked between Avery and Jimmy, who seemed to know each other, as Avery noticed, and began belated introductions.

“Jimmy, this is my husband Abital. Abital, this is Jimmy Kendo, from the S.S. Wishmaker…” Avery said, before signing seven letters to Abital, knowing that the sign for the word itself would be obvious. ”C U D D L E S.”

Having heard the story, but not remembering all the names, the reference to Jimmy’s nickname as a Pachirisu jogged Abital’s memory of the story his partner had told him. Abital signed a greeting, before nodding at Jimmy.

“He says hello,” Avery explained, as Jimmy nodded, before continuing his assessment.

“The League has people who can help you,” Jimmy said to Avery. “If you’re not in any pain right now, I might leave it to them. Jirachi is resting from the work it has done this week, and these clouds are making it take longer for it to recover after using its power. I don’t want to risk exhausting it, and there being another, worse attack…”

Avery nodded in understanding, putting two and two together to realise Jimmy was working with the League. They remembered the previous few days, when they were desperate to have a contact in the League to get treatment for Abital. Now it seemed like they were finally making progress.

“We were heading for the Tide Song Hotel,” Avery explained. “Why don’t you come with us, and you can make contact there, where we aren’t out in the open…”

Jimmy nodded, understanding Avery’s concern. Even if the attacking force had left in the midst of the smoke, they had done the same thing at the opening ceremony, only to reappear before too long in smaller groups and cause more trouble. Even with the protection offered by the stone he wore, he didn’t like remaining in one place too long out in the open.

“Let’s head there, and I’ll see if I can get you some help…”

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

Luneth had watched from behind the armchair that sat on the edge of the lobby of the Tide Song Hotel as Violet and Cassandra restored Jarena, whilst the new girl that she didn’t recognise did things such as getting sheets to cover Jarena, as well as clothes for her to wear, Luneth guessing she had no Shadowcraft capabilities.

She watched in horror, as both Violet and Cassandra collapsed under the strain, however breathed a sigh of relief, as they both managed to sit up, albeit just exhausted. Then, the new girl took a phone call, before talking to the trio, as they began looking in the tomes they held, though Luneth couldn’t hear what was being said.

Curious, she made her way closer, still staying out of sight, and arrived just in time for the comment about Victini. The new girl had mentioned giving Victini permission to go with Cassandra, but realised Victini wasn’t with her. She quickly realised that this new girl must be Victini’s trainer now, given Cassandra had disappeared four years ago. That was when Victini had decided to reveal himself, and try to convince the former Diamond Ladies to go public.

From where she stood, Abbee felt her heart sink with each passing minute since Victini had revealed himself, as he only spoke to Cassandra, and didn’t even seem to acknowledge that she was there. To anybody watching who only saw this exchange, they’d be justified in thinking that Abbee was a complete stranger, and not Victini’s partner, having endured fights against rampaging Legendary Pokemon, battled against poachers, and growing together the last three years. Her relief that the Pokemon was alright was quickly overshadowed by something else.

It wasn’t jealousy. She understood Victini had a long history with Cassandra, and had given her blessing when she found out he wanted to go with her, especially considering how dangerous the mission was and that she’d only have a few weeks to find new Pokemon. The feeling was fear. That she had been with Victini for just as long as Cassandra had been, and now that Cassandra was around, she may as well have not even been there. Fear that she only meant something to him when the person he actually wanted to be there couldn’t be around, and now that Cassandra was here, she was just a blurred afterthought.

All of their attention was taken by the sight of something large entering the lobby. Somebody who had been struck by a curse which had turned their bottom half into what appeared to be that of a Keldo.

“Is that Avery?” Jarena asked, shocked at what she was seeing, as she recognised the man she treated earlier that day walking in with them. The biggest doubt that the person in front of her was Avery was the fact that she recognised them from that afternoon, but at that time, hadn’t recognised them. Her suspicions were confirmed when she recognised the third person to enter, watching behind them to make sure the trio weren’t being followed.

“Jimmy?” Cassandra called out, although not surprised that he was present, having seen him earlier that day.

Abbee watched as Victini walked over towards the newcomers, and felt her stomach sink further. Whilst everyone’s attention was by the door, she looked behind her to where the bathrooms were, and quickly but silently walked towards them, only noticed by the Alolan Vulpix who remained hidden behind a large pot plant, having seen the hiding spot work so well for Victini earlier. Despite not being telepathic, Luneth could see Abbee’s reactions to Victini, and having heard what she had said about the Pokemon, felt sympathy towards her. She knew that if Glimmer had a former trainer, and seemed to forget that she was even there in the presence of this person, she’d likely feel the same.

Abbee entered the bathroom, and after quickly confirming the cubicles were empty, made her way to the sink, in front of the mirror, and turning on the tap, as she felt tears start to flow down her face.

The thing that scared her most wasn't if Victini wanted to stay with Cassandra after this. She was aware when she gave her blessing just how likely that was. It was the nagging thought that this encounter had proven so far, that when that happened, Victini would go, and forget about her...

She started to cry as she hunched over the sink…

Realising that now was her best chance to reveal herself to the former S.S. Wishmaker group, featuring Abital, Luneth wandered over towards them. She didn’t have access to her phone, reagents or Pokeballs in this form, and whilst she could go find them by the Pokemon Centre, she knew she was safer in a group like this, and if she could communicate with one of them, they may be able to arrange for an operative to get her belongings.

Violet was the first to recognise her, and got Cassandra’s attention.

“Cass, that Vulpix was in the hospital when I was getting the reagents…” Violet said, her first instinct being that the Vulpix was a tail. She readied a Pokeball.

“Wait, no!” Luneth cried out, and Victini interrupted.

“She’s a friend,” Victini interjected. “Don’t you remember Jirachi’s playtime? Luneth?”

It took Cassandra and Violet a moment to remember, however Jarena remembered something else.

“Luneth, as in the Luneth who brought that guy to Section B today?” Jarena asked, and the Vulpix cried out in the affirmative. Jarena looked at Cassandra and Violet, putting the pieces together. “Luneth uses Shadowcraft as well. She asked us as we left the S.S. Wishmaker about it, remember?”

Cassandra recalled Steven mentioning another Shadowcraft user had tipped off the League about Agatha within days of their arrival in Mossdeep, and realised just how all the pieces fit together.

Once introductions were out of the way, Jimmy spoke.

“I found Avery like this down the road,” Jimmy explained. “Jirachi could heal them, but has been doing a lot of wish granting this last week, and the clouds are making it take longer for it to recover its strength. If we can avoid it, I would rather keep Jirachi at full strength in case of an emergency. Do you think you three could heal Avery?”

Cassandra grimaced at the request.

“Normally, yes, but the spell needed is a Nox Purge, since it looks like the curse was incomplete, which we normally do with the three of us,” Cassandra explained, looking to Avery. “But in the attack, Jarena got hit, and Violet and I had to do it without her to stop her from spending the rest of her natural life as a flower and…”

“It almost knocked us both out…” Violet interjected. “Honestly, even if Jarena and Luneth were to help us, I don’t think we have it in us to do another, and if we crap out half-way through, we risk harming Luneth and Jarena, with the spell pulling from them instead if it can’t get energy from us…”

Avery felt a pit in their stomach at the explanation, and looked between the Diamond Ladies, and Jimmy.

“In that case, I’ll have Jirachi help Avery,” Jimmy began, but Avery shook their head.

“Jirachi might be needed for more than fixing My Little Keldeo here…” Avery explained, before looking to Cassandra. “If I were to say I could survive being half Keldeo for a little while while you guys recover, when do you think you could remove the curse?”

Cassandra thought it over. In hindsight, had she eaten more recently, and had more than four hours of sleep a night for the good part of the last week, she may have handled the earlier Nox Purge a little better, as would have Violet. However, with no Section B to get back to, and the meeting tonight…

“If we have a decent meal and a good night's rest, which is more than we’ve had in a while…” Cassandra explained. “Tomorrow morning?”

Avery considered this, before looking to Abital.

“Think you can handle being married to a centaur until then?” Avery asked.

“It’s not ideal, but it seems like that’s the best option…” Abital signed. Avery nodded in agreement, before turning to Cassandra.

“Tomorrow morning then,” Avery answered. Cassandra nodded, before seeming to notice something. Or rather, not notice something.

“Has anybody seen Abbee?”

Jimmy, Avery and Abital looked at Cassandra confused, not sure of who Abbee was, however Violet and Jarena looked around, realising that she wasn’t there. Luneth looked at the ground, not enjoying being in the middle of this discussion.

“She’s in the bathroom…” Luneth said quietly. “She doesn’t seem okay…”

Victini went to ask Luneth what she was talking about, however noticed the Vulpix seemed to be struggling to make eye contact with him. It was then he realised.

“I’ve messed up…” Victini sighed. “I got a bit carried away seeing you guys, and having our little spontaneous Wishmaker Family Reunion here. I kind of forgot she was here…”

Cassandra couldn’t help but sigh. She had told Victini in Mossdeep many weeks earlier that he was Abbee’s Pokemon and to stay with her, and he had ignored that order. Now, Abbee was upset, and as much as she loved her former partner, she knew this was his mess to clean up. She gave Victini a look, telling him that he owed Abbee an explanation.

“I’ll go talk to her…”

In the bathroom, Abbee attempted to dry her eyes, and compose herself before she attempted to head back into the lobby. Technically she was assigned to be helping Triad, and she was hardly any help now. She still felt the pain in her chest, however figured that focusing on the task at hand would distract her from it. But before she knew it she found herself teary again.

"I've upset you, haven't I...?" said Victini's voice in her head.

She wiped her eyes before chuckling to herself.

"Why ask?" She replied with her thoughts. "If you're poking around in my head to ask this, you already know the answer..."

Abbee was mostly joking with that statement, not being cruel or snide. That sense of humour was what caused her and Victini to click as well as they did over the last few years. She heard a slight chuckle in her thoughts.

You know I'd just poke around anyone's head anyway...Victini answered. "Can we talk?"

"Sure, but I'd just about die of embarrassment if anybody saw me like this..."

"Then I take it you don't have an audience in there?" Victini asked.

"It's empty. You can come in..."

A few moments later, Abbee heard the door creak, as light footsteps made their way towards her. She was still hunched over the sink, looking down, and on the ground in her line of vision, walked Victini, who looked up at her somberly.

"I'm sorry..." Victini said verbally, which Abbee had only been able to understand in recent weeks.

"What for?" she asked, jokingly. She was struggling to piece together her emotions to some logical explanation, and figured if she wasn't certain about what was going on in her head, how could he be, and therefore what is he apologising for?

“For not coming back to you when Cassandra told me I couldn’t come with her. For not being honest with you, and being the reason you got stuck in the hospital when it got attacked…” Victini answered. “And for getting so caught up in seeing the others, that I kind of forgot you were there…”

“Kind of?” Abbee asked jokingly. Victini grinned weakly.

“Explicitly…” Victini corrected, and Abbee grinned despite herself, though still teary.

"I'm not mad, and I'm not jealous. I'm just..." Abbee began, before struggling to articulate exactly how she felt, before groaning to herself in frustration at this verbal block she faced.

"You know what happened in the weeks before I met you right?" Abbee asked, knowing Victini knew the answer. He nodded solemnly.

"I lost my Dad, completely by surprise. Mum had been gone for years, and Tyler and I weren't exactly close so Dad was all I had, and he had been ripped from me, and I had no clue that when he dropped me off at the Eon Academy that that would be the last time I would ever see him," Abbee explained. "That week I went back home for the funeral, I had never felt more alone, even with Alyssa and Tyler there. I was with Tyler, and long term, I was going to live with him, but he and I barely knew a thing about each other. We had an easier time talking to complete strangers than one-another. After the funeral, I went back to Mossdeep to finish the summer, because the people there felt more like family to me than my own brother did, and I wanted just another week or two before I had to go back to feeling alone. Then you came along, and even after we went home after summer, I didn't feel alone anymore..."

"When I gave you my blessing to go with Cassandra for this mission, I knew that there was a chance that you would want to stay with her when this is all over. And as much as I knew I would miss you if that happened, I wanted you to do what would make you happy. I even released you from your Pokeball, so that the choice would be completely yours...."

Abbee wiped her sleeve against her eyes.

"I was okay with it, because I knew that whether or not you were with me or Cassandra, the bond we had was real, and it would persevere. Even if you were on the other side of the planet, we'd always be friends. That our time together meant something," Abbee said. "Then I find out that Cassandra didn't take you on to her team, weeks after you originally left, and instead of being honest with me about it, you left me in the dark. I locked myself in a storage room, because I had no way of knowing whether it was safe to get out, and needed you then, but you weren’t there…"

Victini remained silent hearing this. Abbee wasn't trying to condemn him, but just trying to explain how she felt about this, and he understood that. It just stung a little.

"Then, after hearing me ask Cassandra to let you know I want to talk to you, you don't even let me know you are there, until Cassandra started talking about how difficult their situation was after the Wishmaker incident, and it was to convince her to come out of hiding. After that, it was more catchup, and I may as well have been a complete stranger, or not even there at all..."

"Abbee..." Victini began, however Abbee continued.

"I'm not angry, and I'm not jealous," Abbee repeated, before taking a brief second to think over her next words.

"I was okay with you teaming up with Cassandra, maybe even staying with her after all this is over, because I believed that our bond would survive that. But then, all this happens, and in a few short weeks, it looks like it is completely gone, that the last three years were nothing..." Abbee said, starting to tear up again. "And all of a sudden, I'm fifteen again, having just been orphaned and alone in the world, and terrified by it..."

Victini jumped up onto the counter, now closer to eye level with Abbee, who could now see he was teary himself.

"Why are you crying?" she asked jokingly through tears.

"Because of how dense I've been..." Victini retorted back, joking equally through his own tears, before attempting to hug her, however his short limbs made that very difficult.

"I'm sorry," Victini said. "I've been so distracted by what's going on, and wanting to help Cass out, I didn't think enough about how I was treating my best friend..."

Abbee smiled a little hearing him say that.

"Thank you. It really means a lot..." Abbee said, "And if when this is over, you want to stay with Cass..."

"Abbee, it's-"

"Just keep in touch when you can," Abbee said. "Now and forever. Let me know you're happy, safe and doing well. Let me know you still think of me amidst whatever crazy adventures you get up to. That's all I ask..."

"If..." Victini said. "I decide to stick with Cass, you have my word. Even if I have to learn to read and write, or send a messenger Pidgey..."

Abbee laughed at the thought of Victini attempting to type an email on a public computer with his little arms, before noticing her reflection in the mirror.

"Goddamn, if I don't clean myself up, people will think Alola's fate is in the hands of a pair of cry-babys..." Abbee said, as she picked Victini up, placing him on her shoulder, before trying to clean up her damp eyes.

"If anyone asks about the red eyes, we tell them we were smoking in here..." Victini said, nearly falling off Abbee's shoulder as she jolted with laughter.

"Somehow, I think people would trust a pair of cry-babies more than a pair of stoners to keep the island safe..."

Once Abbee and Victini were content that they weren't going to attract too much attention to what had gone down in the bathroom, they both left, trying to slip back into the small crowd that had gathered in the lobby...

Outside in the lobby, the crowd of people were largely sharing stories about what had happened since the S.S. Wishmaker. There was little more they could do. Cassandra and Violet were in no position to help Avery at that point, and honestly, any moment of rest before they left the perceived safety of the lobby was a moment to be grateful for.

As Abbee and Victini emerged, having both taken a few minutes to compose themselves and clean themselves up, they joined the group, most of whom were strangers to Abbee. However, as Abbee joined them, Cassandra took a step back to address Victini directly, trying to be quiet so as to not be overheard, though Abbee couldn’t help but hear it, with Victini sitting on her shoulder.

Cassandra had known from the beginning that Abbee was Victini’s trainer now. She had come to terms with it, watching the video of the pair battling against the College of the North Wind, seeing how far the Victory Star Pokemon had come. And whilst she was okay with this, knowing it was her decision to leave Victini behind when she decided to live as an Eevee in the Starglade, and felt no personal responsibility for Abbee’s hurt feelings, she also knew that Victini wanted desperately to make everyone happy, and to make amends for his own perceived failure during his time with her. It had been obvious in the short time she spent with him at the Eon Academy that he felt like he hadn’t been strong enough to help her back then, and now that he was stronger under Abbee’s training, he wanted to make up for that.

Despite the tension not being her fault, Cassandra knew there was something she could do, for Abbee’s sake, but the intention was for Victini’s sake.

“Cass, I just wanted to say something…” Victini said quietly from Abbee’s shoulder, however Cassandra knew she had to end this conversation.

“Victini, I know how much you want to be everything for everyone. But you taking leave from Abbee, and tagging along with me, or trying to watch from afar and make sure nothing happens to me… It can’t be…” Cassandra said, maintaining eye-contact, and keeping her tone firm. “I abandoned you. I know that you understood why, and don’t see it like that, but at the end of the day, you were my Pokemon, my partner, and I ended that. I made the call to stop being your trainer. And now, you’ve made a life for yourself with Abbee, and are thriving. But it’s not fair on you, and it’s really not fair on her to partner up with me again, even if it’s temporary…”

“I really don’t like choosing like this…” Victini said, frowning, though Cassandra shook her head.

“You’re not choosing Victini, and I’m not choosing either. We’ve both already chosen. I chose to leave you, and you chose to partner up with Abbee. And we both need to respect those choices. I want you to be Abbee’s partner, fully and completely from now on,” Cassandra told him. “It doesn’t mean that we avoid seeing each other. And it doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be friends. We always will be. But we won’t ever be partners like we used to be…”

Cassandra looked at Abbee, who had her back towards her, pretending to be listening to the conversation between the others, however knew Abbee could hear every word.

“You belong to her, and she belongs to you,” Cassandra said. “A bond that strong, you can’t let anything or anyone come between. Not even me…”

Victini looked away, unable to make eye contact. Whilst Cassandra knew it hurt him to hear her say this, she knew he needed to hear it. He would try to keep both of them happy, when the nature of the situation made it impossible, and would only hurt himself more to keep trying.

“Okay…” Victini said quietly, nodding softly. “Your last order, noted and accepted. I’m Abbee’s Pokemon…”

“I know I don’t need to tell you to be good to her…” Cassandra said with a smile. “Anyone can see you already have been…”

Cassandra went to join the others, and Victini turned, facing the group as he and Abbee stood at the back of it, Victini still teary.

“She’ll be okay…” Abbee said to Victini. “She is strong. Nobody could go from where they were to where they are now, without being pretty damn strong…”

“Thanks…” Victini said, attempting to dry his eyes.

“When they’re ready, let’s find something to eat before the meeting,” Abbee said. “You can have as many desserts as you like, as long as they don’t reappear when things get intense…”

Victini laughed, remembering a training battle they had with Jon, after Victini and Abbee went out for lunch, where he overate. The look on Jon's face was priceless when Victini's Death By Chocolate Sundae and Apple Cinnamon Pancakes made a reappearance on Latios' face after a sluggish V-Create…

As Victini laughed, Abbee noticed the Alolan Vulpix sitting on a couch to be closer to the conversation level with the others, and whilst she wasn’t close enough to hear it over the chatter, she could tell that the others were talking to it, and it seemed to be talking back.

“Who does the Vulpix belong to?” Abbee asked Victini quietly.

“She is a Shadowcraft user from the S.S. Wishmaker. Remember Jon mentioned Luneth back in Mossdeep after getting her file?” Victini asked, as Abbee nodded. “She isn’t as cut out for frontline stuff, but when Giratina and the witches attacked, she figured if she were smaller and less conspicuous she could get behind their lines and learn more about them…”

Acknowledging this, Abbee walked towards the couch where Luneth sat, and leaned close so she could be heard. Luneth looked at Abbee, somewhat puzzled, having never spoken to her before.

“Victini told me about you,” Abbee explained. “I’m part of Eon Squad and we are having a meeting tonight, that Triad and a few others will be coming to. Jon mightn’t be too pleased with me, but I think that given the fact Triad trust you, and your abilities with Shadowcraft, it’s worth you being there as well…”

Luneth nodded, not knowing if Abbee understood Pokemon speech, but figuring that Victini would translate, and spoke.

“Alright, I’ll be there…”

The sun was starting to lower in the sky, and Abbee, Triad and Luneth were likely travelling on foot to Eon Squad HQ, so the decision was made to carefully leave the Tide Song Hotel, get dinner, and head to the meeting. Triad said their goodbyes to Avery and Abital, as well as Jimmy, before leaving, promising Avery they’d meet them there the next morning to remove the hex.

Not wanting to risk getting caught in the streets again, Avery spent half an hour attempting to convince the receptionist to find them a room, having to reassure her that Avery would not weigh too much for the elevator, and wouldn’t damage the flooring or bedding of the room. During this time, Jimmy received a text from Steven.

”Aladdin, there is a meeting planned for this evening, 9pm. Eon Squad are hosting, however this meeting is confidential and invite only. Everyone present has been invited by myself, Cynthia or Eon Squad as hosts, and as such, the existence of it must not be shared with anyone, even fellow operatives. Given the day's events, we will be discussing what we have learned in the last twenty four hours, and our next steps. Details regarding location will be sent securely.

We appreciate your help during this mess. Hopefully we can resolve this soon.
Titan.”

Jimmy’s callsign, Aladdin, had been chosen due to his bond with a being that can grant wishes, and Jimmy couldn't help but chuckle every time he saw it used in a serious message.

Despite resting, Jimmy knew Jirachi was tuned in to his thoughts.

”We won’t be back at HQ for a while…” Jimmy said to Jirachi. ”We have a meeting tonight, and now might be a good chance to get the ball rolling for Wishmaker HQ…”

”Affirmative Jimmy!” Jirachi responded enthusiastically. ”I’ll make sure the place is tidy before we have guests!”

”We designed the HQ to tidy itself, remember?” Jimmy asked, somewhat confused. ”We were wondering where the wet towels were going after they were used, and only found out when they went mouldy, and we could smell something in the ventilation system?”

