MATURE: - Ongoing Sentinel Strike

Steel_Justice · Jun 6, 2026

Been wanting to start posting for a while so here it goes. Fair warning, Sentinel Strike is heavily inspired by crime shows like Criminal Minds, Daredevil and The Punisher, if you're familiar with any of those series then you probably have an idea what to expect.

But first off, a little bit of an blurb to quickly introduce you to what's to come,

The Angealos region, a glamorous and expansive melting pot of many different Pokemon and peoples from different walks of life. But under its ostentatious surface lies a dark and seedy crime infested underbelly that gnaws away at the region's inhabitants. To combat the rising crime a team is reborn. It is time for the Sentinels to strike!

Sentinel Strike follows a team of Pokemon trainers as they combat Angealos’ crime. Using their skills both in and out of battle, they solve crimes, catch the perpetrators and rescue innocent humans and Pokemon caught in the crossfire. Among the team, two members serve as the main characters. The first is Kyle Solias, a cold and taciturn young man haunted by his past. The second is Alex Joyeuse, a kind and earnest young woman who is eager to help others. They along with several others form the crime fighting force that the region will know as Team Sentinel.

Now to begin with chapter 1 (Warning: Contains moderate violence and moderate language)

A young man sits in a car driving through bright glamorous roads. He looks out the window to the sight of bright cloudless weather, palm trees, people and Pokemon from many different regions gathered in one place in groups unseen in other parts of the world. Angealos is a melting pot of a region located far west of the Unova region. Its vast varied environments already accommodate a wide variety of Pokemon from forests, oceans, rivers, mountains, caves and anything you can think of and the warm sunny weather in the south year round makes even Pokemon who've adapted to other certain climates feel they haven't left home at all. The young man observes the bustling streets filled with people going about their lives without much care other than how strangers react to the latest pictures of themselves and their Pokemon online. He pays no mind to the increasing amounts of frustration to the driver of the vehicle.

"It's ridiculous this guy's our third. We're supposed to be professionals and he can't dress the part?" The man driving the car states in frustration. The driver has a tall build, combed and slicked back black hair and wears a formal suit with sunglasses. He looks in the rear view mirror annoyed that the young man isn't dressed formally. The young man in the back seat is wearing a red jacket that is darkened and faded in some parts with rough patchwork to sew the holes on his arms and chest area. His pants are black cargo pants that are similarly rough along with dirt caked and worn out black boots. His backpack is gray in color with black edges, it's similarly worn and patched like the youth's jacket. Looking closer into the mirror shows that the young man has a fairly handsome face and spiky blonde hair. The most striking feature of the man is his pale blue eyes and their piercing icy stare.

"He did say he didn't have a suit or the money to buy one. And besides he was the best candidate since he was the only one who beat you," the man in the front passenger seat expresses more leniency than the driver. The man is younger and shorter than his colleague and expresses some struggles over his formal attire due to his more rotund build. He is also wearing a formal suit like the driver but his hair is only well combed and he is not wearing sunglasses leaving his brown eyes exposed.

"He just got lucky that's all," the driver scoffs at the reminder of his earlier defeat.

The passenger replies snidely with a glance towards the driver. "Mmm not sure about that. Unless you mean to say he got lucky enough to three-zero you. Bro, you got your ass kicked and that was after you swept through all those other guys."

"Not helping, Wedge," the driver grits his teeth and tightens his grip on the wheel trying to keep his composure to drive smoothly.

"Say new guy umm what was your name again? Karl? Kenny?" Wedge asked.

"It's Kyle," replied the young man in the back seat as he continued to observe the passing scenery.

"Oh right, sorry Kyle. It takes me a bit to remember names. That was some battling back there. Where did you learn how to battle like that? If you don't mind me asking."

"My father taught me the basics, experience did the rest," Kyle replies, taking his gaze from the window to the rear view mirror to where Wedge is looking. Wedge met his gaze in the mirror a bit unnerved by the young man's stare.

"Well wherever you got those skills from I wouldn't want to fight you. Say Biggs, how do you think the new guy will do on his first job?" Wedge asked playfully.

"How should I know? What matters is if the new guy can pull his weight if something happens," the driver grumbled as he focused on the road. Clearly he is a bit sore about the battle earlier and would rather his colleague not constantly remind him of it.

"So how about it? Ready for bodyguard duty?" Wedge asked with a casual smile.

"Protection won't be a problem. Your client has nothing to worry about," Kyle stated plainly.

"That's the spirit. Probably nothing will happen though It's been pretty quiet in our last concerts, fans can get a bit hype but they're pretty harmless."

"Don't get complacent Wedge, crime's been on the rise here lately we gotta be ready for more than unruly fans. That's what we're here for. And remember he's only here because the concert hall recommended extra personal security for Ms Starr," Biggs explained.

"Guess these Angealos girls can get a little rowdy. But I gotta say that they have great taste in their outfits," Wedge grinned at the sight of some women on the streets wearing clothes that expose large amounts of leg, midriff and cleavage. Outfits such as those could be considered provocative in other regions.

Biggs slows down the car as they arrive at their destination. He looks back at Kyle and gives him a look, "Alright we're here, ready to work blondie?"

"Affirmative," Kyle replied confidently.

"Heh, someone's cocky alright we're here."

The car comes to a stop at a large concert building with crowds of enthusiastic people and photographers. Wedge and Kyle exit the car. In front of them a young woman exits a limousine. The young woman is clad in an elegant and flowing low collar, rose colored gown with black cuffs, a black choker, sapphire earrings and stylish, black, high heel shoes. She has long silky brown hair, green eyes that shine like the finest emeralds and soft white porcelain skin that one would find in the most treasured paintings of great beauties. The young woman's beauty captivates onlookers and Wedge can't help but admire her splendid visage.

"Ms Starr is certainly gorgeous eh?" Wedge nudges Kyle hoping to get a reaction out of him but is disappointed when he brushes it off.

"Regardless of what she looks like, it doesn't change the mission," Kyle walks towards Ms Starr without Wedge. He looks toward the crowd looking for anyone who could cause trouble. Kyle doesn't see anyone suspicious and continues by Ms Starr's side.

"Sheesh and I thought Biggs had a stick up his ass," Wedge mumbles as he picks up the pace to catch up to Kyle and his client.

"Biggs will meet us inside, right?" Kyle asks without breaking his stride.

"Oh yeah, he's just parking the car in the back," the pair position themselves on opposite sides to Ms Starr who gives them each a smile and a nod. Wedge seems to enjoy being close to such a beautiful woman glancing at her shapely, well filled out body when he thinks no one is paying attention. Kyle also keeps close but shifts his eyes all around scanning for any possible threat. He finds nothing and all is clear. Wedge quickly walks ahead to open the door for his client while bowing and making a gesture to go inside that would normally be seen on an old timely servant. Entering through the door and out of camera shot and the gaze of the fans Ms Starr cracks a soft giggle at the gesture.

The pair and their client make their way to the second floor of the building. They come to a stop at a room with two young female attendants both wearing white sleeveless tops and pink skirts similar to outfits some coordinators in Hoenn and Sinnoh wear. One of them is a shorter brunette and the other is taller with long purple hair.

"It's a pleasure to see you Ms Starr, right this way please," the taller attendant gestures towards the room as the second one opens the door. Kyle attempts to follow Ms Starr into the room until he is stopped by the brown haired attendant.

"Sir you must wait outside, this is a changing room for women," said the woman as she moved in front of the room's entrance.

"We are her bodyguards, where she goes we go," Kyle firmly states not taking a step back. Wedge, trying to diffuse the scene, puts his hand on Kyle's shoulder lightly pulling him back.

"Cool it man, a lady needs her privacy," Kyle breaks his gaze from the room momentarily to look at Wedge. Nervously, Wedge tries to cool down the situation, "We'll be right outside the door." I'm sorry ladies, he's new to this." Kyle looks at Wedge in acknowledgement but as he takes steps back he continues to look into the room before it closes behind the three women. Wedge takes a deep breath. It was a bit nerve racking but he felt proud of himself for handling that situation well. Normally he's the one who's being told what to do or being scolded by Biggs.

"I know Ms Starr is a fine woman but going in while she's changing would be a tad far," Wedge takes a position to the right side of the door while Kyle takes the left. Wedge leans against the wall putting his ear close to the door while Kyle stands a few feet from the wall.

"Just making sure they have nowhere to go, I didn't see any windows, only a small vent. There's no escape out of that room," Kyle stated bluntly.

"Damn, you're a paranoid one aren't you?" Wedge scoffs at the thought that two cute young women dressed like idols could get far with his charge.

"We have someone else's life in our hands, there's no such thing as paranoid or too careful." Kyle reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded up piece of paper.

"What's that for?" Wedge asked curiously.

"Building schematics, studying it in case we need an escape plan. I also have a map of the city," Kyle continues to stare at the map, not breaking focus to speak to Wedge.

"Okay then," Wedge replies uncomfortably, thinking that the person standing next to him is definitely paranoid.

From inside the dressing room Ms Starr can be heard talking to the two attendants.

Ms Starr cooed, “This dress is gorgeous!”

“It’s a Titania original,” said one of the attendants.

“We knew you’d like it. It’s going to look spectacular on you!" said the other.

Wedge smiled as he listened to the dialogue between the women. He can only imagine what kind of outfit Ms Starr will bring onto the stage. He looks to his right to see Kyle still pouring over his maps. To break some of the awkwardness in the hallway, Wedge tries some small talk.

"So what do you think about Zira City? It's my first time here. It's pretty cool right?"

"It's too loud and bright for my tastes," Kyle, done with the building schematics, exchanges it for the city map in his pocket.

"Guess you're not into the glamor. So are you a country guy or something?"

"Something," the single word reply makes Wedge feel more awkward than when he started but then to his surprise Kyle asks him a question.

"What's the worst you dealt with when guarding Ms Starr?" Wedge is taken aback by the sudden question and the sight of Kyle no longer looking at his maps.

"The worst? Not much, just mostly unruly fans. Things got a bit crowded when we went to Hoenn one time but those were mostly cute young girls so it wasn't so bad," Wedge can't help but crack a smile at the part about the energetic young women reaching out their hands in his direction.

"So you never experienced an actual attack or a potential kidnapping?" Wedge's reminiscence is broken by another loaded question. Thinking about it, life's been pretty easy for him. Just show up, attend performances for free and have fun looking at young women all day.

"Not really," Wedge replied plainly. The answer gets him an uncomfortable look from his temporary colleague.

"What about Biggs? Has he experienced anything like that?" Wedge thinks hard on an honest answer that won't get him another uncomfortable look.

"I think he once mentioned someone who tried to get a piece of her hair the hard way. It wasn't a big deal at the time for Biggs. Some crazed fan who never stood a chance against him."

"I see," the last remark by the new bodyguard is accompanied by a cold stare before looking away and focusing on the stairs. Somehow Wedge would have preferred if Kyle kept looking at his maps. That last look sent chills down his spine as he felt like Kyle was silently judging him for his lack of experience.

After a few minutes Biggs returns to the building just in time for Ms Starr to finish changing. She thanks the attendants for their work with cheery smiles all around. Ms Starr has exchanged her rose colored gown for a frilly white one with crisscrossing blue garters and matching heels. The sight of the dress exposing one of Ms Starr's long smooth legs would certainly be enticing as Wedge's smile can attest to. The attendants also touched up her face with blue eye shadow and light blue lipstick making her with that dress look like a beautiful jewel from the ocean.

The group heads to the stage and are greeted with rows of screaming fans ready to see Ms Starr's performance. Ms Starr takes center stage while her trio of body guards remain off the stage to the side hidden in shadow. With flowing elegance Ms Starr takes hold of the microphone.

"Hello Zira City!" Ms Starr shouted with enthusiasm to be met with roars of the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming, it means so much to me! The city is beautiful as are all of you!" The crowd shouted even louder at her greeting and compliment.

"Without further ado let's get this show started! Wigglytuff, Bellossom, come on out!" Ms Starr releases her Pokemon who sparkle like diamonds from the special stickers attached to their Luxury Balls. The trio of performers start to sing and dance with Ms Starr's performance complimented by her Wigglytuff's aid in her song and Bellossom's dancing. Her song could only be described as a serene and beautiful song like the waves of the ocean on a bright and sunny day. Appropriate since the song she is singing is her hit single The Power of One.

To the side of the stage are her trio of bodyguards. Biggs stands tall and proud looking the most professional out of the three only breaking form to make sure Wedge doesn't try to sneak too big of a peek of his idol's performance. Kyle looks around trying to analyze the crowd to the best of his ability. It is difficult in a location like this with the chaos of the bright flickering lights from Ms Starr's performance and the base darkness that concert halls have for atmosphere.

Most of the crowd composed of young men and women struck in awe and possibly in love. However some older fans can be spotted in the crowd. Men and women thirty and older can be seen bouncing and waving their signs of love as much as the young people, a fun reminiscence of their younger and more energetic years. However Kyle looks deeper into the crowd and is bothered by the sight of some people not doing any of the aforementioned actions. While everyone can enjoy a show differently these people don't seem to be enjoying it.

"Biggs, would it be fine if I took a look around?" Kyle looks toward his senior and gestures around the back of the stage.

"Just stay out of sight and don't wreck the performance," Biggs replied. He seems to be in a better mood than before now that he's back to his standard work or maybe he also really enjoys the show.

Kyle takes a walk in the area behind the stage. He wants to take a look at the crowd from the other side. He makes it to the other side of the stage with an emergency exit towards his right. The exit and various parts of the hall are guarded by the hall security who are also close to the audience to make sure nothing disturbing is happening. Kyle looks at the right side of the crowd to find people similar to the ones he saw on the left. Stoic, slightly older than the average audience member and obscured as possible through either position or clothing.

Kyle's instincts don't like this. There are too many people who don't seem to have anything to do with this performance. But the show is still going, security is on alert and nothing has happened yet. All he can do is return to his position before Biggs reprimands him for wandering off.

Upon returning to the other two bodyguards he is met with silence as Wedge is too busy trying to see as much as he can. Kyle takes up a position close to the corner of the stage where he can see the emergency exit.

The performance is about to hit the climax. Wigglytuff lets out a brilliant Dazzling Gleam which is further bolstered by Bellossom's Petal Dance to create a brilliant display. The beauty and brilliance of the Grass and Fairy type collide into a spectacular sight that drives the crowd wild, or at least most of them.

The performance concludes and the trio takes a well deserved bow.

"Thank you, thank you everyone! You have all been fabulous, I hope I can see you all again soon!" Ms Starr thanks her fans while being showered in adoration, however in all the praise and cheers from the crowd she is oblivious of what is happening next.

Back at the corner Kyle notices all the people he's kept an eye on simultaneously put on ski masks. Glancing at the emergency exit he also notices the guard there is curiously missing at such a convenient time.

"(Gone now of all times. This isn't good. I should have seen it sooner. Damn it!)" Kyle cursed as he realized what happened.

He may not know for certain but these people don't have good intentions for his employer. His suspicions are correct when one of the security guards on the right side of the stage throws out a Poke Ball containing a Honchkrow.

The bird Pokemon rises in altitude before opening its beak and firing a Dark Pulse towards Ms Starr. Ms Starr and her Pokemon are too focused on the crowd in front of them to hear or see the incoming attack. Ms Starr and her Pokemon notice the attack too late for them to get out of the way but before loops of dark energy can hit they are intercepted by a bright blue ball of energy.

The clash of attacks causes an explosion which sends the crowd into a panic and smoke to obscure a large section of the stage. Security does their best to funnel the audience out of the exits. There don't seem to be any obstructions for their escape so it becomes clear the only target is Ms Starr.

Some of the security send out their own Pokemon mostly consisting of Herdier and some Machoke. However they are met with resistance from the crowd and from some of their own men when they send out groups of Golbat, Watchog, Manectric and Raticate.

Through the smoke the Honchkrow attempts to swoop down on the still panicking Ms Starr wings outstretched and body glowing in a powerful Sky Attack.

However it is again intercepted through the smoke by the one who stopped its first attack. A swift humanoid blue figure suddenly appears from above and lands on the bird Pokemon from above with a dropkick sending it crashing through the stage.

Looking up Ms Starr sees the Pokemon that saved her is a Lucario. Kyle appears on stage from behind her with Wedge and Biggs following with a Mothim and a Unfeazant respectively.

"Oh my gosh what is happening?" Ms Starr asked, gasping with tears in her eyes.

"They're here either to kill you or take you," Kyle said while sorting through the chaos. "Lucario on your right, use Aura Sphere on that Raticate!" Lucario launches another ball of energy at a Raticate that sought to pounce upon a Machoke holding a Watchog in a submission hold. The Machoke's trainer gives Kyle a quick glance before resuming his battle.

"Ms Starr, return your Pokemon immediately, we need to get out of here!" Biggs shouts with authority while his Unfeazant launches blades of wind with its Air Slash staggering some of the Golbat in their way.

"We'll protect you, just do what we say Ms Starr," Wedge tenderly holds Ms Starr's hands while gazing lovingly in her eyes.

Ms Starr complies and returns her Pokemon before they can get injured and holds on to Wedge's hand.

"Biggs, let's get her out from the right entrance!" Kyle suggested, as his Lucario defends the stage with Aura Sphere against several Watchogs.

"No, we use the emergency exit, it's closer to the parking lot!" Biggs shouts back and Wedge takes off with Ms Starr towards the emergency exit.

"Biggs, Wedge, it's a trap!" Kyle shouted at Wedge but it was too late. Several more masked men barge in through the emergency exit with more Raticate and Watchogs.

Wedge stops in his tracks and shields Ms Starr with his body. His Mothim fights back with Silver Wind while Biggs' Unfeazant assists with Air Slash.

Kyle, still on the stage, reaches into his belt and throws out another Poke Ball. This time a blue frog like Pokemon appears.

"Frogadier, use Water Pulse!" Frogadier launches a ball of water towards the men and Pokemon at the emergency exit relieving pressure for his companions.

"Go, I'll cover the rear!" Kyle shouted as he ordered more projectiles from Lucario and Frogadier towards the various Pokemon battling security.

Biggs glares daggers at Kyle before gesturing Wedge and Ms Starr to the other exit.

Kyle shifts towards the left side of the stage to better cover his allies. His efforts have not gone unnoticed though. The attackers have started to focus attacks on him and his Pokemon and with no cover on the stage Kyle and his Pokemon have no choice but to avoid attacks the best they can.

"(This is an unfavorable situation, we need to hold our position to cover everyone but we're wide open. Regardless, that's what we must do to keep everyone safe. On a battlefield unfavorable conditions are a reality one must be ready for, especially when they appear suddenly,)" Kyle thought to himself.

Spinning blades of air from an Air Cutter are shot towards Kyle and his Pokemon from a group of Golbat on his left.

"Lucario, deflect that with Shadow Claw and Frogadier follow up with Ice Beam!" With that order Lucario extends three-clawed blades of shadows and with swift precision cuts down the incoming attack and with that Frogadier jumps off Lucario's back to gain height before blasting the group of Golbat with a beam of cold that downs the flock.

Security seems to have things more stable now. By now the crowd is gone and more of the security guards have joined the battle. Things are looking up here and Kyle can make his way into the other exit. Kyle orders another Ice Beam from Frogadier to his right to assist security against another flock of Golbat.

Through the corner of his eye he catches sight of a black horned dog Pokemon and its masked trainer making a mad dash to Kyle's comrades. Kyle orders an Aura Sphere aimed at the foes but Lucario is suddenly blindsided by a glowing bird and taken off the stage into the air.

The Honchkrow from earlier recovered from its dirt nap and is now out for blood. It meets Lucario's eye with a vicious glare.

"Lucario uses Aura Sphere point blank!" Holding on to its wing with one paw Lucario charges an Aura Sphere with its other paw, aiming its attack at Honchkrow’s face point blank. Honchkrow’s eyes widen as it is blasted in the face with an Aura Sphere. Lucario flips off of the bird while it falls to the ground, knocked out.

Throughout the scuffle Kyle's former target eludes him and he has no choice but to abandon this area entirely to protect his charge.

This day wasn't supposed to be like this. Ms Starr has been to many cities across the world with little problems. People throughout the Pokemon world have been nothing but kind and friendly to her performances. The chaos, the violence, threats on her life it is her personal hell that she previously imagined can only exist in her worst nightmare.

In the hallway leading to another exit Ms Starr's heart races into overdrive. Her once smooth pristine face is now covered in tears and runny makeup. Ms Starr is no stranger to pressure. Making every performance with her Pokemon takes every ounce of focus and nearly every bit of energy everyday. But she got used to it and so did her Pokemon. What was once a nerve wracking experience is now something she could happily sink every bit of passion into even if it does leave little for free time. But this current situation is a nightmare. Ms Starr doesn't think anyone could possibly get used to it and anyone who does she can only hope some higher power has mercy on their soul.

Towards her front is Biggs, her reliable bodyguard who has since switched out his Unfeazant for his Golurk. The large golem Pokemon takes up most of the space in the hallway they find themselves in but all the better to protect her.

Behind her and still tightly grasping her hand is Wedge, her young and eager but sometimes clumsy bodyguard with his Mothim on standby.

On the front end Biggs and his Golurk are slowly advancing with its powerful Hammer Arm making quick work of the foolish swarms of Watchog and Raticate that think coming at it with Crunch attacks would be that easy.

Not much is happening on Wedge's end thanks to Kyle and his Pokemon shooting down various parties trying to catch up to them. Noticing things are going their way Wedge looks towards the panicking Ms Starr.

"Everything is gonna be alright we'll get through this Ms Starr," he says firmly holding onto her hand.

"Thank you Wedge, I really hope so," Wedge smiles knowing he brought Ms Starr some comfort but that comfort swiftly fades away when her smile turns to panic once more.

"Wedge behind you!" Ms Starr shouts as a masked man with his Houndoom now has the group in a pincer.

The Houndoom launches a powerful stream of fire from its mouth which Wedge answers by ordering his Mothim to answer with a Psybeam.

The multicolored beam from Mothim collides with the Flamethrower but out of the smoke the hell hound pounces on Mothim pinning it to the ground with its fangs bared with searing flames.

Unable to break free, Mothim is about to be seriously wounded by the hellhound. Wedge tries desperately to bring out his Pokeballs to save his Mothim but the black dog bites down on its victim. Mothim cries out in pain but is still conscious. Ms Starr covers her gaping mouth in horror as Houndoom rears to deliver another Fire Fang attack. Wedge manages to return Mothim to its Poke Ball but before he could send out another Pokemon the Houndoom lunges at him and Ms Starr. The pair flinch as they prepare for the worst but it never happens.

Instead the black dog is shot down by a blast of water coming from behind. The masked man returns his Houndoom and before he can send out another Pokemon he is blitzed by a young blonde man in a red jacket.

His arm is grabbed and he is brought to a kneel from a swift kick to his knee from his right side. He feels a hand gripping tightly on his hair from behind before having his face violently rammed into the wall repeatedly until he blacks out.

Wedge lets out a sigh of relief and Ms Starr opens her eyes to see a mostly comforting figure.

"Hey Kyle, thanks for the save," Wedge gasped.

"Are any of you hurt?" Kyle said without skipping a beat.

"My Mothim's gonna be down for a while but other than that we're fine," hanging his head in shame momentarily he turns to Ms Starr who silently nods.

"Affirmative," Kyle turns towards the door he came into and closes it before he orders Frogadier to seal it shut with Ice Beam.

"Alright now to push through. Biggs get Golurk out of the way and give me a clean shot!" Kyle moves past Wedge and Ms Starr with his Lucario and Frogadier in tow with the intention to provide assistance.

"I've got this covered already! just stay close to Ms Starr!" Biggs orders without giving a glance. His Golurk once again swings its mighty arms sending multiple Watchog and Raticate crashing into the walls and floors before they are returned by their trainers. Several Manectric also join the formation but are also quickly flattened by the powerful golem.

"We're moving too slow, we need to get out of here now!" Kyle shouted from the back.

"I said I've got this covered. Remember who's in charge here! Me and Golurk won't lose to these weaklings!" Biggs barked.

Biggs, confident in his Golurk's abilities slowly pushes forwards towards the entrance. Besides its recent loss to a certain blond kid and his Pokemon it has never been taken down in recent times.

Taking a breath and a step forward past the staircase leading to the dressing rooms Biggs and Golurk ready for another wave of cannon fodder.

Another wave of rodent Pokemon and Manectric enter the hallway but do not engage the golem. Instead they move towards the side revealing multiple Octillery who then unleash a hail of Octazooka towards Golurk.

With no room to evade, Golurk takes each hit staggering more than the last each time. After a few more shots the titan of clay is brought down and his trainer is forced to take a step back to avoid getting crushed. Golurk is returned to its Poke ball after making a shaking thud when it hits the ground.

The shock and horror of the situation leaves Biggs shocked and Wedge mouth agape. In his moment of distraction Ms Starr screams and runs up the stairs breaking from Wedge's grip.

"I can't take this anymore!" Ms Starr cries as Wedge loses sight of her.

"Ms Starr, please come back!" Wedge shouts as he heads up the stairs after her.

Things have gone south in the blink of an eye. Biggs' plan was not without reason. Golurk's massive size in a tight hallway means any attempt on Ms Starr has to take on the golem in a head on fight with too little space to avoid attacks. However in the event that an attack can down the giant it would be helpless to do much. That's why Kyle wanted room to provide support so they could push out of the hallway faster before their opponents could change the situation to their favor.

With Golurk defeated and Ms Starr fleeing the masked men and their Pokemon begin advancing.

"We have to fall back upstairs!" Kyle shouted knowing his options are limited in the hallway with little cover.

"We can still break through!" Biggs gritted his teeth while preparing to send out another Pokemon only to have to duck when shot at by the Octillery.

"There's too many of them right now and we lost Ms Starr. Fighting them here is pointless, we need to retreat!" Kyle insisted.

Biggs grits his teeth knowing his younger colleague is right. He bolts up the stairs leaving Kyle to do his thing.

Kyle and his Pokemon take cover behind the corner on the stairs firing Aura Sphere and Water Pulse when there is an opening to slow them down. Kyle takes a few steps up before pulling out an Ultra Ball from his belt.

"Lucario, Frogadier, we're forming a blockade now!" Kyle's Pokemon respond instantly and take positions behind Kyle. He throws the ball into the air and out comes a medium sized blue shark Pokemon, "Gabite, use Rock Tomb and make a barricade! And Frogadier, coat the stones with ice!"

Large stones manifest behind Gabite before being launched and forming a wall of stone. Frogadier reinforces the barricade with Ice Beam before the assailants make it to the corner. The sounds of their assailants cursing and testing the defense can be heard from the other side.

"That buys us time but it won't last forever. We need another way out." Kyle thought to himself as his Pokemon ran up the stairs. He is met with silence save for the ruckus behind the stairs.

"Lucario, where are they?" Lucario closes its eyes and raises the aura sensors on its head. Scanning the nearby area for aura signatures, Lucario finds three behind a door familiar to his trainer. Lucario returns to normal before pointing a paw at the door.

"Thanks Lucario," Kyle heads towards the door while returning Gabite and Frogadier into their respective balls. He tries to turn the knob but finds it locked.

"Open up, it's me!" Kyle shouts while banging on the door with his fist. The door opens quickly with Wedge gesturing Kyle inside with haste.

In the dressing room Biggs stands by the wall, arms crossed with his head down hiding his scowl. Wedge returns to Ms Starr's side who is sobbing on her dressing chair.

"Don't cry Ms Starr it's gonna be okay," Wedge says softly trying to calm down his idol who is now more disheveled than before.

"It's not fine! It's all my fault! I was the one who insisted we perform here!" Ms Starr sobs again before continuing, "They're after me and now we have no way out, all thanks to me. Just leave me, go hide somewhere and save yourselves. I don't want to see any of you hurt."

"Ms Starr," shocked by her statement Wedge can only speak her name while hanging his head.

"Negative. We still have a way out. This is no time to surrender," Kyle says firmly, breaking the silence. Wedge and Ms Starr look at him like he just said something outrageously false.

"Dude our only way out is down those stairs. You know? Where all those guys trying to kill us are? How are you here on your own anyway?" Wedge asked.

"I blocked off the stairs. But it won't hold forever," Kyle answered as he looked back towards the door.

"Oh great, now we can't use the stairs and we're boxed in. Great plan," Wedge said sarcastically.

"Is that so? I have a plan to get Ms Starr out of here safe and sound. All you have to do is do what I say," Kyle's audacious statement receives shock from Wedge and Ms Starr who stare at him in silence. Biggs moves away from the wall confronting the boy in red.

"You forget who's in charge here kid," Biggs walks up to Kyle sizing him up and looking down on the shorter blonde.

"Do you feel in charge, Biggs?" Kyle retorts scathingly without a hint of being intimidated.

Biggs grits his teeth at the insubordination and the audacity of the new guy but is unable to reply to his question. The tension is broken when Ms Starr speaks up in a soft voice.

"I trust him, he's saved me twice today and Wedge too. I think we should do what he says. At this point what could it hurt?" Ms Starr said while gently placing her hand on Biggs' arm.

With that statement Biggs grows silent and backs off. Ms Starr rises from her chair and looks Kyle directly in his eyes, "Can you really get us out of here?" Ms Starr asked with a voice mixed with anxiety and hope.

"I can, as long as I have everyone's cooperation," Kyle says firmly with a gentle look in his eyes. Looking at them Ms Starr doesn't feel the same coldness as before. Rather than a glacier his eyes at the moment more resemble pristine blue water, a thought that calms her.

"Well there you have it gentlemen. The stage is set. Do we go through with this performance or not?" With confidence in her voice for the first time since her performance she looks at her other two bodyguards.

"Hey, I'm good with whatever at this point. I just want to see tomorrow," Wedge replied before turning his attention to Biggs.

"I'd like to know what you're getting the rest of us into. What is your plan?" Biggs asked with crossed arms.

"I've studied the building, we have access to the roof with the nearby stairs. From there we can escape to ground level into the parking lot," Kyle explained.

"And how do we get to ground level? It's not like there's a ladder on the roof," asked Biggs doubtfully.

"My Frogadier can make a safe passage down with its Ice Beam. We just slide down to ground level," the rest of the group exchanged nervous glances before silently nodding. The group leave the dressing room but upon exiting Lucario is alerted to something and points up at the ceiling.

"What is it, Lucario?" Lucario points up at the ceiling before slamming its paws together.

"What's going on?" Asked Ms Starr nervously.

"We have incoming hostiles on the roof. What Pokemon do you guys have in fighting condition?" Kyle asked.

"I still got Sealeo and Luxio. But Mothim's in rough shape as I've said before."

"I still got Magmar and Unfezant," Biggs said.

"We can still do this. Wedge can you and Sealeo buy us some time by reinforcing the barricade on the stairs?"

"Sure man, we can do that."

"After that, meet us on the roof and have your Luxio ready. Biggs, you and I will secure the roof. And Ms Starr, you stay safe on the stairs to the roof until the fighting stops."

"Alright, stay safe everyone and look out for each other," Ms Starr's compassionate words put her bodyguards at ease before setting out. Wedge makes his way down the stairs commanding his Sealeo to reinforce the ice covered rocks with its own Powder Snow attack while Ms Starr remains behind the door leading to the roof praying for everyone's safety.

Upon reaching the roof Kyle and Biggs are met with a group of Golbat and to their surprise a Braviary who slowly descends with two masked men in its claws to drop them off on the rooftop.

"You won't escape this way!" Mocked one of the men.

"Give us Ms Starr and we might spare your lives," Stated the other.

Biggs glared at the masked men who looked at the pair full of confidence in their victory. Biggs looks over to Kyle and sees him silently assessing the situation.

"(Rooftop is wide open save for some select places for cover. The entrance, that water tower and those ventilation ducts can be useful but it would be risky to grow dependent on them. The glass skylight to the concert hall should be avoided, we don't want to end up back where we started in a worse state. Flying types have the advantage here with all this room to maneuver, the numbers we are up against make meeting them in the air unfavorable. Our best course of action is to split their forces and cut them down quickly using the cover we have. Those Golbat would no doubt cover for that Braviary to move in for powerful attacks.)"

"Alright kid what's the plan?" Biggs asked,

"I'll handle the Braviary, you focus on the Golbat. Don't be afraid to use a Smokescreen near Lucario," Biggs remembers the battle they had and how Lucario fought on the stage earlier. With its ability to sense aura obstructing its vision is a useless effort and could even be used against any opponent who tries. Biggs, acknowledging this, sends his Magmar out to battle while Kyle gestures to Lucario to take point.

"Guess we're taking Ms Starr the hard way!" Said one of the men.

The masked men issue their commands. The Golbat launch Air Cutter attacks which are dodged by Lucario and Magmar using the large amount of open space. Braviary swoops down on Magmar with its claws ready for a Crush Claw attack.

"Lucario, intercept with Quick Attack!" In the blink of an eye Lucario delivers a swift kick to Braviary's head, sending it off course. The bird Pokemon regains its composure and re-groups with the Golbat.

"Golbat, use Haze! Braviary, fly over to your right and get ready to attack!"

Kyle looked at Braviary repositioning itself to attack from their left, "(It's being more cautious than I expected. Can it see Lucario and Magmar? Let's find out. If it can't then this changes things.)"

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere on Braviary!" A blue ball of energy shoots out of the smoke. The attack hits Braviary squarely on the head. It clearly wasn't expecting to be hit so easily or even be targeted given its position.

"(Looks like it doesn't have Keen Eye. This can come into play later.)"

"Magmar, use Flamethrower on the Golbat!" Shouted Biggs. From inside the smoke Lucario uses its aura to direct Magmar's attacks to their foes, surprising both of the masked men.

"That Lucario is a threat! Spread out and separate them!" One of the men ordered,

The other man complied, "Five of you close in on Magmar and use Air Cutter! Push them back!"

"Magmar, take cover behind the entrance and use Flamethrower!" Commanded Biggs.

"They are separating! Five of you Golbat go after that Lucario! Make sure it stays away from that Magmar! Use Air Cutter!"

Another group of five Golbat take a more concentrated formation against Lucario, launching Air Cutters its way. Lucario avoids the blades of air by diving behind the air vents.

"Lucario, launch the vents with Aura Sphere!" Lucario forms smaller balls of energy with its individual paws and presses them against the vents. The energy creates a small explosion, launching the vents towards the Golbat. Three Golbat break formation while two get hit and falter.

"Follow up with Shadow Claw!" The staggered Golbat are quickly downed by Lucario closing distance and slicing them with its shadow enhanced claws.

On the other side Magmar continues to battle the five Golbat pinning it down. It's earlier Flamethrower missed the Golbat but Biggs has an idea to quickly down a couple. He and Magmar bide time for a few seconds to let their enemies draw in closer.

"Now Magmar, use Thunder Punch!" Magmar quickly jumps into the air and brings electrified fists down on two Golbat instantly knocking them out with a super effective move.

"We just lost four Golbat!" Said one of the men.

"We still have the upper hand! Use Confuse Ray on that Magmar!"

However one of the remaining Golbat fires a ball of light that connects with Magmar leaving it in a daze.

"Shit! That was a Confuse Ray! Magmar, snap out of it!" Magmar doesn't acknowledge Biggs' orders and launches flames randomly at the sky.

"That Magmar's no longer a threat. You three go after Lucario, use Air Cutter! Braviary use Sky Drop!"

Taking advantage of Magmar being out of the fight, the rest of the Golbat focus their attention on Lucario. Lucario deftly avoids the Air Cutters by the rest of the Golbat until it is blindsided by Braviary from behind.

Braviary holding Lucario in its claws gains altitude before dropping it back onto the roof with a Sky Drop attack. On the way down Lucario is hit by several Air Cutters before hitting the ground.

Lucario returns to its feet wounded and clutching its side. The Braviary circles around while the Golbat prepare to launch more Air Cutters.

Kyle dives after Lucario, pushing them both out of the way and taking cover behind the water tower.

"Lucario, are you okay? Can you still fight?" Lucario takes a breath before looking towards its trainer and nodding. Glancing back at Biggs Kyle sees his Magmar is confused. He could give assistance but he needs a clear path to Biggs.

"We have them on the run now! Spread out and cover both sides of that tower! Braviary, let's give them something special..." The man ordered sinisterly,

"You heard him Golbat! Spread out and keep up the Air Cutters!"

The Golbat continue their airborne attack. Kyle and Lucario stay behind cover while keeping an eye on Braviary. The Golbat break off into groups of three to cover their escape while Braviary approaches them from a distance.

"Lucario, what's the ETA on Wedge?" Lucario flashes a five using both its paws to which Kyle nods. The pair look up to see Braviary with its body glowing blue and carrying a motorcycle with its talons.

"Lucario, we get back to the entrance now!" Braviary throws the motorcycle at the pair using the move Superpower. In response the pair slide and dive through the openings of the water tower, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the incoming bike. The Golbat start to throw Air Cutter attacks at the retreating pair. Kyle pushes Lucario in front of him as they near the door, getting hit by several Air Cutter attacks in the back. Kyle hits the ground wincing in pain as Wedge opens the door.

"Luxio, use Discharge!" Luxio jumps in the air and releases several bolts of electricity instantly taking down the rest of the Golbat.

"Looks like I made it in time," said Wedge proudly.

Kyle looks towards Biggs who is still frustrated his Magmar is still confused, "Here feed it this," Kyle tosses a small pink berry that Biggs recognizes as a Perisim Berry. The once confident masked men are now visibly rattled. One of them seems to be out of Pokemon and backs away nervously.

"Shit! The Golbat are all down! What do we do?" Asked one of the men.

The other man gritted his teeth in frustration, "We still have Braviary! It's not over yet! Use Brave Bird!"

"What do we do man?" asked Wedge.

"We'll give you an opening. Let's go Lucario. Biggs, that Braviary doesn't have Keen Eye. Smokescreen will work on it." Lucario nods as it takes a step away from Luxio. Making eye contact with Braviary Lucario taunts the bird to come towards it.

It might have been unnecessary given all the trouble Kyle and Lucario caused but the next play hinges on them being the target. Braviary zeroes in on its target ready to go down swinging.

"Magmar, use Smokescreen!" A cloud of smoke appears obscuring Braviary's vision. It quickly flies up but notices its body being heavier than normal.

"Lucario, hit it with Meteor Mash!" Braviary finally realizes where the extra weight came from as its head is battered again and again by Lucario's steel hard fists.

Braviary rolls several times in the air on the masked man's orders but Lucario holds on tight.

Upon noticing it flying back towards the roof Lucario aims its next punch on Braviary's wing. Punching at the joint of the wing, Braviary cries in pain and descends while losing control.

"Luxio, use Discharge!" Wedge orders his Luxio to fire off more electricity. Braviary cannot avoid this attack due to wing damage and Lucario jumps off before the attack hits.
Braviary takes super effective damage. While dazed it continues to plummet but its troubles aren't over yet.

"Magmar, finish it with Thunder Punch!" As Braviary regains composure it is met with an electrified punch to the face by Magmar finally knocking it out.

The masked man returns Braviary to its ball, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"We lost!?" Exclaimed one of the men.

"Grr, those damn bodyguards! No one said they'd be this strong!" Cried the other.

"Luxio, use Thunder Fang!"

Luxio bites into the ankle of one of the men. He screams and falls over, knocked out from the attack. The other man scrambles for the edge of the roof but realizes he has no way off it. He turns around with his mouth agape to be met with Biggs' fist, knocking him out.

"Alright kid what's next?" asked Biggs while massaging his knuckles.

"Get your keys ready, we're getting to the car. Wedge go and get Ms Starr quickly," Wedge hurries over to the door and alerts Ms Starr that the coast is clear. Ms Starr arrives at the roof gasping at all the damage done to the roof and all the knocked out Pokemon littering its surface.

Kyle lets out his Frogadier from its Poke Ball and with directions from Biggs to where the car is he puts the last step of his plan into motion.

"Frogadier, make a slide to ground level with Ice Beam," Frogadier clasps its hands together and lets out a beam of cold, building a slide made of ice that reaches all the way to the ground.

Biggs pauses for a second to look at the slide. He returns Magmar to its ball and is first to take the plunge. He makes it to ground level without a hitch and runs to start the car.

Wedge takes a longer pause before returning his Luxio and gets on the slide after exchanging looks with Kyle for a few seconds. He lets out a high pitched scream all the way down.

When it's Ms Starr's turn she takes a look at the slide and the height of the building and finds herself with serious reservations.

"Ms Starr we need to go now," Ms Starr, frozen in fear, shakes her head at the thought of sliding off a rooftop.

"No, it's too high up!" Ms Starr yells as she recoils away with tears in her eyes.

"Biggs and Wedge made it and so will you," Kyle gestures to Lucario and Frogadier to go ahead of him to which they comply.

"I'm not as strong as them or as you. How am I gonna make it down on my own?" Ms Starr feels a set of hands grasping hers. She opens her eyes to see Kyle looking at her.

"Like this," Ms Starr's eyes go wide when Kyle swiftly grabs hold of her body from the hips. He then jumps onto the slide with Ms Starr screaming in fear while holding him tightly.

As they slide down Kyle notices the integrity of the slide isn't very strong. A combination of time, multiple parties going before them and the combined weight of Kyle and Ms Starr have caused it to start breaking down.

The slide breaks from where it once connected to the roof. Ms Starr shrieks as Kyle shifts her body from his side into an embrace. He kicks off the slide to land on the ground first, breaking the fall for Ms Starr. Landing on his back after his earlier injury knocks the wind out of him. Taking a few seconds to gather himself he looks to his side to see Ms Starr holding onto him tightly in his arms with her eyes closed.

"Are you okay? Ms Starr?" Kyle asked the songstress.

Ms Starr starts hitting Kyle's chest with the sides of her fists hysterically, "I can't believe you just did that! Grabbing me like a sack of trash and then jumping off a roof without..."

"We're on the ground Ms Starr. The car's right there," Kyle interrupts Ms Starr's rant and gestures to the car. Yelling can be heard from the rooftop as they make it to the car.

Ms Starr gets off Kyle's body and makes it to the vehicle she arrived in but to her surprise Kyle doesn't enter the vehicle despite following her to the door.

"Come on, get in!" Yelled Ms Starr.

"Negative, I'm staying behind," Kyle stated as he looked toward the building.

"What! Why?" Ms Starr asked in shock.

"Gonna make sure they don't chase after you," Kyle answered.

"But..." Ms Starr weakly protested.

"I'll be fine. Trust me," Kyle hands a piece of paper to Ms Starr from his pocket. "Here's a map of the city, get to the police station. You'll be safe there." Kyle opens his backpack and tosses a spray bottle to Wedge, "Here, this is for Mothim."

Wedge looks down, noticing the item he received is a Super Potion, "Hey, thanks man."

"It's for not being able to cover you earlier. Biggs get them out of here!" Kyle yelled.

"Ms Starr, you heard him, we need to go!" yelled Biggs.

The car leaves the parking lot with Ms Starr looking back with a worried and tearful expression. She wonders if she will see him again. Kyle opens his backpack again and proceeds to treat his Lucario with a Super Potion and throws his Frogadier a Leppa Berry.

"Stay sharp. We still have more to do," Kyle's Pokemon nod as they prepare for battle.

Steel_Justice · Jun 14, 2026

Here's part 2 of the explosive beginning. (Warning: contains strong violence, strong suggestive themes, strong language)

Normally a hectic day like this would have already come to an end. A bodyguard protects his client. A bodyguard goes where they go; it's what normally happens. But this is not a normal situation nor a normal person. Even though the mission is accomplished and his charge is safe there is still another battle to be done. The building is still full of hostiles and he won't allow anyone else to get hurt if he can help it. Never again.

"Lucario, what’s your status?" Lucario gives its trainer a nod and a smile while also munching on a Leppa berry given to it from its trainer.

"Frogadier, are you ready to engage?" Frogadier gives a thumbs up. Kyle nods in acknowledgment and sends out his Gabite.

"Here's the objective. We close off the parking lot to stop the pursuit against Ms Starr and neutralize as many of them as possible before the police show up. Gabite, weaken the foundation on the entrances with Dig. The rest of you take cover with me," Kyle's Pokemon nod collectively and the group moves to execute the plan.

Upon reaching the parking lot a dozen men in masks arrive to see their target is gone.

"Get in the vans we're going after her!" One of the men shouted.

"Where's she gonna go?" Another asked. The man who gave the order checks his phone and gives a smirk after seeing someone posting pictures of Ms Starr's getaway car on social media.

"Heading to the police station. It's on the other side of town we all know the route let's go! We can still catch up to them!"

The men divide into three groups. Two groups consisting of three men reach their individual vans first and they drive off to different entrances. The masked men who have yet to depart are shocked when the ground by the exits collapse and the two vans that tried to leave first find themselves in deep holes and their vehicles upside down.

"Frogadier, Gabite use Ice Beam and Rock Tomb to seal them in!" Frogadier and Gabite appear from behind parked cars near the exits. Frogadier encases one van in ice while Gabite buries the other with rocks to prevent the six men from escaping. The two Pokemon quickly dart back into cover before the remaining thugs can process what happened.

"What the fuck just happened?!" one of the men exclaimed.

"One of them must still be here. Release your Pokemon and find this bastard," with that order the men altogether released three Octillery, Raticate and Watchog along with two Manectric.

"Raticate, use your whiskers to find this guy," the trio of Raticate sniff the air and wiggle their whiskers. The trio all together face one of the men's vans from another direction. Upon catching a scent the Raticate sprint ahead.

"He's over there behind the van!" The masked men and their Pokemon follow the Raticate towards the van.

Kyle listened to the men's orders and thought to himself, "(The Raticate are going to be a problem. Their senses can find a target trying to stay hidden. We need to take them out first as quickly as possible. After that point ambush tactics can do the rest. Fortunately, they are all focused on me which makes them predictable.)"

Kyle waits for his assailants to close in on him before executing his next step. Counting down while covered by the van he prepares to unleash his gambit as the Raticates approach him. After a count to three Kyle brazenly steps out of his cover and into plain sight.

"There he is! Raticate, use Hyper Fang!" The masked men order the Raticate to use Hyper Fang now that their quarry has revealed himself. The Raticate leap towards him in unison with their massive and sharp fangs ready to strike.

"Lucario, use Shadow Claw!" The sound of metal shearing can be heard from nearby. Just as the Raticate are about to hit their target Kyle dives backwards and the Raticate are battered by a street light that was sent flying towards them.

Nearby, Lucario had used its claws to cut a street light and with a kick sent it towards the Raticate as an improvised projectile. The trio of mouse Pokemon are knocked into the van hard enough to dent the side of the vehicle and lose consciousness.

"What the hell happened?!" One of the men exclaimed upon arriving at the scene. The Raticate are returned to their balls when their trainers arrive.

"Where did he go?" One of the men in the back asks as the men in front inspect the area. Upon inspection he finds a hole that could fit a young man.

"He must have gone in there. The little shit could be anywhere right now. Fan out and search for him!"

On the other side of the parking lot Kyle emerges from a hole with his Gabite behind a pick up truck. Lucario and Frogadier arrive and meet up with him having been able to avoid detection from their enemies. Frogadier are naturally adept at staying hidden as the line eventually becomes the Pokemon known to have taught ancient ninja their techniques in the distant past. Lucario being able to sense the world around it using aura can tell when someone is approaching and when they are watching, making them potential stealth experts if trained to do so.

"They're spreading out. We take them out one at a time when they are separated. Lucario and Frogadier, you two go after the Watchog. Gabite you stay hidden underground with Dig, support when you can and take out the Manectric when possible," the trio of Pokemon nod and spread out to tackle their targets with Kyle staying with Frogadier.

A Watchog and its trainer patrol around a few cars in the parking lot. Passing by some SUVs and family sedans they hear a small clang coming from a few cars down.

"There's something over there, go get them Watchog!" The Watchog sprints to the scene followed by its trainer. They arrive at a blue SUV and find nothing. Watchog awaits its trainer's command but hears nothing. It turns around to see a blue ball of energy fired from a black paw at point blank.

Lucario made a noise to bait the pair before sneaking around the car and knocking out the trainer before going after the Watchog. Lucario's point blank Aura Sphere sends the Watchog crashing into a car knocking it out. The noise of the impact attracts the attention of the other masked men.

"Something's happening over there!" A group of three men nearby with a Watchog, Octillery and Manectric make their way to the scene.

"They're out cold. How did he do that?" Asked one of the men.

"Frogadier, use Smokescreen."