Jirachi laughed remembering, despite the smell.

”I said I’d make sure it was tidy!” Jirachi joked. ”I never said I’d clean it myself! I’m supposed to be resting and recovering, remember?”

Jimmy chuckled to himself.

”Of course…”

Outside the Tide Song Hotel, Abbee, Victini, Triad and Luneth, walked cautiously down Main Street. Abbee took the Vanguard position, having Victini as well as her championship level Pokemon at her disposal, whilst Jarena, who of the three Shadowcraft users was the most alert, took the rear. Violet, Cassandra and Luneth walked between them, as they made sure they weren’t about to be attacked, or being followed.

After a few minutes, Luneth increased her pace, until she saw only a few feet behind Abbee.

“Hey, Victini?” Luneth called out, trying to get his attention. He turned around from where he perched on Abbee’s shoulder, and looked towards her. She nodded towards Abbee. “Can she understand us? Oh, and what’s her name?”

The last question was almost an afterthought, and Abbee couldn’t help but grin hearing this.

“You can call me Abbee,” Abbee answered, inadvertently answering Luneth’s first question.

Naturally inquisitive, this one answer provided Luneth with more questions, however knowing that Abbee’s role was to protect the four of them, and the likelihood of them being attacked was still high, she didn’t want to be a distraction, instead, saving her questions for later, staring at Abbee’s heels as she walked, trying to not see the devastation that was around her from the afternoon’s attack…

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

The sun had just set when Agatha and her followers returned to the abandoned Thrifty Megamart that was now their home, greeted by various Ghost Pokemon that acted as guards, constantly lurking just out of sight.

“We lost a few out there,” Willow reported as she stood before Agatha’s desk. “Six dead, and twelve unaccounted for…”

“Compared to how many of theirs?” Agatha asked, with a devilish grin, and not waiting for an answer. “Willow, time is on our side, not theirs. People are too terrified to come out on the streets, and their hospital is a pile of rubble under their feet now. They will be frantically trying to regroup, and figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, we are getting close to our goal before they’ve even made their first real move…”

Both witches' attention was drawn to a cry of a Pokemon, as a Gourgeist emerged through a wall, looking fondly at Agatha, who kneeled down to stroke its long pink hair.

“You don’t think Rayquaza was a move from them? I don’t think this is the end. They’re going to try again, and nobody accounted for Rayquaza in the plan for today’s attack…” Willow asked, still in shock at seeing the clash of the two Legendary Dragons.

“I never said they wouldn’t,” Agatha laughed cynically, as she stood, leaving the Gourgeist to return to playing with the other ghost Pokemon. “I’d be pretty disappointed if they didn’t. But they have had all week to make a move, but have spent all their time trying to help people. It’s a weakness…”

Agatha didn’t answer the question about Rayquaza, because this concerned her slightly too. Whilst she wanted to believe Rayquaza was wild, and happened to sniff out Giratina and want a fight, she had seen the way it battled and knew that it battled too precisely to be wild.

“Who do you think the traitors are?” Willow asked. “The ones that heard your call and decided to work against us?”

“Does it matter?” Agatha asked with a smirk. “Understand this Willow. Our power grows daily, while their's weakens. In three days, it would take the power of a god to stop us, and if they had Arceus in their corner, they would have used it by now…”

“So what’re our next steps?” Willow asked, knowing by this point that Agatha was beyond worrying about the present threat of the League.

“We continue with our plans, and keep them on the defensive…” Agatha explained. “Meanwhile, we continue our research and figure out if we can accelerate our plans…”

“Any word on that?” Willow asked. Agatha looked at the desk in front of her, for any notes that may have been left. They had left a reasonable amount of witches behind at the Megamart during the attack, to make sure their plans weren’t interrupted, and some were tasked with figuring out how they could accelerate their goals.

Agatha shook her head.

“Let’s see for ourselves…” Agatha said, a gleam in her eye. “I never grow tired of seeing it grow…”

Agatha brewed herself a cup of tea, not offering Willow one, before the pair left the office that Agatha had commandeered, and made for another office at the back of the building. Inside, a gaunt, older witch by the name of Gail had been looking over an open tome, by the name of Anexeth, which Agatha believed to be the last of its kind. Hovering above the tome however, was a dark, vortex-like anomaly, swirling around like a floating whirlpool of shadows, gaining strength and power with each passing moment.

“How are things progressing?” Willow asked, however Gail was not in the most pleasant of moods.

“I’d tell you, if I knew what things are…” Gail answered. “I presume they’re going well, but seeing as I’ve been kept in the dark as to what I’m looking at, I can’t be certain…”

Agatha took a sip of team before speaking.

“I’ll tell you, but I don’t want word of this reaching outside or there will be hell to pay. Steven and Cynthia are on this island, trying to end our insurrection, and put a stop to this…”

“But they don’t know what it is?” Willow asked, however Agatha shook her head.

“Whilst it’s still in this formative state, it can be disrupted by any idiot if they stampede in here and break something…” Agatha said, before turning to Gail. “This is the Netherlink…”

Gail looked at Agatha, feeling no closer to understanding, as Agatha sighed.

“I presume you’ve heard of the void? The plane of pure energy and knowledge that fuels our Shadowcraft?”

Gail nodded in understanding, as Agatha continued.

“Those who are strong of mind and will can peer into the void, learning more about Shadowcraft in the process. Every spell that you find in a tome was discovered by someone who peered into the void themselves. However, if one is not careful, they can be absorbed into the void, where they will be transformed into pure energy,” Agatha explained. “It’s cruel that the more hungry for knowledge a person is, the more likely they will be absorbed and destroyed by it. But imagine if one could turn the tables of this scenario, and be able to absorb the void itself. Both in terms of energy, and knowledge…”

“And this is what the Netherlink will allow us to do?” Gail asked. “Be able to absorb knowledge and energy from the void?”

“You’re thinking on too small of a scale…” Agatha explained, her grin growing. “We harness the void, most people without even realising, every time they perform Shadowcraft. Yet we don’t actually know how to intentionally harness it. We can perform spells, intending whatever effect we desire on the world around us, and the void is harnessed, but we don’t know how to directly affect the void itself…”

Gail nodded slowly, seeming to understand it, though struggling to wrap her head around it.

“We wouldn’t simply be absorbing the void for the sake of knowledge and power. We’d be absorbing the void, to be able to harness it intentionally,” Agatha explained. “That is the first function of the Netherlink. To allow us direct access to the void, without being destroyed by it…”

“What’s the second?”

“After we have gained the knowledge necessary for us to harness and affect the void itself directly, we’d allow the void to flood through the Netherlink, saturating all in this world, from the ground beneath our feet, the skies above us, and all that lives between them. This event is called the Netherclysm,” Agatha explained. “Imagine, the entire world, saturated in the void, ready for us to manipulate it to our bidding…”

“We’d be gods…” Gail said, unable to hide the sadistic glee in her eyes.

“The world and all its inhabitants would be ours to shape into whatever we see fit…” Agatha agreed. “And in three days, this will come to pass…”

Agatha stepped towards the small, swirling vortex that hovered on the desk in front of them.

“It’s so… beautiful…”

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

Wanting to investigate further, Jon had spent the last hour or so riding around the streets surrounding the attack site. Whilst Giratina was easy enough to hide in a Pokeball, the group of witches who attacked wouldn't be as difficult to hide, short of teleporting to the site of the attack. Even if they didn't come as a group, or weren't in their cloaks, with enough time and intuition, one could gain an idea of their movements.

Riding around, he had a small tablet mounted to the handlebars of his bike, looking for security cameras in the nearby streets. On the tablet was a map that he would mark with the locations and rough viewing angles of the cameras he saw.

As he did this, he thought more about Giratina. Knowing from experience, the only way to hide a Pokemon like that would be with an unregistered Pokeball, which in and of themselves were highly illegal. If Giratina was in a Pokeball, it would have to be unregistered, otherwise the League would be aware of who it is registered to and where it had been scanned by PCs and medical equipment. Of course there was also the chance Giratina used some interdimensional travel, however he wouldn't know until he saw the security footage of Giratina appearing. If Giratina was in an unregistered Pokeball, they could potentially get some leads, but it would be tricky.

Jon felt his phone buzz, and saw a call from Alyssa on screen.

"Jon, are you okay?" she asked, trying not to sound worried as she felt. Jon knew that she didn't want him to know just how worried she got. She knew he wanted to do what he could to help in the situation, and figured that if he was too worried about his wife at home freaking out over his safety, he was more likely to slip up. That didn't stop her from worrying though.

"I'm fine. You saw the hospital?" he asked.

"Yeah, and I saw your friend getting involved," Alyssa said. "Then it just went down. Is it okay?"

"They used a cheap trick, but I think it is better now..." Jon explained. "I showed up a few minutes after my friend, and by the time I was there, Dylan had them on the ropes."

"How is he doing?" Alyssa asked worriedly, viewing Dylan as a mixture of younger brother and foster son.

"It's hard to say..." Jon sighed. "In the fighting his Metagross killed three of the witches, and he took it pretty hard. If he hadn't have intervened, a lot more people would have died. The fact he knew what was happening was because of a hunch I dismissed but he followed through. He has a good head on his shoulders, and his instincts are on point. It's just a matter of making sure he doesn't doubt himself and his own conviction..."

Alyssa sighed, sad to hear that Dylan was struggling a bit with what he had to do.

"How's Lili?" Jon asked. Amelia, he and Alyssa's three year old daughter was at home with Alyssa. Even if they didn't have kids, Jon wouldn't have wanted Alyssa here. She came on the S.S. Wishmaker, having gotten herself a media pass, and Jon wasn't in a position to stop her without giving away the job he was working, and it terrified him, thinking back to the potential danger to her. He was glad that Alyssa didn't come, and had reason to hold down the fort.

"She just woke up from her nap," Alyssa said. "I'll go get her."

A few moments later, Jon could hear Alyssa in the distance, telling Lili 'Daddy is on the phone'. After the sound of the phone being fumbled, Jon heard the familiar voice of his daughter on the other end of the line.

"Daddy?"

"Hey Lili..." Jon said, now wishing more and more that Agatha had have stayed in whatever decrepit crypt she crawled out of. "How're you doing?"

"I'm... okay..." she said, though Jon wasn't convinced. "When are you coming home?"

Hearing this pained Jon. Since Amelia was born, Jon had run the Eon Academy, meaning he was always a few minutes away from her at most, even bringing her along to some sessions he ran there. This was the longest he had been away from her.

"As soon as I can, and not a moment longer," Jon said. "I know you and Mummy are waiting for me, so I won't dawdle. I just... have some things I have to do here first..."

"What things?" Lili asked. "You're not battling, because you aren't on TV..."

Jon chuckled, realising she was too smart for her own good.

"No, I'm not battling, I'm just helping a friend out," Jon explained. "I will tell you all about it when I get home."

Thinking about what happened at the hospital today, and the people who got caught up in the battle, and wouldn't be going home again, Jon felt a wave of pain wash over him.

"I love you Lili, forever and always," Jon said. "Don't ever forget that..."

"I love you too Daddy," she replied. "Please come home soon..."

Amelia handed the phone back to Alyssa, who Jon quickly caught up on the day’s events, before arranging another time to speak, so that Alyssa would know when to expect an update, and know not to call and risk blowing his cover by doing so. As the call ended, Jon sighed, wishing he could be anywhere but here. The last thing he wanted was for Alyssa to lose her husband, and Amelia to grow up without her dad. And Jon really wanted to say thanks but no thanks when Cassandra approached him, and Steven recruited him for the mission. But he also knew that Cassandra took a chance on him and answered his call three or four years ago, and the threat she described had the potential to reach him and his family in Hoenn. He couldn't sit by and do nothing, when he stood a decent chance of helping.

Realising that he needed to get moving if he wanted to get this map fully marked before the meeting, he shelved the thoughts haunting him, replacing them with a fierce determination to resolve this conflict as soon as he could.

"Stay alive, and deal with this s**t. Then you can go home..." he thought to himself.

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

After the battle, Dylan had made his way back to the Villa that served as HQ, as there they had the computers and database access to investigate.

Pulling out the four banknotes that he had received from the pawn shop before meeting Brianna, he quickly inspected them to make sure there weren't any dead giveaways that they were counterfeit, and when he was mostly certain they were legitimate, opened up the Alola Treasury Database, access granted by his involvement with the League in the operation, which was a gargantuan list of all bank notes that were in circulation.

When governments first proposed keeping a database of all banknotes a few years ago, there was a lot of debate whether the effort was worth the reward. However with the amount of illegal weapons and unregistered Pokedex's, healing machines and Pokeballs in circulation, the debate ended up siding with creating the database which in and of itself took years to get to a viable level. All the banks had to have their ATMs modified to scan the serial numbers on the banknotes and record the accounts they were entering and leaving via into the database, and whilst incomplete, the $100 note section still had over a hundred million entries.

Doing a quick search Dylan established that the four notes were from three different accounts. Two of them from two individual accounts and the other two from a third. This third account however, Dylan soon realised, was actually withdrawn using a prepaid card from the Kalos Postal Service, as part of a $1500 withdrawal. Whilst a name had to be registered to it, little was done to verify that the person who listed their name as Steven Stone when buying this card, was actually Steven Stone, and sure enough the name associated with the card was a dead end.

"Hey Peter..." Dylan called out to the Miller. Whilst Dylan knew Miller didn't like to be interrupted, he also knew Miller understood how important the work they were doing was. There was an unspoken agreement, if it's important, to talk to him, but if it isn't let him work.

"What's going on?" Miller asked from across the room, knowing if Dylan were speaking up, it must be important.

"The Kalos postal service, is it government operated like in Hoenn, or private like in Sinnoh?" Dylan asked.

"I think it's government operated..." Peter replied, before doing a quick search. "Yeah it is..."

Dylan quickly attached the card number of the prepaid card that the bank notes had been withdrawn using to a message and sent it to Miller.

"This card has a fake name attached to it, which is a dead end, but I doubt this witch has heaps of them. It would be too difficult to manage, and raise alarm bells if noticed..." Dylan explained. "But if I got some details of other transactions it was used for..."

Whilst Dylan could contact the Kalos Postal Service with the information, it would take too long. That, and Brianna has shown she knows more than she should, so if going off the books could reduce the risk of her finding out, he would rather take it.

"And if it's government, I should be able to sidestep into the database?" Miller asked. "That's what you're thinking?"

"What I'm relying on, actually..." Dylan retorted. Miller chuckled, before speaking up.

"Give me fifteen minutes," Miller explained. "Get me a coffee and it may become ten..."

Dylan nodded, making his way to the kitchenette nearby, and preparing the coffee machine. Once he had a cup ready for him, Dylan made his way back to Miller, handing him the cup.

"I emailed you the transaction history," Miller explained, surprising Dylan at how quick he was. "If she has another card, it will be near impossible to find. I already checked for other cards under that name and there were none."

"You've already done plenty," Dylan explained. "She is cocky, and cocky people slip up eventually. This should be enough to find her..."

Dylan made his way back to the computer he was working on, opening the emails, and finding the transaction history. One stood out to him though.

Crown Harbour Hotel.

Dylan quickly googled it, figuring the hotel probably required a card as security, finding it was on Akala Island.

"S**t..." he thought to himself as he read through the page. "It's nearly $700 a night to stay here..."

Whilst his immediate response was to use the League’s authority to get the information from the hotel, he decided against it. This was the sort of place celebrities stayed at, and he wouldn't be surprised if the hotel would notify high profile guests of any inquiries about them. Whilst Miller could attempt to hack their system, it was not his expertise, and a place like this needs beyond adequate security for client confidentiality. Miller was a League tech-security worker, but given the league's close involvement with government servers, he knew how to access most of them, even if he shouldn't be able to. Dylan looked back at the transaction history, for anything he could use to find her. After a few minutes, he noticed a recurring transaction from a year earlier. A bottle shop in Kalos, always $84.47, or some multiple of it, multiple times a week.

His mind raced as he put together the pieces. This consistent sort of transaction implied it was one item being purchased. Dylan figured she had a weakness for alcohol, and based on her hotel choice, money wasn't an issue.

He opened the website for the chain, and spent the next hour scouring the website for items stocked by the bottle shop listed in the transaction, which cost $84.47. By the end of it, he had a list of five items, a white wine, a red, two types of tequila, and a single malt scotch. Reopening the tab for the hotel, Dylan quickly found the Room Service menu, and cross-referenced the drinks list to the five he found, finding they shared the white wine and the tequila.

A plan began to hatch in Dylan's head. Whilst Brianna seemed calm and collected, her transaction history implied a slight dependence on a certain type of alcohol, his bet being the white wine, as she would be extremely drunk every night to drink a whole bottle of tequila on her own between the transactions listed in the year earlier. If he could get eyes on the waiter handling drink orders for room service, and keep an eye out for the white wine being ordered, they might be able to get more information about Brianna.

"Gotcha..." Dylan said to himself, as he began fleshing out his plan...

[[Desolate Divine]]

Going away for a week so won't be able to write again until next week (when I also have assignments due. RIP. However we are at what I guess to be the halfway point of Spiritwater! So keen to get to uncharted territory! Almost there...

[[Desolate Divine]]

Just chiming in to say I am still alive (just) and haven't forgotten this. Actually got some pretty exciting stuff to share, but don't want to jump the gun more than I already have.

Camp went relatively well, but didn't get a second to spare, and since returning, I have been recovering from that, working on essays, and now have a wedding to travel for this weekend. So hopefully writing will continue in another week or so.

If you've been keeping up or catching up, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Spiritwater is the quietest things have been in terms of feedback, and whilst I don't have time to write the next episode right now, would love to chat about how people are enjoying it.

Cheers guys!

[[Desolate Divine]]

Spiritwater Episode 9: Discord

Spoiler:

“You wouldn’t dare! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Willow’s voice could be heard all throughout the Megamart, even rousing Agatha from her private quarters to come and see what the fuss is about.

It had been less than an hour since Willow and Agatha’s discussion with Gail about the Netherlink, and Nicodemus had approached Willow with a discovery, which would accelerate the Netherlink’s growth, but required something only Willow could offer.

Agatha slammed the door to Willow’s laboratory open, causing glass jars of reagents on the shelves to wobble from the force, as she glared between her two subordinates, Nicodemus with a smug expression that even she hated, and Willow looking as if she were ready to murder him should he open his mouth.

“This had better be important…” Agatha muttered angrily. “Details… Now…”

“In my research, I discovered a way to accelerate the growth of the Netherlink, by use of additive reagents,” Nicodemus answered smugly, his grin widening. “Very rare, and very precise, but well within reach for us…”

“What reagents?” Agatha asked, now interested in this debate.

“Eon blood. The blood of Latios and Latias combined,” Nicodemus explained. “It would be a banquet…”

Suddenly the argument made sense to Agatha. Willow was the trainer of a Latias, and was very fond of the Pokemon, and it was no secret that Jon Drake, who was famous for his Latios, was on the island. He had even been seen during the battle at Heahea City Hospital, and Agatha was sure he was involved with the League.

“How much would it accelerate the Netherlink?” Agatha asked.

“At least an entire day,” Nicodemus answered. “But that will only increase the sooner we add them to the mix. If we added both right now, it could very well complete it…”

“Barely a sacrifice,” Agatha scoffed, ecstatic at the prospect of accelerating her plans, whilst also removing a potential threat. “Pokemon exist to serve us, and Latias will serve as she should. You will draw out as much as we need…”

“What about Latios’ blood?” Willow asked angrily. “Latias’ is useless to the cause without her brother’s blood!”

“Jon Drake is on the island and his Latios is with him…” Nicodemus noted, as Agatha nodded in approval, her patience for Willow and her hysterics growing thinner by the minute.

“You really think Jon Drake would let you get Latios’ blood?” Willow said to Nicodemus. “He’d murder you before you got near him…”

Unlike Agatha, who had only really paid any attention to Jon when Latios had stopped the S.S. Wishmaker from crashing, and Nicodemus who only knew Jon as the trainer of the Latios he was after, WIllow had kept an eye on Jon’s appearances in the news in recent years, being the trainer of her Latias’ brother. She had heard the stories of the poacher that Jon killed in the Whirl Islands, as well as the Pokemon Latios had murdered with ease when the need arose.

“I’d welcome him to try!” Nicodemus laughed, and Willow’s eyes flared.

“I’d welcome him to as well!” Willow shouted at Nicodemus, before moving towards him.

“Enough!” Agatha roared, as both her subordinates went quiet. Agatha looked at Willow. “We will get Latios. Jon Drake and Latios are trapped on Akala Island. However, we have people who remained offshore, in case we needed work done elsewhere. And I think we could back Jon into a corner where he hands Latios over willingly…”

Willow’s eyes widened.

“You want to go after his wife?” Willow asked.

“I’d like to regardless, as he is proving to be a pain in the neck, but sadly, I don’t think that’s the case. If he is here, she is likely under League protection somewhere…” Agatha explained. “But he has lots of students, a handful he is close to in particular…”

“Two of them competed in Goldenrod City today…” Nicodemus noted, having considered this tactic as well. He had made sure to have an idea for Latios before he let Willow know about Latias’ role in accelerating the Netherlink, and had done his research. “We have brethren nearby, who could be there tomorrow, and Jon will be in no position to help them…”

Agatha nodded, appreciating the plan.

“We will still target Latios if he makes an appearance here. But as a contingency, we will take hostages, and force Jon to hand Latios over…” Agatha explained, before staring Willow down. “We need to be prepared for the moment Latios’ blood is in our possession, and as such, Nicodemus will extract what he needs to, tonight...”

Willow forced a bow, knowing that if she continued to fight against this, now that both their minds were made up, they’d simply incapacitate her, or potentially even try and use their contacts in Hoenn to go after her own family back home. She had to go along with it. For now…

“I have other tasks I must attend to,” Nicodemus explained. “The next set of reagents will be required in half an hour, and they must be prepared. So I will return in an hour, and there will be no discussion…”

Taking his cue to leave, Nicodemus walked out, leaving Agatha and Willow alone.

“This is all for our new world,” Agatha said to Willow. “Latias are rare, but not completely unique. You can use what you gain from the Netherclysm to find another. But for now, the Netherlink is our priority…”

Willow remained silent, as Agatha left her, leaving her alone in her laboratory, considering her options. Before she could go any further though, she knew that there was someone she needed to include in the planning. Her life depended on it after all.

Willow grabbed Latias’ Pokeball, priming it, before letting the Pokemon out.

A little over four-and-a-half feet from nose to tail, the red and white jet-shaped Pokemon emerged in the Pokeball’s light, levitating above the ground, and taking in her surroundings. It had been over a week since Willow had let Latias out of her Pokeball, as the roaming Ghost Pokemon tended to harass her. She looked around, taking in the mess, before noticing Willow’s solemn expression.

”Willow… what’s going on?”

“They need your blood…” Willow told her, being as honest as she could be. “It is a reagent that will accelerate their plans…”

”Netherclysm, isn’t it?” Latias asked. Despite the question not being verbal, and only heard by Willow, she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder to make sure nobody was nearby.

“Don’t let anyone know I told you about that…” Willow whispered. “They’ll kill me if they knew, or worse. But they need your blood. And your brother’s…”

”Why bother? Latios isn’t-” Latias began, however, felt a presence now that she was out of her Pokeball. A familiar presence she hadn’t felt in over a decade. Latios, on this very island.

”How much blood do they need?”

“I don’t know…” Willow muttered, shocked that it had come to this. “It sounds like they want a lot… Everything they’re doing is all for this spell, and they’ve made it abundantly clear that nothing is too much to give to make it happen…”

”We should just go. Forget this place, and go back home…” Latias replied. ”There’s so much wrong with all of this…”

“I know, but we can’t leave…” Willow replied, shaking her head and unable to make eye contact with her partner. “They’ve trapped everyone on the island. If we leave here, they will just track us down, and kill us. I swear, we should have never left Hoenn…”

Latias grimaced, knowing that Willow had no way of knowing how dark of a turn this excursion would take. She had believed it to be a way to learn more of Shadowcraft and grow stronger, and now they were trapped. And whilst Willow was right, in that they would be hunted if they even managed to escape, she knew they couldn’t stay.

”Could you buy us enough time to get out of here?” Latias asked. ”Either a false trail to follow, or even just a way of having them not look for us for a few hours?”

“I mean… maybe?” Willow said, trying to think. “But where would we go until we can get off the island?”

“My brother…”

Latias began to focus her thoughts, trying to find any trace of the presence she felt earlier. The reason it had been so easy to find before was because it hadn’t been there for a decade prior, like background noise suddenly appearing. Now she had become accustomed to it however, it wasn’t as easy to spot it. Finally she did, forcing all her telepathic strength into a single message, and trying to gauge where on the island he was. Whilst she couldn’t achieve this with any other Pokemon, she and her brother shared a deeper bond, despite not seeing each other in many years, and now seeming to be on opposite sides of the war they found themselves in.

"Latios… brother, if you can hear me, please. I’m here… and we need your help. They’re…

…they’re preparing something truly horrible, and… it involves me… and you…"

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

Latios levitated in the air above Eon Squad HQ, acting as sentry for the meeting at Jon’s request. Whilst Latios had tried to remain telepathically linked, Jon didn’t want the distraction of Latios’ thoughts, and didn’t want Latios distracted by his own whilst he was on duty. Additionally, Jon had set rules for Eon Squad, and was going to be setting rules for the meeting, with Steven and Cynthia’s permission, that allowing Latios to remain telepathically linked would break. As such, Latios remained in the sky above Eon Squad HQ, watching as people in the distance went about their lives, and occasionally, operatives made their way towards the villa, Latios having noticed a large group containing Triad and Abbee enter the building before.

The real benefit to having Latios on lookout however, was Latios’ ability to detect emotions. This sense was not impeded by things such as camouflage, and despite not being certain, Latios could guess intentions. If he spotted someone displaying contempt and anger, that would be a sign that there may be danger.

"Latios… brother, if you can hear me, please. I’m here… and we need your help. They’re…

…they’re preparing something truly horrible, and… it involves me… and you…"

Latios jerked around, looking everywhere for the source of the voice in his head. The voice was feminine, but he didn't have a sister... At least, not one he knew of. Whilst Latios didn't keep track of time the way humans did until he met Jon, Jon estimated that Latios would be roughly twenty years old based on his size and, as Jon put it, 'maturity or lack thereof'. Fourteen or so of those years were with Jon, and at a guess based on Latios' size in his own memories, Latios left Southern Island two years before he met Jon, though he couldn't remember why. He didn't remember a great deal of the first four, give-or-take, years of his life. Only really learning to communicate with telepathy in the last four years, he learnt that most creatures, people or Pokemon can't remember their early days. But he'd know if he had a sister?

The presence in his mind lingered for a second as the message faded, and Latios had a sense of familiarity, and now that he was having it, he recalled having that same sense many years earlier in a tournament, distracting him and losing the battle.

Feeling the consciousness that had scraped his own start to fade, Latios used his own telepathy to jump on it, trying to strengthen the link, and figure out its source. Jon would not approve of such a risky manoeuvre during a mission, as it could be a ploy from Agatha, however he knew it wasn't. He had felt this sense of familiarity well before Agatha was in the picture, and there was no way she could have known, let alone mimicked it so perfectly...

As Latios dove into the consciousness, the familiarity grew, as he suddenly remembered something from before he left Southern Island, as well as experiencing someone else's memories, causing pieces to come together.

He was still small, barely even two feet tall, sitting alone under the shade of a tree on Southern Island, trying to stay out of the storm that was billowing outside, and stay dry himself. However, more important than that, was the white and red egg, a little under a foot tall, he huddled around, trying to keep it warm.

Latios didn't know his mother. She had left long before, as she knew her time was nearly up. She had told the native Pokemon of Southern Island her story, and the cruel luck of Legendary Pokemon. The reason those that can breed are still so difficult to find. Very rarely can they reproduce, it usually taking years, and when they are able to, it usually took too much of a toll on them to live much longer. Because of this, most Legendary Pokemon grow up alone, with no parents, and the cruel cycle continues.

He had hatched a year earlier, and been told by the other Pokemon what became of his mother. Laying not one but two eggs took all the strength she had, and not wanting her offspring to hatch, only to find her decayed body, she left. The Pokemon presume she died somewhere in the ocean between Southern Island and the Hoenn mainland. She had left one other message.

"Look after each other."

Latios was the first to hatch, and hear the story. He stayed by the egg, only leaving when absolutely necessary, until two years later, the egg hatched, bringing Latias into the world. From then, the pair were inseparable, as only they truly understood each other.

The next two years, they both grew, Latios reaching four feet tall, and showing a natural talent and creativity for psychic abilities, limited only by his own physical strength he harnessed to use them. Latias was three feet tall, still too young to be able to use these abilities, however starting to learn how to refract light, to change her appearance to anything she wanted, at the time though, she only knew the Pokemon on the island. Whilst they could both fly, Latios quite quick given his age and size, leaving the island wasn't possible. Latios could potentially make it to land before needing rest, but Latias wouldn't have been able to make it.

This however all changed, when Latias heard strange noises coming from the beach of the island, early one morning...

"I'm telling you, my source is legit! There is this gem that is supposed to be on this island. They call it the Soul Dew?"

Latias couldn't understand the voices, however was curious, wondering if new Pokemon had arrived on the island. Latios was still asleep, and not wanting to disturb him, she made her way towards the noise, curious to see what Pokemon had found their way here, and how.

She made her way out of the home she and Latios had built in the trees, and found three, strange looking Pokemon, nearly twice her height, and standing on two legs. She had only seen Flying and Water Type Pokemon on the island, so this was new. They all looked slightly different to one another, which was odd for Pokemon, yet still all seemed similar.

She cried out, greeting them, catching them by surprise.

"Is that... A Latias?" said one of them. "I heard rumours they were here, but didn't think it was true..."

"She'll fetch a better price than any gem..." said the other, as he slowly moved his hands to his waist. "Go get the net from the boat..."

Feeling uneasy, Latias slowly backed away, however the strange Pokemon noticed, before throwing a strange object in front of her. It exploded, revealing a black Pokemon with yellow markings the same size as her. It had red eyes, and looked at her intently.

"Mean Look," said the stranger, causing the four legged Pokemon in front of her to glare at Latias. Suddenly she felt paralyzed, as if she were too terrified to even flee, as the other stranger returned with a large metal tube, before pointing it at her.

There was a boom, as both the strangers staggered, as if shoved by an invisible force, as a white and blue blur darted out from the trees, tackling the four legged Pokemon in front of her.

She felt the presence of her brother in her mind, telling her to flee, but she couldn't.

"Just our luck, there is one of each, and they're too young to do any real damage..." laughed the stranger who summoned the black Pokemon.

"Surrender..." said the black Pokemon, before darting towards Latios. It slammed into Latios knocking it back, as Latios prepared to lift it using his telekinesis, however the Pokemon seemed unaffected.

"Quit wasting time, and capture it!" said the stranger to the one with the tube, who pointed it at Latias. A moment later there was a bang, as Latias found herself trapped under a weighted rope.

"Brother!" she called out. Latios looked back in horror, before taking another hit from the black Pokemon. Roaring in anger, Latios lashed forward with unnatural speed, gripping his jaws around the black Pokemon's neck, and forcing them shut, as a loud crack pierced the air.

"Umbreon!" shouted the stranger. "You'll pay for that!"

Latios turned to face both of them, tossing Umbreon's limp corpse towards them, his eyes beginning to glow. This time he focused his telekinetic abilities into a smaller area, instead of spreading it in every direction. He had learnt the neck was the weak spot on the black Pokemon. Maybe it was the same with these strange Pokemon.

The stranger with the tube saw Latios, quickly darting behind a nearby tree. The other wasn't fast enough. Latios focused all of his psychic power into a concentrated blast, aimed at the stranger's neck. There was another loud crack, whilst the stranger was blasted backwards, alongside his Pokemon and thrown off the edge of the island.

Fatigued from the psychic attacks, but not willing to give up, Latios darted to the other stranger who had emerged from its hiding place, and mauled it between its neck and shoulder, causing one of its arms to go limp. It screamed in pain, before smacking Latios hard over the head with the metal tube in its other arm, knocking Latios unconscious.

Latias watched as the stranger threw Latios to the ground.

"He is too much of a liability to bring along... Caused too much trouble..." The stranger said bitterly, wincing at the pain in his shoulder, before turning his gaze to Latias. "But you, I think you will behave yourself..."

The other Pokemon of the island had already fled, and as the stranger gathered the net that bound Latias, tying it off and taking it back to the boat it used to arrive, Latias could only cry out desperately, hoping her brother would wake up and rescue her. She continued to cry as the boat departed, leaving Latios alone on the island.

Latios awoke hours later, alone on the island, with no memory of anything that happened before. He was too young to understand that this wasn't normal, nor was there anyone around to tell him. He knew he existed, and was on this island, but nothing more.

Over the coming days, Latios felt drawn to the sea north of the island and what was on the other side. He eventually found the courage to leave the strange island, and see what was on the other side. Eventually he reached it, finding it full of other Pokemon, and strange creatures that they called humans.

After a few close calls due to Latios' ignorance, being saved by the local wild Pokemon who understood something was wrong, they informed Latios of how special of a Pokemon he was, and that humans would want to capture him for no other reason than wanting to have a special Pokemon. If he wanted to survive, he would have to avoid humans. And he did just that.

The next two years were spent wandering Hoenn, learning about the world around him, and avoiding humans, as almost any he was unfortunate enough to run into would try and capture him. And whilst he wasn't opposed to being friends with a human like some Pokemon did, he certainly didn't want to be friends with one who only wanted him for some sort of status he held, that he had no choice in whether or not he held it.

After two years wandering the Hoenn mainland, Latios met a strange human. Latios was being attacked by another Pokemon, under the orders of their human friend, when another human intervened, allowing him to escape. The human who attacked him was angry, but the human who helped didn't seem to care. He barked back just as ferociously until the first human left.

Latios wondered if this was the sort of human he wanted to be friends with. Curious, he watched the human from a distance, however he was unsure if this human wanted to be friends. Maybe he just wanted to help and that was it. In order to be sure, Latios came up with an idea. Latios would let the human see him, and point towards where the island he came from was. That way if the human did want to be friends, he could come find him.

Latios tried it, before returning to the island, waiting to see if the human would arrive, however he didn't. Latios returned to the mainland, trying to find this human, and when he did, did the same thing. He pointed to the south, where the island was, crying out, before flying towards it. He waited and still the human didn't come. Latios wasn't sure if the human just didn't care, or was dense, so tried six more times to be sure, when finally, the human arrived at his island. However, he had one more test for the human. He wanted to be friends with someone strong, and the human had to prove it.

And he did. The human proved his strength to Latios, who then let the human capture him in one of their strange capture balls. That was how he became friends with his now best friend Jon.

Latias on the other hand, was taken by the human, and when they reached the mainland, locked in a cage. Her psychic powers hadn't manifested yet, and eventually the human gave her to another human, in exchange for a black case that the other human seemed to want very much.

The human she had been given to lived in a large house, out the back of which was dozens of glorified cages, each containing fake mementos of the original homes of the Pokemon inside them. Whilst she hadn't seen most of the Pokemon, she came to understand that they were rare. Their colouring was different, or they were a type that only lived in certain places. And a couple of them, the human said, were like her. Legendary.

She was placed in a cage, where she would spend the next two years. She grew, and soon after, learnt how to use her Psychic abilities, as well as mastered the ability to turn invisible, or make herself appear differently, however the grounds outside the cages were patrolled by Pokemon that were trained to fight, and she knew she stood no chance of defeating them if she had to fight her way out.

The time in the cage was made slightly better by the friend she made in the cage next to hers. It was a Charmander, which according to the other Pokemon there, were uncommon, but not enough to justify this. Not that anything could justify it. However this Charmander was black in colour, making it exceptional. Being prisoners together, the two developed a strong bond. However as time went on, the light in Charmander's eyes dimmed slowly and slowly with each passing day. Eventually, Charmander stopped getting up in the morning, just laying in the same place it had slept, not wanting to talk to or see anyone. Until one day, Charmander just didn't wake up. It had just lost the will to live, as the flame on it’s tail dwindled out of existence.

Latias realised at this point that if she didn't escape, she would die like Charmander. And if she did, she would never see her brother again. So she planned an escape.

By the time she reached that point, she had become strong enough in her psychic abilities to destroy the lock containing her, however didn't. She couldn't escape the Pokemon guarding her, and didn't want to give away the fact she could break out until she knew it was possible. She had also not let any of the Pokemon guarding her see the illusions she could create in her place.

The Pokemon that guarded her weren't treated much better. They slept outdoors, rain, hail or snow, which worked for her. She waited until she could see one struggling a lot in their sleep, having a nightmare. She pressed her consciousness against its own, and began to see what scared it, taking note of it.

After this, every night for weeks, when that Pokemon slept, she would press herself against its consciousness, and force that same image from the nightmare. When it was finally time to enact her plan, she waited for that Pokemon to be the one guarding her cage, before using her ability to change her appearance in the eyes of those around her, turning her into the monster of that Pokemon's nightmare, before blasting the cage door open.

The terrified Pokemon fled, as she darted through the door, seizing freedom. She wanted nothing more than to try and free the others but knew she couldn't do this now, and would just get caught if she tried. Instead she promised herself she would return one day, and free the other Pokemon there.

Latias returned to the island, however found it empty. When she arrived back in the mainland, she made herself appear human, and tried to track down Latios. It took nine months before she did. She was in the city the humans called Lilycove, when she felt the familiar presence of her brother's mind. She followed it into a stadium, making her way through the crowds to see Latios, now nearly six feet tall, battling against an Incineroar. Behind Latios at the end of the field was a young man in his late teens, directing Latios, as he fought the Pokemon opposite him.

Latias, still disguised as a human, walked through the stands, going to the seats closest to the human directing Latios, which were empty due to being in Incineroar's firing line. Whilst she wanted to wait until the battle was over, she had already waited nearly three years, and couldn't wait a second longer. She reached out to Latios' consciousness with her own, seeing Latios jerk at the contact, and swing his head around, looking at her, though the emotion he felt, and the look on his face showed he didn't remember her.

Suddenly, Latios was hit hard by Incineroar, knocking him back towards his trainer. He groaned in pain, and tried to go back into the battle, before his trainer spoke up.

"I resign," the trainer said. "Latios is hurt…"

Latias hadn't noticed the harsh bruise that had already manifested where Latios was struck by Incineroar under the wing.

"You alright?" she heard the trainer say to Latios with a gentle voice. "What happened out there?"

Latias watched, realising that Latios had found someone he was safe with. He seemed genuinely happy with this trainer, and was now safe from people capturing him to be part of a collection, or worse, part of a private zoo...

Latias left, listening to the commentator refer to Latios' trainer as Jon Drake, taking note of the name. She wanted to be able to know he was okay.

Latias travelled Hoenn, trying to find a safe place to call home. The island was empty after the disaster that had occurred there, and she didn't want to live in isolation, away from other Pokemon. Within a few weeks she found a place to call home in the depths of Meteor Falls, where she remained undisturbed for a few months.

However, one day, she heard the sound of footsteps in a nearby cavern. Human footsteps. Remembering the last time this happened, she froze with fear, unable to move, as she saw a light coming from around the corner. The footsteps grew louder, until a human walked around the corner, and stood facing her, holding a lantern. She was in her late teens and looked shocked to see her. Latias prepared to fight, however stopped when the human spoke.

"I'm sorry, is this your home?" asked the girl. "I stumbled across these caverns and wanted to explore. I didn't mean to intrude..."

Latias eased a fraction. The girl didn't stare at her with that aura of greed or possessiveness she had seen in most humans who saw her in her true form. The only other one who was the same was Latios' trainer, Jon.

"To say sorry," the girl explained, pulling a wrapped sandwich from her pocket, and removing the plastic wrap. She placed it down at her feet, before saying goodbye and leaving.

Latias looked at the food left for her, and realised for the first time around a human, she felt the same way Latios must feel all the time. Safe. What if this human could be to her, what Jon is to Latios?

Latias picked up each half of the sandwich, before following where the girl had gone. When she caught up, she cried out, getting the girl's attention, before handing her half of the sandwich. That was how Latias met Willow...

Willow had already beaten the gym challenge in Hoenn, however didn't get past Victory Road, instead pursuing whatever interests she had at the time. At this point it was Hoenn’s natural caves. Her and Latias were inseparable, becoming even closer when Latias learnt to communicate telepathically with her.

As the years passed, Willow helped Latias keep tabs on Jon Drake, and by extension, Latios. She watched in horror at the footage of Latios seemingly attacking civilians on the S.S. Wishmaker, and breathed a sigh of relief when Jon revealed they were investigating allegations of witchcraft, and her brother was really some sort of spy doing good, and not a destructive maniac. Willow also watched these events with great interest, discovering the existence of Shadowcraft, and beginning to partake in it herself. And life was good.

Until Agatha came into the picture. A vision that Willow received, given to all Shadowcraft wielders, summoning them to Alola. Willow had gone hoping to learn more of Shadowcraft, and was now in too deep, and Latias was now also at risk...

"Latios… brother, if you can hear me, please. I’m here… and we need your help. They’re…

…they’re preparing something truly horrible, and… it involves me… and you…"

Suddenly, it all made sense to Latios. Those missing years, and that feeling of familiarity. The calling to fly north to Hoenn...

Now he just had to tell Jon…

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

When Willow had proposed the plan, Latias’ first instinct was to be apprehensive. Firstly, on the chance they may end up helping Agatha, though Willow assured her that it wouldn’t. And secondly, on the fact that they would likely be forced to kill…

Forty-five minutes after Nicodemus and Agatha had left, they were interrupted by Boris, walking into the room through the creaky wooden door. Boris was Nicodemus’ apprentice, who had pale, acne-ridden skin, with dirty blonde hair. Contrast to his lanky figure, was the overweight Morpeko that perched on his shoulder.

“What are you doing here?” Willow asked, though knew the answer already.

“Filling in for Nicodemus. He says the longer we wait to gut this… whatever it is… the more chance you have to do something stupid…” Boris chuckled, before raising his hands in a placating gesture. “His words, not mine…”

“Latias…” Willow corrected. “And you’re not gutting anything. You will take a pint…”

Whilst giving even that much blood to the cause made their skin crawl, and they’d try and escape anyway after, this could reduce the size of the target on their back. However, the way Boris reacted dashed any hope of that compromise.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Boris replied mockingly as his Morpeko also imitated a cynical face. “Does widdle Latias also want a cute Band-Aid with little pink Jigglypuffs on it, too?”

“Don’t be an a**hole, Boris,” Willow warned him. “We’re being more than generous with this. You get a pint or you get nothing.”

“I get as much as a damn well please,” Boris replied, unfazed by her warning. “Ain’t your order, either. Now step aside and shut up.”

Boris began to make his way towards Latias, readying a bloodletter rod, hooked up via a tube to an unsettlingly large collection jar, and Willow knew that it was now or never.

“If only it were Nicodemus…” Willow muttered, as Boris turned around, looking at her confused?”

“What?”

Before Boris had even finished the question, Willow was reciting a quick incantation. A moment later, Boris went to yell, and found no sound coming from his mouth, a result of the silence hex that Willow had cast. She knew now she had to get the order of this right. Mixing up steps would sink their plan before it even had a chance to float.

“Hold him…” Willow said quietly, feeling her stomach churn at what she was about to do. She had so far managed to avoid killing someone during her time on Akala Island, however felt responsible for the deaths that had occured due to her complacency. And despite knowing this was one of Agatha’s, compared to dozens of others, she still felt sick. Latias gripped Boris with her telekinesis, causing him glad writhe and wriggle to break free. She grabbed the bloodletter rod from his hand, refusing to make eye contact with him. Thinking about what Boris would have happily done to Latias, with or without orders, she rammed it into his neck, as he visibly screamed, but no noise came out, and blood began to pump into the tube.