Just as the men ask the question a thick cloud of smoke envelops the group from under a car. The thugs cough and look around trying to find the source of the smoke to no avail.

"Can't see through all this smoke! Watchog you got anything?" The man asks his Watchog if it can see through the smoke using its sharp eyesight. The Watchog does so and sees Frogadier standing right next to an Octillery that is completely clueless to Frogadier's location. With a cry the Watchog alerts the Octillery that Frogadier is right next to it.

"Octillery, use Octazooka!"

"Dodge that Frogadier."

Octillery fires a blast of ink at Frogadier's direction. But Frogadier leaps away and the ball of ink hits Manectric instead.

Hearing his Manectric taking a hit, its trainer orders it to use a move in retaliation, "Manectric use Thunderbolt over there!" The Manectric fires a bolt of lightning into the smoke. Watchog tries to warn it to not fire but it is too late and the bolt does not hit its intended target.

Octillery and its trainer's cry can be heard from within the smoke. Watchog catches sight of Frogadier and goes to chase after its target.

"Watchog, use Super Fang!" Watchog lunges at Frogadier with its sharp fangs.

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere," Having kept its focus on Frogadier the Watchog fails to notice Lucario taking a position behind it and is knocked out by an Aura Sphere to the back of the head.

"Gabite, use Dig!" Manectric frantically looks for any target in the smoke before being hit in the stomach from below. Manectric is sent flying from the blow into its trainer knocking them both into a car and out. Now there is only a single conscious human left in this group.

"Where are you!" Screamed the man in frustration while frantically looking around for his enemy.

"Here," the man turns around to feel two simultaneous punches to his face from Kyle and Lucario. Knocking him out cold.

On the other side of the parking lot the last two remaining men rushed to all the commotion they heard from across the parking lot. They are shocked to see four of their comrades and their Pokemon have been knocked out.

"Who the hell is this guy!?" Asked one of them in a scared and angry tone.

"I don't know but I'm not finding out," the second man turns around to leave before being stopped by the first man.

"You seriously leaving?" Asked the first man.

"This was supposed to be an easy kidnapping and now one guy takes out ten of us. I'm not gonna be next," with that declaration the man returns one of the Octillery and one of the Watchog before running away from the parking lot.

"Hey get back here!" Shaking his fist in frustration at his companion's cowardice, the last man scans the parking lot for the blonde in the red jacket that has caused him so much trouble. To his surprise among the damaged vehicles and holes in the ground the young man just walks out into the open with Lucario and Gabite at his side.

"You, just who the hell do you think you are?" The man asked with anger and frustration.

Kyle shrugged, "Just a bodyguard for a day protecting his client."

"You're a cocky bastard aren't you? Now that I'm alone?"

"I admit your numbers were an issue. But then again quantity to make up for quality right? You have a lot of people for such an 'easy' kidnapping."

"I'll kill you for this. Octillery, use Ice Beam on Gabite and Manectric use Thunderbolt on Lucario!" The man gives his orders and his Pokemon release streams of ice and lightning.

"Gabite, use Dig and Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" Gabite dives into the ground just getting nicked on the fin by the Ice Beam it winces in pain but continues to burrow deep into the ground. Lucario launches a ball of blue energy which collides with the Thunderbolt.

"Both of you focus your attacks on Lucario! Octillery, use Octazooka and Manectric, use Thunderbolt" Seeing as Lucario is now the only target Octillery and Manectric focus their fire on it.

"Gabite, get Lucario out of there!" The ground underneath Lucario breaks open and Lucario disappears into the hole.

The man looked forward and grinned at the sight of no Pokemon defending the young man in front of him, "Now you're completely defenseless, Octillery, attack him with Bullet Seed!" The octopus Pokemon launches a stream of high velocity seeds. Kyle ducks and weaves before retreating behind a car but is shot several times in the back while retreating. He winces in pain from the attack as he rolls behind a car.

"Manectric, go after him from the side. Octillery, keep up your attack so he stays there," Octillery keeps firing Bullet Seed leaving dents on the car in a similar scene to a shootout in an action movie while Manectric begins its flanking attempt.

"(Bullet Seeds pinning me down, running for cover is only gonna lead me getting shot again. Even if I made it, they'll do a pincer attack to get me. Not a lot of time before they're on me. Only thing I can do now is hunker down and get ready to intercept.)"

Kyle crawls underneath the car to keep an eye on his opponent while his Pokemon set up their counterattack.

As Manectric leaves the man's side to begin its pursuit, Lucario pops out of Gabite's tunnels behind Octillery.

"Lucario, use Meteor Mash!" Lucario's fists glow as it assumes a boxer's stance. It closes in on Octillery and lands a flurry of punches.

"Octillery, use Octazooka!" Octillery fires a ball of ink but at such close range it has trouble aiming at Lucario and it misses, hitting a light post behind it as Lucario pummels its target with a series of powerful jabs and hooks.

Underneath the car, Kyle hears the Manectric close in and while it is confused for a second on where its target is the Manectric quickly realizes Kyle is under the car. The Pokemon bites and snaps at Kyle's leg as he narrowly avoids having teeth sunk into him and crawls out from underneath the car.

"Octillery, use Constrict and then Octazooka! Manectric, rip him to bits with Crunch!" The man commanded frantically, trying to manage two battles, one of which he can barely see.

Octillery wraps its tentacles around Lucario while Manectric lunges at Kyle.

"Lucario, use Shadow Claw! Gabite, use Dig!" Lucario manages to get one of its paws to face Octillery's tentacles and extends sharp blades of shadow causing Octillery to cry out in pain and lose its grip causing its Octazooka to miss again. Manectric lunges at Kyle but is intercepted by Gabite tackling it from beneath the ground. During the scuffle Manectric bites down on one of Gabite's arm fins with Crunch.

"Gabite, finish it with Dragon Claw!" Gabite with its free arm slashes Manectric with a glowing green claw, knocking it out and sending it towards its trainer.

"Octillery, use Psybeam!" Octillery backs off from Lucario and fires a multi-colored beam towards it.

"Gabite, use Rock Tomb! and Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" Gabite hurls rocks between Lucario and Octillery, forming a wall of stone that blocks the Psybeam. Lucario jumps over the stones firing its attack knocking out the Octillery.

Returning his Pokemon the man tries to flee but is knocked out when Frogadier lands on him from above. Gabite lets out an annoyed growl asking where Frogadier was during the whole fight. Frogadier tilts its head and points out to the street.

"Did you subdue the other one?" Kyle asked. Frogadier nods remembering how the fleeing man is now taking a nap down the street with on-lookers taking pictures to post on social media.

A loud bang suddenly fills the parking lot accompanied by screaming as a man holding a young woman with brown hair in an idol costume exits with his Seviper by his side. Kyle recognizes the woman as one of the young girls that Ms Starr was attended by.

"Please let me go! I'm not worth anything to you!" the woman pleads with tears in her eyes. The man tightens his grip on his struggling hostage while holding a knife close to her neck.

"Honey, you're my ticket out of here. Nothing's more valuable to me than that right now. And who knows? Maybe we can have some fun when everything's cooled off," The masked man lecherously stated.

"Let her go now." Kyle demands with a scowl.

"You're in no position to make demands. Return your Pokemon or the cute little idol girl gets a face lift," the man snickers as his Seviper raises its bladed tail to the woman who flinches in fear with tears welling in her eyes.

Kyle's Pokemon look towards their trainer for commands. Kyle nods back towards them before returning them all to their Pokeballs.

"Not so tough now huh? Alright, Seviper let's have some fun with him first. Give him a Dark Pulse," Seviper launches a steam of dark energy from its mouth towards Kyle hitting him square in the chest. Kyle falls to the ground clutching his chest in pain before slowly rising to his feet again gasping for air.

"You monster! How could you be so heartless?" the woman in his arms exclaims with fear and anger.

"Shut up Bitch! He cost me and my pals a lot today. I'm gonna make him suffer before I kill him. Seviper, hit him again and make it hurt," Seviper fires again but is a bit off target this time hitting Kyle on the left shoulder. The attack sends Kyle faltering into a nearby car and he finds himself on the ground once again. The man smirks watching Kyle as he lies on the ground. It takes a few seconds for him to begin to get up and he weakly rises back to his feet.

"Now give him a few Poison Tails," the man orders his Seviper to close in on the youth that ruined his day. Kyle is slashed several times by Seviper's bladed tail on his arms, face, legs and abdomen and stabbed in the shoulder before being knocked to the ground again with a swing from Seviper's long and muscular body.

The woman is on the verge of a breakdown from witnessing the brutal attack. Kyle lies on the ground bleeding and breathing heavily from the assault. Seviper raises its tail for a killing blow as its trainer puts on a sadistic smile under his mask.

Suddenly the ground beneath him gives away and man and his hostage are dragged underground. The man is in shock at how Kyle could have released his Pokemon without him seeing.

"(A hostage situation wasn't impossible to happen today. I'm wounded but he got cocky. I rolled with that Dark Pulse so I could sneak Gabite under the car to diffuse the situation. Just needed to buy some more time. Lucky for me he wants me to suffer before killing me, that's how we'll get him. He'll pay for taking an innocent person hostage.)"

Seviper looks back for a second to see what happened to its trainer. In anger it readies to finish what it was commanded to do.

"Lucario, use Shadow Claw!" Still prone on the ground, Kyle throws a Poke Ball and Lucario emerges with its claws extended, catching Seviper's tail in its claws. The snake Pokemon looks nervously into Lucario's eyes having an idea what's going to happen next.

"Finish it with Meteor Mash," Lucario grabs Seviper's tail and swings it into the car Kyle crashed into with full force. Seviper's eyes bulge as the wind is knocked out of it. Seviper lunges to bite at Lucario with its sharp fangs but Lucario catches it by the throat and pins its tail by stepping on it before repeatedly pummeling it with one Meteor Mash punch after another.

The woman who was just held captive yelps as she emerges from a hole a few meters from where she was standing. She backs herself up against a nearby wall shaking in fear as the man crawls out of the original hole out of breath with scratches on his body. He looks up and sees the young man he just tried to kill slowly walking towards him. The masked man feels a chill run down his spine at the sight of the youth's expression. Blue eyes; cold and full of fury, his icy stare is highlighted by the red streams of blood running down his face, the youth approaches him hunched-over like a man possessed by a demon.

"Don't think you won yet! I'll kill you right here with my own hands!" The masked man takes a swing at Kyle with a knife but his arm is grabbed and his whole body is flung onto the ground with his back facing up. The man screams in pain when Kyle breaks his arm by slamming his fist into the man's elbow and twisting the wrist making the masked man drop the knife. Undeterred Kyle flips the man over and punches him in the face. He then plants his knee on the man's chest to prevent him from getting up. Pinning his assailant, Kyle begins to punch him in the face over and over as the woman looks on with her hands over her mouth in shock. Every punch thrown by Kyle knocks the man's head back to the concrete he lies on. Adrenaline surges through Kyle's body as he throws one punch after another with each one hitting harder than the last and ripping more skin off his knuckles. Punch after punch, all the adrenaline flowing through Kyle's body puts him in a haze to the violence and pain. He doesn't even notice the skin on his knuckles have been nearly scraped off and bloody after all the punches.

After what felt like an eternity for the woman, her intimidating rescuer lands one last punch knocking out the woman's would-be kidnapper in a savage assault. Kyle stands back up staggering and breathing heavily from the beating he gave and turns to the woman. Blood running down his face, bleeding knuckles and ice-cold eyes framed by blood. He looks more frightening than the masked men who laid siege to this concert.

He tries to speak but the pain and poison cause him to gurgle. He manages to squeeze out three words after a loud cough, "Are... you.... alright?" looking at the unconscious man and Kyle's bloodied fist the woman recoils in fear. Kyle grows silent as he sees the fear in the woman's eyes. He begins to walk towards her with his hand outstretched but his vision blurs and his body loses balance. He falls over and braces himself against a dumpster breathing heavily. His Pokemon hurry over to him with worried looks on their faces. He slowly raises a needle-like object before plunging it into his leg. After a few seconds pass the Full Heal begins to take effect; his vision starts to clear and his breathing returns to normal. gathering himself and looking up he notices the woman he rescued has fled the scene. Bracing himself against the dumpster, Kyle slowly stood back up.

He then starts limping towards the entrance back into the concert hall but pauses when he hears the sounds of sirens from a distance. Gathering what strength has, he returns Gabite to its ball and he makes for the streets with the help of his Lucario.

Officer Jenny arrives with the police to process the scene. Arriving at the parking lot Jenny was shocked to see the state of the area. Numerous people and Pokemon are scattered and unconscious, a lamp post cut down, dented vehicles, two vans have been overturned and stuck in large holes in the ground and traces of blood can be found near the entrance and on a nearby car. The place looked like a small war zone. The officers were quick to seal off the area and begin hauling the unconscious people and Pokemon into custody. The men inside the building have fled in response to their plans going awry, though a few have been subdued by security. The hall is a mess with walls, seats and floors damaged from Pokemon attacks and several members of security and their Pokemon were taken by medical staff to be treated for injuries. Jenny thinks to herself that she's never seen anything like this and is not looking forward to the paperwork she's going to fill out after today.

In an alleyway a few blocks from the concert hall Kyle clutches his shoulder tightly as he and Lucario make their way to a nearby Pokemon Center. Kyle pauses to take a breath on Lucario's insistence. Lucario points to Kyle's head to remind his trainer of his appearance.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," Kyle wipes off some of the blood on his face with a handkerchief, "Not a good idea to walk into a Pokemon Center with blood on my face."

Lucario still gives a worried look as it now points to his trainer's stab wound.

"They won't see it that easily, it's one of the benefits to wearing red," Kyle's attempt at reassurance doesn't wipe away the worry on Lucario's face. Whatever treatment for his stab wound would have to be done in a more appropriate place. Kyle takes another breath as he makes his way out of the alley and into the Pokemon Center.

"Hello sir, how may I help you?" Nurse Joy politely asked.

"Just treatment for my Pokemon," Kyle hands Joy his Pokeballs and gestures to Lucario to go with her.

"Alright, we'll make your Pokemon fighting fit in a jiffy. Is there anything else you need?"

"A bathroom."

Nurse Joy pointed to the stairs, "There's one upstairs where the guests stay. We just cleaned the one by room seven. It'll be on your left."

"Thank you Nurse Joy. How long will it take for my Pokemon to be treated?"

"It'll be about fifteen minutes for your Pokemon to be healed. Feel free to stay here or check out a room," Kyle nodded in response. As he begins to move to the guest rooms he is stopped by a call from the nurse.

"Umm sir are you okay? You're bleeding from the top of your head, " Thinking about his injuries Kyle thinks quickly to avoid making a scene. He turns back to Nurse Joy and wipes blood from his face with his left hand before clutching his stomach. Kyle does his best to keep his bloody right hand in his pocket out of the nurse's sight.

"I'm fine. I got blindsided by a wild Patrat when we were training. You know how they can be sometimes. Probably shouldn't have eaten those vending machine burritos either," Kyle tries to sound as casual as possible to avoid suspicion. He hopes Nurse Joy doesn't try to examine him closer and see the bloody hole in his jacket.

"Oh of course. Take as long as you need," Nurse Joy turns and leaves with Kyle's Pokemon. It seems that the conversation was getting awkward and Nurse Joy would rather it end than press for details. The relief of the story's success briefly takes Kyle's mind off the pain he's feeling. He mentally breathes a sigh of relief that a big scene wasn't made.

With Nurse Joy gone Kyle now makes his way to the bathroom. He locks the room upon entering and takes a deep breath in front of the mirror. He pulls a needle and thread from his bag and removes his jacket and shirt. He sees the stab wound he received in its entirety along with all the other injuries. He stumbles upon seeing his many wounds as his body burns and aches with pain now that he's no longer in battle. Kyle loses balance and collides back first with the door and slides to the ground clutching his shoulder wound. Looking down he sees blood slowly gathering around his wounds in addition to the large stains on his undershirt from the injuries. He takes several breaths to gather strength to force himself back on his feet to stitch up his injuries. After cleaning the wounds with some water and the paper towels he uses the mirror as a guide he begins stitching his wounds with the needle and thread.

"(Some of them are a bit deep but didn't hit anything vital. The Full Heal's already doing away with the poison. Not the worst injuries I've had but there are a lot of them today. Most of the lacerations are easily fixed with some alcohol and bandages.)"

He carefully passes the needle and thread through his skin until his wounds are closed up. It isn't his first time doing such a thing but it hurts every time. After stitching up his shoulder wound he inspects and cleans the rest of the injuries on his lower abdomen, legs and arms covering them with bandages. Once he's done with his injuries Kyle puts his clothes back on and cleans the blood off the floor and sink to hide what transpired in this washroom. After all is done Kyle heads back to the lobby to retrieve his Pokemon. While Nurse Joy said it would take fifteen minutes to treat his Pokemon he was likely in the bathroom for much longer than that.

Upon entering the lobby he notices Nurse Joy at a wall talking to one of the phones they have with a familiar voice coming from the other end.

"The person I'm looking for is a young man around sixteen with spiky blond hair, blue eyes and is wearing a red jacket. If it helps he has a Lucario and a Frogadier. Have you seen anyone like him recently?"

"Oh yes, someone with that description just got here," Nurse Joy turns around and sees Kyle entering the lobby, "Excuse me sir I think there is someone on the line looking for you."

Normally Kyle would be apprehensive about taking a random call but he's fully aware of who it is from the voice. Nurse Joy leaves to resume her treatments and Kyle finds himself face to face with a very worried Ms Starr.

"Oh thank goodness you're still alive! I've been calling Pokemon Centers all over the city asking if they've seen you," Ms Starr seems to have cleaned herself up since Kyle last saw her. The pristine visage she displayed before the attack had been restored but she still wears a worried expression.

"Are you okay Ms Starr?"

"Yes, I'm fine. We made it to the police station without any incidents. It's when Jenny got back and you weren't there when I started fearing the worst," Ms Starr recounts her experience at the police station. Biggs did most of the talking there as Ms Starr was still shaken and holding onto Wedge for security and comfort. Jenny had already begun to mobilize her officers after receiving a call about the attack from someone in the building. Upon returning with a large arrest, Ms Starr and her bodyguards carefully observed every person coming into the police station and when Kyle was nowhere to be seen she had feared he was killed or taken captive. She was going to ask about his whereabouts but Biggs asked the question for her. He asked Jenny about a young man in a red jacket and described him as a good Samaritan who aided them but Jenny did not find anyone of the sort at the crime scene. Ms Starr's heart sank at the uncertainty of his whereabouts. At Wedge's suggestion Ms Starr spent the rest of that time calling Pokemon Centers in the city with the idea that Kyle would need to heal his Pokemon after escaping.

"Sorry I caused you to worry," Kyle replied

Ms Starr's worried voice transitions to a more curious one as she asks what she and her bodyguards were wondering, "All those people and Pokemon they brought in. Did you do that? All of it?"

Kyle just nods silently. Ms Starr's jaw drops in response.

"There must have been a dozen of them brought in. And with so many strong Pokemon! How did you do that?" Ms Starr asked, shocked and amazed.

"Used the parking lot to my advantage, lots of places for cover. That and the time it took them to show up gave me a chance to lay a trap to thin them out," Ms Starr regains her composure and lets out a giggle as she uses her hand to hide her mouth. Kyle wonders what is so funny.

"You know when Wedge was describing you to me he said you talk like some nut who thinks he's a soldier. But you were the only one who actually beat Biggs so that's why I picked you. Never thought we'd get a one man army on the day we needed one."

"Just doing what you hired me for."

"You certainly did. And a lot more. I've never seen anything like what you did," upon looking closer Ms Starr notices several slashes on Kyle's face as well as a hole in his jacket with dried blood stains. Kyle did his best to patch up his wounds and the cuts on his face clotted quickly but he didn't have the time to patch up or clean his jacket.

"Oh my gosh! What happened to you?" Ms Starr's smile returns to a face of concern as she looks closer to inspect his injuries.

"Just a few injuries, it happens," Kyle's nonchalant response only raises further concerns.

"Just a few? You're all cut up. And that handsome face of yours. You also have blood on your jacket, didn't you go to a hospital for those?"

"You shouldn't worry about these. My injuries weren't life threatening and I'm more than capable of patching myself up. I'm surprised you noticed the hole in my jacket."

"Well I am a performer. Noticing any small blemish in clothing is essential in my line of work," the pride of that statement helps to wash away the worries Ms Starr has over her bodyguard. While she's glad he's fine, she wonders more and more about what kind of person can fight off that many attackers and be this unconcerned about a stab wound in addition to being able to patch it up himself. Maybe he is a soldier of some kind and not a nut who thinks he's one. Ms Starr wonders if she should prod for more information but chooses to respect his privacy.

"Where will you go from here Ms Starr?"

"My next concert is in the Hoenn region. I've been there already. It's a nice place. Sunny, lush trees, clean fresh air and a lot safer if today is any indication," Ms Starr reminisces on her time in Hoenn. She loves the clean air, soft breeze, the fans who love her performance as they love their own Pokemon Contests and beautiful pristine beaches that rival those found in Alola. She looks forward to the next time she can relax on the beach in her favorite swimsuit with a cool drink as she watches the ocean's waves.

"That's good to hear."

"Would you consider coming with me? After today I'd feel safer anywhere with you around."

"I can't. I have further business here in Angealos."

"What kind of business?"

"It's personal."

"Oh, okay then. I hope things turn out well for you. I'll wire you your payment soon. It'll be as we discussed plus a little extra," Ms Starr makes a playful wink when she mentions extra payment.

"You don't have to do that. What we agreed on will suffice."

Ms Starr smiled warmly, "You saved all of us today, it's the least we could do to show our appreciation."

"Thank you. Do you know what happened in the concert hall after we left?"

"From what I've heard around the police station and from what I've found online, several security guards and their Pokemon were injured in the attack, though no one was killed, thank goodness. My fans are shocked and outraged that something like this happened. I wouldn't blame them if they never see another of my shows again," Ms Starr said with a dour tone.

"Did a young woman with brown hair in one of those idol costumes show up at the police station?" The specifics of the question grab Ms Starr's attention.

"Why yes, that's Hibiki. She and Tsubasa showed up at the police station not too long ago. She was so shaken up from everything today. Poor thing. Tsubasa said that Hibiki shoved her into a closet when they heard banging on the door in the room they were hiding in. She was grabbed by one of those masked guys. Wait, hold on. Did you save her?"

"Yeah, I did. I wanted to check on her but she ran away before I could do that. How is she?"

"Physically she's fine but she's pretty shaken up. Can't blame her. I'm still a bit jittery about it all myself. I tried to talk to her about what happened but she was all over the place. Something about a knife, blood and scary eyes. She was particularly afraid of someone with scary eyes. Guess it was the guy who grabbed her, I'd probably be seeing them in my nightmares for a while too given how she described them. I can't imagine how horrible it must have been."

Kyle clenches his fist and inches it further away out of sight, "I see..."

"It must have been a lot for her to take in. Still, you saved her from something unimaginably horrible. You really are something if you can save her amidst everything else you're doing. Anyway, I have to catch my flight out of here. Take care."

"You too Ms Starr. And sorry about jumping off the roof suddenly."

"Oh it's fine, that makes the third time you saved me today. And please, call me Celes from now on," Ms Starr flashes one last smile before hanging up.

As the conversation ends Nurse Joy returns to the lobby with Lucario and the rest of Kyle's Pokemon.

"We're all done with your Pokemon. We hope to see you again," Nurse Joy cheerfully bows.

"Thanks Nurse Joy," Kyle collects his Pokeballs one at a time with his left hand, still keeping his bloodied one out of sight.

"That woman on the phone was Celes Starr. How do you know her?"

"Just did a job for her."

"Oh my, it must be pretty exciting to do something for a celebrity."

"A job's a job. It doesn't matter who it's too, take care of yourself Nurse Joy," Kyle turns and leaves the Pokemon Center to see the sun setting on this day. The orange skies can make you forget that a violent skirmish took place in this very city. Lucario looks towards his trainer with a look of concern.

"I'm alright bud. Let's get something to eat. Sanwitches has cold cuts on special today," Lucario perks up and nods as the two walk off into the sunset.