Morpeko, who had been struggling against Latias’ grip, wriggled free through a hole that Latias wasn’t even aware of, before launching itself savagely at Willow. However, with Boris now a lot less dangerous with a metallic rod rammed into his neck, Latias had released her grip.

She had heard in the news of Latios killing a Noivern. In a moment's decision, where he had realised the only way to save those around him was to kill this one Pokemon, Latios had telekinetically grabbed the Pokemon, and rotated its head, until its neck snapped. Sickened by the thought of doing the same, Latias gripped Morpeko with her telekinesis. There was a crack as Morpeko cried out in pain with its ribs breaking, however the cry was cut off by another crack, before Latias released it, dropping to the ground dead.

Boris looked in horror, as he became weaker with blood-loss, whilst Willow took the opportunity. Holding the tip of one of Latias’ claws, that the Eon Pokemon had allowed her to remove when they came up with this plan, she began muttering an incantation for the Pokemon transformation hex.

This was one aspect of the plan they weren’t sure about. Firstly, they weren’t sure if Eon blood from a Latias that was once a human would still work for the Netherlink, though Willow didn’t think Agatha would risk it if she knew. Secondly, they weren’t sure if, being male, Nicodemus, or in this case, Boris, would turn into a Latios instead. If he did, their plan would be ruined.

Willow breathed a sigh of relief, as Boris changed into a red Eon Pokemon, and despite not looking anything like Willow’s Latias, she knew nobody had seen enough of her Latias to know this wasn’t it. Boris, now in Latias form, cried out, which Willow cynically began to think about how it would sell their story. After another few minutes of the false Latias struggling on the ground, trying to remove the bloodletter from his neck in a foreign body, the light disappeared from his eyes, and he lay dead on the ground.

“We have to go now…” Willow said, opening her bag and removing a note, and leaving it on the corpse on the floor, as she grabbed the jar of blood, sealing it, and putting it in her bag. On the note was messy handwriting, that Willow had tried to make look as different to her own as possible, and thankfully, no signature.

”I extracted all the blood you will need, however, am sick of living like a peasant in this hole. Meet me at dawn at Memorial Hill, and we can discuss terms…”

Thankful there was no blood on Morpeko’s corpse, and it was small enough to fit in her bag. She quickly grabbed it, stuffing it into her bag, despite the sick feeling in her stomach, knowing it would give them away. She nodded to Latias who turned invisible.

Willow left the room, slamming the door of her laboratory, and feigning shock and dismay to any who happened to be nearby.

“I can’t watch…” Willow wept. “Why her?! Goddamn it, why?!”

Despite not being a naturally violent person, only resorting to her actions in the laboratory due to the necessity, those present knew that Willow was one of the most knowledgeable people in Shadowcraft there, and was in Agatha’s inner circle. Any who stood between her and the entrance to the Megamart stood aside, not wanting to infuriate her given what they all supposedly knew had just happened…

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

“Cutting it a little fine, aren’t we?”

Jon directed the question at Abbee, who, alongside Triad and Luneth, had arrived with two minutes to spare.

“Had to find some clothes for Triad, since the scrubs stand out. But a minute early is still early…” Abbee replied, before continuing in an undertone. “Between us, the Vulpix is a witch that Triad know and trust to help. An operative…”

Jon nodded in understanding, before looking around at the room that seemed to have slowed in its filling up. Dylan stood by the front of the room where Jon had been before he saw Abbee and Triad enter, and sitting by the front of the room were Steven and Cynthia. Abbee didn’t recognise half of the operatives here, and figured they were invited by the two champions. As the clock struck nine, she noticed Jimmy enter the room, taking a seat in the middle of one of the sections of lined up chairs.

“Do you mind taking notes? Jon asked. “In case anyone shows up late? We will destroy them later…”

Abbee nodded, removing her phone and opening the notes app, as Jon made his way to the front, getting everyone’s attention.

“It’s 9pm now, so we will get started,” Jon said to those gathered in the room. “I requested this meeting because after a week of rolling with the punches, the last twelve hours have had too much happen. I believe it is time for us to go on the offensive, and with Steven and Cynthia’s permission, I have volunteered Eon Squad to take up the vanguard in bringing the fight to Agatha. However, we need to consolidate our intel, and get on the same page before we can plan anything substantial…”

There was a murmur of agreement from those present, as Jon continued.

"Before we go any further, there is one thing I want to make abundantly clear. Eon Squad has a policy that intel does not leave the group unless through myself, even to other operatives. The League have let information slip before that has caused issues, and I want to see that avoided, especially with people already dying…" Jon explained. "I proposed the same thing to Steven and Cynthia with regards to this meeting, and given the fact that the enemy knew where to strike, they have agreed to it. The only people with authority to share this meeting information with anybody outside of this room will be Steven and Cynthia. I will be under their authority with that as well. Any information being shared outside this room needs to be done with the explicit permission of either of them."

The murmurs grew irritated and uncertain, exclusively from people invited to the meeting by Steven and Cynthia. However, Jon was not budging.

"If this level of confidentiality is too much for anybody here, leave now…" Jon continued. "But realistically this just means you can't share any of this information with anyone outside of the room without permission. It is not to be stored on any sort of shared server, and not to be told to your coworkers who aren't here over a beer during your next break. Are we clear?"

When the crowd quietened down, and Jon was satisfied they understood, he continued.

“In that case, let’s begin…”

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

Brianna sat in the shadows from a cluster of palm trees, lit by the dim moonlight that moved under the wind. She had arrived at Royal Avenue an hour earlier, having come at her usual time to investigate the abandoned shack, and see the progress of the stones absorbing all the energy released from the Shadowcraft performed. A week earlier, the stone on the eastern edge of the island had absorbed the most energy, given the Shadowcraft being performed constantly in the not-so-abandoned Thrifty Megamart. However, in the last week, the stone on the western edge, syphoning energy from Heahea City, had grown brighter steadily, until today, where it now eclipsed its eastern counterpart.

She was close. Another day like today, and she’d have enough energy for her own plans. Enough energy to open a gate between worlds. Unlike Agatha, who sought to flood the world with the void, Brianna didn’t want anything that messy. There were too many risks, and she knew the void had a tendency of biting at the hands who sought to push it too hard one way or the other. Instead, she wanted to open the door to a world she had seen through her own times peering into the void. A world without light. A world where light once existed, until a being who fed, and grew infinitely powerful off absorbing light, forced its way in. And Brianna sought to use the energy she had stored to open the door, allowing this being in, and then dominating it to be under her control. Necrozma…

Brianna had left the abandoned shack, knowing that whilst another day like that, with Shadowcraft performed with no hesitation, would put her plans into fruition, she also knew that both sides had casualties, and neither were likely to resort to a quick follow-up attack. However, with the right prompting, she could encourage one side to seize an opportunity…

She had been watching the Megamart for the good part of an hour, trying to gather as much intel as she could. If she found enough that the League could be convinced to assault it, their own Shadowcraft users would use their abilities, and Agatha and her followers would defend themselves. And ideally, once they provided enough energy for Brianna’s plans to move ahead, they would wipe each other out, providing no resistance for her.

Her vision enhanced by the same night-vision charm that Cassandra had used on herself and Jon years earlier as they climbed Sky Pillar, Brianna watched, and was curious when she saw a lone figure leave the Megamart, and once she was far enough away to be out of sight, increasing her pace. She was in a hurry to leave. Brianna grinned, knowing a deserter when she saw one, and wondering why it took this long for someone to be willing to do it.

Willow lost track of Latias pretty quickly after leaving the Megamart, however knew she wouldn’t let herself fall too far behind her. She had tried to not let herself get carried away with her pace, telling herself they had done everything they could to buy time, however felt a nagging feeling that she was being watched.

Their goal was to find Latios, and by extension, Jon Drake. Whilst it would cement their status as traitors, and put the largest of targets on their back, they figured by informing on Agatha, they stood a chance at helping to undo the damage of their involvement with the witch, as well as may find protection from her in the coming battle. And whilst Latias had a rough idea of where they were, it was just that. Rough. Once they got closer, she would be able to locate Latios, however for now, she just knew that Latios was in Heahea City.

Willow, having taken off her cloak a few minutes earlier, and stuffed it in a bush, kept looking over her shoulder, despite knowing it made her look suspicious. Her attention was called to in front of her however, by a growl of a familiar Pokemon.

She turned to see her face to face with a grinning Gengar, that she recognised to be that which belonged to Agatha.

“Going somewhere?” Gengar sneered, his menacing grin not shifting.

Willow had learnt about Shadowcraft, like many, in the wake of the S.S. Wishmaker incident, and having heard rumours that the operatives who had been turned into Pokemon retained their ability to understand them upon shifting back into their human form, the first spells Willow had sought were those to turn her into a Pokemon and back. As such, she understood the Ghost Pokemon. Knowing that any sign of worry would give her away, Willow did what she suspected Agatha did in order to prevent people from questioning her.

“Leave me alone,” Willow snapped at Gengar. “I’ve had enough hell for one day without dealing with you creeping around. I’d rather be alone…”

Gengar didn’t respond to the verbal lashing directly, instead asking a question.

“Your cloak… why did you remove it?”

“I don’t know?” Willow said sarcastically. “Maybe because if I’m seen in it, I’ll be reported, and we’ll have League operatives sniffing around this place within minutes? Or the fact it is the middle of summer, and the clouds that trap everyone here are also trapping the heat on the island?”

Gengar glared at Willow, however she knew that wasn’t abnormal.

“Don’t you have somebody else’s time to waste?” Willow asked. “Go pester Igor or something. I’m sure you’ll get more entertainment out of him…”

Gengar had to admit there was little out of the ordinary. He had heard of Latias being required for a spell, and figured this explained Willow’s foul mood. And she wasn’t wrong about the cloak either. Additionally, now that she mentioned it, harassing Igor seemed very tempting...

Without a word, however intensifying his menacing grin, Gengar dissolved into the shadows, before disappearing, as Willow muttered a string of curses, pretending to be irritated by the Pokemon as she continued walking, with a little less intention than before.

A few minutes passed as they walked in silence. Whilst Willow knew she could communicate with Latias by focusing her thoughts, as Latias would almost certainly be tuned in, she needed to concentrate on making sure they weren’t followed. However, she was pulled from her concentration by Latias’ voice in her mind.

“Willow… there’s someone coming… directly to you…”

“Reveal yourself,” Willow called out, although not too loudly, as she readied a reagent in her hand. She could now see the disturbance in the shadows, before a slim figure stood out, letting herself be illuminated by the pale moon light. It reflected off her silver hair, as she smiled, though Willow could see it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Trouble in paradise?” Brianna asked, though didn’t wait for an answer. “I can tell a deserter when I see one…”

Willow’s heart leapt into her throat as she choked trying to begin an incantation, however Brianna continued, unphased.

“Don’t worry, I’m not with Agatha, or the League,” Brianna continued. “That being said, I do think if someone wants to leave that hovel she has you all holed up in, they should be able to. So I figured I’d help…”

“How so?” Willow asked sceptically. After spending the good part of the last month surrounded by Shadowcraft users, she knew very few helped for the sake of helping.

“If you want to stand a chance at surviving after leaving, have a chat to Jon Drake with the League. He seems to have a fondness for strays…” Brianna explained before turning to leave. “Otherwise, I hope you like the idea of this place being your grave…”

Willow didn’t speak again, letting the stranger walk away. She wasn’t walking towards the Megamart, which was a good start. She continued walking, calling Latias to fly directly above her so she could whisper.

“It seems like the League is our best bet…” Willow whispered. “Do you think we’re far enough away that we can up the pace?”

”I think every moment we are delayed here by Ghosts or strangers, is another moment we bought by killing Boris, wasted…”

Willow nodded in agreement, before opening a meticulously sealed pouch on her belt. Inside was the dust of a crushed diamond, one of the most expensive reagents she had, but the one required for an invisibility spell. Alongside Latias’ invisibility, the pair could fly unnoticed, and put a less uncomfortable amount of distance between themselves and Agatha.

When the spell was completed, Willow awkwardly attempted to climb on to Latias’ back, which was made especially difficult by the fact that they were both invisible, before Latias flew towards Heahea City, trying to use her telepathy to locate her brother…

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

"In addition to the attack, the other reason for calling this meeting is to consolidate intelligence. Eon Squad made some discoveries today, and as have Triad, and getting everyone on the same page on these discoveries is our first step to coming up with a counter-attack," Jon explained, opening up the meeting. "Eon Squad has been tasked specifically with trying to find curses that had not yet been triggered, in order to get a better idea of the sorts of materials that Agatha and her followers would need. Whilst they were doing this, I have been attempting to assist Triad in removing persistent curses in situations where they don't need to be present at the site itself, allowing them to continue their work running Section B."

With the meeting off to a good start, Jon continued.

"This afternoon, Dylan Squier and Abbee Strauss were monitoring Memorial Hill, figuring that Agatha and her followers are twisted enough to enjoy targeting people mourning loved ones, and whilst there, discovered this..."

Jon pressed a button on a clicker, and on the screen behind him appeared a picture of the glyph on the clipboard at Memorial Hill that Dylan had snapped when waiting for Jon and Cassandra to arrive.

"Dylan contacted myself, and alongside Naomi Hart of Triad, we travelled to Memorial Hill, where Naomi identified the curse, before dispelling it," Jon explained before looking to Cassandra. "Miss Hart, can you please explain what was so special about this curse?"

Cassandra nodded, figuring the formality was to not betray the familiarity between them and slowly stood to her feet. She wondered if her voice would give her away, however given the snide and contempt she tended to have in her voice before being humbled on the S.S. Wishmaker, she figured she'd likely not be recognised.

"One of the first rules of Shadowcraft, Rule Zero, if you will, is that two curses can not be placed on the same surface and retain their own identities. The effects will mix in unexpected ways, creating abominations. They are hard to predict the effects of, and unstable, so it is taught very early on that you only place one curse on a surface at a time. A patient was brought to Section B this afternoon wearing a mask that seemed to break this rule, however, it was simply a loophole, as the mask was made of two distinct materials inside and out, allowing for two seperate curses to be placed," Cassandra explained. "This curse at Memorial Hill, however, breaks that rule completely. This glyph is two distinct curses with distinct effects, as one single glyph. Specifically, a Zekve and Koxein curse. The effect of one is to turn the victim into a Shroomish. The other would allow the caster to see through the victim's eyes, effectively turning them into a walking security risk..."

There was a murmur as Cassandra returned to her seat, Jon nodding in approval as he continued.

"Miss Hart identified the curse, and removed it, whilst also assuring me that had any of the patients they treated at Section B been afflicted by an obvious curse with something hidden like the second curse she described, whilst not necessarily identifying it, they would have removed it with a general removal spell, as their specialised spells would have been ineffective. Essentially, we know that no patients treated by Triad have been under this effect and leaking information unknowingly..." Jon explained, however was interrupted by an operative asking a question.

"Why mix the curse with one so obvious if it's only going to be removed?" the operative asked, as Jon nodded, appreciating the logic behind it.

"We believe that it was because the reason for this curse was to find Section B, and if whoever they afflicted with this curse didn't have some visible affliction to cure, they'd have no reason to seek treatment," Cassandra explained. "Whilst it meant that their view would be short, it would almost guarantee they would receive the intel they were after..."

"There was another reason," Jon chimed in, causing Cassandra to look over at him confused, wondering what Jon could know that they didn't. He nodded, before continuing. "Next to this glyph on the petition was a name. Brianna Levine, who Dylan believed to have seen departing Memorial Hill before he discovered the curse. Miss Hart and myself believed this to be a red Remoraid, however Dylan Squier believed there was more to it, and with my permission, he continued to investigate it, finding out more than we had expected to..."

Dylan looked towards Jon, and realised that the room was waiting for him. He went pale for a moment, before telling himself he had delivered lectures for stadiums full of people at the Academy. He tried to remember this, and intentionally not think about the fact that all the people here were likely his senior. He stepped forward, and began to speak.

"Upon returning to HQ, Abbee reached out to Miss Hart, requesting reagent lists for the curses left at Memorial Hill, and upon receiving them, I began investigating local pawn shops, hoping to find one that had sold Stardust in recent days. Later in the afternoon, I discovered a pawn shop that had sold a large amount of Stardust to someone matching Brianna Levine's description," Dylan explained. "She had paid $200 in two $100 bills, and I made a purchase of $400 to buy the four $100 bills in the register, hoping to try and trace their origin. However, when I left, I was approached by Brianna herself, who proceeded to use a spell to create some circle around us. She asked me my name and when I attempted to lie, I was forced to tell the truth..."

Cassandra looked between Violet and Jarena in shock. She had written off the name as a dead lead, but it was appearing to not be the case. Additionally, this was more Shadowcraft being described that they had never even considered. However, noticing this, Dylan continued.

"Additionally, she didn't say any incantation to perform the spell," Dylan added, as Cassandra's eyes widened. She had a flashback to her own instance of non-verbal Shadowcraft earlier that afternoon, something she had believed to be impossible.

"She seemed to use the spell to earn my trust, as she was under the same effect of it as I was and had to tell the truth. She confirmed her name was Brianna Levine, and that she was not allied with Agatha, but not aligned with us either. She told me that she had left the curse in order to let us know Agatha was using the same tactic. Leaving it in an obvious place and way so we could find it and learn what it was," Dylan continued. "She also tipped me off about the attack on Section B, however had seemed to intentionally wait until it was too late to stop the attack itself. So I left, in order to provide backup at Section B, and call for reinforcements..."

Jon nodded, before clicking the clicker and advancing the slide, so that on screen, there was a CCTV screenshot of Dylan, standing opposite a woman whose face was distorted.

"We believe she is using some sort of Shadowcraft in order to prevent her likeness being recorded," Jon explained, before taking the lead, again to Dylan's relief. "Rayquaza had been sighted migrating towards Alola for the good part of the last four years, and when Agatha set her Giratina on the hospital, Rayquaza attacked, we believe in some sort of territorial dispute, whilst Dylan attempted to fight off the attackers with his Pokemon until help arrived, or the area had been evacuated."

"However, when Rayquaza got the upper hand on Giratina, one of the witches, potentially Agatha herself, used a spell to immobilise Rayquaza, and the attacking force fled. I have since captured Rayquaza, in order to get it treatment at a Pokemon Center, and also to potentially use it in the fight against Agatha, having helped train multiple Legendary Pokemon, some aggressive, myself," Jon explained, however was interrupted by another one of Steven and Cynthia's invitees.

"Do you really think you can have Rayquaza trained enough for the coming fight?" the operative asked. "Using Rayquaza seems like it could be a risk..."

"Rayquaza will only be used if Giratina makes an appearance, as it has displayed a willingness to fight Giratina and keep it occupied. It left civilians and other Pokemon alone, which is enough for me to send it out," Jon explained, however people seemed unconvinced. He sighed internally, wishing he didn't have to use bravado to sell this. "I have trained Latios to be obedient to a fault, in addition to helping train Deoxys, who before training, had attempted to wipe out an entire island. Additionally, all five of my employees, Dylan and Abbee included, have Legendary Pokemon that they have trained to be strong and dependable under my instruction. So take me at my word when I say that there is not a single person on this planet who could command Rayquaza with more confidence than me..."

Jon knew it was risky having that much certainty, especially if he managed to command Rayquaza as well as he knew he could after potentially a few days, if not less. And he wasn't surprised when people weren't convinced. They murmured amongst themselves, and obviously there was apprehension surrounding Rayquaza fighting alongside them. He looked over at Steven, a question in his eyes.

Steven seemed to understand, and sighed. After a moment, he nodded.

"During December of 2017, I was approached by Cynthia who informed me that Steven Stone had been detained by the Hoenn Military. One of their aircraft entered Rayquaza's territory around Sky Pillar in Southern Hoenn, and when Rayquaza tried to drive it off, the pilot panicked and attacked it. In the following weeks, Rayquaza became more and more territorial, culminating in it approaching a passenger aircraft, and the Hoenn Military deciding to exterminate it. When Steven objected, they detained him..."

Cassandra looked at Jon in horror at what he was revealing. Dylan's head whipped around to Jon, shocked at the way the truth was coming out. Jon noticed both of these, and continued, hoping Steven could work behind the scenes to get him clemency should the truth catch up with him. All went silent, most having heard of Steven's detainment when Lance revealed the truth during the hearing for the Eon Academy.

"He made contact with Cynthia, who created a window for him to escape custody and inform me of the situation, before giving me a bag of unregistered Pokeballs, and tasking me with getting to Sky Pillar, and capturing Rayquaza before the military could mobilise their plan to exterminate it. He then returned to custody to give the military no reason to believe that they had any resistance," Jon continued. "Alone, I travelled to Sky Pillar, where I battled and captured Rayquaza in an unregistered Pokeball. And for the last three and a half years, I have trained it in secret, holding out until it was well trained enough that it could be released without acting out the way it did..."

Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief when Jon emphasised he was acting alone, however was quickly interrupted by a question.

"Steven, Cynthia, is this true?"

"Every word..." Steven answered. "At my request, Jon illegally obtained Rayquaza, and has trained it and rehabilitated it for the last three years. So when Jon says that Rayquaza can be used safely in battle, I believe him..."

"But if Jon is only keeping Rayquaza until it is safe to release, and it is supposedly safe to use, why hasn't he released it?"

Jon sighed. Answering this question truthfully was his only option, however it didn't sell Jon's message as much as he thought it did.

"Rayquaza had to remain in its Pokeball for nine months, when former Hoenn Minister for Defence, Mark Hill, had set his sights on me. I couldn't risk getting away from Mossdeep and being spotted with it. And whilst Rayquaza follows orders with no hesitation, it isn't with the same loyalty Latios does that with. It has become restless, and because of that, whilst it follows orders, I don't trust it to be turned wild just yet," Jon answered. "My plan was originally to legally capture it somewhere far from Hoenn, so I could battle with it, and help curb that restlessness before releasing it, but current events accelerated that plan..."