Elsewhere later that night

A dark haired man watches with interest on a social media post in a clean, well organized office. The posts on the page are many anonymous people voicing their shock at the incident earlier that day. Posts range everything from a simple 'Holy Shit!!!' to 'Pfff fake. Probably just a publicity stunt.' Scrolling through the page finds posts from people who fled the building and people who saw the aftermath on the streets. Some of those posts were crude shots of the parking lot taken from camera phones. The man's interest piques upon seeing pictures of the aftermath of the battle in the parking lot. After scrolling and finding some pictures containing shots of the trapped vans and the unconscious parties, he turns away from his computer and spreads the contents of an envelope.

The papers are printed news articles of various incidents around the region. The articles contain headlines such as 'Pokemon Hunter Hunted By An Unknown Party', 'Thieves Hideout Attacked!', 'Heist Crew Found, Stolen Good Retrieved'. The articles also contained pictures of the offending parties and their Pokemon beaten unconscious or trapped in either stone, ice or a hole in the ground. The commonality of the cases is the one who attacked these criminals was never identified. The man smiles upon looking over his articles and whispers to himself.

"You've still got it. Welcome back old friend."

Steel_Justice · Jun 21, 2026

And now for something a bit different. Here's chapter 3 (Warning: contains Moderate Violence and mild suggestive themes)

The sun rises on a peaceful morning. The sounds of Fletchling in the morning can be heard throughout a small neighborhood. In one of those homes a young girl shifts her body side to side in her bed after a restless night. Waking up the girl stretches her arms before hoping out of bed and approaching her window to witness the beautiful morning and its refreshing breeze. The girl inhales deeply soaking it all in. Next to her bed a small Pokemon reorients its body in a small makeshift bed made from a small wicker basket and a cleaning cloth as a blanket.

"Morning Joltik. Are you ready for today?" The small yellow spider crawls out of the bed before raising its front legs with a cry and smile.

"Alright today's the big day. Ohh it's so exciting, let's go Joltik!" The girl heads for her door before feeling something sticky shot at the back of her neck and feeling a tug. The girl turns around to see a thin white thread connecting her to Joltik.

"Geez Joltik what's the big deal?" With the line still in its mouth Joltik gestures to the girl's clothes with its small forelegs.

"Oh right. Ha ha ha probably should get out of my PJs first," Joltik smiles and nods. Letting the string loose it jumps down from the nightstand and crawls over to the dresser by the door. The girl deliberates for a bit before deciding to go with a cropped white jacket over a black crop top with blue shorts for her attire. After putting on new clothes the young girl combs her hair in front of the mirror before tying a white band around her forehead knotting the back into a ribbon. Looking into her dresser from where she pulled the headband she stares at another white band longingly.

"I'll do it just you wait," the girl is brought back to attention when Joltik jumps onto her shoulder and gives her a tap on the neck.

"Oh Joltik. Sorry I was spacing out again wasn't I?" Joltik nods with its small body.

The girl reaches for the door before remembering to check herself out in the mirror. Her reflection shows her slim but athletic figure complimenting her simple ensemble. Her outfit softly hugs her ample bosom and brings attention to her smooth stomach and legs. Her headband is wrapped neatly above her emerald green eyes and around her short boyish dark blue hair. Satisfied with her appearance the girl spins in place on one foot and flashes a perky smile and a thumbs up to the mirror.

The girl exits her room and heads down a set of stairs. Turning to her right she enters the kitchen to see a young woman placing two over easy eggs onto two plates containing crispy golden hash browns and fresh sausages. The young woman resembles the girl, having the same hair and eye color but is taller and has long hair extending past her shoulders. Her attire consists of a long sleeved purple shirt, blue jeans and a black ribbon in her hair. Her figure is much more shapely and mature than the girl with a very bountiful chest, wide hips and long legs. The young woman greets the girl as she turns around to set the table.

"Good morning Alex," the woman greeted.

"Morning Sis. Yum, breakfast looks so good!" Alex excitedly takes a seat at the table. She pours ketchup on her eggs and hash brown while biting down on a juicy sausage.

"Slow down Alex, you're not in a race."

"Sorry I just can't help it when I've got food this delicious in front of me. Plus it's the big day today," Alex speaking with food in her mouth only makes her sister chuckle on the inside. Joltik looks on at its trainer pigging out wondering where its food is.

"(This is my big sister Teri. I love her to bits and she's always there for me when I need her. She's amazing at so many things, especially cooking. I can't help but dig into anything she makes. Oh me? I'm Alex. I'm fifteen years old and really excited. We have a big change in our lives ahead of us today and I am hyped that she gets to share it with me.)"

"You remember what you're supposed to do right?" Teri sets a plate next to Alex's that is much smaller but contains small Joltik sized portions of what its trainer is eating. Joltik happily smiles at the woman before it dines like its trainer.

"Go to the base and get the deets on our living arrangements. Got it," at least she remembered to swallow before speaking this time.

"That's right. And I'll be there after I finish some errands," Teri sits down and starts dining in a more controlled and elegant manner contrasting to her sister.

"You sure you don't need me to come with you?"

"I'll be fine on my own. I know how excited you are to see the base and meet the rest of the team. You've been going on and on about it for the last week now."

"Ehehehe. Is that so?" Alex bashfully rubs the back of her head.

"You can be a little scatterbrained at times too," Teri said with a smile in a teasing way.

"Sis!" Alex blushes before angrily puffing her cheeks before calming down from the light jab.

"Be sure to get everything sorted out before I get there alright?"

"It'll be fine won't it Joltik?" Joltik turns and nods its head while happily waving around the piece of sausage it's eating.

After finishing breakfast Alex freshens up in the bathroom before picking up a blue and white backpack by the door. She puts on a set of black running shoes before exiting the house to the streets of Ragle City. It is a city located in the northwest of Angealos. It is a developed and urbanized city full of train cars, high buildings, shops, restaurants and people enjoying clear and clean weather with their Pokemon. Alex boards a train car with Joltik on her shoulder taking in the scenery across the city heading north before continuing on foot. Stepping into the downtown section Alex checks her map on her phone for her destination. Alex takes a left at a traffic light and continues down a few blocks until she arrives at a white three floor building. The building is robust and while it looks like it had work done, remains of the old design like a spot for a sign are still present. Next to the door is a shiny new plaque that reads Sentinel HQ. Alex walks to the side of the building away from the general entrance. She stops in front of a door that says “Authorized Personnel Only”

"I think this is it. Oh I'm so excited! How about you Joltik?” Joltik nods with a smile. Alex proceeds to the door but notices an electronic lock

"Oh right I think I'm supposed to use that tag Andrew gave me," Alex checks her backpack for her ID tag. Alex digs deeper and deeper into her backpack getting increasingly more distressed as she fails to find it.

"Uh oh. Umm Joltik, I can't find it. Oh no, did I lose it? Think Alex, think! Where was the last place you saw it?" Alex ponders for several seconds but draws a blank. She drops to her knees and places her hands over her head in defeat.

"Ahhh! I have no idea where it is!" Joltik places its front leg over its head with closed eyes before hopping off Alex's shoulder and crawling on her leg.

"Joltik?" Alex sees Joltik crawling into her pocket and wonders for a second what it's doing.

Joltik emerges from the pocket with the card in its mouth. Alex breathes a sigh of relief when she sees the plastic card with her photo and name.

"Thanks for the save Joltik," Alex strokes the underside of Joltik's body to the enjoyment of the spider. Alex places her card on the scanner and the door opens. Stepping in Alex finds herself in the building's main hub and is in awe of the clean building smell and spacious interior.

"Woah this place is so much bigger on the inside. Okay Alex you're in the building, now the next step would be to find Andrew. Now how do I go about doing that?" Alex spaces out while thinking to herself on how to complete her task.

"Hey you, you lost or something?" asked the person who just entered behind her. Joltik perks up; alerted to the person but the question falls on deaf ears as Alex continues to be lost in her own world.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't get enough sleep?" Another question is asked as the person snaps her fingers next to Alex's ear. Joltik pokes Alex in the neck with its claws snapping her back to reality.

"Oh, what is it Joltik?" Alex looks to her left to see Joltik gesturing to her right to the annoyed person who's been trying to get her attention.

"Ahem." Alex turns to her right and is startled by the person leaning forward angrily glaring at her with her hands on her hips. Taking a step back Alex realizes the person is a girl around her age, probably a bit older. The girl has cyan colored eyes and brown hair tied into a stylish ponytail. Her attire consists of a blue track jacket with white stripes down the sides of her arms, a gray skirt that reaches halfway down her thighs with matching socks reaching past her knees close to the skirt, blue and white running shoes all topped with a blue baseball cap with half of a black Pokeball decal on her head. The girl is also carrying a brown colored bag. Alex pauses realizing the girl in front of her is very beautiful, even if her face is in a disapproving frown it does nothing to detract from her smooth features. The girl's chest is smaller than Alex's but her high reaching socks accentuate her long and very shapely legs, especially the perfect amount of extra thickness at her thighs.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," the girl said dryly

"Oh umm, sorry I didn't mean to stare. I was just a bit lost in thought," Alex said while rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah, that part was obvious. So, what's your business here?" The girl asked.

"I'm supposed to meet Andrew, I have some important stuff to go over with him."

“Well you're outta luck. Andrew won’t be here until 1:00pm,” The girl replied.

Alex sighed and lowered her head, “So he’s not here. I really needed to talk to him.”

“Have you tried calling him on his phone?” Asked the girl.

Alex looked embarrassed and looked away, “I uh, don’t have his number. My Sis does. I don't suppose you have his number?”

The girl rolled her eyes and pulled out a navy blue cell phone from her jacket. She dialed Andrew’s number but hung up seconds later, “Straight to voicemail. He must be in the middle of some important business or something. He texted me earlier this morning that he had something important to look into. Probably looking for more recruits for the ground team. We’re actually supposed to get two more today. Sure hope these two are better than the last one.” The girl grumbled at the last part of her explanation.

“So uh, are you a member of the ground team?” Asked Alex shyly.

The girl lifted her hat confidently, “Sure am. Name’s Rachel by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Rachel, I’m Alex,” Alex rubs the back of her head sheepishly, “And I’m also part of the ground team.”

"Seriously? You're one of the last two of the ground team? A scatterbrain like you?" Rachel scoffed.

"Hey I'm not a scatterbrain! I just get overwhelmed with new stuff sometimes," Alex protested with a slight blush.

"Not really helping your case or giving me peace of mind. How about we see what you're made of in a battle?" Rachel confidently proposed.

"A battle? Alright sure you're on. I'll show you why we're part of the ground team right Joltik?" Alex pumps her fist and her Joltik responds with a confident nod.

"You've got spirit, I'll give you that. Follow me to the battle arena," Rachel leads Alex deeper into the building and down a flight of stairs into the basement of the building. The pair find themselves in a large arena like the kind you'd find in an official gym.

Alex looked at the arena, mouth agape in awe, “Woah! This place has an arena?”

“This place used to be a gym so yeah it has an arena. It passed from owner to owner for a while before we got a hold of it. I heard it used to be a Rock type gym,” Rachel explained as she walked to the other side of the arena.

“Alright, let’s get this battle started! How’s three on three sound?” Rachel proposed.

Alex confidently replies, "Suits me just fine!"

Alex takes her spot in the arena. Both girls shout in unison as they send out their first Pokemon.

"GO!!!"

"Ivysaur!" Rachel throws out a Poke Ball revealing a medium sized quadrupedal reptile with a plant on its back

"Joltik!" Alex gestures to the small spider on her shoulder. It puts on a fierce expression as it leaps onto the battlefield.

"We'll get started with this! Joltik, use Discharge!" Joltik launches bolts of yellow lighting from its small body towards Ivysaur. The bolts are surprisingly large coming from such a small Pokemon.

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!" On Rachel's command Ivysaur fires several leaves towards the incoming lightning. The leaves and lightning collide in mid air leaving both parties unharmed.

"Wow such precision from a Razor Leaf?" Alex exclaims as smoke blankets the area the two attacks collide.

"Sludge Bomb!"

"Use String Shot to get away!" Under the cover of the smoke a large ball of purple sludge is fired from Ivysaur's bulb towards Joltik at an arcing trajectory. Joltik fires a web line from its mouth that latches onto the ceiling. Once it pulls itself towards the ceiling Joltik re-orients its body to hang using its legs to hold onto the silk.

"Now use Signal Beam!" Joltik fires from its mouth a strangely shaped multi-colored beam that hits Ivysaur on the head.

"Not bad, Ivysaur, cut that web down with Razor Leaf!" Ivysaur launches a volley of razor sharp leaves at Joltik.

"Dodge that with your webs!" Joltik fires another strand of silk towards a different spot on the ceiling. It swings away from multiple shots, firing a new web line each time. However, Ivysaur's leaves start firing on an erratic pattern and one of the leaves cuts one of Joltik's web lines with the Pokemon still holding onto it.

"Oh no!" Alex exclaims upon seeing Joltik free falling once one of its webs is cut, "Pull yourself together Joltik! Fire another String Shot!" Joltik gathers itself and shoots another strand of silk at the ceiling.

"Not this time, Ivysaur, use Double Edge!" Before Joltik can start pulling itself towards the ceiling, Ivysaur charges at it with impressive speed. Alex is caught off guard at Ivysaur taking to the air to tackle Joltik off its web line. Joltik is sent flying across the battlefield to Alex's dismay.

"Joltik are you okay?" Joltik turns towards Alex and waves to ease her concern. "Great! We're still in this. Now let's get that win Joltik!" Alex pumps her fist with enthusiasm and Joltik focuses on the opponent in front of it.

"Confident are we? Let's see how long that lasts. Ivysaur, use Sludge Bomb!" Ivysaur launches another ball of purple sludge at the small spider but this time Alex has an idea.

"Joltik, hit that Sludge Bomb with Discharge!" Joltik vibrates its small fuzzy body and lets loose an even larger burst of lighting than before all concentrated onto the incoming projectile.

The attacks collide, smoke and the stench of burnt sludge fill the arena. Rachel keeps her eyes and ears open for any indication of Joltik's location.

"Joltik, use String Shot, aim at the ceiling!" Looking up Rachel sees a web line being shot towards the ceiling amidst the smoke.

"Bring Joltik down to the ground with Razor Leaf!" Ivysaur fires its salvo of sharp leaves again. The web line is cut but all that falls towards Ivysaur is just silk.

"Zip onto Ivysaur!"

Suddenly Ivysaur is hit on the forehead with a strand of silk from the smoke at ground level and before it can react it finds Joltik latching onto its face. Joltik gives a mischievous grin to Ivysaur and crawls onto the back of its head.

"What the? Ivysaur shake it off!" Ivysaur thrashes and swings itself around attempting to shake the spider off its body but Joltik hangs on tightly.

"Hang in there Joltik, use Signal Beam and make it a good one!" Joltik charges up another Signal Beam and fires it point blank on the back of Ivysaur's head. Ivysaur cries out and falls onto the ground knocked out from Joltik's Signal Beam.

Ivysaur is unable to battle. Joltik is the winner.

"We did it! You rock Joltik!" Joltik zips towards Alex with a web line and nuzzles its trainer for the victory while Rachel returns Ivysaur to its Poke Ball.

"Not bad, let's see how you handle this. Go Doublade!" Rachel throws out a Dusk Ball that release the twin sword Pokemon.

"What do you say Joltik, you still up for it?" Joltik gives a reassuring nod to Alex after seeing the dual sword Pokemon. Joltik hops onto the battlefield for the next round.

"Joltik use Discharge!" Joltik releases bolts of electricity that hit Doublade. The faces on the sword Pokemon wince in pain but Doublade stands strong against Joltik's attack.

"Now it's our turn! Use Iron Head!" Doublade glows gray and charges at Joltik hilt first.

"Get out of the way with String Shot!"

Joltik zips towards the ceiling with a webline but Doublade easily catches up to it and rams Joltik into the ground.

"(Oh right! Doublade has the No Guard ability! Dodging attacks is gonna be next to impossible against that!)"

"This is not going well, Joltik, use Volt Switch!" Seeing Doublade closing in, Joltik fires a ball of lightning at the swords in hopes of escaping.

"Deflect that and finish it with Sacred Sword!" With precise timing, Doublade bats away the ball of lightning towards the ceiling to Alex and Joltik's shock. Doublade then closes in and knocks out Joltik with a flurry of slashes. Alex hurries over to Joltik on the battlefield, picking it up in her hands

Joltik is unable to battle. Doublade is the winner.

"Joltik are you okay!?" Joltik gives a nod but is clearly disappointed with its performance. "You did great Joltik, We'll get something good for lunch after the battle okay?" Alex reassures Joltik with a warm smile and the spider reciprocates as it's returned into a Quick Ball.

"Forget that Doublade's ability is No Guard?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I did in the heat of the moment. Your Doublade sure is strong Rachel, but let's see if it can beat this! Go Charmeleon!" Alex throws out a Poke Ball releasing the red lizard Pokemon.

"A Charmeleon huh? Looks like things are going to get interesting," Rachel comments with a slight smile.

"You won't get away from this! Charmeleon use Flamethrower!"

"Doublade, use Protect!" Doublade brace themselves and form a green barrier around them to block the flames.

"(Protect doesn't last forever and it takes time for it to reliably put up again. Once that opening comes we'll nail it with a super effective attack. No Guard is a strong ability for offense but it comes at the cost of not being able to dodge.)" Alex thought to herself.

"Charmeleon, stop! Wait for the shield to go down." Charmeleon stops its attack and waits for the shield to drop. The two Pokemon and their trainers standoff waiting for the right moment to attack.

During the standoff Alex notices Rachel’s previous demeanor has changed. Her smile grew in size showing Alex that she’s starting to enjoy this battle. Alex couldn’t help but give a smile herself. The two girls share a look of acknowledgement to each other before the next exchange of attacks.

The instant Doublade's shield begins to fade Alex gives a command "Charmeleon use Flamethrower!"

"Doublade, use Shadow Sneak!" Right as Charmeleon is about to launch a devastating stream of fire Doublade quickly extends its shadow and attacks Charmeleon from the left side of its head causing the flames to veer off target.

"Now's your chance, close in with Iron Head!"

"Block it with Dragon Claw!” In response to the charging swords Charmeleon extends large green claws and they meet in a ferocious clash. The two Pokemon stop and separate as one cannot push through the other.

"Sacred Sword!"

"Dragon Claw!" The two Pokemon resume their clash in close quarters. Swords and claws blocking and parrying each other with neither willing to give the other room to breathe. However Doublade’s swords begin to separate and start attacking Charmeleon from two sides with the gap widening with each exchange. Charmeleon is visibly weakening from fighting Doublade's expert swordplay from two sides.

"Charmeleon, aim Flamethrower at the ground to your left!" Charmeleon fires a gout of flame at the ground which becomes a wall of flame that knocks one of the swords across the battlefield as the lizard Pokemon is being slashed by the other.

Rachel steels herself as Doublade's time in this battle is coming to a close. She sternly gives one more command, "It doesn't have much left! Use Sacred Sword!"

Alex sees Doublade going in for one last swing. She gathers her conviction and orders Charmeleon's next move, "We're not going down two in a row! Charmeleon, catch it with Fire Fang!" To Rachel's surprise Doublade is caught in Charmeleon's mouth mid swing. The energies from the attacks collide and knock out both Pokemon.

Charmeleon and Doublade are both unable to battle. This round is a draw.

"Not bad Alex. We were going all out on that one. My Doublade's been on a winning streak lately and you just set us back to square one." Rachel tips her hat towards Alex with her smile now brimming with excitement.

"Thanks, you two are really strong! Probably some of the strongest I've ever battled. But that doesn't mean I'm going to lose!" Alex smiles back, invigorated by Rachel's compliment.

"Neither am I. Let's finish this with this last bout." Rachel readies a Great Ball and Alex a Dive Ball.

"GO!!!"

"Hakamo-o!!!"

"Azumarill!!!"

"Looks like someone's after a type advantage again," Rachel smirked.

"Against someone like you I'm using everything I've got. You don't mind right?"

"In a battle like this, not at all. We thrive fighting strong opponents. Ready?" Rachel asked, challenging Alex to a final bout.

"How's this for ready!? Azumarill, use Play Rough!"

"It's coming straight for us. Use Dragon Dance and dodge!" Azumarill runs across the battlefield with its fists glow a bright pink hue. Hakamo-o glows purple and deftly dodges the first swing avoiding the cloud of smoke that would normally be generated. Azumarill isn't deterred and chases Hakamo-o and takes another swing.

"Sky Uppercut!" Hakamo-o side-steps Azumarill and lands a fierce uppercut that sends it flying upward. Azumarill falls a moderate distance but gets back on its feet without difficulty.

"Alright, let’s try this! Azumarill, use Brick Break!"

“Defend with your scales!”

Azumarill rushes at Hakamo-o and throws a fierce punch. Hakamo-o raises its scale covered arms and blocks the attack. However it is sent sliding back from the attack due to Azumarill’s Huge Power ability. Hakamo-o wincing from the attack doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Use Dragon Dance again!”

Hakamo-o glows purple again and moves around enhancing its speed and attack power. Upon finishing the move it still holds its ground and stays where it is.

“(Hakamo-o is gaining more speed and power. Is it going for more speed to whittle us down bit by bit since Azumarill has such a big type advantage? If that’s the case then we should finish this as quickly as possible and I know just how how to do it!)”

Alex pointed at Hakamo-o, “Azumarill, use Aqua Jet!”

Azumarill cloaks itself in water and charges at Hakamo-o. It crashes into the dragon and it struggles to maintain its footing. The two Pokemon make eye contact during the struggle and both see the other’s fiery resolve to defeat each other.

"We've got you now! Azumarill, use Play Rough!"

"Not today! Hakamo-o, use Iron Tail!" Azumarill, still close to Hakamo-o from its earlier attack, readies its fists for a decisive blow. Hakamo-o predicts where Azumarill's fists are about to swing and deftly steps backwards to avoid it. Hakamo-o then quickly spun forward and battered Azumarill with a steel hard tail, sending across the arena.

"What the!? Iron Tail!? Is that what you’ve been hiding!?" Alex is surprised and shocked by Hakamo-o possessing a move that is effective against Fairy types. Upon getting up it feels its ability to take hits weakening from Iron Tail lowering its defense.

Rachel tipped her cap, “Yup, we pack that move for Fairy type Pokemon. Azumarill might not be weak to Steel type moves thanks to also being a Water type but that move should still sting after two Dragon Dances.” She then smirked, “And with that Azumarill’s defense now being lowered this battle is ours. Hakamo-o, use Iron Tail and finish this!”

Hakamo-o burst forward with the blinding speed it gained from using two Dragon Dances. It moved back and forth erratically with brief stops in between. Azumarill tried to track it but it looked confused about where it was.

Alex looked frightened by Hakamo-o’s speed, “It’s so fast! Azumarill, it’s coming! Get ready to use Play Rough!”

Azumarill readied its fists and swung at Hakamo-o when it came close but the dragon sped away. It then leapt into the air and slammed its tail onto Azumarill. The impact made a thud that shook the ground and kicked up a lot of dust. After the dust settled, Azumarill was clearly knocked out.

Azumarill is unable to battle. Hakamo-o is the winner. Victory goes to Rachel.

Alex returns Azumarill into its Dive Ball and sighs, "I lost. Sorry everyone, you all did great. Looks like I still have a lot to work on."

"You put up more of a fight than I expected. Kudos to you and your Pokemon. That Azumarill of yours packs a punch, if one of those Play Roughs landed cleanly the match would have gone to you." Rachel returns Hakamo-o as she compliments her opponent.

"Thanks! Your Pokemon were so strong! We lost even when we had type advantages at every turn. Did you do that on purpose?"

"Yeah, I did. I let my Pokemon fight under a disadvantage against you to test our abilities. It's a way for us to take our training to the next level. I aim to make me and my Pokemon as strong as possible."

Alex pumped her fist, "I'll get better too, you'll see. You're so strong. It's no wonder you're part of the ground team!"

Rachel crossed her arms and smiled, "It's only natural given the kind of training me and my Pokemon do. Glad to see you've got some reason to be here."

"So does that mean you see me as a valuable member of the team?"

"I'll admit you and your Pokemon have promise. But I'm reserving my judgment until you finish your first mission with us. Anyway you should go see Nurse Joy about your Pokemon."

"Yeah you're right. Guess I'll have to run to catch a street train. See you later!" Alex turns and runs towards the exit. Before Rachel could react Alex is already close to the door.