Seeing this was going nowhere, Dylan stood forward, surprising Jon by taking initiative. He spoke up, getting everyone's attention.

"The plan moving forward is for Eon Squad to be the vanguard in the attack on Agatha. Correct?" Dylan asked, and Jon nodded. "Effectively, this means that the only ones in the danger zone around Rayquaza if it were to disobey orders, are Eon Squad themselves..."

Looking towards where Eon Squad sat, Dylan called out.

"Fellow Eon Squad members, do you trust Jon when he says Rayquaza can be depended on under his command?" Dylan asked. There was a chorus in the approval, led largely by Abbee, before Dylan continued, addressing the rest of the group. "At worst, what is Rayquaza going to do that Agatha likely isn't going to do herself if she gets the chance?"

Jon was impressed at the point Dylan made. He was right. Rayquaza had the potential to level a city. But so could Giratina, or Agatha, and they were more likely to do it. Nobody could provide an argument to that, so Dylan addressed Steven.

"Then am I safe to say this case is closed?"

"You are..." Steven said, thankful that this conversation was being ended.

"Not sure if he is brave or stupid..." Violet said quietly to Cassandra, equally shocked that Jon had revealed this.

"Neither," Cassandra replied in equal disbelief. "He knows what needs to be done, and if we as a group are too scared to use what could be an ace in the hole without him telling the truth, we could be pretty screwed if he didn't..."

"Still..."

"After Jon captured Rayquaza, Brianna Levine arrived at the hospital, mostly to reiterate that she would help us when it aligned with her goals, but wasn't on our side or their's, before she gave us some information to pass on to Triad," Dylan explained. "Did Abbee forward the intel to you three?"

"She did, and honestly, this could help us a lot..." Violet explained. "She told us of two charms in particular, one which will rebound a curse back to the caster and the other which will drain the victim of their energy. But the real kicker is the spell adjustment she taught us..."

Dylan was intrigued, being personally invested in the Brianna Levine investigation. Despite it being more to be concerned about, Dylan had been told it likely wasn't a good lead to follow, and had proven those who thought that wrong.

"She gave instructions on how to adjust a time delay adjustment, to instead change it into a hybrid adjustment, effectively allowing us to perform the same type of hybrid curses she left for us to find," Violet explained. "The two charms she referenced, when made into a hybrid by this adjustment, would effectively rebound a curse used on them, whilst draining the attacker's energy, and this is just the beginning. We could take any combination of curses which on their own would incapacitate anyone attacking, and combine them to make something even more effective..."

Dylan nodded, before remembering something.

"She also told me to tell you something else when I saw you next. I had noticed she hadn't been using any incantations for her own spells," Dylan explained. "And when I asked her about it, she told me that spell incantations are just vibrating air, and just like a sound recording won't trigger a spell, an incantation isn't what makes the spell. It is just a point of focus, with thought and intent being the driving factor..."

Cassandra considered this, trying to figure out what about her own accidental non-verbal Shadowcraft allowed it to happen, as Jon continued.

“I confronted her about waiting until the last possible second to tell us about the attack, and that the reason so many people died was because she waited,” Jon explained. “And if she is willing to let those people die, her reasons for helping us are almost certainly for her own benefit, not the greater good, which she didn’t deny.”

“Instead, she told us that the only reason more people didn’t die is because Agatha did what she wanted, and she warned us at all. That on our own we stand no chance, and we can either question her motives, lose her help and potentially fight a war on two fronts, or we can focus on the big problem at hand with Agatha, accept her help, and cross the potential bridge of conflict with her when we get there,” Jon explained.

Cynthia looked at Jon, with concern on her face. Despite the help this Brianna Levine offered, she also posed a threat if left unchecked.

“I hate to admit it, but at the time, I partially agreed with her. We had civilians die, and they could have easily killed more. The only reason they didn’t was because they decided to retreat, when they really didn’t need to, and she gave a warning so that Dylan could help fight them back,” Jon explained. “Ultimately, we are going to investigate her of course, but we will keep our distance, and focus on dealing with Agatha, since the death toll is only going to increase, and if Brianna is able to keep that a little lower with her occasional input, then I think we should cross that bridge when we get there. Of course that is with Steven and Cynthia to decide…”

“As much as I hate leaving a potential threat like her unchecked, if it means we can deal with the confirmed threat with less casualties, then I think we focus on Agatha for now, and deal with Brianna when we absolutely have to. We won’t tell her a damn thing, but won’t bite that hand either…” Steven said. He looked between Jon, and then Triad. "And honestly, the longer we wait to attack, the longer it gives them to prepare for their next move. If we play our cards right, Brianna will barely be left alone for long before we finish Agatha. We can cross that bridge when we get there. For now, our next step should be finding whatever s**thole they're hiding in and put a target on it..."

Jarena couldn't help but grin as Violet began to speak.

"We can help with that,"

"The biggest issue for us right now, fighting on the Shadowcraft front, is reagents," Cassandra explained. “But when Abbee Strauss contacted us for a reagent list, we realised that Agatha would be having the same problem, but exponentially worse. Even if she got all the reagents she needed, storing them and organising them to be used at a moment's notice would be just as difficult as hiding her entire group of followers…”

“We’ve checked all buildings with more than ten-thousand square feet in the city,” Steven explained, but Violet shook her head.

“What about out of the city?” Violet asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “There is an abandoned Thrifty Megamart by the east coast of the island. It would be large enough to house everyone, store goods, and if nothing else, is now home to Ghost Pokemon. Locals know the place is not the sort you want to go near…”

“And you think Agatha is holed up here?”

“I all but know…” Violet answered. “During the attack, I took one of them down, and stole their cloak, and pretended to be one of them so I could get our tomes and reagents out of Section B. One of them got into an argument with me, thinking I was with him, and I bluffed. He told me he would be telling someone about all this when we got back to the Megamart…”

“So unless they have another Megamart, this is likely it…” Cassandra added. “I understand there is a chance we may have the wrong place. Maybe the witch that Sasha was speaking to had a hunch that she wasn’t with them, and had left a false lead. Or maybe Agatha thought staying at a place home to Ghost Pokemon may be too obvious. But those doubts are small, and sending a scouting group to check should easily confirm our suspicions…”

“Agreed,” Cynthia said. “Honestly, it makes the most sense, but we can’t take any significant counter-measures until we know for sure…”

“We can’t take them, sure,” Jon interjected. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t plan them…”

“Jon’s right,” Cassandra agreed. “The longer we wait to attack, the more they will expect it and the longer they have to prepare. If we have all the pieces and plans lined up that we need to before we attack, only waiting for confirmation on their location, we can help our own odds…”

Despite having not cleared this with Violet and Jarena, Cassandra knew that they would agree. Whilst Jon had volunteered Eon Squad to take the vanguard position and bring the fight directly to Agatha, Cassandra remembered the bitter rage she felt seeing the destruction of Section B, and the senseless violence towards civilians who simply were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was time to stop fighting from the shadows.

“I propose a joint operation between Eon Squad and Triad,” Cassandra said. Steven looked at her, in disagreement.

“The three of you make up sixty-percent of our Shadowcraft-capable operatives, and are the most experienced with this,” Steven argued. “Putting all three of you on the front line risks-”

“Us getting killed?” Violet interrupted. “If this attack fails, any resistance to Agatha is doomed. Unless you’re holding out on resources that we aren’t aware of, it seems like we are putting our best into this measure, and if that isn’t enough, we will likely be killed anyway…”

“And even if you keep us out of the fight for that reason, Eon Squad makes up about a fifth of the force we have here, and I’m guessing in an operation like this, you’d have other squads acting from other angles to spread Agatha’s ranks thin and if the attack fails, chances are we will lose most, if not all of them,” Jarena added. “We won’t be able to do much after, if half our force is wiped out in a failed attack…”

“They’re right Steven,” Cynthia said. “I know you’re overseeing the offensive half of this operation, but with Section B gone, and us being so outnumbered, the defensive half is all but redundant. We need to do whatever it takes to end this before we end up with another massacre, or even worse…”

Steven reluctantly agreed, before Jon spoke up to the group.

“The reason I have volunteered Eon Squad to spearhead the attack, and bring the fight directly to them, isn’t out of some sense of ego, or hero complex. It’s simply because this is by far the most dangerous part of the operation, and everyone in Eon Squad is willing to be a part of it. I can’t speak for other squads, particularly those focused on reconissiance and support, and figure that there will be those who are far from willing to be involved in this operation, and as such, didn’t want to have another squad take that position half heartedly,” Jon explained. “However, with Steven’s permission, if there are those among you who want to transfer to Eon Squad for this operation, and help bolster our numbers when we take the fight to them, see me after the meeting…”

There were murmurs from those present, as one operative spoke out with a question.

“Do you have any rough ideas now on how we will launch this attack?”

Jon considered answering the question, but looked to Cassandra.

“I have ideas, but I’d like to hear Triad’s thoughts first…” Jon explained. “I’ve handled dangerous Pokemon, poachers, and smaller operations. But battles against dozens upon dozens of Shadowcraft users, all intent on chaos, I am not as well versed…”

Cassandra considered Jon’s words, before answering carefully.

“In an ideal world, I’d suggest having Rayquaza level the building with a Hyper Beam,” Cassandra answered. “But that’s too simple, and can be protected against, even temporarily, by basic Shadowcraft. Additionally, the area around the Megamart is likely hexed to hell and back, and will be a literal minefield…”

“How do they get out then?” Jon asked. “Would they just deactivate the hexes when they go in and out?”

Cassandra considered this for a moment, however remembered how she first became Cinnamon the Eevee…

“No. It’s hard enough remembering every time to deactivate and reactivate hexes in a small group…” Cassandra said, and Jarena couldn’t help but grin whilst Violet rolled her eyes. “With the amount of people there they have, they’d be tripping each other’s hexes every hour, and considering that the place they are trying to protect is the one safe place for them on the island, the hex’s effects would likely not be something they could just undo…”

“So they’ve likely got a specific route in and out that avoids all of them…” Jon concluded, and Cassandra nodded. He looked to Steven and Cynthia. “What are the chances there is something like a service tunnel under the Megamart they could enter and exit by?”

To Jon’s surprise, Violet was the one to answer his question.

“Almost none. The Megamart was built in light of the area being prepared to be developed, however development stopped when they realised the area was a native Alolan burial site. Tools went down instantly, and they couldn’t even knock the building down because of the laws protecting those sites,” Violet explained. “If there isn’t any record of any service tunnels under the Megamart, one wouldn’t have been dug out after the development stopped. It would have been too hard to hide, and even accounting for Shadowcraft, they’d need more time than they’ve had to create something like that without being seen…”

Jon nodded, turning to the person who asked the question.

“There are two main things we need to do,” Jon explained. “Figure out what their path out of the building is, and lure Giratina away…”

Jon walked over towards a whiteboard, grabbing a black marker and drawing a large rectangle, representative of the Megamart, and then a circle surrounding it. Grabbing a red marker, he then quickly colored the space between the edge of the circle and the building itself.

“Let’s say the red is the danger area,” Jon began, before grabbing an eraser, and erasing some of the red to make a zigzagged path. “And this is their path in and out of the building…”

“It’s a bottleneck…” Steven answered, as Jon nodded.

“The first problem is that they will likely have sentries watching to spot anyone getting too close, like Latios is right now above this building. The moment a force is spotted approaching, they can assemble themselves out of the bottleneck and defend, and they have enough that even a fraction of their total numbers could make life tricky for us,” Jon explained, as he drew black dots forming a front outside of the circle, and arrows indicating their own offensive force meeting with said force. “The second problem is Giratina. Even if we could surprise them by having a force ready to attack outside the bottleneck, they would be easy pickings for Giratina to wipe out…”

To make his point clear, Jon, semi violently, smeared the whiteboard eraser across the arrows representing their forces.

“Latios is capable of telepathically communicating with me at a distance of two kilometres, and sharing his vision with myself, or someone else he is close to at roughly half that distance,” Jon explained. “If we can lure Giratina far enough away from the Megamart that Agatha can’t swoop in and save it like she did this afternoon, Rayquaza and Latios could keep it from getting in our way, whilst we attack the Megamart. We just need to be able to amass a force by their front door before they have enough time to escape their own bottleneck. They’ll either have to fight from the other side of the minefield, and risk getting in each other's way, and hopefully hitting each other…”

Despite the slight embarrassment of remembering how she first became Cinnamon the Eevee, Cassandra couldn’t help but grin at Violet and Jarena, knowing why exactly Jon thought accidental friendly-fire was a possibility if they were trapped.

“...or they’ll have to cross the minefield, revealing the way in for them to fight back. The other thing that may happen, is that people will desert, and either surrender, or remove some of the hexes in order to give themself an escape path, which will then be another bottleneck for us to utilise…” Jon explained. “And worse comes to worst and it becomes a stalemate, Rayquaza and Latios should be able to overpower Giratina before too long, and simply level the building on top of them…”

“So how do we get the jump on them?” Cynthia asked. “It’s likely they have Ghost Pokemon patrolling the area?”

Cassandra considered this, and out of the corner of her eye, saw Victini sitting on Abbee’s shoulder. She remembered the cloak Abbee had spent hours making from Decidueye feathers, and the fact that she had transformed into a native Pokemon in order to blend in.

“We transform operatives into Pokemon,” Cassandra answered, as Jarena began to grin. “Fifty people scattered in the area around the Megamart would raise suspicions. “But a bunch of native Pokemon?”

Forseeing the concern that would be raised, Violet interjected.

“We wouldn’t even need to transform many people,” Violet added. “If our theory is correct, and there are a few safe paths out of the Megamart which we can use as bottlenecks, we don’t even need to amass a huge force to contain them straight away. Just enough to hold the bottlenecks until the main attacking force arrives.”

“A dozen people, all who are either capable of Shadowcraft, or commanding multiple Pokemon,” Cassandra said. “If they get close and identify the main paths out without being noticed, they can set up our offensive line before Agatha realises she is under attack. The three of us can lead this advance team...”

Cassandra’s words trailed off as she realised something. This plan would rely on people volunteering to turn themselves into Pokemon, before going in a small, heavily outnumbered team, to try and hold back dozens of witches, all hell bent on protecting their temporary home. However, there was only so much she could do to sell the plan, and if people didn’t want to volunteer, it would be dead in the water.

“I’ll join,” called out a familiar voice. Cassandra looked across to see Abbee standing. “With Triad’s help, I have been transforming between being human and a Decidueye almost daily for the last week. I have got enough of a handle on flying in that form, and could probably blend in pretty easily in terms of checking out the Megamart…”

From the back of the room, Glimmer had been watching the meeting and listening intently. She had spotted Luneth, the Alolan Vulpix, entering with Triad and Abbee, and had quickly scooped her up and taken her to sit with her as Jon began the meeting, and since then, had listened in awe and disbelief at the secrets of Shadowcraft that had been revealed. Hybrid curses and non-verbal Shadowcraft were both fairly simple in theory, however opened up avenues of complexity that would make her Shadowcraft even more versatile. And now, they were after people who didn’t mind being in the form of a Pokemon, to help lead the assault.

She looked at Luneth, and despite her facial features being different as a Vulpix, she could tell her trainer was anxious about the idea. She didn’t blame her. Despite seeing the carnage of the opening ceremony, and the odd attacks during the week, the attack on Section B was probably the closest they had seen to just how dangerous this attack was. Luneth had seen that, whilst Glimmer hadn’t. Still…

“I volunteer to temporarily become a Pokemon,” Jon said, surprising Triad, given his own apprehension in the past about the whole matter, hoping his own willingness would encourage others to join. “All of my Pokemon are trained to fight without my direction, and Latios’ telepathy would allow him to be a central point of communication between me and my team. And I figure it’s best if I’m there as early on in the attack as possible to adjust Eon Squad’s movements when the main force arrives…”

Deciding, Glimmer stood to her feet as well.

“I volunteer too,” Glimmer explained. “I am familiar with being in a Pokemon form, able to use just about every attack of the form I am most familiar with, and am capable of using Shadowcraft myself in both forms…”

Jon nodded, knowing Glimmer’s own background from the files Steven had given him, and seeing just how much of an asset she could be. From the seat beside Glimmer, Luneth looked up with mixed feelings. Whilst she had full faith in what Glimmer could contribute to the attack, she was also apprehensive about her partner going, and knew talking her out of it would be pointless. She looked down at the ground, trying to consider her next thoughts, as a few other voices began to volunteer to join.

Jimmy had watched the meeting intently. He, like others, had been apprehensive of Jon’s initial claim he could have Rayquaza ready to battle, and was shocked when Jon changed tactics, instead revealing the shocking truth that he had captured Rayquaza illegally barely six months after the S.S. Wishmaker incident.

For the most part, Jimmy had remained quiet, for the reason of not wanting to have Jirachi overutilized. If those present knew that Jimmy trained a Pokemon who could grant wishes, it would cause the planning to fall into disarray. There would be those who would ask the question of why they can’t just wish this situation out of preexistence, which was beyond Jirachi’s capabilities, or those who would use Jirachi as the backbone of the plan, when, especially considering the current circumstances slowing Jirachi’s reenergizing time, Jirachi was better suited to helping fortify other elements of the plan that lay on the edges.

He had listened throughout the meeting, especially when a plan for attacking the Megamart as soon as the location was confirmed was discussed, figuring out how best to utilise Jirachi’s talents to help their chances, and now felt like this was the time to speak up.

“Why the hell not? I volunteer as well,” Jimmy explained. “I alternate between being human and Pokemon as well, and can work my way around some Pokemon attacks too, so I can help. But if I can have the floor, I have some ideas…”

Jon nodded, and Jimmy stood to his feet, withdrawing from his pocket an imbued star piece.

“This is an imbued star piece, empowered by psychic and wish energy. Steven, Cynthia and a select few others here are aware of the fact that I train a Jirachi, who is currently at our own HQ, in order to keep it from being discovered and targeted by our enemy,” Jimmy explained, holding the star piece up so it could be seen by those present. “These are star pieces imbued by Jirachi, which grants them a few effects. The first is that it can detect anything supernatural.So if you are about to trip a hex, it will glow and vibrate to let you know. I have a pendant imbued that I’m wearing with the same power. The real perk though, is creating a telepathic link between whoever holds it, and Jirachi itself…”

Jon’s eyes widened as he had a hunch about something Jimmy had said. Despite not being anywhere near Jimmy, Jirachi had a telepathic link to Jimmy, and unless that link was only transmitting when actively used, everything said in this meeting was being transmitted out of this room. He looked around, and was thankful that nobody seemed to have made that connection yet. Whilst he figured Jimmy likely had Steven or Cynthia’s permission prior like he could have with Latios, with both being aware of Jimmy having Jirachi and what they’re capable of, others there may not make that assumption. He made a mental note of pulling Jimmy aside later to talk about making sure that they didn’t undermine the authority by even appearing to disobey orders, as Jimmy continued.

“This link will allow communication with Jirachi, and also allow Jirachi to use its wishmaking power with the star piece as the point of reference. To grant wishes as if it were right there with whoever made them,” Jimmy explained. “However, granting wishes does exhaust Jirachi, and it relies on a connection to the stars in order to recharge, which the clouds encasing Akala, and the location of our HQ, both interfere with, so wish granting needs to be done thoughtfully.”

“The third benefit is that anyone holding one can use this to teleport themself, or anyone in close proximity to themself, to our HQ, which is only accessible via these star pieces, effectively giving us a base of operations, completely safe from prying eyes, or invasion,” Jimmy explained. “I won’t force these on anyone. I know that some may not want them. But through them, I can offer safety, security, and a few aces in the hole that Agatha couldn’t hope to predict and counter. So they’re here for anyone who wants them. However, Jon…”

Jimmy looked over at Jon, who was forcing his expression to remain neutral. It so far seemed like nobody had caught onto the fact that Jimmy was potentially letting intel transfer to Jirachi, out of the room, and he didn’t want to indicate something was bugging him and give that away himself.

"I know that you wanted everything in this room left here, and here alone, and to that I can assure you it will stay, but these star pieces do have direct lines with Jirachi and Jirachi alone…” Jimmy explained. “So even though he is not here, he's always listening through these. They also work as listening points. So he can hear our surroundings, see our surroundings, and more. So for that I apologise, but can assure you no one else can hear. Jirachi has been trained over these last four years to do what's right, what's requested, and better improve our lives. Everyone's lives. The information here is still secret and of that I can assure you-”

Jon sighed internally, as what he had hoped to avoid being known was now told to everyone. Jimmy hadn’t mentioned whether or not he had prior permission from Steven and Cynthia, and had he not said what he did to Jon, the fact Jirachi was listening in may have not been discovered by those there. Additionally, whilst Jon definitely saw the benefit of the star pieces, being the pessimist he naturally was, he also saw some concerns that Jimmy hadn’t addressed.

Cassandra had looked at Jon when Jimmy addressed him, having been thinking of how they could use Jirachi’s power in the operation, and saw his expression was dangerously calm.

“Bro…” Jarena muttered to Cassandra and Violet, wincing nervously. “That might have not been the best idea…”

Knowing that if he didn’t address this here and now, his own authority over his own squad, and those who may wind up following his orders in the attack, would be hollow. Jimmy wasn’t under his authority, being in equal rank to Jon on this mission. However, both of them were under the authority of Steven and Cynthia, which Jimmy had appeared to have acted against. And whilst normally, Jon would leave Steven and Cynthia to clarify the matter, Jon had been the one to set the intel protocol, with the permission of Steven and Cynthia. As such, he needed to handle this…

Jon slammed the base of his fist against the wall next to him, creating a loud bang, causing a few people to jump from their seats. Abbee looked at Jon in shock, having never seen a reaction like this from him.

"I know you wanted this information to not leave the room, but instead of telling you that Jirachi was listening in before when you said it, I have been leaking information to someone not in the room the entire time. Hope you're okay with it…"

Jon’s voice was dangerously calm, paraphrasing what Jimmy had said, and there was no mistake as to how Jon felt about the situation.

"That's basically what you said, right? I've known about you having Jirachi since the day you got it, and you know that. And it seems like you were going to reveal Jirachi’s existence in this meeting. You could have raised this when we were discussing security protocol before. Told us then that Jirachi was listening in. I would have referred to Steven and Cynthia, who likely would have approved it, and we’d have gone forward with no issue. I would have been okay with it…” Jon continued. “You had no reason not to. You waited until all the sensitive information was on the floor, and not only that, even if Steven and Cynthia knew that this was going on, you, as a trainer with the natural authority that comes with training a Mythical Pokemon, revealed you were going against Steven and Cynthia's orders for secrecy, in front of every other operative here, some of whom I can guarantee are on the fence about whether or not to follow the protocol for secrecy, and now have seen you break it..."

Jimmy went silent, as those present watched quietly, not wanting to put a target on their backs.

"Everybody here, look me in the eye, so there is no misunderstanding..." Jon said, his voice firmer than before. "Jimmy Kendo might have already broken protocol, or he might have had prior permission from Steven and Cynthia, and it just looks like he did because he said too much. I don't know, and I will be having a good chat to Steven about what has happened here later. But regardless of what he has done, do not take this as any sort of indication that we are not as serious about keeping this information classified as I said we were at the start of this meeting. Regardless of which squad you are in, if anybody leaks information, they will have me to deal with, and my current idea is to use leakers as bait to lure out Agatha and her ilk... Am I understood?"

There was a vague murmur from the group present, before Jon spoke up again.

“Am I f**king understood?!” Jon shouted angrily, as the bulk of the group called out yes...

"Good. Follow the rules of this meeting and we won't have an issue.." Jon said, back to his more firm voice, before turning to Jimmy. "As for you Kendo, I speak on behalf of all of Eon Squad when I say we will not be accepting your Star Pieces for a multitude of reasons, practically and personally..."

Whilst Jon normally wouldn’t bring personal matters into light like this, instead opting for a private discussion like he had with Jimmy on the S.S. Wishmaker, there was a lot at stake. Jimmy had made an offer that was very difficult to refuse, but those considering it didn’t know the flip side of this offer…

"Practically, if Eon Squad is to form the front line offensive, then us being in possession of a key to our strongest sanctuary, and a telepathic link to a Pokemon that can grant wishes, and is a central hub of information for everyone in possession of one, is foolish. If one of us is captured or killed, and found with it, this whole operation is jeopardised. Instead, you are better off finding a secure place to hide one, where if any of us from Eon Squad do need to access it, we can without risking keeping it on our person," Jon said. "Additionally, you said you have spent the last four years training Jirachi. Four years ago, Jirachi's biggest issue was doing what it wants, regardless of what you, the trainer who has authority over it, wants. It took people, my own wife included, prisoner, planning on turning them into Pokemon so they could all play. Alyssa escaped, and Jirachi only turned people in that room who okayed into Pokemon, I’ll give you that. However, Lance, who was detained at this point, alongside his guard, were both turned into Pokemon, and had they been turned into anything more dangerous than they were, they may have escaped. They did not consent to it.”

"I told you four years ago that I thought you could train Jirachi well, Kendo. I guess I was wrong, because back then Jirachi's problem was it didn't follow the rules it should have, and now you have come here, four years later, and have that same problem, when the two highest authority people in this operation, Steven and Cynthia have demanded information doesn't leave this room. I don't believe you have trained Jirachi, I think Jirachi has trained you..." Jon said coldly. "And in that case, I don't trust either you nor Jirachi with the ability to listen in on my squad's thoughts, and having instant access to any information we dig up. If you want any information from Eon Squad, you have to get it from me or one of our shared superiors..."

Jon looked at Jimmy, waiting to see how he would respond. Jimmy took a deep breath, seeming to find the words to say something that he felt needed to be said.

“Jon, I’ve held this in for four years now. I’ve let you hold a spotlight to yourself for this long without saying anything, but in times like this, someone has to shed some light on bullies like you…”

Jimmy began to glare at Jon, who met his gaze, refusing to give any ground.

“This whole thing isn't about you. You may command your own squad, but you are not and never will be my commander. You sit on facts of the past, but you never learn. You gave me time to train Jirachi. You haven't even met him since, and yet you judge on something you haven't even seen. You're pathetic Jon…” Jimmy said, his tone rising. “A commander should know better than that. Otherwise you're going to just lead others to their doom. A real leader assesses a situation without false assumptions. It shows your weakness. You'd sooner attack others just to make yourself look better no matter who they are. Here's a hard lesson Jon. You can't live through life busting holes in everything just to make a point! You just end up making yourself look like an a**hole!"

Jon didn’t try to defend himself. He knew that Jimmy’s outburst was making his case for him. That there was more to consider than just the perks of the star pieces…

"You constantly talk about how I couldn't train Jirachi. Well he's fully trained whether you believe that or not. A commander such as you should know, but you can't be willing to accept the fact someone like me can train a Pokemon like this. I don't care what you believe about me. You can't just make s**t up and accept it as fact! That's the worst thing a leader can do, commander...” Jimmy said, before shouting. “Think Jon! Like I said back 4 years ago. No one can train such a special Pokemon in the matter of hours. Not even you. It takes time, and we had four years! Four years to learn everything we could about Jirachi and his unique abilities. There’s so much more to learn. Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, no matter their power have so much more potential than any of us know. It's a part of what makes them so hard to train…"

Jimmy took a step towards Jon, who noticed out of the corner of his eye Dylan step forward to intervene. Whilst Jimmy matched Jon in height, Dylan eclipsed the pair of them in both height and build, and whilst Jimmy had made it clear he had Jirachi on speed-dial, Jon knew that Darkrai was likely hidden in Dylan’s shadow, and would be able to put Jimmy to sleep before Jimmy even knew what was going on. Jon grabbed Dylan’s forearm.

“Don’t,” Jon said evenly, not taking his gaze off Jimmy.

"Never once did I tell anyone they had to do this or that. Everything was offered and yeah there's things about what I said that sound flawed, but did you ever ask what those counters were? If they could be adjusted? Time and time again you assume things about me just because of Jirachi and how it acted. Four years ago! Stop living in the past Jon! If you don't, the past can come back to haunt you! More than you know..."

Jimmy turned to address the others in the room, as his comments became more and more personal.

"Look everyone. I don't know about you, but I'm here to help everyone. Not just me, not us here in this room. Everyone…” Jimmy explained, “What's going on here is bigger than the ego we have here in this self righteous p***k we, trying to get a hard-on by showing he has the biggest fist. He can't scream and punch the wall and they just walk away. No! We all have to work together here as a team. If we don't we are doomed to fail. Every little bit here can help…"

Turning back to Jon, Jimmy addressed him directly.

"Look, I don't care about whatever beef you have with me. No matter how much you look back on things, time moves on and we all grow up. Are you so willing to protect your own dignity rather than work with others for the safety of everyone? I never once tried to take over anything of yours. Eon Squad or anything of yours. So why is it you're so against me when you base everything you know about me off baseless facts about Jirachi, when you know nothing about over the last four years. It's time to man up Jon. Not everything is about you. You need to learn to work with others for the better of everyone. Not everything is solely about you here. Wake up and smell the damn roses!"

Jon knew it was time to address this. Jimmy had his piece. Now it was time to respond. He walked towards Jimmy, closing the gap between them.

“You really think this is about my pride? Dozens of civilians have died this week, who didn’t have to. We lost some of our own today, and it looks like you’re more angry at the fact that I called you out…” Jon said, his voice even and concerningly calm. “If that’s all you have to say, it’s painfully obvious you don’t get it. Wake up and smell the damn roses… This little outburst of yours, was about your pride, not mine…”

Hearing Jon’s rebuke, Jimmy felt the rage begin to bubble over, however knew that if he retaliated, he’d only prove Jon right. They needed to work as a team, and retaliating to this would only serve to be a detriment to that.

“I need some air…” Jimmy muttered, before walking outside.

There was an awkward silence that followed, before Steven stood to his feet. He had wanted to intervene, but had hoped that Jon, given how controlled he seemed, especially holding Dylan back, could resolve the dispute. Having known Jon for as long as he did, he could see through Jon’s performance. This was about cementing their stance on keeping intel secure, and, making it clear to all considering it that Jimmy’s offer wasn’t without risks, though Steven didn’t necessarily agree with Jon’s method of conveying the latter.

“We have enough to work with now…” Steven said, gathering the attention of all present. “Our goals are as follows. Figure out which combination of spells can provide protection for the upcoming battle. Confirm the use of the abandoned Megamart by Agatha, and designate a time to hold them behind their own traps, while we amass a force. Anyone wishing to join Jon in the vanguard for this attack, remain here. Everyone else, you will receive orders through the usual channels. Dismissed.”

From where they sat, both Luneth and Glimmer were torn, albeit in different regards. She wanted to join the front line for the upcoming battle. Her own competency both as a Mythical Pokemon, familiar with her own abilities in her natural form, as well as a human, competent in Shadowcraft and also immune to certain spells, as in this form she was neither completely human nor Pokemon, made her an asset to fighting on the front line. However there were two reasons to be hesitant in joining Eon Squad. The first, was that whilst the events of that day were enough to motivate her to get more directly involved in taking the fight to Agatha, it had the opposite effect on Luneth. She had shrunk back further into her seat with every reference to fighting the witches, and every new danger, from the hexes likely surrounding the property, to Giratina potentially being set on them. She had told Glimmer she didn’t think she could do this.

The other point of conflict for Glimmer was working under Jon. Whilst she agreed with Jon’s initial concerns about the star pieces being held by those in the front line, and didn’t question his focus on the mission after he revealed the truth about his capturing of Rayquaza, despite the fact that having a dangerous Pokemon in an unregistered Pokeball was normally a get into jail free card, she also wondered, given the display of distrust towards Jimmy he had shown, whether she could work under him. Whilst she could see he had some good leadership qualities, and those in his squad trusted him, one enough to even try to intervene against Jimmy on his behalf, she also believed he led through fear. However, if he could get the job done…

Luneth on the other hand, wasn’t sure if she should stay or go. She wanted to help Triad with anything Shadowcraft-related that she could, however that looked like it would be taking them to fighting on the front lines, which she couldn’t do. She was pulled from her thoughts by Glimmer crouching down to speak to her without being overheard.

“You’ve probably guessed, but I’m going to join Eon Squad…”

Luneth sighed inwardly, loathing that her partner would be in such danger. But she also knew that trying to talk Glimmer out of it was pointless. Instead, she nodded.

“Just come back safe, alright?” Luneth said. Glimmer nodded in agreement.

“Promise,” Glimmer said, before forcing a grin. “It’ll take more than a few of these creeps to take me down…”

Glimmer and Luneth weren’t the only ones torn. Triad sat in their seats, having watched the whole display. Cassandra noticed Jarena still looking to the door where Jimmy had left.

“Things can’t work like this…” Jarena said, looking to Violet and Cassandra.

“Jarena…” Violet muttered.

Cassandra, however, fell silent, thinking hard for a minute. She knew Jon distrusted Jirachi, but felt like it seemed bitter to hold onto it for so long, and honestly, it caused her to question Jon’s own trust for her, Violet and Jarena. Was it possible that he felt the same way about them? Especially after they cheated, and tried to make a run for it four years ago?

As her thoughts spiralled, that maybe Jon still harboured resentment for them, given their own history and Jon’s reference to Jirachi’s own mistakes, she couldn’t help but remember when the three of them were approached by Jon and Latios.

“How do you want to do this?” Violet asked Cassandra, however Jarena interjected.

“We don’t,” Jarena interjected. “I don’t like this. I don’t want to hear about what happened back then with us either. It’s the whole reason why we torched everything and ran…”

Cassandra listened to this, however remembered the question that Jon had asked them, after offering to advocate for them if they came willingly, back on the S.S. Wishmaker.

“Honestly, we should talk to Jirachi,” Jarena said. “Jon doesn’t trust him, but I want to give him a chance. He really saved our tails back then, and I think he could really help…”

“You’re right, we need to talk to Jirachi,” Cassandra said. “But as much as you may not want to hear this, we should talk to Jon first…”

Jarena exhaled deeply, obviously not a fan of the idea, however Violet, trying to be the voice of reason, addressed Cassandra instead.

“Why do you think that?”

“Remember when he offered to help us back on the S.S. Wishmaker-”

“Cass, you can’t keep letting him do whatever he wants because of that!” Jarena said irritably, as Violet shot her a glare for not referring to her as Naomi.

“Calm down and let her talk…” Violet said to Jarena. Cassandra nodded her thanks.

“Before he offered his help, he asked us how we ended up there. He wanted to know how and why we’d done the things that we had done…” Cassandra explained. “Honestly, we know next to nothing about what has happened the last four years for both of them. You said it yourself. We torched everything and ran. So how can we sit here, as third parties to an argument that doesn’t involve us, and pick sides without talking to either?”

“He didn’t give Jimmy the same grace of asking why…” Jarena muttered. Violet went to interject, however Cassandra beat her to it.

“Then let’s ask him why…” Cassandra said firmly. “I’m not saying you have to agree with him, or be okay with it. I’m saying we don’t bury our heads in the sand…”

From where they sat at the back of the room, Abbee looked at the effect that the disagreement had on the rest of the room in shock. Things had been so good in terms of morale. They had a strong lead on where Agatha was hiding out, and a plan that they would be able to execute without too much risk, that would give them the upper hand over Agatha, as well as people volunteering to help be a part of that. Even Victini, who sat on her shoulder, seemed deflated after the argument.

"Maybe the bad blood is for the best," Victini said, trying to be optimistic. "They are just too different to be able to work together and trust one-another..."

"They were both as pointed as one-another..." Abbee replied with her thoughts. She was shocked to be saying that. She’d only known Jon as a teacher and mentor. And even in instances, like when Chris was acting out the summer before, Jon wouldn’t make comments as personal as the ones he made towards Jimmy. This seemed excessive.

"They could not be much more different," Victini explained. "Jimmy is the sort of friend you want to have when everything is great and there is peace. He is optimistic, and sees the best in a situation. He dreams big and thinks about what could go right. Jirachi is even more like that. Unfortunately, he can tend to overlook smaller details, and that's what seems to drive Jon mad. Stuff like waiting until they had already shared classified information to mention Jirachi listening. Stuff that wouldn't be a big deal under normal circumstances."

"And Jon?" Abbee asked. She had known Jon for three years now, and whilst he wasn't afraid of voicing his disapproval, it was usually in a calm manner. But as Victini said, these weren't normal circumstances, and he had more experience with Jon in these sorts of circumstances.

"Jon shoulders a lot of responsibility right now. He has his family back home who need him, you and Dylan here, and then the rest of Eon Squad, and one bad decision could lead to people dying on his conscience, and will say and do what he has to to try and keep the others from being killed. He is the sort of friend you want to have when times are tough, because he will see the potential for things to go south and do whatever he can to minimise that. They are just too different…"

"So how is this bad blood good?" Abbee asked. The idea of Jon being who you wanted in your corner when things were tough surprised her a little because it seemed like these tough times were bringing out the worst in him. However, she did remember times over the years when Jon had excelled through adversity, such as the hearing for the Eon Academy.

"Because it means they won't be compromising themselves by being forced to work with each other. Their strengths are detrimental to each other. If they aren't working together, Jon won't be shooting down Jimmy's ideas that may just work over the things he may have overlooked, and Jon won't be having to worry about Jimmy overlooking something, and someone he is responsible for getting hurt. Teamwork is great and all, but not all the time. They will be at their best by leaving each other alone and letting them do their own thing…”

Triad, led by Cassandra as Violet was trying to keep Jarena acting reasonably, made their way towards Jon, where he stood by the front of the room, as other attendees had broken off into smaller groups to discuss what happened.

“Jon, we gotta talk…” Cassandra said. Jon met her gaze, before nodding towards a room off to the side.

“What, you can’t say it out here?” Jarena asked, irritable, as Violet rolled her eyes.

“As of ten minutes ago, I have less secrets to worry about getting out than you three,” Jon answered evenly, keeping his voice low. “The privacy is for your sake more than mine…”

“Jarena, cut it out,” Cassandra said. Whilst she loved the girl, and understood her irritability at Jon’s actions, she was grating on her nerves by making the prospect of working things out with Jon difficult.

The trio followed Jon into the side room, watched by Luneth and Glimmer, as Jon closed the door.

Once the door was closed, Violet was the one to speak. She knew that Cassandra was somewhat closer to Jon than herself and Jarena were, given the mission to capture Rayquaza. However, Jarena was also very clearly not in the mood for chit-chat, leaving her to be the one most impartial.

“That wasn’t okay,” Violet said to Jon. “I get that Jimmy should have mentioned Jirachi earlier, and you raised a good point about not letting the star pieces fall into Agatha’s hands should someone be killed. But dredging up what happened four years ago, and slandering not only Jirachi, but himself as a trainer as well? Honestly, after that, I’m not convinced you even trust us…”

“Would I have gone to the lengths I did on the basis of a dream if I didn’t trust the three of you?” Jon asked, and Jarena glared.

“Doing the right thing by other people at our word doesn’t mean you trust us,” Jarena said. “Fact is, if you did take us at our word and we were lying or something, you had nothing to lose. But if you didn’t, and we were right, there was a lot at stake. So don’t think that just because you listened to us, we should think that you actually trust us…”

Jon met Jarena’s gaze, remaining neutral. Unlike during the meeting, he wasn’t having to convince people outside of the conversation of anything. He wasn’t putting on a show.

“Look, we don’t want to argue for the sake of arguing,” Cassandra said, before giving Jarena a look. “We don’t. But honestly, we want to know why you said what you said to Jimmy. Why you went after him and Jirachi personally, instead of just giving your reasons and letting them speak for themselves…”

Violet nodded in agreement, though tried to remain impartial.

“We get why you made a big deal out of him not mentioning Jirachi was listening in. To make sure everyone knew you were taking confidentiality seriously. And honestly, you made a good point about Agatha getting a star piece,” Violet explained. “So why go after Jimmy?”

“Why did you come to me first, instead of going straight to Steven with the tip off about Agatha?” Jon asked, knowing the answer. “I’d told you guys I was done working for the League. Cass, you knew I was focusing on the Eon Academy. In terms of what Steven or myself could do, anyone would know Steven could do more with your tip off than I could. So why come to me instead?”

“Because we don’t trust the League…” Violet answered, as Jarena began to glare further. Cassandra wasn’t sure what Jon was getting at, though Violet seemed to understand.

“Even though it was Lance who attacked the pair of you? And Steven had never done anything to not have your trust?” Jon asked. “After he kept secret the fact you three were alive for three and a half years, and still does to this day? After he kept his word to you, Cass, that he’d help protect the Star Glade? You still don’t trust him?”

“Don’t turn this around on us!” Jarena said angrily

“He’s not…” Cassandra muttered, realising what Violet had figured out.

“I went after Jimmy, because after four years, the first time I work with him, he publically undermined the authority of Steven and Cynthia. And whilst what he offered was great for the mission and whoever took him up on it, anyone considering it needs to know exactly who they’re putting their faith in. For me to have this concern, and not raise it, figuring nothing too bad would happen, would be like you having concerns about Agatha, and not coming to find me…” Jon explained. “And his outburst at the end, only added to prove my point. From what he said, you’d think that I’ve spent the last four years as a high-school bully, shoving him in lockers or something. Really, I spent some scattered time with him over two days on the S.S. Wishmaker. I told him to be careful not to give Jirachi too long of a leash after it turned you all back into Pokemon during Cass’ match, and Jimmy didn’t listen to me. Then there was the playtime the next day…”

“Jon-” Violet began, but he cut her off.

“I bought him dinner, told him he had what it takes to train Jirachi, gave him some practical advice for training a Legendary Pokemon, for his sake and Jirachi’s, and gave him my number, and offered to help if he needs it. Then I didn't see or hear from him for four years. Does that line up with what he said?” Jon asked. “Am I a self-righteous p***k, putting his ego over the mission, when that’s the extent of the relationship between me and Jimmy Kendo?”

“What’re you trying to say Jon?” Jarena asked. “I’m sick of hearing your wisdom...”

Jon looked at her, his tone remaining even.

“I’m saying I have less reason to trust Jimmy and Jirachi than you do to trust Steven. Meanwhile, I can name nearly two dozen operatives that will be on my conscience, two of whom are like children to me, if I make a bad call and something happens to them,” Jon said to Jarena, not looking away for a second. “I don’t have any problem with you three coming to me back at Mossdeep, but honestly, if you can’t trust Steven enough to have gone directly to him with your concerns about Agatha, when on paper he is the better person to go to than I am, is it fair for you to expect me to trust Jimmy and Jirachi enough to ignore the concerns I reasonably have?”

Jarena went silent. She held his gaze for a minute, trying to think of something to say, however eventually began to look down.

“No…”

“If you three trust Jimmy and Jirachi, I won’t stop you from working with him, or try and convince you otherwise. You have your reasons for it, and I respect that. But that doesn’t mean I have to as well. I am only responsible for my own decisions, and won’t be kept awake at night by the consequences of someone else's. But I take that responsibility seriously, and I won’t take it for granted to spare feelings…” Jon continued. “Are we on the same page?”

There was silence from the group, as Cassandra spoke.

“Do you trust us?” Cassandra asked. “Or do you still see us through the lens of four years ago…”

“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t be going to this extent to explain myself…” Jon answered. He looked outside, to see people peering in through the glass on the door. “I have people wanting to speak to me. If you want to talk in here further, stay as long as you want. And if you still want to do this joint operation, chat to me once you’ve talked it out…”

Cassandra nodded, as Jon walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him, and giving them privacy.