"Dingus! We have one in this building!" Rachel's previously good mood evaporates as she shouts from across the battlefield and Alex screeches to a halt.

Alex turns her head towards Rachel, "Wait, we do?"

"Yes we do! We're gonna be doing extensive training here and the Pokemon Center is on the other side of the city by the gym. Don't you think we'd have some way to rest our Pokemon before our missions?"

"Oh. Ehehehe, guess you're right. You'll show me where Nurse Joy is right?"

"Fine, follow me. I did not sign up to be a tour guide for newbies," Rachel grumbled.

"What was that?"

"It's nothing. Just keep walking. And don't fall behind."

The two walk further beyond the training arena to take a nearby elevator. Rachel sets it to go up to the floor that contains the in house Pokemon Center. Upon the elevator reaching its destination the two girls find themselves already in the Pokemon Center with Nurse Joy within view. At the counter Nurse Joy can be seen with her trusty Chansey by her side but curiously she's conversing with a young man slightly older than the girls. The young man is casually leaning against the counter drinking an orange smoothie. He is very handsome with smooth features, his eyes are purple with a bit of sharpness, his smile is friendly, his overall expression is welcoming but has a hint of shiftiness to it as if he's carefully observing everyone he talks to. He has a dark tanned looking complexion and red hair styled in a tail that is draped around his left shoulder. His attire consists of an orange t-shirt with a green Pokeball decal on the front and dark green cargo pants and matching sneakers. Around his neck hangs a silver chain that rests above a low neckline. He is also carrying a green colored bag. He looks more like someone who'd casually hang around at the beaches of Sandalph City.

"And how are you adjusting? I imagine moving across the world isn't easy," said the young man.

"The heat does take some getting used to. But this city sure is something else. It's so big and vibrant," Nurse Joy replied cheerfully.

The young man leans towards Nurse Joy, "Well if you need someone to show you around I'm always available for that. Well, at least when I'm not on a mission anyway. I'd love to show you some of the sights we have here."

"That does sound lovely, I might take you up on that. When I'm not caring for sick Pokemon here."

"Of course. Taking care of all their boo boos comes first," The young man looks towards Rachel and Alex when they exit the elevator. "Looks like you've got company," The young man takes a sip from his smoothie as he walks away from the counter and leans on a wall by the elevator.

"Oh, Rachel you're back. You've got some Pokemon for me to look after?" Asked Nurse Joy.

"Yeah, and her's too," Nurse Joy takes the Pokeballs containing the Pokemon that Rachel and Alex battled with and hands them to Chansey who proceeds to take them into a back room.

"Thanks so much Nurse Joy! Wait a second you're not the Nurse Joy near the Pokemon school are you?" Alex wondered.

"Oh no, I'm that Nurse Joy's sister's cousin's best friend's former roommate from Johto."

"Gee, that makes sense," Rachel quietly comments at that strange relationship.

"I'll be heading to the back with Chansey. You two make yourselves at home."

"Thanks again Nurse Joy!" Alex gives another thanks as the nurse disappears into the back room. Alex and Rachel head to some seats by the wall opposite to the elevator. As they take a seat Rachel and Alex see the young man from earlier approach them while taking another drink from his frozen treat before flashing them a smile. Alex's heart skips a beat upon being able to see the young man's face up close. He is extremely handsome like a male model, regardless Alex feels relaxed at the sight of him, he seems friendly but Rachel looks away and rolls her eyes when he takes a seat next to Alex.

"Well, haven't seen you around here before," the young man takes a casual posture of crossing one leg over another and leaning against his arm planted on the chair's armrest.

"Oh yeah I just got here today. I'm Alex. I actually live in this city but my experience with downtown is a bit limited," Alex perks up and smiles while introducing herself.

"David. Seeing you come here with Rachel, are you part of the ground team?" David leans to the side while still maintaining his slacked posture. Rachel crosses her arms and shifts her gaze away from the conversation

"Yeah, I am. How about you?" Alex asked.

"Same. So tell me, has our resident combat queen finally met her match?" David tone shifts to a lighter and more curious one. Clearly he knows what Rachel is capable of and is eager to learn how strong his new teammate is.

"Oh no, I, uh, lost that one," Alex looks away and tilts her head down while putting her right hand on the back of her head in slight embarrassment even though the match was pretty close and Alex is still relatively inexperienced.

"Seeing her drop three Pokemon to Nurse Joy it must have been a little close right? By a hair or a thread, which is it?" David tilts his head towards his right to try to see Rachel's expression to the conversation but is unable to see anything so he returns to his old position of leaning to his side while talking to Alex.

"How about none of your business David," Rachel snapped. David leans to his side again to be met with Rachel glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill about ten men would be dead by now.

"Yikes, more of that icy attitude of yours. Did I do something unsavory in a past life to you that I don't know about?" David returns to a more casual tone while sipping more from his smoothie to appear smaller even though he is taller than the two girls to his left.

"If you did you can add that to being annoying in this life," Rachel leans against her seat's backrest and talks while shifting her eye contact to the ceiling.

"Aren't you being a bit harsh Rachel?" Confused by Rachel's hostility Alex turns to her left and speaks softly trying to calm down the situation.

"He's just trying to flirt with you. He does that with every girl he comes across," Rachel responds coldly.

"Flirt? Perish the thought. I would never do something so unprofessional towards someone I'm working with," David replies slyly.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "And what exactly were you doing with Nurse Joy?"

"Was just being friendly like I am now. Moving halfway around the world is stressful stuff and she has less people to have a casual chat with than other Nurse Joys. And besides, if some of the young ladies we help want to express their gratitude then who am I to say no?" David smiles innocently to Rachel's chagrin.

"See what I have to deal with Alex?" Said Rachel as she gestured to David with an open hand.

"Well, you can't please everyone right? Anyway, hate to cut our lovely conversation short but I got to make tracks," David stands from his seat and finishes up his smoothie before tossing it into a nearby trash bin.

"Oh, got somewhere to go David?" Asked Alex.

"Yeah, I've got a lunch date. Love to stay and chat but I don't want to keep my date waiting. Anyway catch you later," David turns and makes his way out while waving with his back turned towards the girls before putting his hands in his pockets.

"See you David!" Alex turns her attention to Rachel again and smiles. "So what do we do now?"

Rachel gave a surprised look, "We?"

"Yeah, I thought we were hanging out."

Rachel looked away, "We weren't. I just needed someone to spar with to pass the time."

"But we could do something while we wait for Nurse Joy to be done."

"Not much to do right now. And besides, it won't be long."

"So umm, Rachel, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Depends on what it is."

"Have you like, gone on missions already?"

"Yeah, just small ones though. Mostly finding lost Pokemon or people in nearby routes or caves. The wild Pokemon there are hardly a match for us but they make for decent practice dummies for our moves," Rachel explained.

"Anything bigger than just a few lost people or Pokemon?"

"We teach some small-time troublemakers a lesson from time to time but nothing too challenging. It really pisses me off that we're still doing kiddy stuff." A TV playing in the Pokemon center plays a news report that soon captures the attention of the girls.

"New developments have been uncovered on the incident at Zira City where international singing sensation Celes Starr was attacked on stage during one of her concerts by a small army of masked men. Police are still investigating but have determined the attackers to have infiltrated the audience and concert hall security." Alex covers her open mouth in shock after hearing news on the attack. Alex has been a fan of Ms Starr's songs for a couple of years now.

"Oh my gosh! Is Ms Starr okay!? Is she being held for ransom!? Will she ever make another hit single!?" Alex asked hysterically.

Rachel glares at her before speaking firmly, "You'll find out if you keep watching, quietly..." Alex blushes in embarrassment. She calms down as she rubs the back of her head with her hand.

"Ms Starr has since opened up to discuss the incident. She had this to say." The news plays audio of Celes Starr’s recorded interview from the safety of her plane.

"I was shocked and terrified. It all happened so fast. I was on cloud nine after a performance and I could barely register when things went horribly wrong. It's all too horrible. To all my adorable fans out there I'm sorry that you had to go through all this," Ms Starr replied with a regretful tone.

"I'm sure no one blames you Ms Starr. If anything the concert hall should be held accountable if reports of their own staff being party to your attackers is true."

"I don't know enough on the matters to say anything. But what I will say is thank you to all the brave men and women and their Pokemon who protected my audience from those wicked people. And a special thanks to the people who protect me. My precious bodyguards. I wouldn't be here without them. The experience was a scary one but I will always treasure the memory of how hard each one and their Pokemon fought to keep me safe." The reporter continues to speak about the aftermath of the attack.

Alex turned to Rachel, "Oh thank goodness she's okay. It really sucks she went through all that. I really wanted to see her live but I don't think she'll ever be back here now."

Rachel points at the TV with her open hand,"See? This is the kind of stuff that we should have been dealing with. If the whole team had been together at that time."

Alex pumps her fists, "We would have showed them! And we would have got to meet Ms Starr too!" Alex blushes blissfully at the thought of meeting Ms Starr in person.

"Damn straight we would have." Rachel flashes a confident smile at Alex with a nod. Alex nods back with a warm smile, reassured with her team mate's confidence.

A strange grumbling sound is heard and Alex blushes at the realization she's hungry.

Alex blushed, "Oh sorry about that, guess all this excitement's made me hungry.”

"You don't say. I was thinking about getting some grub myself."

"I saw a nice diner on the way here. How about we have lunch together? My treat."

"If you're buying then I guess I can spare an hour. Don't worry, my tastes aren't expensive," Rachel gave a playful wink with her reassurance.

"Great! Oh, I can taste that food already!" Alex smiled and giggled.

The girls leave the Pokemon Center and Sentinel HQ with high spirits, looking forward to a tasty lunch before returning.

Elsewhere in another section of the city a familiar youth in red sits at a park table observing the people and Pokemon there living their happy and carefree lives. The youth opens a newspaper he had brought with him to read. Turning through the pages he sees an article on the attack on Ms Starr a few days ago. The people Kyle fought were all apprehended by the police and are still being questioned. The people who were fighting inside the building against security fled when they heard the police approaching. The audience members were evacuated safely and security and their Pokemon had only minor injuries. The police are still in the dark about Kyle's involvement. Witnesses put a blonde youth in a red jacket during the attack but otherwise had few details. Neither Ms Starr nor the young woman Kyle encountered in the parking lot have said anything about him. Good thing too the less attention he gets from the police the better but just to be safe he has since moved across the region until things cool down.

As Kyle flips through the paper for more news he hears a familiar voice along with the sounds of wheels rolling over the sidewalk.

"Hey Kyle, it's been a long time hasn't it? Thank you for coming to see me. You look good," Kyle lowers his paper to see a young man a couple of years older than him. The young man is handsome with well combed short black hair and black framed glasses over his brown eyes. He is dressed casually in a black sweater and dark blue pants. Notably the youth is confined to a wheelchair and rolls up to the corner of the table.

"So do you. How's life treating you Andrew?"

"Pretty good all things considered and you?" Andrew speaks in a friendly and casual tone. Smiling at his old friend from a time long since passed.

"Tolerable," Kyle looks back at his paper after his response. Andrew glances at Kyle's paper with the incident with Ms Starr being on the front page before continuing the conversation.

"Pretty harsh thing to say. Saw you on the news recently saving Celes Starr. You seem to be moving up in life to work security for her," Andrew drives his wheelchair so he's next to his old friend.

"That was a one time thing, she's heading to Hoenn for her next show. Good thing too, it's much safer there."

"I hear ya. Things aren't what they used to be around here," Andrew looked at the people and Pokemon playing in the park. They seem to have no care in the world about current events.

"So I've heard, things haven't been really peaceful here since..." A melancholic tone washes over the two youths. Both of them remember more peaceful times.

"Yeah I know. Your dad was the glue that held this place together. He was a great man and we still miss him. Oh sorry, was that insensitive of me?" Andrew's previously casual tone has become more serious. He wonders if bringing up that subject was a bad call.

"Don't worry about it Andrew. It happened six years ago, I've accepted that he's gone and all the others too," Kyle continues looking at the paper rather than his friend.

"It was a great crew wasn't it?" A sense of longing and pride can be heard from Andrew's voice as he reminisces about old times.

"It was the best. We kept the region safe. Moving constantly to where we were needed most. We gave people hope. Dad made something special," A feeling of pride can be felt in Kyle's voice but there is also a hint of sadness as he recalls the past they share.

"Well said. It was something special alright. But does the curtain have to close for good?"

"What do you mean Andrew?" Kyle folds his paper and puts it aside now looking Andrew in the eye.

"I'm gonna be straight with you. I'm making a team. You could say a new generation to bring some of that magic back to Angealos," Andrew's voice perks up now that he starts talking about what he's wanted to about since the start of this conversation

"A new team, so you're trying to revive Team Sentinel?"

"Yes, I am. All the way down to the name. I hope you don't mind. I know the Team Sentinel name is your father's legacy but I doubt I'd get the support for it without the name."

"It's... fine really. It has been a while since dad was around but why restart the Sentinels now?”

“I didn’t have much of a say in the matter. If I did I would have done it sooner. My physical condition was pretty lousy for a while after the incident. It took a few years for me to be able to do much of anything. And getting support and approval from the Pokemon League for this new Team wasn’t easy. You’d think it wouldn’t take that much time for something like this to be decided upon but here we are,” Andrew does his best to conceal lingering frustration underneath his explanation.

“I see… So who's gonna be part of this new team of yours?" Kyle asked with interest.

"Specifics are on a need to know basis, but I assure you we've got good people. I've scouted four good ones for the ground team," Andrew smiles at the thoughts of his recruits.

"Are any of them gym leaders or Elite Four members?"

Andrew shook his head, "Nah, I've asked but they turned me down. Understandable, they have their own lives to worry about. Just because they're strong trainers doesn't mean they're cool with throwing themselves at criminals right? I think we both know that a fight with those kinds of people operate under different rules than what most are used to."

"Right. So you're gonna restart Team Sentinel with only four people?"

"Not only four people. I'm there as mission control and we even have our own Nurse Joy in house for medical support. The four I mentioned are the ones on the ground and I was hoping you'd be the 5th as field commander. I set the goal and you make sure it happens. So what do you think?" Andrew asked eagerly awaiting a positive response.

Kyle turned away, "I think you've got the wrong guy."

"I don't think so. You did pretty well making sure Ms Starr lives to make another performance. You're as sharp as ever. Scratch that you're much stronger than you used to be. I know it was you who took out no less than a dozen people in that parking lot alone."

"I just did what I had to do. It was just a one time thing."

"Yeah, that's not gonna fly with me. I know security for a live performance wasn't the first thing you did coming back to Angealos."

Kyle glared at Andrew, "You've been keeping tabs on me Andrew?"

"Not tabs on you specifically, just keeping my eyes and ears open for anything interesting. In the last few months here there's been all sorts of reports about Pokemon hunters, thieves and other unsavory types being taken down one after another in well planned attacks. None of them would admit it but many things point to it all being done by one guy. I know it's you, those tactics have your name all over them. You're good, always have been. We could bring back Team Sentinel and bring hope back to the people and Pokemon of Angealos don't you want that?"

"Of course I want that. People and Pokemon deserve to feel safe and happy. I'm just better off on my own, my history with teams isn't a good one."

"The passing of the old team wasn't your fault. I was there too, you know."

"It's not just that team it's..." Kyle trailed off.

Andrew gave a surprised look, "Just what?"

"Nothing, the answer is still no. I'm still set on helping the people and Pokemon of this region but I'm doing it my own way." Kyle picks up his paper and stands up from the table.

"Ahh, the lone vigilante way. You do know that's a losing battle right? There's only so much even one strong guy and his Pokemon can do, especially here."

"Regardless of my limits, if there's someone endangering innocent people and Pokemon I'm not gonna ignore it. Never again. It was good to see you again Andrew, take care of yourself and your team but I would suggest you keep things small and leave the dangerous stuff to me." With that Kyle walks away onto the streets once more. Andrew felt disappointed but he considered his friend's refusal a possibility before he came to this meeting.

"And here I thought 6 years would be enough. Guess we go on without him," Andrew said to himself in a defeated tone. Andrew turns from the table and rolls his chair towards a parked car by the road with a man in sunglasses inside having kept watch this whole time.

Walking down the streets of downtown Ragle City Alex and Rachel make their way back to the base while enjoying the sights and good weather.

"Mmm that was great! I really eat there more often. That Hamburg Steak was delicious, right Joltik?" Joltik nods with a cry from Alex's shoulder

"Yeah, it was pretty good. You said you live in this city, haven't you been there already?"

"I only came downtown for school. The diner is on the opposite side from there and I usually had to go straight home after school unless I had some other things to do there," Alex explained, reminiscing about her school days.

"School on the opposite side. Wait, was your school the Solomon Pokemon Academy. The one that's also this city's gym?" Rachel gained a look of surprise at the realization.

"Yup that's the one. Me and my big sister went there. Ms Fiona's super nice, I had a semester with her and it was the best semester ever! Me and sis both graduated with top marks!" Alex smiled proudly.

Rachel gave a baffled look, "You with top marks? I find it hard to believe you would be anything but the class clown with all the bumbling around you did today."

Alex huffed, "Hey! I might be a eensy bit clumsy but I know my stuff. Go ahead and test me."

Rachel asks her first question, "Can any Water type Pokemon learn the move Flamethrower?"

"Several actually. The entire Slowpoke line, Gyarados and the Remoraid line to name a few."

"What are the remains of Anorith called?"

"Claw Fossils. Funny how they are actually Bug types instead of Water types huh?"

"Have any other Pokemon aside from Chansey's evolutionary line been found with Lucky Eggs?"

"Yes actually, Pelippers in the Hoenn region have been discovered with them on rare occasions."

"What are Hidden Abilities?"

"Rare abilities that Pokemon aren't usually seen having, like Slowpoke with the Regenerator ability. Angealos does have more wild Pokemon with them than any other region. Some regions just don't see hidden abilities on Pokemon at all. My Sis actually caught a wild Dragonair with the Marvel Scale ability at a lake one time."

Rachel raised a brow thinking about Teri's Dragonair, "Wow, that's one hell of a catch. I'm kinda interested to see it now. Anyway, last question. Who are the Sacred Swordsmen?"

"Cobalion the leader, Terrakion the powerhouse, Virizion the agile swordsman and their junior member Keldeo."

"You even named their roles, I'm actually impressed," Rachel gave a slow applause.

Alex puffed her chest proudly, "See? Top marks, just like I said."

"Well, let's see how you translate that school brain of yours on a mission. If we actually get one." While the girls wait for the light to change at the traffic intersection Rachel notices Alex's face going white with shock, it's as if she's seen something horrifying like a ghost.

Rachel gave a concerned look, "Hey, what's wrong? You look pale."

"OH NO!!!!" Alex screams and flails as she clutches the sides of her head startling Rachel and flinging Joltik off her shoulder. Joltik latches on to Alex with a web line and makes its way back to her shoulder.

"Stop screaming! Why are you so worked up?" Rachel steps back trying to diffuse the situation.

"I just saw my Sis' car pass by! Oh no, oh no, oh no! I was supposed to get our living arrangements sorted out with Andrew before she got to the base." Alex continues to clutch her head but now makes a sad expression you'd find on a young Lilipup that was caught defecating somewhere inappropriate. Joltik can only place its leg over its eye in disbelief.

Rachel gave a puzzled look, "Wait, you knew Andrew wasn't gonna be back until 1:00pm. Didn't you think to call her or something to let her know ahead of time?"

"I figured she wouldn't get here so fast and I guess I just forgot about it in all the excitement of seeing the place and our battle. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet. And I told her I had everything under control too," Alex slumped her shoulders and shook her head in defeat.

"Good grief, you really are something," Rachel sighed

The two make their way back to the base. It's a little past 12:30PM when they make it back but without the living arrangements it doesn't matter a whole lot. Alex hangs her head on the way there expecting disappointment.

To her surprise she finds her sister unpacking luggage from the back of her black SUV in the parking lot and it seems some items are already unloaded. And her sister seems to be in a good mood.

"Oh, there you are Alex. How's your day been so far?" Teri unloads a few bags and places them on the ground before turning to face Alex with a smile.

"Umm, it's been pretty good actually. We just came back from lunch," Teri’s tone and actions confuse Alex. She shouldn’t be able to unpack right now since she doesn’t have their living arrangements or at least she shouldn’t. Alex mentally dials herself back a bit to see how this all plays out

"That's wonderful to hear," Teri notices Rachel and smiles warmly at her. "My my who do we have here? I'm Alex's older sister Teri. It's nice to meet you," Teri bows her head slightly.

Rachel gives a wave, "I'm Rachel, nice to meet you too."

"So how are you two getting along? If you don't mind me asking," Teri asked curiously.

Rachel smirked towards Alex, "She's a unique experience to be around. We just got back from lunch" Alex's head droops a little knowing what that statement means.

"Well, my little sister is one of a kind, glad you are getting along," Teri smiles warmly knowing Alex has more or less made a friend on her first day at the base.

"Wait, I didn't say we were getting along. Enough of that, you need help unpacking?" Rachel looks towards the car, changing the subject to something less awkward.

Teri smiled, "If you are offering, that would be nice." She points towards a couple of bags on her left, "These ones are mine, I'll show you the way to my room. I'm glad to see nice people here." Teri turns back to the car to unload more bags. She places some black ones to the left of her car and smaller blue ones to the right.

"Nice people?" Alex replies with curiosity and winces slightly when she feels a small pinch on her neck that came from Joltik.

"Yes, one of your colleagues offered help when I showed up. He's been helping me unpack and showed me to our rooms."

"Wait, who did?" Alex's surprise was thankfully masked by Teri's attention being on the car. Rachel flashes her a grimace at Alex's inability to catch on to what's going on.

A familiar voice is heard from a short distance, "Yo big sis, I'm back for more." The voice turns out to be a smiling David, "Well, looks like the rest of our party is here."

"Should have guessed it'd be you," Rachel greets him with a flat tone.

"Of course, after all I am a helpful guy to have around," David grabs some small luggage and passes the smaller of them to Alex while grabbing the larger blue ones to the right of the car. "Say Alex, I think these smaller ones are yours, let's take em to your room." David winks at Alex while Teri passes some bags to Rachel before heading to her room.

"My room?" Alex asked befuddled.

"Yeah, the one you told me about before you headed out for lunch, the one around the corner from mine. You know, in case your sis got here before you made it back. You also told me about her room too. Traffic around noon time can be killer around here, even if you're a pedestrian," David smiles as he walks into the building. Rachel gives piercing glances at David knowing the truth. The girl she spent all day with did none of those things especially since they've been next to each other since they got there.

"Wait! hold on!" Alex hurries over to David with her bags in tow following him into an elevator. "I never said any of those things to you. What's going on?"

"Just doing you a solid. Andrew called while you and Rachel were out to lunch. Said he wasn't going to be back until later this afternoon. Since he was expecting two lovely young ladies to be looking for their living arrangements he left a message that I picked up and delivered to your sister."

"Why did you do that?"

"Team's gotta watch each other's backs right? First day the gang's here should be a cause for smiles not scoldings."

"I appreciate the thought but I don't really like lying to my sister."

"A little white lie won't hurt once in a while. Let's keep this between us and try not to make a habit of it, kay?" David gives a playful wink.

"Okay, just this once, thanks David." Alex cools off just as the elevator doors open.

"Good to hear. Anyway your room is this way," Alex follows David into a section of the base that is much quieter than the rest. The hallways are fresher and cleaner than what Alex has already seen.

"This section of the base is where we stay and it's all to ourselves so we don't have to worry about noisy neighbors besides each other. Though don't expect room service or anything," David stops at a door with the number three hundred and five and opens the door by turning the knob "And here we are."

Alex takes a look at where she is staying. The room isn't as fancy as one in a hotel. It is more on par with one you'd find in an inn which makes it much better than the ones you'd find in a Pokemon Center. The contents of the room include one queen sized bed, a night stand beside it, a dresser towards the corner of the room, a small but empty work table opposite to the dresser and a small TV on top of an accompanying stand. There seems to be plenty of room for personal touches.

"Woah, this is pretty cool. So we all get one around here?" Asked Alex.

"Yup, it's a pretty sweet set up don't you say?"