“What do you think?” Cassandra asked Violet, having come to the same conclusion that she seemed the most impartial.

“He isn’t wrong…” Violet said. “We have been less trusting of people he trusts than we probably should have been. So can’t expect him to go against his own guts because we happen to trust someone…”

“You’re right. And I have an idea for what we can do moving forward, but we all need to be onboard with it,” Cassandra said. “Jarena?”

Jarena stared at the door where Jon had just left and watched as he spoke to an operative who she presumed was volunteering to join Eon Squad.

“I hate seeing things blow up the way they did… And honestly, I just feel really bad for Jimmy with everything that’s happened,” Jarena explained. “But we can’t force Jon to trust them himself, if he is really that worried…”

Cassandra nodded, before addressing them.

“Then I know what our next steps are,” Cassandra explained. “We need both of them if we want to end this. But them working together right now is too little, too late. Jon can’t trust Jimmy enough to rely on him, and Jimmy is too angry to be willing to heed Jon’s advice…”

“So instead, we act as the go-between for them?” Violet asked. Cassandra nodded.

“Jon has said he trusts us, and honestly, I believe him. That trust isn’t enough for him to make decisions that don’t sit right with him at our word, but it’s enough to potentially let us figure some things out that involve Jimmy and Jirachi, and connect the dots between Eon Squad and Jimmy and Jirachi,” Cassandra explained. “And whilst Jimmy is probably not going to want to listen to Jon’s criticisms, he will be more willing to listen to us, and iron out some of the wrinkles in his plans…”

Outside, Jon had a half dozen operatives seek him out wanting to join Eon Squad, putting the number of operatives who would be leading the initial charge to sixteen. One however, he was glad to have on board.

“Jon, I’m Glimmer…” Glimmer said. Jon sized her up, before answering.

“Luneth’s friend...” Jon said, as Glimmer nodded. “I read your file when choosing my squad. At the time, I figured you and Luneth would be best kept in reserves for when Triad found their hands full, but given the last week, I think you’d be pretty game changing on Eon Squad…”

Whilst Glimmer hadn’t said it, she had stood at the back of a line of operatives, all of whom had volunteered. Whilst Glimmer partially wanted to make a comment along the lines of ’who says I want to join?’ she held her tongue. Partially because she saw how Jon’s mood shifted quickly before, and also because he was being somewhat pleasant.

“I can only hope,” Glimmer explained. “I was too far away to be of any real help this afternoon, chasing a dead lead. But I don’t want to be that helpless again. This needs to end…”

Jon nodded approvingly.

“Grab your belongings and move on-site tonight. Eon Squad mostly have no standing orders this evening. Dylan and Abbee will be looking into Brianna Levine more, but we need to be prepared to fight at a moment’s notice,” Jon explained. “Get some rest, and I will get you your orders tomorrow morning…”

Glimmer nodded, before departing, as Jon noticed Triad emerge from the side room where they had spoken prior. They made their way towards him, seeming a little more certain about it all.

“Jon, do you have specific orders in mind for us?” Cassandra asked. “Because there is something I have in mind that I think we’d be better suited for…”

“You proposed a joint operation between Triad and Eon Squad, and as the de-facto leader of Triad, you command the squad,” Jon said, before slipping a slight grin. “None of you are under my orders, even during a joint operation. So what are you thinking?”

“We need to confirm that Agatha is actually in the abandoned Megamart, and you said yourself that Jimmy’s star pieces could be great, but not for front line attackers…” Cassandra explained. “So we’re going to go and catch up with Jimmy, and chat with Jirachi ourselves. If we trust it, we will try and kill two Spearows with one stone tomorrow. Turn ourselves into Pokemon to try and investigate the Megamart, and also, hide some of these star pieces in the area surrounding it, so that if during the attack, someone in Eon Squad needs Jirachi’s assistance, they can get in touch without having the risk of being caught with one on their person…”

Jon nodded in understanding.

“It’s a good idea, but I gotta ask, how do you balance having it not too hidden so that we don’t struggle to find it, without it being accidentally found by Agatha?”

“By using the old hag’s tricks against her,” Violet explained. “Remember our theory for how they initially grouped? That light based illusion spell, that you can set conditions for being visible?”

Jon nodded as Jarena continued, surprising him, considering her bitterness before.

“Anyone who is fighting alongside us, will see an arrow of light pointing to exactly where they are hidden,” Jarena explained. “Without that, they will be well hidden enough that nobody should find them…”

“Good thinking,” Jon explained, as he considered it. “I’ll still post a few operatives in the area to investigate tomorrow morning. I figure even if they’re spotted by the Ghost Pokemon, that should take some heat off you while you do your thing and ideally get in closer…”

With their plan set, Triad left the building, hoping that Jimmy hadn’t left yet.

Whilst Glimmer had approached Jon, Luneth had climbed down from her seat, and walked through the doorway, hoping to find Jimmy. She left the building, and outside, found him standing against a wall of the villa, looking up at clouds that blocked out the stars, trying to gather his thoughts.

Jimmy looked down at the sound of footsteps, and noticed the Alolan Vulpix that had exited the building, and was walking towards him. He recognised her from the Tide Song Hotel that afternoon, and crouched down to speak to her on her level. She cried out, and from his time as Cuddles the Pachirisu, Jimmy understood what she said.

“Hey, it’s been a while since we last met, but I was on the S.S. Wishmaker with you and Jirachi…” the Vulpix said. “Anyway, I think your plan with the star pieces was a good one! Jon shouldn’t have flown off the handle so much… But even if Eon Squad won’t take them, I think you should give them to the supporting squads! They’d really benefit from them, and for what it’s worth, I’d be willing to work with you!”

Jimmy couldn’t help but grin at the Vulpix.

“I think I recognise you from then…” Jimmy said. “When Jirachi had its playtime?”

Luneth nodded, as Jimmy’s smile widened.

"Anyway, thanks for the vote of confidence. It's dark times like these where we need a little light to keep our eyes open. I was hoping to pull more in with the star pieces since they can offer protection to everyone, but I think the timing was bad. I jumped ahead wanting to help protect as many others as possible and..." Jimmy said, before his voice trailed off, and he remembered the altercation prior. “Damn it…”

Composing himself a little more, he continued.

“I’d gladly take any help I could get, just let me explain a little-” Jimmy began, however, noticed three other figures leaving the building. Cassandra, Violet and Jarena. Cassandra looked over, spotting Jimmy and Luneth, before heading over.

“Hey, listen…” Cassandra explained. “I’m glad I caught you. Things got a bit hairy in there, and I wanted to talk to you…”

“Hairy’s an understatement,” Jimmy said, and Cassandra grinned weakly.

“Look, we gotta talk a little about what happened in there,” Cassandra said, as Jimmy sighed. “We spoke to Jon after, and told him what we thought about how he handled things just then…”

“I can’t remember the last time I saw Jarena so annoyed…” Violet said in mock disbelief, and despite himself, Jimmy laughed. Seizing the opportunity that Violet had given her to lighten the mood, Cassandra tried to capitalise on that.

“The whole thing of Jon not trusting Jirachi…” Cassandra said. “Honestly, after talking to him, it’s become clear that that is more to do with the circumstances we are in right now than Jirachi itself…”

Jimmy grimaced hearing this, and didn’t believe it himself.

“Honestly, if it were as simple as you and Jirachi visiting his school or something, I don’t think he’d be anywhere near this apprehensive about Jirachi, but all this…” Cassandra said, gesturing towards the space behind her. “It’s got all of us on edge. It has to, it’s how we’ll survive it. And when his decisions could result in the deaths of his squad members or others, that apprehensiveness gets cranked up to eleven…”

“Are you just here to make excuses for him?” Jimmy asked.

“I thought the same thing when Cass wanted us to talk to him, don’t worry…” Jarena said sardonically. “But no, that’s not it…”

“You were right in there Jimmy, when you said we need to work together. But you and Jon are very different people, with very different roles to play in this whole thing, and the two of you working together isn’t as simple as just working towards the same goal like it might be between you and I. For you and Jon, working together is going to be different,” Cassandra explained. “Jon told us that the star pieces have the potential to be great, and honestly, spoke out because he wanted people to be informed on all elements of the plan before they volunteered. In his mind, if he had concerns about Jirachi, but didn’t voice them and things went pear-shaped, he’d have that in his conscience. And even though I don’t agree with his concerns about Jirachi, I sort of understand why he brought it up…”

“So what, you think I should go in there, apologise, and roll over?” Jimmy asked, as Violet snorted in laughter.

“God no,” Violet laughed. “You said it yourself, he’s not your commander. The two of you have very different roles in this mission…”

“And because of that, I think you should work with us,” Cassandra explained. “Triad are doing a joint operation for the attack with Eon Squad, but are still separate and not under their authority. Let’s make another joint operation. Triad and Wishmaker Duo…”

Jarena laughed at Cassandra’s impromptu team name for Jimmy and Jirachi, however she continued.

“Eon Squad have people and resources you can make use of, and you have resources they can benefit from as well. The star pieces to name an obvious one. However, instead of you and Jon working directly with each other, and just butting heads, let us deal with Jon on your behalf, and we’ll liaise with you on behalf of Eon Squad,” Cassandra continued. “Then once this is over, you and Jon can punch on or whatever, until the two of you sort things out…”

At Cassandra’s joke about Jimmy and Jon punching on, Jimmy sighed.

“Honestly, I think you’re right about something. Things are just too much at this point. We met on the S.S. Wishmaker, where it seemed like one disaster after another…”

“You’re telling us…” Violet said jokingly, causing Jarena to grin.

“Then the next time I see him, we come here, and it’s like a million times worse…” Jimmy said. “I don’t even know what he is like when things aren’t the way they are now, and he knows just as little about me…”

“Maybe it’s not really worth you two talking all this out until it’s over…” Cassandra offered. “You might find it easier to find common ground when that’s the hardest thing to deal with at the time…”

“Maybe…”

“Anyway, we came to see you because we have told Jon what our first objective is in the Eon Squad/Triad joint operation, and we need your help to make it happen,” Violet explained. “We’ll give you more details when we’re able to sit down and go through it all, but before anything else, we’d love to see Jirachi, and hear more about these star pieces…”

Jimmy nodded hearing this. He appreciated, despite the meeting ending the way it had, having a clear goal set, that he was able to contribute to. He looked down at Luneth who had been listening intently.

“You want to come with us, and say hi to Jirachi?” Jimmy asked. Luneth cried out in the affirmative, as Jimmy nodded, addressing Triad and Luneth. “Step in a little closer. Jirachi should be able to teleport us all with just my pendant…”

Jimmy began to reach out with his mind to his pendant, however had a thought.

“Brace yourselves,” Jimmy added. “The first time always sucks…”

Before anyone could ask what he meant, each of them felt like a large hand had grabbed them by the torso, pinning their arms to their sides, and in an instant, pulled through a hole in space itself, before being released in an unfamiliar place. Only Jimmy retained his footing, remaining standing as the other four stumbled to the ground.

“Sorry, no better way to do it,” Jimmy said with an apologetic grin. “All you can do is get used to it…”

“It’s really… something…” Cassandra said, as Violet considered a thought.

“Maybe we just gotta perpetually teleport Agatha like that until her geriatric heart gives out…”

Jimmy couldn’t help but laugh, as the visitors took in their surroundings.

“This is Wishmaker HQ. It exists in a dimension outside of space itself,” Jimmy explained. “Time flows normally here, since adjusting that may have unexpected side effects…”

“So you really meant it when you said Jirachi is the only way in and out…” Jarena said, taking in the facility. Jimmy nodded in return.

“Palkia potentially, but if Agatha had Palkia, all the stories seem to indicate it wouldn’t get along well with Giratina so I think we’re safe…”

“So tell us about this place,” Cassandra said, admiring it. Jimmy beamed.

“Effectively, it could be the perfect HQ for the entire operation,” Jimmy explained. “I spent most of the last week with Jirachi building it, and the only reason I have been staying here alone is because Steven figured that he’d rather I treat me living here like a beta test until we need to move others here. That way we didn’t find out after moving everyone here that there is something vital missing…”

“And have you had any issues?”

“It took some time to get the Wayfinder working properly,” Jimmy explained. “Effectively, Jirachi’s teleportation is its psychic abilities, being amplified by it’s wish granting ability. As such, it can teleport anyone anywhere, however the more the teleport deviates from what it could do normally as a psychic type, the more sleepy it gets. It can teleport people with star pieces to itself, or where they teleport to itself from, allowing for a back and forward trip, without using any wish energy, and not exhausting itself. The Wayfinder however, remains here, and allows Jirachi to teleport anyone with a star piece to it, using only its psychic abilities…”

“Speaking of Jirachi,” Violet asked. “Where is it?”

“Resting,” Jimmy explained. “It’ll wake up soon. Normally Jirachi doesn’t need this much rest, however Jirachi had to stay here until the Wayfinder was working, so I could teleport in and out without making it tired, and leaving us short handed in an emergency. But here, there are no stars, which means Jirachi’s rest time is increased…”

“So how come Jirachi has stayed here now that the Wayfinder is working?” Jarena asked.

“The clouds surrounding the island. Even when they don’t block out the night sky completely and just form a ring around them, they interfere with Jirachi’s connection to the stars,” Jimmy explained. “So when accounting for the fact I now don’t need to be physically near Jirachi to use its power, Jirachi leaving this place only serves to be a risk to itself…”

“So how limited is Jirachi’s power because of this?” Cassandra asked, sounding concerned. Jimmy however quickly shook his head.

“One thing I learnt quickly is that once Jirachi has granted a specific wish, the cost of energy for it to grant the exact same wish subsequently is drastically reduced,” Jimmy explained. “So if you wished to be turned into Pokemon, it would be child’s play for Jirachi. However, if you wanted to be made five years younger, Jirachi has never granted that wish before, and it would start to exhaust it…”

“And building this place…” Violet began. Jimmy nodded.

“A lot of new wishes to figure out and grant…” Jimmy explained. “Between that and the opening ceremony, when Jirachi helped to heal some people... But Jirachi has been taking it easy the last couple of days and should be at full strength by tomorrow morning, and as long as we aren’t giving it too many new wishes, it should be fine to help us out with the odd wish…”

Looking around, Jimmy gestured to a nearby doorway.

“Dining hall is in there,” Jimmy explained. “How about you guys head in there, grab yourselves something to eat, and I’ll go get Jirachi…”

As the visitors made their way in, Jimmy went towards the Panopticon, where he knew Jirachi enjoyed watching over Akala Island through the various security cameras that the room had access to. He walked in, opening the door, to see Jirachi sitting on a leather office chair that was far too large for it, watching the cameras intently, seeing the goings on of Heahea City.

“Hey buddy,” Jimmy said. “How’re you feeling?”

Jirachi floated up in the air, before perching itself on Jimmy’s shoulder.

“Pretty refreshed!” Jirachi answered happily. “A bit bored though…”

“Well we’ve got visitors, so that should help with the boredom,” Jimmy said. “But remember, it took three days of no new wishes to get you feeling this awake. Don’t do anything that will make you tired again. We might be going on the offensive any day now, and can’t risk you sleeping on the job…”

“Aye-aye Captain!” Jirachi said, saluting clumsily, and almost losing balance.

“We’ll talk more about it with the others…”

In the dining hall, Jarena had found a door to what looked to be a pantry, next to a metal door that looked to be a fridge built into the wall. The door was a standard size, and she guessed it would be a small cupboard behind it, or maybe a walk-in butlers pantry. However as she opened it, she found herself looking into a large pantry the size of the bathroom in her mansion, before being caught out, which was hardly small. She stuck her head in the door, before looking to her left, and realising something. She stood back out, looking at the fridge door along the same wall, before looking back in.

“What the hell…” she said to herself, as she confirmed that the pantry itself was too large to fit in the space that it appeared to take outside. She walked to the fridge to find it was the same size, and seemed as though it should be impeding on the pantry but somehow wasn’t. As she did this, Cassandra entered the pantry, and despite being surprised that it was bigger on the inside, didn’t seem to let that stop her from doing what she went there to do. Looking on one of the shelves, she found a bag of cookies, before taking them out, and setting them on the table where Violet sat, alongside Luneth, who sat on the table itself due to being too small to see above the tabletop when sitting on a chair.

She opened the bag of cookies, before giving Luneth one, who began to nibble at it, and having one herself. As Jarena returned, still stunned by the strange pantry and fridge, Jimmy entered the room, Jirachi perched on his shoulder.

“Hey guys!” Jirachi said happily. “It’s great to see you again!”

Without further invitation, Jirachi levitated itself from Jimmy’s shoulder, before floating gracefully to the table to sit next to Luneth, before grabbing a cookie itself.

“This is what Jimmy and I have been working on!” Jirachi said through a mouth full of cookie. “What do you think?”

“It looks great,” Cassandra explained. “Even if it’s not used to its full potential before this operation ends, it will probably be a great asset for future operations.”

Jimmy nodded in agreement.

“Honestly, we started working on it months ago, but there were so many little things…” Jimmy explained. “Pocket dimensions outside of space don’t naturally have air, so I had to make sure the space Jirachi created did. But then you gotta worry about air-pressure, ambient temperature, regulation… Honestly, it took months before I could even be present here without being in a glorified space-suit…”

“I can imagine,” Violet said, looking around. “It’s a ballsy endeavour, but it’s looking like it’s paid off…”

Jimmy nodded, before getting to the reason for their presence at Wishmaker HQ.

“So what are your plans?” Jimmy asked. “You said you’re working alongside, but not under Eon Squad?”

“That’s right,” Cassandra explained. “We still filled Jon in on the idea, in case there was something he thought of that we hadn’t considered, or there were ways Eon Squad could help us, but he was all for it, so we came here…”

Jimmy nodded, trying to remain professional, despite the sour taste in his mouth at the reference to Jon being approached about this, even if it wasn’t for his permission.

“We all agree that the star pieces themselves are going to be game changing, and they’re going to make or break this operation, but Jon raised a good point. The front line can’t all be in possession of them. The risk of someone being killed and the stone falling into enemy hands is too high,” Cassandra said. “And look, I know Jirachi could potentially deactivate them remotely or something like that, but we don’t know enough of Agatha’s capabilities. Every time we have thought we knew what she was capable of, she has taken things a step further, and as far as we know, she may have the means to reactivate it, or repurpose it for her own sick means…”

Jimmy nodded in understanding, as Violet took over the conversation.

“So tomorrow, the three of us will turn into Pokemon, and spend the day scouting the area around the Megamart. Try to confirm that they are in fact there, get an idea of where their defences reach, and make a point of hiding a few star pieces in the area,” Violet continued. “We’ll make them impossible to find by accident, and use Shadowcraft to leave behind indicators only our allies can see. That way if someone on the attacking force needs support, there is a way to reach Jirachi without risking it being taken by Agatha…”

“Eon Squad will have a few scouts in the area as well, also trying to confirm that the Megamart is being used, and find out where the traps may be,” Jarena added. “But really, that’s our job, and they’re more there to take attention off us should they have sentries keeping an eye out.”

“Makes sense…” Jimmy said in agreement, thinking over the plan as it was proposed. “So what did you want to speak to Jirachi about?”

“Both of you really,” Cassandra explained. “Remember how the plan mentioned mobilising the majority of our force once we have the few in the advance party holding them behind their lines?”

Jimmy nodded as Cassandra continued.

“Our initial thought was timing the attack so that it’d be dark, or relying on natural features to hide a large group behind until the right moment, but they both run the risk of being discovered and ruining the plan,” Cassandra explained. “But if we could mobilise our force here, and somehow do a mass teleport, or numerous smaller group teleports, we could potentially drop all of the League’s operatives close enough to the Megamart before they even know what’s happened…”

Jimmy interlaced his fingers as he held his hands to his mouth, considering how they could do it.

“In theory, that would be amazing,” Jimmy explained. “But a mass teleport is beyond Jirachi’s psychic capabilities, which means it would rely on its wishmaking abilities to make up the difference. And teleporting fifty people, all in their own individual space, making sure that none are teleported into the ground, or three metres in the air, or even worse, in each other, would all but wipe Jirachi out…”

Cassandra grimaced a little at the thought of someone being teleported partially into someone else in the area. It sounded like the sort of thing Agatha would do to the civilians of Heahea City for fun…


“W̸̧̻͙͍̝͈͍̣̔͌̄̐̓̓̕ͅh̸̙̣̳͕̭̰̱̺̐́́̎͂̒͘ͅa̷̢̧͔͕̰̦̔ť̷̀ ̧̥͚̝͉͍̭̳͔͂̇̍̃̾̚̕͝͝ ̸̢̡̧̢̲̝̰͇͓͕̙̤̣͈́͐̓̈́̔͛̑̆a̸̛̮͎̣̲͔̯͇̺̩͍͋̈͑̈͐́͒͊̎̔̈͑͑͝ ͚̲b̶̨̫̾̉̄͌̀̾̑͛͒̚͘ȏ̷̦̘͉͕̐̂ủ̸̡͌̑t̴̛̘̞̤̖̋̋͌͆̂̚͝ ̺̯ ̸̼͓̹̻̳̮̲̲̪͓̟̗͕͇͖̒̈́̍̆̇̅ă̵̳̜̤̙͇̪̖̖̓̀̀͋͋̃̈̓͆͋́̈͜ ̵̢̼̦̼͇̌́͂̿͂͐̇̈́̆̉̇̕̕Ẁ̵͕͇̪̦̪͕̭̱̭̗͗̓̓̃͑͜͠a̶̩̜̜͎͐̂̍͛y ̷̡̲̩̘̯̪̬̏̈̓͒͒̑̃̿́̽͝͝f̷̞̰͚̺͚͎̣̮͌̇̎̿ȋ̷̡̨̝̤͔̠͌n̴͑̀͂̈́ ̘̲̮͇̱̎̽̂͒̏̈́ḏ̶̨̛̉̋̂́̔͛͛̉̆͝ę̶̛̗͕͚̼͚̪̳͗͗͛͗̍͗͌̋̔͜͜͜͠ ̫r̷̻̯̔͒̽̾͆͒͗̿͘?̴̧̢̤̤͈̪̜̮̩̱̼̗̦͖̪̅̈́̆”



The question was almost incomprehensible, given Jirachi’s mouth was filled with its sixth cookie, leaving the bag looking pretty empty.