"Yeah it's pretty sweet alright. What do you think Joltik?" Joltik swings from Alex's shoulder to the dresser with a web line. After scurrying around on top of the dresser for a bit it waves in approval with a smile before spinning a web hammock for itself on the corner of the room.

"C'mon Joltik you'll get your basket once I'm done unpacking," Alex giggles at the sight, she and David drop off the luggage next to the bed.

The group makes one more trip to the car to offload the rest of the bags. Rachel and David leave the sisters to unpack in private. After unpacking her things Alex jumps onto her bed the first time to try it. She spreads her arms and legs to take in the sensation before crossing her arms behind her head.

"How are you doing up there Joltik?" Alex looks towards the dresser to see Joltik in the small basket it uses as a bed. Joltik nods in approval and makes its way to Alex by crawling on the wall. Upon reaching Alex it jumps on to her stomach and points towards the window.

"Oh right, I haven't even checked the view yet," Alex gently lifts Joltik and places it on her shoulder. She slides open the curtains to see the bustling streets of Ragle city from four floors up.

Alex opens the window and pokes her head outside. She takes in the city air with a long breath. She lingers on the sight until she hears a knock on the door. She opens the door to see David again.

"Hey, you done packing yet?"

"Yeah, I just finished. I have a question though," Alex placed a finger on her cheek.

David raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What is it?"

"What are the rules about personal touches?"

"As far as I know we aren't allowed to paint in here. Other than that, feel free to put whatever knickknacks and bed sheets you want in there."

"Awesome, this is all really cool and all but I do want to make it feel closer to home," Alex looked towards her room imagining the possibilities of what she could do.

"I hear you, nothing beats coming back after a long day or night to a place of familiarity. Anyway I came over here to ask if you want to head out onto the downtown streets. You know, a little sightseeing/tour while we have a bit of downtime."

Alex looked surprised, "Wait, hold on. Is this a date? Are you asking me out?" Alex gained a rosy blush at the thought of a date with David.

"Oh heavens no, just a casual get together to bring the team closer. Your sis is coming if you are and so is Rachel. The latter probably to keep an eye on yours truly for absolutely nothing."

"So this is like a team outing?"

David shrugged, "Sure, if it floats your boat."

"Then I'm on board. C'mon Joltik we're taking a stroll downtown!"

"And don't worry about Andrew. Me and Rachel have his contact so we'll know if anything comes up. Come to think of it, we really should give you his number on the way out."

"Yeah, that probably would have saved me a lot of headache today. Hehehe," Alex closes her door and heads off to meet with the others.

Later that day on the other side of downtown Ragle city a young boy and his Zorua make their way down the streets after a long hard day of play after a morning of homework. The group splits as they approach a light at an intersection.

"Hey guys I gotta split. I gotta get home soon or my mom will freak," a young brown brown haired boy turns to leave the group as the rest wait for the green light.

"Yeah sure, we're just gonna grab some snacks for school. See you guys later!" The children wave to each other and Zorua gives a happy bark and a wave. The boy continues to walk home satisfied with how his day went. Zorua looks up towards the boy and makes an inquisitive bark.

"Yeah it sucks we have to go home so soon but we finished that dumb assignment for Wednesday and we got the high score at the arcade. No one's gonna beat our score for years, I just know it.” The boy raises his fist in the air with enthusiasm that resonates with Zorua. The small black fox flips into the air and with a pink flash enveloping its body Zorua transforms into something resembling a virtual rendition of a Mienshao. It's crude and the same size as Zorua and it throws a few mock punches and kicks before morphing back to its original state.

"No one's beat up the last boss like us! We gave a beating for the record books!" The boy throws some mock punches at Zorua who has now transformed into another virtual rendition of a Pokemon, this time a somewhat demonic looking rendition of a Mega Blaziken. Zorua pretends to be defeated by the mock punches and falls over with a hearty yell. The boy laughs and Zorua jumps into his arms laughing after dispelling its Illusion ability. The two share a joyous moment on the streets to apathetic onlookers before Zorua points at a TV behind a store's window display.

"Hey, what is it Zorua?" The boy asks his friend in confusion as to why Zorua is pointing to a TV showing the news. Zorua jumps down from the boy's arms and changes into something resembling a clock. The image clicks with the boy and he realizes he's lost track of time and his ride home will be departing soon.

"Oh shoot! The train car's gonna pass our stop! Mom'll have us mowing the lawn for a week if we’re late again!" Zorua winces at the statement and blows its tongue and shakes its body, likely to display its displeasure at being covered in grass clippings. The boy picks up his Zorua and runs down the streets towards his destination. He anxiously waits at each red light wondering what cruel power decided to make them all red on his way home today. Glancing at TV screens from passing stores to keep track of the time, his prospects of returning home on time are thin and then the boy gets an idea upon getting close to his destination.

"Hey, if we go through here then we can probably get to the train car on time," the boy stops at a rather ominous looking alley. People are passing him on the street so it's not like he's all alone but the alley is quite long and grimy with trash on the ground and rusted dumpsters. Zorua looks up to the boy and shakes its head to make its apprehension known.

"But if we don't then..." The boy with a free hand pushes back and forth through the air to resemble pushing a lawnmower to Zorua's displeasure. It sighs and nods its head in agreement.

“Okay let's just do it fast. Let's run together," the boy lets Zorua down to the ground and they sprint down towards the alley. They run as fast as their small legs can take them but the boy almost slips as his foot catches on something. The boy slides across the ground slightly still standing up. He looks down and sees it to be an old rusty frying pan. Strange that he didn't notice it as he was running toward it, it's as if the pan slid out from behind the dumpster he passed by. He pulls his foot out of the pan and gets ready to resume his run but a figure from behind the dumpster shouts and releases a large purple horned Pokemon. Before he or Zorua could react the boy is held down by the horned Pokemon.

"What's going on?! Zorua!?" The boy yells for his Pokemon. He hears Zorua's cry followed up by the sounds of an impact and Zorua's yelping. The boy is unable to lift his head to see his Pokemon.

"What are you doing to Zorua?!" The boy receives no response from the ones restraining him. He struggles but can't budge the Pokemon on top of him.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" The boy screams at the top of his lungs and just as he's about to shout a fourth time a figure walks towards his face and the boy blacks out after receiving a hard impact on his face.

Officer Jenny downs her fourth cup of coffee that day. Phones all over the station ring incessantly non-stop. Many calls range from frivolous domestic disputes to alleged gang activity. Jenny would rather be focusing on something more concrete and accurate. At her desk she toils over files about Pokemon kidnappings that have been happening in Ragle City. Jenny's sense of frustration is boundless at the idea of many children being separated from their Pokemon and possibly never seeing them again and how her department has little in the way of leads. Jenny breathes a heavy sigh and cups her face with her hands before hearing a knock on her door. Looking up it's one of her officers with a weary expression.

"Jenny, we've got another one," the officer stated.

"When?"

"About forty five minutes ago. The victim is in the lobby. A young boy age eight and his mother."

"Get them ready for a testimony. I'll be there after I make a call," Jenny takes a big gulp of coffee as her officer leaves to prep the victim. She sighs knowing she is about to do something she'd normally be against. Jenny dials the number on her phone and no less than three rings a male voice answers the phone.

"So you finally got something for me?" Andrew’s voice replied.

"I'd rather not but I'm at my wits end here. Have you fully assembled your team yet?"

"I've got a ground team of four ready to move out. We're prepared for more than just wild Pokemon disturbances."

"Well, great for you. I have an eight year old reporting his Zorua was stolen. Just happened."

"Another one huh? Are you finally ready to share like the Pokemon League Chairman requested?" Andrew replied with an impatient and irritated tone.

"Now that you've got your team ready I'm out of excuses. Brass is gonna be knee deep in my ass if I don't get at least one of those kids their best friend back. How fast can you get here?"

"I'm in the neighborhood, I'll be there in five minutes. Just enough time for you to brew another cup of coffee. When we're done I'm also gonna need the file of this victim and the other ones on paper and electronically."

"Sure, that won't be a problem. This is gonna be your team's first real criminal case isn't it? You guys better not disappoint after all the stuff you pitched to the league."

"We won't, you'll see what we're made of tonight." Andrew hangs up and Jenny braces herself. The rest of the afternoon and night will be one of those days.

How will the cast fare on their first mission? That's for next time, stay tuned

.

Steel_Justice · Jul 2, 2026

Mission Start! Here's Team Sentinel's first outing but how well will they fare? (Warning: Contains Strong Violence, Strong Suggestive Themes and Strong Language).

“(First day on the new team was really fun even if we haven't gotten a case or a mission or anything like that. Team's real nice; Rachel's a bit critical and grumpy but she seems like she's got a good heart. She helped me a lot when I got here and she gave me a heck of a battle. I lost that one but I'll win the next for sure. Though I guess this isn't really a competition. We're not participating in the Pokemon League challenge but if we were I know we'd do great. David's a really nice and friendly guy. Though I couldn't help but notice his eyes wandering off a little sometimes when girls pass by us. The tour we went on downtown was a lot of fun. I guess it's a little silly to wonder that downtown Ragle city would be bigger than my old school district but it's so big and wonderful! And so many places to eat too! I always got packed lunch when I was little. They were great but I've always wondered what downtown food tasted like after smelling some of it for my school days. We ultimately settled for a pizza place by a library called Pieducks for dinner around 6:00 after we went to a couple of other places. It's so funny, the mascot is a Psyduck in one of those chef outfits and it has one of those curly mustaches. The pizza was great and the inside of the restaurant was so big and colorful. Smelled really nice too and the staff were so nice. David bought for everyone except Rachel who wanted to pay for her own bill. I don't know if it's the thing she has against him or her really offended expression when she saw him order a pizza with pineapple on it. ‘Try before you deny’ is what he said and honestly it's not bad at all. We got back around 8:00 PM and still no call from Andrew. He seemed casual when we met at my graduation so I think Andrew is okay. I'm a little spent after the day. I think I’ll just go get a good night’s sleep for another exciting day tomorrow.)”

RING RING RING!!!!!

"....."

RING RING RING!!!!!

"..... YEOWCH!!!"

Alex wakes from her sleep to find Joltik glaring at her angrily next to her pillow

"Joltik! What's the big idea? Did you just bite me?" The yellow spider continues to glare and points towards the source of the ringing that upon inspection is the phone in Alex's room. Alex tosses her blanket aside to leave her bed. She turns on the light before answering the phone.

Alex lets out a yawn as she answers, "Hello?"

"Hey, the boss wants to see us. Get down here now," Alex recognizes the voice as Rachel's voice and she seems a tad irritated.

"Down where now?" Alex groggily asks.

"Conference room. We showed it to you when we got back. Hurry up the rest of us are here already," Rachel abruptly hangs up.

"Oh fudge!!! I think we got a mission! C'mon Joltik everyone's already there!" Alex bolts out of the room with Joltik barely in tow. Its cries of protest fall on deaf ears as Alex runs to the conference room.

Arriving at the conference room the rest of the team has gathered. David is casually slouched on his chair with his legs crossed. Teri is upright and poised as she always is. Rachel was sitting normally until she saw Alex enter the room. Her expression went from a surprised gasp to an irritated frown upon seeing her.

"Nice to see you finally join us," the voice came from a man in a wheelchair sitting at the head of the table with files in front of him and a projector screen behind him.

"Hey newbie, nice PJs," Rachel speaks up with a deadpan tone.

Alex looks down and to her horror she finally realizes she didn't get dressed and is in front of her team in pink pajamas with Munna print all over. Joltik looks at its trainer in silence and shame.

David breaks from his posture and can barely contain his laughter, "Look, I'm a guy who appreciates dressing for comfort but we gotta draw the line somewhere."

Alex feels even more mortified and embarrassed at the comments. Alex looks over to her sister who just gives her a deep breath and a shrug.

"I'm so sorry everyone! For being late and for looking like this! Won't happen again I promise!" Alex bows her head asking for forgiveness from the team.

"It's alright. Just take a seat," Andrew said in a calming tone. He doesn't seem all that upset which gives a bit of comfort to Alex.

Alex takes a seat at the conference table with a brown folder in front of it next to Teri. Andrew pressed some buttons on a remote and a portrait of a child of approximately eight years old with short brown hair and a Zorua appeared on the screen.

"Earlier today eight year old Jack Hotchner was walking home from the arcade when he was attacked, restrained and knocked out. When he awoke he found that his Zorua who had been out of its Poke ball was nowhere to be seen," Andrew explained as he gestures towards pictures on the screen.

"Oh my how awful!" Teri exclaimed as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Did he get a look at who did it? The trainer or any Pokemon who were used?" Teri asked.

"His memory is a bit fuzzy. I'd imagine something this traumatic would affect the memory of such a young child," Alex lowers her head in silence at Andrew's remark. Teri looks at her in concern as the discussion continues.

"So, where did this happen?" Rachel asked.

"At an alley at Persian and Munchlax Street. Just west of the department store," Andrew replied.

"(That wasn't far from where we were today. To think something so horrible could happen just on the opposite side of the mall we went to earlier,)" Alex thought to herself.

"You know I've been reading about similar incidents all over Ragle city lately. Any connections between cases?" David's posture changes into a much more serious one. Slouching towards the table with his elbow on the table and his left hand in front of his mouth.

"Good question. One without an answer as far as the police are concerned. I have print outs on all the files that Jenny gave me on the victims in front of each of you," Andrew points to the folders on the table. "Jenny's been keeping a tight lid on details about the investigation until now so I haven't got much time to go over them with a tooth and comb. The files also contain written statements from the victims," The team opened their folders and skimmed through various files in different orders.

"Not much of a connection here between the victims. They live all over the city in different income houses. Looks like they don't know each other either," Rachel said with her hand on her brow.

"Method of snatching isn't all that consistent. Can't say much for little Jack but the others range from luring the Pokemon away with a Sweet Scent discreetly to more forceful direct attacks on the trainer. Nothing life threatening though, at least these guys seem to go easy on small kids," David's observation leaves another angle at a dead end.

"I'm looking at the Pokemon who were taken. Most of them are small and not extensively trained for battle," Teri's looking into the Pokemon themselves. Alex looks at her sister and can see her focus. She gathers herself and follows the train of thought.

"You think these are crimes of opportunity?" Andrew asked.

Teri taps her head with her finger, "It's possible but there might be a pattern we are missing."

"It's not like children's Ratattas or Magikarps are being snatched up. Some of the Pokemon are uncommon like Henry Jareau's Chimecho but some are almost common like Carolyn Rossi's Marill." Rachel continues to read intensely without looking up to speak to the rest of the team.

"Well, yeah in Angealos but some of those Pokemon are really rare in other regions," Alex finally speaks up with an observation.

Andrew perks up with interest, "Oh? Care to elaborate?"

"See here? Chimecho are a bit uncommon in Angealos but are really rare in Hoenn. Most of them are around Mt. Pyre. Marill are a bit common here but not so much in Johto. And Zorua is one of the rarer ones here but you hardly ever see them in Unova at all. Some people think they aren't even in the region," Alex's rundown causes the room to pause. David stares at her and Rachel even looks up from her papers.

"Oh, umm. Was I out of line or something?" The silence disturbs Alex and she fears she got her second strike of the night. "I'm sorry! I'll just shut up now."

"No, you did well. Nice observation," Andrew smiles and gives Alex an approving nod.

"Oh I did? Ehehehe, Thanks boss," Alex blushes and strokes the back of her head.

"It's Andrew remember?" Andrew warmly replies.

"Oh yeah right. I was just thinking you know with the whole jammies and thing I was thinking it wasn't appropriate. I'll just drop this sentence before I dig myself further," Alex shrinks into her chair to avoid further awkwardness.

"And with that your roll just ended," Rachel remarks with a sarcastic tone but Teri gives a proud smile at Alex.

David speaks up, "She poses a good point though. If these are connected by that thread then we’ve got both something to work with and a source of the problem. We put together two and two and we can shut the whole thing down in one swoop."

"That sounds well and good but these cases go back days and even weeks. And police have followed up on the victims with no new details," Rachel cynically replied.

"What about Jack Hotchner? You think he might have remembered something by now?" Teri asks with a curious tone.

"It's a possibility. I didn't get a chance to speak with him at the station. Procedure is a real stick in the mud and all. But it's been hours since then and they are at home right now, not much is stopping us from making a house call," Andrew responds with a bit of lingering annoyance towards Officer Jenny and the police department.

"Jack Hotchner is probably our best bet right now. We should go there and see if we can get anything. Where's the address?" Rachel responds with enthusiasm she hasn't displayed all night. Clearly she's itching to get out onto the field.

"162 Furret Drive. It's in a small neighborhood south of downtown."

The location makes Alex's blood freeze, "(That's not far from where me and Sis live. This case is really hitting close to home. If I were his age then could it have been me? Could any of my Pokemon be…)"

"Sounds good. I'll stay behind and run communications. I'll also search for information online that may help solve this case.. Just give me a call when you find out what I should look up. I'll give Mrs. Hotchner a call to let you know you're coming. Rachel, you act as field commander, wheels up in fifteen."

With that the meeting concludes and the team sans Andrew leave the room. Alex is still embarrassed to be in her PJs but she did contribute an important point to the discussion.

"Wheels up in fifteen means we leave in fifteen minutes. Go get changed and don't embarrass us out there," Rachel says seriously as she walks towards the elevator.

David gently pats Alex on the shoulder as he walks past her, "If you're wondering what else to bring it would be anything you would normally take on your average Pokemon journey. You know snacks, outdoor clothes, your Pokemon and for this night those files Andrew so generously provided us."

"Oh right, thanks. Sorry about all this! I'll see you again soon!" With that Alex runs off back to her room to get changed. Teri smiles at the sight of her sister running before she heads back to her own room.

Ten minutes later.

"Okay I've got everything this time. I'm on top of everything this time," Alex pats herself down and looks at her reflection in Teri's car just to make sure.

"That would have been good earlier." Teri added as she approached the car.

"I know Sis. I was in a bit of a panic when Rachel called and said everyone was waiting for me."

"We wouldn't have minded a minute for you to get changed. We knew you were asleep."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."

"Well what's done is done. You did make a good observation earlier so I think you're fine this time. But you should better prepare yourself when a call happens at night like this."

"I'll get it next time," Alex's look of determination is cut by the sound of her stomach rumbling. She blushes and rubs the back of her head while smiling at Teri who smiles back.

"Guess someone could use a little pick me up. Here I baked these earlier," Teri opens up a small paper bag containing chocolate chip cookies.

"Thanks Sis, I can always count on you," Alex takes a big bite of the cookie and greatly enjoys the soft texture and smooth chocolate with a big smile on her face.

"That's right. You're more grown up now but I'll always be here for you when you need me or just want someone to be around. I was also thinking that if you want, we could met up before meetings to make sure both of us are presentable."

"Both of us? You're always so put together. But I get it. I would appreciate it a lot. You're the best Sis," Alex gives Teri a warm hug whom Teri reciprocates.

Rachel approaches as the sisters hug. The sight of it brings a warm smile to her face before she greets them, "Alex, Teri, you two ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm good now. Just got a little pick me up," Alex replied as she finished another cookie.

"I'm ready to go but where is David?" Teri asks as she looks back and forth not seeing David approaching from behind her.

"Right here, I was drawn to the smell of something hot and fresh," David takes a deep breath to take in the smell of cookies.

"Oh you must mean the cookies Sis made," Alex looks to David with excitement, anticipating he'd try and be in bliss from Teri's baking.

"Well, if they are as good as they smell then that's one heck of a pick me up."

"Would you like some? I made enough for all of us. Here, don't be shy," Teri opens the bag wider to let David and Rachel take one each. They bite into the cookies and Teri's heart warms as she sees their faces light up from the taste.

"Wow, these leave the ones from that sandwich shop in the dust. Still has great clubs though," David shrugs as he finishes his cookie.

"These are really good. Thank you for the food Teri," the warm and sincere smile on Rachel's face causes Teri and Alex to blush. Neither of them imagined how cute she would look when she's this pleased.

"It's my pleasure. Any time I'm baking feel free to come over and have a bite."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Rachel said while happily biting into her cookie.

After finishing their snacks and getting into Teri's car the group travel through downtown Ragle City with 162 Furret Drive being the destination. Alex marvels at the sight of this part of the city at night. A seamless blend of light and darkness. The energy of the city is wondrous but foreboding at the same time. Something that you want to touch and immerse yourself in despite knowing the danger. There is a mystique to it that Alex wants to experience for herself one day. Though she knows Teri might have something to say about that. Alex and Rachel mostly catch the sights outside the window but David surprisingly continues to look at the files despite the darkness in the back seat. One can think that he wanted the front seat so he could read the files better in the car. The team arrives at the house. It's a two floor home typical of this neighborhood. Welcoming but not too extravagant. Rachel takes to the front of the group and rings the doorbell. She is met with a middle aged woman with short blonde hair. The woman has moist eyes with still a bit of red surrounding her gray pupils. Looks like she's had a rough day too.

"Are you Mrs Hotchner?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, are you Team Sentinel?" asked the woman.

"Yeah, our boss Andrew Roba called. Told you we were coming. I'm Rachel and this is the rest of my team Alex, Teri and David. May we come in?"

"Of course come on in," the woman steps aside and the team enters the house. The girls take a seat in the dining room around the table there.

"Thank you for letting us see you Mrs Hotchner. We know it's easy for you or your son," Teri thanks the woman as she takes a seat closer to her.

"It's fine, and please call me Haley. You are here to talk to Jack right?"

"Yes we are, is he still up? It's rather late right now."

"Yes, he's still up. I think he's too shaken to fall asleep. I'll go get him. If you need a drink of water or anything please help yourselves," Mrs Hotchner heads upstairs to fetch her son. Rachel notices David retrieving ice from the freezer.

"You know, you just surprised me just now," Rachel gives a look to David who is fixing himself a cup of ice water.

"And what did I do that was so surprising?"

"That you have enough restraint not to make eyes at Mrs Hotchner."

"C'mon, I've got better standards than that. And besides she's still wearing a ring so the Mr is still in her life," David places some ice cubes from the freezer into a cup and pours himself some water as Haley and Jack enter the kitchen. The boy looks ragged, his face is red and tears still in his eyes. It's not certain whether he's been crying all day or it restarted upon hearing about the people in his home wanting to talk about the worst day of his life. Another noticeable thing is a large mark on his face that has started bruising. It appears the boy was hit by something during the assault.

"Jack, honey these people are here to talk about today they want to help," upon seeing the poor child the girls get up from their seats and approach him.

"Are you gonna find Zorua?" The boy looks up and asks with a timid voice

"We'll do our best to find it. But we need your help right now. Is there anything you remember now that some time has passed?" Alex kneels down and asks the boy for help with the softest voice she can muster but he just shakes his head.

"I dunno," the boy gives a terse response that shakes Alex. This is going to be more difficult than she thought.

"Haley, could you bring him to the dining table?" Teri points to an end seat at the table. Teri gives a nod to Rachel who nods back.

"It's okay I'm right here just sit down on that chair," Haley bends down to talk to her son while stroking his face and hair to calm him down and reassure him. He turns around and takes the seat after a gentle nudge from his mother.

"Jack is your name right?" Teri asks the boy to confirm his name and he does so with a nod. "You might not remember right away but if we ask you what your day was like earlier then maybe you can give us really valuable clues. Is that fine with you?" The boy nods again silently. "Thank you Jack, now how was your morning and what did you do?"

"I woke up and ate waffles that mom made," said the boy

"Wow, that sounds delicious. Do you like waffles?" The boy nods at Teri's question. "After you ate those waffles then what did you do?"

"I brushed my teeth, got changed and headed to Sam's house."

"And who is Sam?"

"One of my friends. We went over to do a school project."

"And did you finish your school project?" The boy nods once again at Teri's question. "And what did you do after you finished your project?"

"We went to the mall and then the arcade."

"Just you and Sam?" The boy shakes his head at Teri's question.

"Sam's older brother Spike was with us and some of our other classmates."

"Oh, so it was a group assignment. Did you enjoy working on it?"

"It was alright. I like spending time with Sam and Jules but I wish it wasn't for homework," Teri feels elated now that Jack is responding to questions with longer and more detailed answers. The team feels like they are making progress.

"So you don't like homework?"

"No," Jack answers brazenly and with confidence like it's the most obvious answer in the world. David can barely restrain his chuckle and almost spits out his water.

"Most children don't but I did when I was your age," Teri happily stated.

"You did?" Jack asked, puzzled by Teri’s statement.

Teri nodded softly, "Yes, I did."

"You're weird," Haley covers her mouth in surprise but doesn't seem upset. Rather she seems happy. David has a better grip on himself this time. He covers his mouth with his hand and makes sure he isn't drinking at this time. Thankfully for him no one has noticed. Teri laughs and gives Jack a warm smile now that Jack is more open with his thoughts. Alex and Rachel also smile at the child.

"Guess I am. So what did you do at the mall?"

"We walked around, got lunch and hung around at the arcade."

"Do you like going to the arcade Jack?"

"Yeah I do, I have a lot of fun there. Zorua likes to watch but sometimes we lose track of time."

"And was today one of those times?"

"Yeah. Sam, Spike and Jules wanted to go somewhere else but I had to go home.”

"And why did you have to go home earlier than your friends?"

"Mom doesn't like me staying out after the sun goes down."

"Okay, that makes sense. So you needed to go home, what happens next?"

"I saw the time and I was gonna be late for the street car so I went into the alley," Jack's voice drops upon mentioning the alley. They are close to the incident.

"And what happened in the alley Jack?" Teri holds Jack's hand with her own to ease him on the hard question.

"A bad man, a bad man shouted and then," Jack grows disturbed and stops. His breathing becomes frantic like he's having a panic attack. He pulls away his hand from Teri and backs away to his mother's look of concern.

"Hey! Jack! Stay with us!" Rachel exits her seat and kneels down with her hands on Jack's shoulders. The boy stops and locks eyes with her.

"This is what we need. I know it's hard but you have to be strong now. Zorua needs you to be strong and somewhere it's doing its best. It needs you to do your best now. Can you do that?"

Rachel takes the boy’s hands into her own. Jack looks deep into her eyes and feels both strength and gentleness from Rachel’s touch. Alex looks at the scene and is both warmed and surprised at the tenderness Rachel is showing to this young boy.

The boy takes a moment to compose himself. He looks at his mother and back to Rachel and nods, "Yes, I'll do my best."

"That's great Jack,." Rachel looks towards Teri and she nods as if to give approval over continuing the interrogation. "Now close your eyes and remember we're here with you so there's no reason to be scared," Rachel continues to hold Jack's hand into her own and stays in her position.

"The bad man shouted and I fell to the ground. I called for Zorua but I couldn't get up. I heard Zorua barking but it sounded hurt. I called for help but it went dark. When I woke up Zorua was gone. That's when someone helped me call mommy and we went to the police."

"And what did the thing that held you down feel like?" Rachel asked, firmly but gently.

"A hand but big and rough."

"And that's it? Is there anything else? What about when it went dark?"

"I didn't see the bad man. I could only see the ground. But I think I saw shoes before it went dark. That’s all I can remember."

"Thanks Jack, you did your best and now it's our turn. Now go back to your room and let us handle the rest," Rachel lets go of Jack’s hands and stands up, leaving the boy free to move as he wishes.

"Okay," Jack leaves the dining room and hurries back to his room.

"I don't suppose you have anything else to add?" Rachel turns towards Haley who shakes her head.

"No, I was at work all day and I probably know the least about this right now," Haley spoke with regret and frustration in her voice.

"That's fine, thanks for the time."

"Was that helpful? Did Jack give you anything to find Zorua?"

"He gave us more than the police report. We'll go over this and get back to you as soon as we can."

"Thank you and good luck to all of you," the team leave the house and took their seats in the car.

"Woah, that was intense!" Alex exclaimed. She stayed quiet throughout the whole interrogation since it was out of her league. She felt emotionally drained just hearing the story.

Rachel looked at Alex, "It always is when kids are involved. So we know Jack was restrained after hearing a shout and his Zorua was taken shortly after. We just need to find out what all this means."

"If you ask me the whole shouting part seems suspect," David stated.

"Oh and why would you say that?" Asked Teri.

"If I was a nogoodnick who holds down kids so my buddies can snatch their Pokemon, why would I shout if I was attacking the kid from behind?”

"He never said he was attacked from behind though," Rachel added.

"Sure but if we put the pieces together we can come to that conclusion. If he was attacked from the front he would have seen his attacker and upon being restrained he wouldn't be seeing the ground. Still not sure about the shouting part. It could be orders to the other kidnappers but that would happen after the kid is restrained instead of before."

Alex listens carefully to Rachel and David's points. She gets an idea in her head and chooses to voice it to contribute to the case, "Hey, what if the shouting was a move? It would make sense if that were the case. Jack didn't see his attacker so it could be a Pokemon for all he knows."

"That would explain the shouting but do you have a move in mind?" Asked David while quirking his brow.

"Yeah I do. It's a Dark type move called Quash. The user restrains the target by holding it down. It isn't a move you often see though. Not many Pokemon learn it on their own and few trainers bother to teach it to them."

"And what Pokemon can learn it?" Asked Rachel

"The closest thing I can think of is Oranguru or Sableye but those don't fit the description," Alex answered.

"So we're back to square one then," Rachel replied with frustration.

"Not really. The move could have been taught to another Pokemon by a tutor. But a more likely way is through a TM. TM60 from the Unova, Kalos, Hoenn and Alola lines contains Quash as the taught move," Alex's explanation and focus surprises Rachel.

Teri smiles from a sense of pride for Alex and follows her sister's train of thought. "Hmm now the question is where can someone buy a copy of TM60. If we can find out where it's sold then we could track it to a buyer and then to the kidnapper."

"Good idea Teri, this is something to call Andrew for." Rachel dials Andrew's number from her phone and he picks up after a few rings.

"Hey Rachel, what do you have for me?" Andrew asked over the phone.

"After talking with Jack we found out he heard a shout before he was attacked. We believe the shout was one of the thieves calling out the move Quash to hold Jack down as the rest of them take Zorua. None of the Pokemon who learn Quash normally match the description of what Jack felt when he was held down so we need to know what stores sell TM60 from Unova, Kalos, Hoenn or Alola's lines."

"Alright I'll take a look at stores all around the region," Andrew searches the stock of stores online throughout Angealos for a TM60. The team anxiously waited for a few minutes for him to return with an answer.

"There are no stores in Angealos that sell TM60 Quash of any kind and those haven't been in stock for over ten years."

The answer deflates the team. Teri especially worries that their possible lead has hit a dead end, "Oh no, if no stores sell them then how are we going to find a buyer?"

A moment of silence fills the car. David takes a second to mentally prepare before he offers a solution, "I might have a solution to that, just because something's not in stores doesn't mean it can't be bought. I may know a guy who's a bit of an expert on these kinds of things. His name is Skeet Round, if info on rare goods is what you need he's gonna know about it. And it just so happens he lives in Ragle City and I know where he is."

"Where do we find him?" Andrew asked.

"He loves to hang out at the Sparkling Noctowl on Liepard ave. He should be there at this time of night and if he isn't I have other locations he'll be at."

"Alright David, once you're done with him contact me again with another lead," Andrew hangs up the phone.

David takes a moment after Andrew hangs up to add one more tidbit, "Oh and one more thing. When we get there let me do the talking."

"And why is that exactly?" Rachel looks back towards David with suspicion.

"He can be tricky to deal with so I'll do the heavy lifting here, if that's fine with you," David tilts his head and covers his mouth with his hand

"Fine but don't screw around, we've got to find that Zorua," Rachel replies sternly.

"I'll get what we need out of him, don't worry."

An older, thin but greasy looking man with a bright blue spiky Mohawk pushes through two large doors past a section that reads employees only into a room with dim lighting. Heavy metal rock music can be heard pumping up the stairs he came from. He grumbles to himself while he pours some brown pellets into a small flat bowl. After sorting the bag away he walks past several cages on top of pallets with Pokemon in them. Marill, Chimecho among others like Bagon with their heads down in silence. The room then is filled with the screaming of a Sunkern. The man stops at the cage with the defiant Seed Pokemon. He looks at the Pokemon with contempt and gives the cage a kick that rattles the Pokemon.

"What kind of a dumb shit do you take us for!?" The man places the bowl down on the ground and pulls out a small mirror from his pocket. He angles the mirror slightly downward from the top of the cage.

"We use labels so shit like this doesn't fool anyone, Zorua," the Sunkern transforms back into a Zorua with a look of anger and desperation. It cries out incessantly while tackling and scratching the cage it's held in to no avail.

"SHUT UP! Don't you know when to be quiet!?" The man kicks the cage again prompting another figure entering the room from the stairs.

"Having a bad night Needles?" The man answered from behind. Needles turns around to see a rugged looking man with a shaved head and a blue Basculin tattoo on his neck wearing a similar blue denim jacket and jeans like him.

"Stupid little thing won't stop yapping. Also trying to use Illusion to trick its way out. Fuckin Jeffery almost did it too."

"Jeffery is a dumb ass that's for sure, for that screw up he's cleaning the toilets right now. And as for our little piece of merchandise here there's a way to make them more docile," with a sinister sneer the man grabs a two-foot long rod by the wall of the room just outside the reach of the Pokemon in the cages and hands it to Needles.

"You know how to use one of these right?" Needles nods and his scowl is instantly replaced with a wide wicked smile. Needles slides the rod inside the cage and with the press of a button the rod sparks electricity at the tip and fills the room with a sinister crackle. The electric rod makes contact with Zorua and it screams in agony as the electricity courses through its body. Needles holds the rod on Zorua for several seconds before he pulls the rod from the cage. After the agonizing torture Zorua retreats into the corner of the cage with tears of fear in its eyes.

Needles laughs at the sight of the cowering Zorua, "That never gets old. Thanks for that Harris."

"Gotta show the merchandise who's in charge right? That Marill over there sizzled real good when I gave it the ol quiet stick," Harris gives Needles a pat on the back and leaves through the door he came in.

"Remember this runt. Give us attitude again and bzzzt," Needles slides the bowl through a slot in the cage and makes a poking gesture before leaving with a laugh. Zorua looks down at the food and breaks down in tears, too upset and in too much pain to even have a nibble.

Elsewhere in the city a man finishes his last drink before exiting the building and makes way to his car. The man is dirty and unkempt in appearance with unshaven stubble and long greasy dirty blonde hair. Worn brown leather jacket, torn black denim pants and topped with a gray beanie hat. The car is as shabby as its owner, a four door sedan with a worn maroon paint job and a gray roof. It's seen better days but it still carries the cargo needed. The man makes it to the trunk of the car before being stopped by a voice he recognizes.

"Hey Skeet, it's been a while," David addresses him casually while walking towards him with the girls in tow.

The man looks up to see David and doesn't seem very happy, "Shit, never thought I'd see you again."

David shakes his head and gestures at Skeet's beaten up car, "And I never thought you'd still keep this same bucket-ass car."

"My sweet girl may be a bucket but she still gets the job done," Skeet notices the girls behind David, he perks up and begins to move towards them. "And speaking of sweet girls these are some of the finest I've seen in a while,"

Skeet whistles as his eyes lecherously scan Alex, Teri and Rachel. His eyes are drawn to Teri's wide hips, the small bit of exposed skin between Rachel's skirt and thigh high socks and he is particularly drawn to Alex's exposed midriff and bare legs. Teri glares at Skeet while Rachel gives a look of disgust, Alex is taken aback by the comments and is at a loss on how to respond.

"I heard you got a new line of work but I didn't think you'd go into ‘that’ kind of business. I imagine the cutie with the shorts is gonna be popular with a lot of guys, so how much for a few hours with her?" Skeet turns his attention from the girls to give a laugh towards David. Alex's face flushes beet red and futilely tries to cover herself with her arms, she's never felt this uncomfortable around someone in her life. Teri is furious for the first time tonight and steps in front of Alex to block Skeet from her.

Skeet continues to approach the girls with no sign of stopping. Rachel steps forward and throws out Hakamo-o's ball.

"Grab him Hakamo-o!" Hakamo-o emerges from its ball and grabs hold of Skeet. The lizard Pokemon easily overpowers him and drags him to a nearby car, shoving him against it and gripping him by the collar. Skeet has the wind knocked out of him and is a bit dazed. He quickly regains his senses and looks up to see Rachel staring down at him angrily.

"Don't even think about touching them you filthy pervert!"

"This one got beauty and bite. I like this one," against common sense Skeet continues to make comments on Rachel's looks which causes Hakamo-o to also glare angrily at him.

Rachel gave David an angry look, "You said you weren't going to screw around. Get to the point David, we don't have time for this!"

David shrugs at Skeet. He walks over to Skeet while speaking, "I was establishing rapport to make the ride smoother but I guess that ship has sailed. Anyway Skeet, you sold any TMs to any unsavory types lately? Like a group of unscrupulous Pokemon thieves perhaps?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I need to sell something you can buy from the local shopping mall?" Skeet is taken aback by the questions and attempts to gesture to the city in denial.

"Because some of those things you can't pick off of a shelf or find in a bargain bin. Some are rare and a few are even controlled by the Pokemon League. We both know you know this," David's tone and expression changes to a more serious one when he reaches Skeet and crouches down to his level. His casualness is gone as is any faint sign of a smile.

"Maybe things slip my mind over the years. I'm not into that stuff anymore," Skeet looks around as he struggles in vain to break from Hakamo-o's grip.

"If that's the case then I guess you won't mind showing us your trunk," before Skeet realizes it David is walking towards his trunk with his keys, having been snatched from his pocket during the conversation.

Skeet shakes his head, "Hey man, not cool." David opens the trunk against Skeet's weak protests though Skeet doesn't seem surprised that David snatched his keys away so easily.

"I could use a couple of hands here, ladies. There's a lot to go through."

"Stay close to me Alex," Teri firmly holds Alex closer to her as they approach the car making sure to put herself between Skeet and her sister.

"Oh yeah, sure Sis," they rummage through the trunk's contents. They find all sorts of things in there. Alex opens a beaten up duffel bag to find money inside, to her surprise. It's not a lot, only a few loose bills but the cash proves he's selling on the streets. David has a chuckle at finding some clearly bootleg items. A small gray brace that isn't very stiff, a white scarf that is definitely not made of silk, an oriental looking tag with spelling mistakes and a repurposed miner's helmet with some rocks poorly glued onto it among other such things.

"Bootleg Macho Braces. Seriously Skeet?" David holds a small gray brace towards Skeet and pulls at it to show its shoddy quality.

Skeet shrugged, "It'll still boost growth by at least 50% and at the price I'm selling at it's a steal."

David turns back to the car to keep looking. After a few more seconds of combing through the items Teri finds a collection of colorful disks in plastic sleeves.

"I think these are it," Teri flips through them before handing them to David. The sleeves have small pieces of paper roughly taped onto them with TM numbers on them. The colors of the disks match the type and number on various TMs across the world.

"Let's see. We've got TMs for Thief, Retaliate, Bulldoze, Dig among others, mostly the one time use ones like Sinnoh's models since the reusable ones tend to be quite expensive and some are super hard to get hold of. Like this one right here TM60 from the Unova line containing Quash," David turns to Skeet and points to an empty sleeve with TM60U label on it.

Realizing that Skeet did sell that item Rachel glares angrily at Skeet for trying to deceive them, "So you do sell them! Who did you sell that TM60U to!?" Hakamo-o's grip on Skeet tightens.

"Ever heard of buyer confidentiality babe?" Skeet defends himself with more confidence than earlier despite Hakamo-o still holding onto him.

"Talk now," Rachel demanded coldly.

Skeet looks at Rachel and chuckles, "Seriously? Is that your best game face? I've seen folks who are much harder than you sugar. You're not the first person to shake me down tonight. Last guy was a maniac who dangled me off a building when I was enjoying a good smoke. Compared to that guy you're as scary as a baby Skitty, you clearly don't have it in you to do anything, unethical..."

Rachel scowls and clenches her fist. She would like to call Skeet out on his assumptions but they are correct. Rachel hesitates to order an attack from Hakamo-o on an unarmed person that hasn’t engaged them in battle, even if the person is a criminal and a pervert. All she can do is have Hakamo-o hold Skeet to prevent him from running or attempt to do something unsightly to the other girls.

David stares at the mess they have on their hands. He realizes he's gonna need to end this interrogation quickly before things get out of hand, "We have other ways of getting you to give us what we want. For instance we would turn all this and you to Officer Jenny."

"A lowly peddler like me? Jenny's got worse on her plate to worry about then some fool peddling a little merchandise."

"Not if the worse on her plate and the foolish peddler are one and the same."

"What'cha getting at David?" Skeet asked in a bothered tone.

"Little kid got assaulted today and his little Zorua was taken. The move used on him is rare and found in your trunk among the other legal nasties. Won't be hard to pin this and all those other kidnappings on you since Jenny's been having a real bad week. But we'll keep quiet about this if you tell us who you sold it to, any descriptive features of the buyer and when you did it."

Rachel is aggravated at the idea of bargaining with Skeet. She can barely contain the frustration she feels about this situation, "With all that you guys found in his car, we should turn in this low-life right now!"

"And if we did that then we would have no bargaining chip. So what do you say Skeet?" David walks over to Rachel and puts his hand on her shoulder gently but firmly. He speaks with less of the sly tone he was earlier in an effort to calm Rachel down enough for his methods to bear fruit.

"Well shit, fine but this stays between us. Sold a copy of TM60U a couple weeks back to a guy and his Nidoking. Don't got a name but he's got a tattoo or something on his neck. A green fish with a blue fin. Looks like those fish from Unova. That's all I got," the group pauses to take it all in while Skeet's eyes dart back and forth between all his interrogators.

"A green fish with a blue fin? That's it!?" Rachel exclaims as she feels frustration building in her again.

"Thanks a bunch Skeet. It was really enlightening. See you later," David tosses the items back into Skeet's car and gives him a friendly wave. He, Alex and Teri walk back to their car with the girls not giving Skeet a second glance.

"Thanks Hakamo-o, return," Rachel returns Hakamo-o to its ball when Alex and Teri are close to the car and out of Skeet’s leering eyes. Skeet gets back to his feet as Rachel begins to turn to walk away with the others.

"You can leave your ass behind next time and send me the girls only. And as for you spicy, call me," Skeet makes one last depraved comment towards the girls and even makes a smooching noise. Rachel turns back around to Skeet and swiftly plants her foot below Skeet's belt.

"Damn, girl what was that for?" Skeet groans as he rolls on the ground in pain. Rachel walks away without saying a word not wanting to spend another breath talking to such a lowly man. Though kicking him in the junk brings a sense of satisfaction to her.

The team gathers inside Teri's car. She puts it in drive and even without a specific destination in mind she all but floors it out of the parking lot of the bar, not wanting to spend another second longer here. The car falls into an awkward silence as Teri pulls into a parking lot of a donut shop around the corner.

Alex breaks the uncomfortable silence with a question, "Say that guy we talked to was a..."

"A degenerate and a criminal! And he thought we were hookers!!!" Rachel cuts off Alex, releasing the last of her pent up frustration from all the humiliating comments she and the girls endured from such a lowlife.

"Wait, that's what that was!? Oh man, that makes it even worse!" Alex blushes in embarrassment and shrinks into the car seat.

"Look, I'm not thrilled about being mistaken for a pimp. The only time I'll ever have a big hat and a cane is at a ripe old age and spending it on Sandalph beaches. Besides, we got useful information. I did say he was tricky to deal with."

"You never said he was a criminal though. How do you even know someone like that David?" Teri asks David in a worrying tone as a mother or an older sister would when she finds her son or brother associating with shady people.

"That's... A story for another time and we don't got that right now," David dodges the question and quickly calls Andrew on his phone and puts it on speaker before he even picks up.

"How did it go?" Andrew asked.

"Fruitful. We got something to go on," David answered.

"Let's hear it." Andrew replied.

"A TM60 from Unova has been sold recently to a member of the Blue Fin gang. Search for gathering spots for the Blue Fin gang primarily by the coast like a dock or a warehouse."

"Blue Fin gang?" Asked Alex

"They're a small-time gang that operates primarily in the northwest section of Angealos. They prefer to stick closer to the western side of the section. The eastern side houses their rivals, the Red Fin gang. They used to fight all the time but in past years they've mostly stuck to their respective sides with only a few scuffles here and there. Given that they are likely selling these Pokemon to other regions they are likely doing it by water given the location." David explains to everyone's curiosity.

Alex has difficulty following. Years of academy in Ragle City's best school could not prepare her for this, "And why is that David?"

"Because they have a nice coast to ship out stolen Pokemon by water. Won't be by air, the nearest airport is in Alrie City to the southeast. Occupied by its arch enemies, remember?"

Andrew answers after David's explanation, "Here, I've got a warehouse near the docks on the west side. It's primarily a wholesaler for products like no name brand Pokemon food. Records state it is owned by one Jimmy Harris. I cross-referenced the name with as many names as the police database had and they came back with one Melvin Harris who has ties to the Blue Fin gang."

"Either that's an alias or a relative that's in the know or not. Either way if that's not a front for a smuggling business then I don't know what is. What do you say field commander?" David looks up from his phone at Rachel who sternly nods to him.

"That's where we're headed. How many entrances does the building have?" Asked Rachel.

"Doors on the west and south along with loading bays on the east."

"Thanks Andrew. We'll get all those Pokemon back to their owners, just wait and see," promised Rachel.

"Alright but be careful out there, the Blue Fin gang might be small-time but they are dangerous. Don't be reckless and remember the important thing is to get the Pokemon out of there. I'll contact Officer Jenny and let her know to send back-up."

"Andrew sounded really worried, is the Blue Fin gang really that dangerous?" Alex asked.

"They aren't as bad as the Zangoose and Seviper gangs in Zira City and Zazel Town back in their heyday but you still wouldn't want to cross those guys," David replies with a stern look in his eye.

"Since we're dealing with a dangerous gang shouldn't we wait for Officer Jenny's back up to arrive?” Teri asked.

"By the time that happens, who knows what will happen to those Pokemon? They could be getting sold right now for all we know. Team Sentinel was revived for a reason. We mobilize and fight in times and places the police can't and that's what we're gonna do. And besides they're just a group of cowards who prey on kids. Step on it Teri those Pokemon and kids need us," Rachel's speech gets an approving nod from the team and Teri puts the car into gear.

Back at the warehouse the Blue Fin gang are enjoying their evening. Drinks, pool table and watching the current soccer game live get the members in high spirits. Though the ones who lose money from bets on the victors are somewhat the exception.

"Damn!!! I was sure the Magmars were gonna take it this time!" Exclaimed one gang member

"Nah, they've been on a losing streak like those Electabuzz guys," said another member as he took a swig from a beer bottle.

"I was sure this season's gonna be different. Take your 5000 poke," the gang member begrudgingly slapped a handful of bills onto the leg of the man with the bottle and stomps off out of the room. He steps into the main area in the warehouse to see Harris walking towards an office with Zorua's cage. The Pokemon inside has lost all its earlier defiance and is now silent as a grave.

"You missed the ending to the game," said the thug.

Harris huffed, "If the Magmar's lost, then I didn't miss shit."

"Problem with our latest merchandise Harris?"

"Not really, just getting proof to our client that we have it. Hey, did you check around the place for those noises Sweet keeps talking about?"

"Yeah I did and I found nothing. Probably the AC or Tranquill's roosting on the roof again."

"That's what I told him. Looks like that's the case again. I looked all over too and didn't see shit."

"Sweet needs to get his ears checked. Don't know why he's so jumpy. We're so far west those damn Reds won't touch us."

"True, other than that dumb bitch Jenny things have been pretty smooth around here. Still gotta keep our eyes open though. Make a round outside at the docks, I'll be out too once I'm done with this little money maker."

Outside the warehouse Teri pulls the car over at a neighboring building's parking lot. The team stealthily makes their way around the back of the gang warehouse where the dock is.

Alex peeks out from behind the corner to look at the warehouse. "So I guess that's the place?"

"Get back down here!" Rachel quickly pulls Alex back into cover and gives a disapproving look. "It's the address we got, we're going in."

"What is our plan Rachel?" Asked Teri.

"I'll go in first with the south entrance, you and David take the east and Alex circles around to the west. We hit them hard and fast on my signal. End it before they can get their act together."

"No offense Ms commander but that's not exactly much of a plan," David protests.

Teri nodded, "I agree with David. There must be another way to get those Pokemon out. Do you have a plan?"