“What was that?” Jimmy asked.

”What about a Wayfinder?” Jirachi repeated, opting for telepathy this time, as it rammed the last cookie into its mouth.

“You mean like what you have here?” Violet asked, as Jirachi nodded in response.

“Could that work?” Jarena asked, as Jimmy considered the question.

“Now that Jirachi has made one, setting it up won’t drain it like it did when the first one was made,” Jimmy explained. “The problem was calibrating it…”

“You make it sound like a computer,” Cassandra noted.

“Nothing electronic to it, just wish energy,” Jimmy explained. “However the potential for it to cause disaster if it’s badly calibrated is there…”

“Calibrated how?” Violet asked.

“We made the Wayfinder here quite easily, but we needed to make sure that when it was activated, it wouldn’t teleport people directly into it, but not too far from it that they’d be teleported into walls, or worse, outside of the building itself, into the nothingness outside,” Jimmy explained. “Even now, sure, it is safe, but that’s because it’s calibrated to put people into a small, safe area, however that safety is only for a half dozen people at most. If it tries to disperse too many people in too small of an area…”

“Yeah…” Cassandra said, remembering Jimmy’s explanation prior of people being teleported partially into one another.

“Really, all the Wayfinder does is remove the wish energy cost from Jirachi. It doesn’t automatically do the logistics of where people end up, and given we’d be making a brand new one, in a place we can’t really plan for, we couldn’t fine-tune it to allow our whole force to use it to teleport at once without drawing attention…”

“Okay, so scratch teleporting everyone at once,” Jarena said. “Let’s say we found a clear, flat spot, where Jirachi could place a Wayfinder, with a fifteen foot clear radius around it. You could easily fit a dozen people in that space with plenty of room to spare, and not much need for fine-tuning on the calibration…”

Jimmy nodded, as Jarena continued.

“So we have Steven and Cynthia mobilise our force here, and divide them into groups of six. We have sixty odd operatives total, minus the twelve we want in the advance party, leaving forty-eight...” Jarena continued, hoping her confidence was hiding how much she struggled with numbers. “So that leaves eight groups of six?”

Violet nodded.

“So we have eight groups of six, and at the mark, the first teleports to the Wayfinder, and makes like hell to get out of the Wayfinder’s range,” Jarena explained. “Ten seconds later, the next group of six teleports and does the same thing…”

“In less than a minute and a half, we go from having twelve people on the battlefield, to sixty…” Cassandra said, impressed at Jarena’s thinking. “But how do we make sure people know they’re out of range?”

“The same way they will know where they can find the star pieces…” Violet answered. “At the least, we draw a circle of light around it, only visible to those who fight alongside us. And if we have time to make it work, I think I can get creative with the conditions…”

“How so?” Jimmy asked, and Violet grinned.

“We’ve only ever known this spell to be used to determine who could see it. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if it can be adjusted to determine when it is visible…” Violet explained. “Imagine that the circle of light is there, but every time someone teleports to the Wayfinder, a giant countdown from ten appears, letting them know exactly how much time they have to clear the circle before another six people are going to be arriving…”

“This sounds great, but I have one problem,” Cassandra said. “We need a clear area to have people teleporting to in order to teleport enough at a time that the mobilisation doesn’t take too long. But unless we find a perfectly sized clearing surrounded by dense trees, we risk being spotted and them simply getting there and spawn-killing our force. And even if we do find one surrounded by cover, that is simply more obstacles to slow our forces down in getting out into the battle, or potentially disorientate them even further…”

Violet considered this for a moment, before coming to a decision.

“A clearing surrounded by cover wouldn’t work. It would be too difficult to get everyone into positions if they can’t see the target, so we have to be in the open,” Violet explained. “In which case, the first two groups of six remain on the edge of the circle, and are tasked with defending the position from any attackers until our entire force is through…”

Cassandra nodded in understanding. Despite this plan being a far cry from teleporting everyone onto Agatha’s doorstep, it was better than any non-wishmaker powered alternatives. She looked at Jimmy, addressing him.

“So if this is our plan, do you see any gaping holes in it?” Cassandra said. “You’ve got a better understanding of Jirachi and the Wayfinders than we do…”

“No gaping holes, but one point we need to consider…” Jimmy noted. “Whilst Jirachi can make a Wayfinder somewhat easy, there are aspects of making one that I don’t quite understand, and I rely on Jirachi to figure out. Because of that, we’d need to bring Jirachi with us, which means bringing it out of Wishmaker HQ…”

“I’ll be fiiiiiine!” Jirachi said, now chewing on significantly less cookie. “Seriously Jimmy, I haven’t left this place in a week! And even if something does happen, we have four super-witches here to cover us, and if that fails, I have a few tricks up my sleeve…”

Whilst Jirachi’s carefree manner was a little contagious, Cassandra knew that removing Jirachi from Wishmaker HQ was a risk. Cassandra wasn’t sure how strong of a battler Jirachi was without relying on its wishmaking abilities, and whilst Jirachi could likely wish its way out of a battle with Giratina if it were to make a surprise appearance, that would likely exhaust it, and given how long it took Jirachi to recover from the work on Wishmaker HQ, that could put it out of commission for the final battle, when it may be needed most.

“Your call Jimmy, Jirachi is your Pokemon,” Cassandra said. “Having a Wayfinder set up nearby could be game changing, but if it’s too risky, then we can think of something else…”

“Yeah, definitely,” Jarena added. “Don’t let us make the decision for you…”

Jimmy looked between Triad and Luneth, then Jirachi.

“Let’s do it,” Jimmy explained. “We have the means to teleport back in an instant if Agatha or Giratina were to show up. And we’ve spent too much time playing defensive in this nightmare…”

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

Steven returned at 11pm, and he and Jon entered a private room to talk about what had just transpired. Given how big of a day it was, Jon felt no guilt getting a beer for himself and Steven, though there was an unspoken agreement, they’d only have the one each.

“We gotta talk about what happened during that meeting…” Steven said.

“What’s there to talk about?” Jon asked, surprising Steven with how much he meant those words.

“I don’t regret what I did,” Jon explained. “If it had been anywhere else, I definitely would have preferred to have had that conversation in private. But there were other people there, some of whom had made it clear they weren’t okay with the level of secrecy we were demanding, even when it comes to other operatives. He could have mentioned Jirachi listening in when I first brought up the confidentiality, I would have forwarded that to you, and you could have okayed it. But instead, intentionally or not, he undermined my authority over my own squad, and yours and Cynthia’s authority over everyone in the room. Because of that, I had to make it clear to everyone in the room that we mean business about keeping things secret.”

“I know, I get that. He had my permission to have Jirachi listen in, but only we knew that, and he should have mentioned it earlier when you asked, or waited until after the meeting and told you privately,” Steven replied, exasperated. “But shooting down his proposition about the star pieces and bringing up what Jirachi did four years ago…”

“I didn’t tell him to scrap the idea. I just said it would be foolish for us on the frontline to have it. It has the potential to be great, having some sort of HQ that only we can access, and instant communication. But if Agatha got a hold of the key, it would be a massacre. By all means, have those working behind the scenes run with this plan. And as I said, even if we have access to one of the keys, but didn’t keep it on us, that would be great. But I’m not going to support his idea to the letter, ignoring the oversights like that, to spare his feelings…”

“That still doesn’t justify slandering Jirachi, and him by extension…” Steven replied. “He and Jirachi have been an asset the last four years to the League…”

“So was Lance…” Jon replied. “Every bit of power and authority he had came from the League, and look what happened there…”

“Jimmy isn’t going to become Lance-” Steven contested.

“I am not saying he is Lance 2.0,” Jon explained. “I am saying that usefulness to the League shouldn’t cause you to overlook flaws. Even with myself. I have proven myself useful to the League, but does that mean you will look past what I have done? Beating Lance and Matt senseless, refusing to fully cooperate with the League? You’d be stupid not to consider that…”

“What are you trying to say?” Steven asked irritably.

“I mentioned what Jirachi did, because after four years, the first time I worked with Jimmy, in this meeting he essentially does what he likes, regardless of what is expected of him,” Jon said. “I have been given no reason to think anything has changed. Just his word, which isn’t enough for me. And now, he is offering for people to use Jirachi’s power to go to some hidden base of operations, and have their thoughts broadcasted to Jirachi. Why do I have any reason to believe that anything has changed, and that this won’t turn into that locked room on the S.S. Wishmaker, when Jirachi all of a sudden wants to play? If Jimmy wants to put people at his and Jirachi’s mercy, regardless of whether it is good or not, they need to know the risk. And if Jimmy wants me to trust him, and Jirachi by extension, he has to prove it. Not with words, but with action…”

“Still-”

“What would you have done in my place Steven?” Jon asked.

Steven was silent.

“If I didn’t do what I did, we run the risk of planning an attack, and Agatha knowing, because one of the operatives thought nothing bad will happen if he goes and tells someone else from his squad over a beer tonight. Really, I did you a favour by being the token a**hole, so you and Cynthia didn’t have to be…”

“What about what Jimmy said?” Steven asked. “His rant about you being a bully and a self righteous p***k?”

“Do you agree with him?” Jon asked. “You’ve known me for over ten years, and in all honesty, are my best friend. If anyone knows me well enough, other than Alyssa, to tell me whether or not what he said is true, it’s you. Am I a bully and a self righteous p***k?”

Steven was silent.

“No…” Steven sighed, not liking the situation. “You did what needed to be done when he mentioned Jirachi listening in, in front of everyone. You made the right call about Eon Squad not taking the star pieces, and given your own experience, you did what you thought best with Jirachi’s past. It is just messy…”

“It is messy. But a mess we can contain and control is better than a mess we can’t,” Jon said. “And to answer your question, about what Jimmy said, I am not too phased. Jimmy knows me from two instances. A few days working together on the S.S. Wishmaker, and now. What does he really know about me?”

“He might say the exact same thing about you…” Steven retorted, half joking, as he stood to leave.

“He could. But actions speak louder than words,” Jon said. “But Steven…”

“Yeah?”

“He and Jirachi do have potential to make or break this operation, hopefully make it,” Jon said. “But that won’t happen if the League is constantly trying to make us work together. Right now, he has written me off as a… well… you heard him… If we disagree about something, I don’t know that he won’t go against me, regardless of who is right and wrong, because in his mind, I am his enemy. Your best bet is to not try and have us work this out while we are dealing with Agatha. There is too much at stake to waste time trying to resolve differences. There is plenty enough to do without us having to cross paths and butt heads, and Triad are working between Eon Squad and himself to make any cooperation needed between the pair run smoothly.”

“I’ll let you do your thing,” Steven agreed. “Let me know what I need to know, and ask when you need help.”

Steven finished his beer, and stood to leave. Jon said goodbye, before taking his quarter-full bottle to a nearby table, where he had been provided with a map of the landscape surrounding the abandoned Megamart…

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

It was 11pm when Abbee found herself dressed up and sitting alone at the bar of the fanciest hotel on Akala Island. She had ordered a drink, thankful that Alola had the drinking age of eighteen, instead of twenty-one like other regions. That being said, the menu here was expensive, and she hoped that she wouldn’t be here too long. Normally, she’d be earning a weekly income from the Eon Academy during summer when she wasn’t working at the Nimbasa City Gym, however that wasn’t the case, and she still had rent back in Nimbasa City to pay.

Victini stood on a rafter above the room, watching over Abbee, maintaining a telepathic link between her and also Dylan, who waited in the bathroom next to the lobby. The plan was simple.

Victini had used his uncanny ability to wander around unnoticed and spent some time watching the service desk in the kitchen, where room service orders came in and were processed. Taking note of the uniforms that were worn by the staff who worked in the hotel, he located a storage room full of them, stealing one that would fit Dylan. Dylan took it, before hiding in the bathroom, whilst Abbee waited in the bar, hoping to attract the attention of someone that wasn’t a man too old to be hitting on her. She wasn’t lying when she told them she was waiting for someone. That person was Brianna Levine.

She was staying in the hotel under an alias, and if they found out what that alias was exactly, they might be able to learn more about her. The only lead they had was an affinity for a certain wine the hotel stocked. Peter Miller, Eon Squads computer genius, had given Dylan a discreet flash drive that when plugged into a PC, would transmit the screen to Eon Squad HQ via the hotel's own internet connection. However Brianna knew Dylan, and the operation, would be out the window if she knew he was here.

But, she had mentioned knowing of Abbee to Dylan when they spoke. The plan was for Abbee to be waiting in the bar. Waiting for someone. For Brianna. When Brianna eventually showed up, as she seemed to love being smug about how much she knows and how little she is going to tell, Abbee would keep her occupied whilst Dylan, disguised as a hotel worker, would plant the flash drive.

However it had been forty minutes, and so far nothing.

“Come on Brianna…” Abbee thought to herself, as she twirled the straw around her drink…

It was well after midnight, when Abbee noticed someone sitting at the bar next to her.

"For someone trying to be covert about investigating me, you're really not doing a good job..." said a woman's voice, sounding smug, as Abbee turned to see Brianna Levine sitting in the seat next to her. She ordered a glass of wine, before Abbee replied.

"Maybe I instead just wanted to talk..."

Brianna grinned before snapping her fingers, and a circle appeared on the ground surrounding both her and Brianna. This is what Dylan described. The circle that had forced him to tell the truth. And her as well.

"In that case, what's your name?" Brianna asked. "Don't worry, nobody outside of the circle can see it. To everyone else here we are just two friends catching up."

"I don't have to say..." Abbee said, taking a risk. Dylan had tried to lie, but the circle forced him to tell the truth. But what if it wasn't that simple? Instead of it forcing whoever is in it to tell the truth, but instead preventing them from lying. Technically Abbee was being truthful by telling Brianna she doesn't have to say.

To her surprise, it worked. The words came out as she intended.

"Besides, it seems you already know who I am..." Abbee added.

"Dylan has made his way towards the room service computer. Keep her busy." said Victini’s voice in Abbee’s head, which she intentionally tried to avoid reacting to.

"So you've worked out the flaw in this little trick of mine," Brianna replied. "But you're right. I know who you are, Abbee. The orphaned daughter of battling legend, Richard Strauss."

Abbee hated that word. Orphan. However she thought over what she knew of the spell that was affecting her and Brianna, and the rules she understood they were following. There had to be a way to use this to her advantage. Especially since if there was, Brianna definitely knew it…

"How do you know who I am? Or who the Shadowcraft users that are working with us are?" Abbee asked.

“Jon made quite the entrance on the S.S. Wishmaker, with Latios saving it from sinking. I already knew of him, considering what happened last time he was on the S.S. Wishmaker,” Brianna explained. “As for you and Dylan, surprisingly, I didn’t know of either of you before you arrived here, and only did my research after seeing you. I saw the pair of you at the opening ceremony, and could see you had been under the effect of Shadowcraft. That little Decidueye trick…”

Brianna lowered her voice, before continuing.

"As for the identity of those of us who have sided with you..." Brianna said. "Well let's just say the only ones that I know are close enough with someone like Jon, or the League themselves, supposedly died in a fire three or four years ago..."

She knew…

"Don't worry, Agatha doesn't know, I'm certain," Brianna said. "And the League with their little friends have a chance of being a real thorn in her side if they play their cards right. I won't give Agatha anything..."

"Why do you hate Agatha so much?" Abbee asked. "Not that it's unjustified, but this seems to be much older history than what has happened on the island..."

"My mother once was part of a coven of Shadowcraft users. They were her family," Brianna explained. "Except my mother left before I was born. She knew that darkness and darkness only breed more darkness. She went into hiding, and when I was young, was hunted down by the people she once considered family, and killed. She hadn't betrayed them, or done anything to wrong them. Only chose to follow a different path. So I hunted every one of them down that I could… And now, Agatha is creating something equally disgusting here, and I want to see it wiped out."

Brianna seemed to realise she was rambling before addressing Abbee directly.

“Now I have some questions for you…”

Abbee's guard was immediately up, as Brianna asked the first question.

"How did you know to find me here?" Brianna asked.

"Someone else did, and asked me to speak to you," Abbee replied, making sure every word that came out of her mouth was truthful. She was technically telling the truth. Dylan knew before she did, and though he explained it to her, Brianna didn't need to know that much. As long as she didn't lie, the charm wouldn't force her to speak the truth.

"Dylan's done it, and is hiding again," Victini said telepathically.

"And how are the League going to respond?" Brianna asked.

"We don't have enough information to react just yet," Abbee replied, knowing how risky that was. However she learnt something else. The charm doesn’t rely on the question being asked. Simply the truth, or absence of it, in the answer. "We still need to figure out some more things."

Thankfully the spell was satisfied with the level of truth she used. Whilst they were planning a counter-attack, she wasn't lying when she said they couldn't react just yet, and that they needed to figure out some stuff. Brianna however seemed satisfied.

To Abbee's surprise, Brianna grabbed a nearby napkin, and a pen from her bag, and began scribbling some notes, before passing it to Abbee.

"Jon will have a visitor soon enough. One who once was loyal to Agatha, and now understands the gravity of the situation. Jon will want to hear this person out. However, I know you operative types and these witch types tend to be a little too defensive without some encouragement, and you will get nowhere trying to discuss anything..." Brianna explained. "Give this to your friends, and they will be able to use the same spell that lets us be honest with each other..."

Abbee cautiously accepted the napkin, as Brianna finished her drink and went to stand. Before she left the circle, Abbee had to test her theory.

"Your reasons for being here..." Abbee said. "Once Agatha is out of the picture, will they put yourself and the league at odds?"

Before Brianna could respond, Abbee quickly added something.

"If you give me anything that isn't a yes or no answer, I will assume the answer to be yes…"

Brianna's eyes widened, before she stepped out of the circle, and a smile dripped in venom lined her face, but not reaching her eyes...

"Smart girl..." Brianna replied. "Be careful or it may get you killed..."

Brianna left, and a few minutes later, Abbee left the bar as well, walking outside the hotel, and finding herself in a fast food restaurant where she reconvened with Dylan and Victini.

"It's all in place?" Abbee asked. Dylan nodded.

"Did you find out anything interesting?"

"Quite a bit actually. I think we definitely got the better deal from that chat," Abbee said. "I will explain it properly when we meet up with Jon..."

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

It was 2am when Dylan and Abbee arrived back. Jon was still awake, having struggled to find sleep the last few nights, and Abbee quickly asked Jon if the three of them could talk privately about what had happened.

"So the bug is in place?" Jon asked.

"It is. We are monitoring every room service order, and should be able to narrow down some names based on Brianna's taste in wine," Dylan explained. "She even drank some at the bar when she was talking to Abbee."

"Sounds like we're on the right track," Jon replied. "How did the conversation go?"

"You were right. She did the spell that forces you to tell the truth," Abbee explained, "But I think I've figured out how to make it work to our advantage..."

"You didn't give her any information?" Jon asked, slightly concerned at how casually Abbee was talking about this spell.

"Nothing that anybody with half a brain couldn't predict," Abbee explained. "The charm forces you to tell the truth, only if you attempt to lie. You can say things that are technically true, but leave out a key piece of information, or not even answer the question, and it doesn’t trigger. She asked how I knew to find her there, and I told her someone else knew and asked me to come speak to her. I didn't tell her that someone else had told me how they found her, or why I wanted to speak to her, outside of just getting information."

Abbee pulled the napkin with the notes on it out of her pocket and handed it to Jon.

"Whilst she was under the spell's control, she told me two things. Firstly, that someone who was originally here with Agatha, but now understands the gravity of the situation will be coming to you tomorrow to talk…"

"A deserter?" Jon asked.

"Sounds like it," Abbee explained. "Then she gave me the napkin and told me that written on it is the same spell she used when she spoke with myself and with Dylan."

"Triad aren't here, but we have someone else who is competent in Shadowcraft, who should be able to handle this…" Jon explained. "I will give it to her in the morning."

"There is one other thing," Abbee explained. "And this is big..."

"Oh yeah?" Jon asked, curious to hear what Abbee had to say.

"You can get the truth out of them and prevent them from using the methods I mentioned before to hide it," Abbee explained. "You ask a yes or no question, and let them know you will assign one of those two answers to any answer they give that isn't yes or no…"

"You tested this?" Jon asked, impressed at how quickly Abbee thought on her feet, expecting that level of strategy more from Charlotte...

"I asked her if her own reasons for being here will put her at odds with the League once Agatha is out of the picture. And told her anything she says that isn't a yes or no, I will take to be yes," Abbee explained. "She walked out of the circle and left the bar. Told me I was smart, and it will get me killed..."

"I knew it..." Jon muttered. "She might be offering to help us, but she isn't in our corner..."

"So what now?" Dylan asked.

"We don't approach her at all, and we don't give her any information," Jon explained. "If she wants to offer help in exchange for something, she has to make that offer to me. Sad truth is that so far she has actually given us a way of fighting back, but I don't know what she is planning once Agatha is out of the picture. Keep investigating her, but don't make contact..."

Dylan nodded, before Jon spoke again.

"It's late, and it's been a huge day," Jon said. "Let's all get some rest..."



Abbee Strauss, as drawn by johnrielduana

[[Desolate Divine]]

First episode in weeks thanks to life being busy. Also didn't help that this episode was so much bigger than I anticipated. But it's done. And it's getting towards the end of the RP stuff, which is funnily enough the hardest to write, so from here it should be a bit easier.

also, there is a surprise hidden at the end of it... let me know what you think of it...

[Chakramaster]

Still playing catch-up. Though, I am reading new chapters as they come out too. Some days I'm just slow at reading. XD

I've been enjoying the character you bring to the entire cast so far though! It's been very enjoyable getting to read these.even some of it just being a retelling. It's been fun!