David stroked his chin and looked at the water, "I was thinking we could lure them out with a distraction, like smashing one of those nice boats. But that’s a little risky when we don’t know how many of them are in the building. Maybe if one of us could get a good look or sneak in there…”

Rachel cuts David off and addresses the team, “That would take too long. And we’ve wasted enough time tonight on that pervy peddler of yours. If any of you guys don’t want to go in and fight then that’s fine, sit back and wait for Officer Jenny.” She stands up and prepares to move forward to the building, “But I’m going in. I’m not going to tolerate another second of Jack’s Zorua not being with him and the same goes for every Pokemon in there. A Sentinel doesn’t back down from a fight if there is one to be fought with people and Pokemon to protect. That’s not what our predecessors would do and that’s not what I’m going to do either.”

"I'm with you Rachel. I'll make my way to the west entrance. I'll be there before you know it. We need to save Zorua and the others!" Alex stands up and speaks up with conviction in her voice and eyes.

Rachel goes back to Alex and pats her on the shoulder, "Good, thanks for being with me Alex."

As Alex is getting ready to run to her position she's pulled aside by Teri into a private conversation, "Be careful Alex, if things get dangerous run and leave things to the rest of us."

"I'm not gonna run Sis. If I do I'd never be able to look those kids in the eye again. And besides I'm sure that person wouldn't run from anything."

"I know but if something were to happen to you on my watch..." Teri turns away slightly.

"Rachel and David are here too. And they're strong and so are you Sis. With all of us working together, they don't stand a chance right?"

"Right. Just please be careful for me okay?"

"Okay Sis, for you," Alex hugs Teri and the two lock eyes for a moment and smile. Teri heads back to Rachel and David after Alex leaves and they head for their positions.

Rachel reaches her position first outside a door and sends out her Doublade. Teri and David reach their position second with Dragonair and Wartortle respectively. Alex reaches the door on the west side but finds the door blocked by a wall of rocks.

"Huh, what's a wall of rocks doing here?" Alex tries to pick up the stones but finds herself struggling to move the rocks. Realizing that moving the stones herself is futile she sends out her Azumarill.

"Azumarill, use Brick Break on those rocks!" The Aqua Rabbit Pokemon shatters the stones with punch after punch until nothing is left of the rocky barricade.

"Alright! Thanks Azumarill now to... Wait, what the heck!!!" To her and her Pokemon's shock Alex finds out the door's handle behind the wall of rocks is frozen solid in ice and won't open. Alex hangs her head and her phone rings from her pocket.

"You ready to go Alex?" Asked Rachel over the phone.

"Kinda having problems opening the door," Alex replied with a little embarrassment

"Force it down if you have to. We can't loiter out here forever you know!"

"I know, I know. I've got an idea," Alex sends out her Charmeleon. "Charmeleon, melt that ice with Flamethrower!" The lizard Pokemon releases a stream of fire that melts the ice.

"Yes! That should do it! Thanks Charmeleon," Alex goes to turn the knob but notices it red hot from the flames and quickly backs off.

Alex looks sheepishly at Charmeleon before giving it a request, "Umm, can you get that for us Charmeleon?" Charmeleon nods and turns the knob with no problems due to its resistance to heat.

Alex and Azumarill pass through the door with Charmeleon following them but to their shock find a wall of frozen over rocks blocking the second door to the inside of the building.

Alex goes blue with shock as Rachel questions what's happening on the other side, "Ehhhh!?"

"What the hell is going on Alex!? How can you be having so much trouble with some doors!?" Rachel angrily yells with her patience hitting its limit.

"I don't know what's going on. First there were rocks, then ice and now rocks and ice."

"Someone put rocks and ice on a door? Never mind, just do what you did before so we can..." Rachel feels a hand on her shoulder. She turns her gaze around to see a rough looking man belonging to the Blue Fin gang with a Bibarel at his side. She quickly breaks off from the man and takes several steps away and assumes a defensive stance.

"Ain't seen you around here before. You one of the new girls?" The man's eyes scan Rachel up and down Rachel's body. Not nearly as perverted as what Skeet Round did earlier but Rachel soon comes to realize that this man's assumption of her is no less degrading.

"Like I'd ever be caught dead in a gang of lowlifes like you!" In response to the daggers Rachel glared, the man readies himself now realizing that she isn't a new member of the Blue Fin gang.

"Shit! An Intruder! Bibarel, use Super Fang!" The beaver Pokemon lunges at Rachel with its fangs ready to strike.

Rachel stands her ground and gives a command to Doublade, "Doublade, use Sacred Sword!" The twin swords unsheathe themselves and swiftly cut down Bibarel and knock out the man with precise swings. A moment of silence fills the air before Alex can be heard shouting from Rachel's phone.

"Rachel! What's going on?!"

"I just got mistaken for a Blue Fin!!! And just because I like the color blue!!! First that pervy peddler and now this!!! I don't even wear denim!!! I haven't since I was a little girl!!! And I did not go for that stupid, overdone, purposely torn look!!! Ugh! I swear if I'm mistaken for one more degrading thing tonight I'm gonna..."

"Hey what's with all the shouting!?" Rachel's rant is cut short when another member of the gang with a Graveler opens the door in response to the noise. He finds his unconscious colleague next to Rachel. "Hey some chick just took out Wilson! Graveler, use Rock Blast!"

"Deflect them and use Iron Head!" Doublade bats away the incoming stones, sending them flying off harmlessly in different directions. After Graveler stops firing rocks Doublade rockets towards the rock Pokemon with its hilts first and sends Graveler towards its trainer. The man flies into the warehouse from Graveler’s impact and the two crash into a stack of boxes.

"Shit! There goes the element of surprise. Everyone go in now!" Rachel yells as loud as she can so David and Teri can hear her on the east side and Alex over the phone.

"Guess it's party time. How bout it Big Sis?" David gives a reassuring nod to Teri who nods back.

David and Teri enter through a side door by the loading bay and are confronted by two patrolling gang members who send out a Kingler and Tranquill.

"Hey you two! What are you doing here?!" Asked one of the gang members angrily.

"Just here to do some late night shopping. Got any stolen Pokemon you need off your hands?" David's response angers the gang members and they declare their attacks.

"Kingler, use Guillotine!"

"Tranquill, use Air Slash!"

"Dragonair, use Aqua Tail!"

"Wartortle, use Water Pulse!" Kingler lunges at Dragonair with its large claw open and ready to shut. Tranquill's projectiles meet with Wartortle's and are canceled out. Dragonair deftly slithers around Kingler's claw and bats it across the warehouse with its tail.

"Hey if you guys feel a bit tipsy from a late night gang party feel free to sit this one out. We can continue this in the morning when you’re all less drunk and have taken a shower," David taunted.

The thug gained an angry look, "You've got a big mouth orange boy! Kingler, use Crabhammer on Wartortle!"

"Tranquil you go after Wartortle too! Use Sky Attack!"

"Wartortle, use Aura Sphere!" Kingler jumps from behind a line of boxes into the air with its large claw barreling down towards Wartortle along with a charging Tranquil being a bit behind. Wartortle launches a ball of blue energy which collides with Kingler in mid flight.

"Dragonair, throw Kingler at Tranquill with Slam!" Dragon air snatches Kingler out of the air and throws the large crab at the charging Tranquill. Tranquill is knocked out of the air by Kingler and both collide into a stack of boxes.

"Thanks Big Sis! Wartortle, hit em both with another Aura Sphere!"

"Dragonair, follow up with Dragon Rush!" Dragonair cloaks itself in a blue aura and slams its body into Kingler and Tranquill as they are hit with Aura Sphere knocking them both out.

Teri looked at David, "David, maybe it isn't a good idea to make the angry thugs more angry."

"I respectfully disagree on that. They left themselves open because they lost their cool.”

"I guess but..." Teri is cut off when the thugs send out Barbaracle and Graveler and two more thugs with Tranquill join the battle.

"Guess I'll have to come up with more material fast," David jokes as he sees their troubles doubling in size.

On the south side of the warehouse Rachel fiercely engages the Blue Fins after breaking through the door and some thugs using her Doublade and Ivysaur. More thugs confront Rachel. They send out a Crawdaunt, Croconaw and Lombre.

"Who is this chick? She's chopping through us like butter!"

"Hit her three on one! She can't take all of us!" The thugs nod to each other and attack Rachel as a group.

"Crawdaunt, use Razor Shell on Doublade!"

"Croconaw, use Crunch on Doublade!"

"Lombre, use Zen Headbutt on Ivysaur!"

"You'll all go down like the rest of them! Doublade, use Sacred Sword! And Ivysaur, use Sludge Bomb on Lombre!” The Doublade expertly divides its attention between Crawdaunt and Croconaws attacks. It parries Crawdaunt's claws with one sword and wedges another sword in Croconaw's mouth as it attempts to bite down. Ivysaur fires a ball of sludge that sends Lombre towards Crawdaunt and knocks it over as it fights Doublade. With another sword now available, Croconaw is struck by the second blade and is sent towards the rest of its companions.

"Take them all out with Razor Leaf!" Ivysaur fires a salvo of razor sharp leaves that tear into the gang Pokemon, knocking them out. The thugs take a moment to consider their next actions given how easily they were defeated.

On the west side of the warehouse amidst the commotion Alex has finally reached the battleground. After breaking past the blocked doors Alex had to pass by an empty lobby and follow the noise to find the gang engaging her new allies.

"Sorry It took me so long guys! I hope I'm not too late..." Alex looks at the hectic battle going on in the warehouse. Teri and David are holding their own against numerous thugs but their increased numbers have forced them to also send out their Mareanie and Zweilous to even the odds. Rachel is still facing numerous thugs on her own but her advance is slowing from their numbers.

"(Oh no, oh no, oh no. This is so much worse than I thought. It took me so long to get here and now everyone's in danger. So much chaos, looking at it now I'm freezing up. I can't move! I'm so scared!)"

Alex wants to jump into battle but the sight of an entire gang fighting Rachel, David and Teri is beyond intimidating for someone who's never seen this kind of battle before. She stares at the chaos breathing heavily until she feels a sharp prick on her neck.

"OW!" Looking to her right she sees her Joltik giving her a stern look and furious cries while pointing at the battle and then to her heart followed by her head. Alex takes a deep breath and smiles at Joltik.

"You're right, this isn't the time to get cold feet. Our friends need us and so do those kids. It sure is scary but if I'm gonna be like that person someday I'm gonna have to take the plunge. Can I count on you and the others to help me through it?" Joltik smiles and gives a proud nod and the two share a moment before it's interrupted by a man shouting.

"We've got another one behind us!" Needles notices Alex and Joltik and engages her with Whirlipede.

"Whirlipede, use Steamroller!"

"Dodge with String Shot, Joltik!" Whirlipede rolls towards Joltik and Alex but both manage to avoid the attack. Whirlipede turns around and pursues Alex again. Alex climbs and jumps between groups of boxes to avoid it.

"Whirlipede, use Poison Sting!" Whirlipede stops rolling and shoots poison tipped stingers while jumping in the air at Alex who quickly dives behind some boxes to avoid the attack.

"Woah! That was close! Joltik, use Discharge!" From the ceiling Joltik lets loose bolts of lightning that fry Whirlipede, some Tranquill that are fighting David and even Needles is hit by a stray bolt.

Needles screams in pain and indignation "Grr... You little bitch, I'll get you for that!" Alex ignores the threat and makes her way towards Rachel who is still fighting off thug after thug.

"Hey Rachel, I'm here. You need help?"

"No! I don't need any help! Go to the others, these weaklings are nothing to me," Alex sees Doublade cutting down more gang Pokemon like Crawdaunt and Graveler. Alex nods and moves towards Teri.

"Sis!" Alex cried.

Teri turned to Alex with surprise at her appearance, "Alex! You're not hurt are you?"

"Nah, I'm good. How about you?"

"We're doing fine but we could use a bit of help."

"Help's incoming! Joltik, use Discharge!" Joltik jumps from Alex's shoulder and loses a volley of bolts but to Alex's shock the bolts are all drawn towards in a different direction away from the Tranquill. More reinforcements have appeared from the party upstairs and are led by Harris.

"That's good, Rhydon will cover the Electric attacks. Three of you with the Tranquills move to the south, you with your Pyroar go follow them, rest of you follow me we're going east," Harris gives his orders and the thugs take up new formations.

Upon seeing the Rhydon use its Lightning Rod ability David breaks off from Teri and takes a position further north to get a better shot at the Rhydon.

"Wait! David, where are you going!?" Shouted Teri.

"That Rhydon's a problem, so I'm taking it down. Wartortle, use Water Pulse!"

"Rhydon, use Protect!" Wartortle fires a ball of water at Rhydon but it is blocked by Rhydon closing its arms and erecting a barrier. Some more Pokemon gather near Rhydon after David’s attempt on it.

Harris pointed at David, "You three go after him. Get up close and keep him off Rhydon!" The Barbaracle along with some Bibarel and Lombre begin to close the distance on him.

"Woah! They're getting a bit close for comfort. Zweilous, use Dragon Pulse!" Zweilous hits two of the Bibarel but finds himself being separated from the group as he tries to keep distance between him and his opponents. "This could get ugly," David dryly comments as his attackers separate him from Teri and Alex.

"Hold on David! Dragonair, use Dragon Rush!" Teri sees David needing assistance and orders Dragonair to provide it but is pinned down when a Nidoking catches it in the air and holds it down. Some thugs take this opportunity to attack with some Air Slashes from Tranquill towards Alex and Teri.

"Mareanie, use Protect!" Mareanie shields Alex and Teri from the attack but now David is separated from the party Harris orders an Ice Beam from his Nidoking which knocks out Dragonair.

"Dragonair return! This isn't going well for us," Teri said nervously.

"Damn! They're getting organized!” Rachel takes cover behind some boxes containing appliances to avoid the Flamethrowers from the Pyroar. Doublade and Ivysaur have taken hits from the Pyroar and are clearly showing exhaustion. Ivysaur gives out after they hit the boxes. Rachel returns Ivysaur to its Poke ball and substitutes it for Hakamo-o.

"We'll have to take out the Pyroar as the approach, then we can make our way towards the others. Hakamo-o, Sky Uppercut! and Doublade, use Sacred Sword!" Hakamo-o lands a devastating hit on one of the Pyroar and sends it flying across the warehouse. Doublade attacks from the side and manages to catch one Pyroar off guard and knocks it out with a powerful slash. One of them however manages to fall back and Rachel finds herself under more attacks from incoming Tranquill who manage to hit Hakamo-o with an Air Slash, wounding the dragon Pokemon.

Harris takes the opportunity to issue a bit of reassurance to his operations "Anyone who can't fight anymore go and secure our merchandise! They aren't Red Fins so Jenny might be on the way!" A group of six thugs leave the battle to the restricted area to leave with their captives if it comes to it.

"Oh no! Did you hear that Sis?"

"Yes I did. If we don't hurry up then all those Pokemon will be lost to us. We need to get to them quickly!"

"I hear you, let's go together then. Azumarill, use Aqua Jet on Nidoking!"

"Mareanie, use Scald on the Tranquill!" The attacks hit their mark. Nidoking is pushed back from the supereffective attacks but it can still fight. The Tranquill are also wounded and are now suffering from burns.

"Nidoking, use Thunderbolt!"

"Mareanie, use Protect!" Nidoking fires a powerful burst of electricity that hits both Mareanie and Azumarill. Mareanie barely blocked the attack but the move deals heavy damage to Azumarill who couldn't get behind Mareanie in time.

"Azumarill! Are you okay?" Azumarill stands on its feet for a few seconds before collapsing. Alex returns Azumarill to its ball as fear begins to set in her mind as this is a battle that they could lose now. Even if they were to slowly chip away at the gang, the Pokemon they came to rescue could be long gone. The battle is turning against their favor and they find themselves being pushed back.

"Alright boys, let's give them one last push! No one fucks with the Blue Fins and gets away with it!" The thugs give a thunderous roar in unison at their leader's rally. With renewed drive they go in for one last assault but then the lights go out leaving the room pitch black.

"Hey what happened to the lights!?" A thug exclaims. The gang stop in their tracks but then turn their attention to the middle of the room when they notice a red light behind them.

In the middle of the room on top of a stack of boxes a young man with blonde hair and a red jacket stands holding a flare that serves as the only source of light in the room.

"Shit is that a Red Fin?" One thug asks.

"Don't lose your cool boys! Take him out too!" Harris orders his thugs to take control of the situation. A few Air Slashes are shot at the youth but he jumps off the boxes. Upon hitting the ground he lights the boxes on fire with his flare and throws the still lit object at Harris. Harris' jacket and body are quickly engulfed by fire, he screams and flails in pain as the gang now go from emboldened to panicked.

"Get the Water types here! Someone put out Harris!" Exclaimed one thug. A Bibarel makes its way to Harris in response.

"Frogadier, use Water Pulse on Rhydon!" With its trainer on fire and unable to issue commands, Rhydon stands aimlessly and unaware that a Frogadier is sneaking up on it. The doubly supereffective move lands at point blank range and instantly knocks out Rhydon.

"Rhydon's neutralized! Use Discharge now! Don't let their leader recover!" The youth shouted.

Alex takes a moment to process the shocking turn of events before complying with the youth's words, "Joltik, use Discharge! Maximum Power!" Joltik gathers all its strength and releases the biggest attack it made all night. The bolts strike down most of the Water and all Flying types nearby leaving the gang's ranks devastated. Mareanie shielded itself with Protect and David uses this opportunity to escape from his attackers as they are struck by stray bolts.

"Lucario, take out that Pyroar with Aura Sphere!" The last Pokemon pinning Rachel down is quickly defeated by a shot to the back. "This is your chance! You have the advantage now!"

Alex, Rachel, Teri and David hear the youth's words and they quickly realize what he means. They are looking in towards the fire while the thugs have their backs towards it. The team is shrouded by darkness while silhouettes of the thugs and their Pokemon are clearly visible. With their commander incapacitated they have a clear advantage to turn the tide around.

"Everyone attack now! We can win this!" Rachel shouts across the warehouse and the team gathers themselves to make their victory. She begins to advance again towards her team with the pressure on her now almost non-existent.

"Harris is down! Things are going to shit!" Needles exclaims as he sees his leader unconscious on the floor after nearby thugs desperately put him out by hitting him with their jackets. Needles flees the battle with his Whirlipede defeated and snatches Zorua from Harris' office.

Zorua, having witnessed the battle howls to let its presence known much to Needles' anger.

"I think that's Zorua!" Alex sees Needles' outline as he flees out the entrance she came in.

"Go after him Alex! We can take it from here!" Rachel shouts her order at Alex who is a bit unsure if she should leave the battle.

"You sure?" Asked Alex.

"You're the one who saw him so it should be you. We've got things covered here!"

"Okay, I'm on it." Alex gestures to Joltik to hop on her shoulder, she quickly takes off and runs after Needles.

"Be careful Alex!" Teri shouts a last request of caution to her sister as she loses sight of her in the darkness.

Alex chases Needles down the streets of the surrounding area. Unlike the streets downtown it's quiet and deserted in this part of the city. Needles tries to shake Alex but she's closing the distance with every twist and turn. He's running out of breath and she isn't. He stops next to a closed cafe as Alex catches up to him.

"You can't outrun me, give Zorua back now!" Alex turns the corner but finds Needles facing her with Zorua's cage in his hand with an electric rod in the other.

"You, stop right there or else," Needles demanded.

"Or else what? You're all alone out here," Alex and Joltik look at him fiercely.

"This," Needles starts the rod and begins to electrocute Zorua to Alex's horror. Needles holds the rod on Zorua while it screams in pain and smoke begins to rise from Zorua's fur. Needles stops after a few seconds leaving Zorua twitching and barely able to stand.

"Oh my gosh! You monster! How could you do that to poor Zorua!?" Tears begin to form in Alex's eyes as she sees the poor state of the Zorua she's trying to save. She thought that the gang members wouldn't ever seriously harm something they're trying to sell but Needles is desperate.

"This little sack of shit's been giving me trouble all day. And you! You're that bitch that fried me with that Discharge! If you want Zorua to live then you and your Pokemon stay where you are. If I see you or your Pokemon move an inch or I see a spark or any of that disgusting web come out of that Joltik of yours then Zorua gets it," Needles punctuates his demands by starting the rod next to Zorua while angrily glaring at Alex.

"(Oh no, what do I do? If I try to attack then he'll kill Zorua. I could turn and run but he might get away or kill Zorua anyway. I'm drawing a blank here. I have no idea what to do. I feel so helpless, what do I do?)"

"That's a good girl," Needles slowly puts Zorua's cage on top of a public trash bin next to him while keeping the prod close to Zorua. He reaches into his belt with his free hand and sends out a Cacturne. "Now Cacturne kill her with Pin Missile." Cacturne raises its arms to ready its attack.

"(This isn't happening is it? Is he really gonna kill me? I gotta move but if I do then Zorua dies. I don't know what to do. I think I messed up. This... this is like that night. Guess I was never cut out to be like that person after all. Sis, Mom, Dad, Rachel, David, Andrew. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't…)"

Time seems to freeze as Alex's life and thoughts race through her head upon her impending demise. The pins are fired and Alex is frozen in place with fear of what's to come. Alex and Joltik close their eyes in fear against the incoming projectiles.

A few seconds pass since the pins are fired but Alex feels nothing. Did she die from shock? No that's not it. She still feels herself breathing and Joltik's touch on her shoulder. Alex opens her eyes upon hearing a cough a few feet in front of her.

She opens her eyes and sees the young man from the warehouse in front of her. He stands still in front of her, hunched over. Alex tilts her head slightly towards the ground and sees a small pool of blood at the young man's feet. The realization hits her. The young man in the red jacket shielded her from the attack and was seriously injured. The young man coughs out more blood as he clutches a wound on his shoulder that is familiar to him. Alex remains shocked and speechless by the turn of the events and remains silent.

"Lucario... now..." The youth weakly gurgles out a command and Lucario jumps down onto Needles from above, swiping Zorua's cage with one of its paws. "Aura Sphere..." Lucario blasts Cacturne across the street and into a wall with a point blank Aura Sphere knocking it out. Lucario returns to its trainer and shows great concern for its wounded trainer.

"I'm... okay... get Zorua help..." Lucario shakes its head and barks in protest. It then points to its trainer's serious injuries.

"That's... an order," Lucario takes a moment and reluctantly nods. It runs off down the street into the quiet night. The youth starts stepping towards Needles who is returning to his feet after having Lucario landing on him.

"You're that guy who lit Harris on fire. I don't know why a Red Fin would defend some dumb girl like that but I'll kill you anyway!" Needles with the electric prod in hand thrusts it at the youth. Needles is surprised when the youth grabs Needles' arm and breaks it with a punch to the elbow while taking the prod when Needle's grip loosens. Needles screams in pain and the youth punches him in the face causing Needles to stumble into the wall behind him. The youth kicks Needles as he tries to regain footing.

Needles looks up to see the terrifying sight of a young man with cold blue eyes staring upwards at him from a tilted head. Despite his injuries the young man displays fearsome strength that pins Needles against the wall. He hears the sound of crackling from the rod in the youth's hands and soon realizes what is coming. The youth plunges the rod into Needles' side, inflicting him with the same agony that he gave to Zorua. Needles screams and futilely tries to escape but he finds himself unable to break the youth's grip. His screams fill the otherwise silent and empty streets as Alex watches in shock. More seconds pass as Needles' agony continues and smoke starts to form from his clothes from where the rod meets his body.

"PLEASE STOP! NO MORE!" Surprisingly this request came from Alex rather than Needles. The youth responds to the request and releases Needles from his torture. The thug falls to the ground twitching with a look of horror on his face as he looks up to the bloodstained youth who made him feel as weak and helpless as the Zorua he tortured. The youth stumbles back and drops the rod. He clutches his bleeding shoulder before collapsing on the ground.

"Oh my gosh! Please stay with me!" Alex runs over to the youth and cradles him in her arms. Alex now sees the full extent of his injuries. While he may be wearing a red jacket she can still see many large spikes from Cacturne piercing his body with blood flowing from his wounds. The youth coughs up blood that stains Alex's once pristine white clothes.

"HELP! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! I NEED HELP NOW!" Alex screams into the now quiet streets, tears streaming from her eyes at what has transpired.

There is no answer, just silence and the night.

Well that escalated quickly. What will happen next? Well, I know but stay tuned for the rest of you

.

MATURE: - Ongoing Sentinel Strike

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