Mr. L and Lady Timpani entered the steel-walled training room. Nastasia was in the centre, checking names off the roll. O'Chunks was lifting weights. Dimentio was twirling his finger around a stream on thin purple fire. Mimi was looking fondly at herself in the mirror, tugging a small pink hairbrush through her hair. Count Bleck caught sight of Timpani and flung his arms around her.

"Timpani!" he exclaimed. "Count Bleck is thrilled to see you!"

"Don't call yourself that, dear," said Timpani fondly, pulling away from her true love. "Your name is Blumiere."

The Count blushed slightly, yet not enough for it to be conspicuous.

"Um, Count?" piped up Nastasia. "Everyone's here, so should we get started?"

"Of course," said the Count.

He made his way to the front, next to Nastasia. Dimentio extinguished the fire and looked at the Count. Mimi put away the mirror and brush. O'Chunks placed the weights back down on the ground. Mr. L went over and leaned against the wall. Timpani, with her long brown hair, sky-blue eyes and lightly-rainbow-coloured dress drifted over next to Blumiere. Nastasia went to sit down.

"Minions, I have something to tell you," said Count Blumiere. "While, ahem, 'surfing the net', I discovered a strange anime show known as 'Pokemon'. Please raise your hand now if you are familiar with this children's show."

Everyone - even Dimentio and Timpani - raised their hands.

Blumiere stared at them all, evidently quite bemused. In answer to his questioning look, Mr. L shrugged. "It's a good show," he said. Everyone put their hands down and nodded.

Blumiere cleared his throat. "Well, anyway, Count Blumiere has created a certain potion," he continued. "It is a potion that will transport us to the Pokemon dimension and change us in order to fit in."

Nastasia raised her hand again. "Um, just out of curiousity," she said. "Why exactly are we doing this?"

Blumiere cleared his throat. "Count Blumiere has simply... grown curious," he answered. "And after all, you and the minions have journeyed to another dimension without me and Timpani, yes? Wasn't it called Equestria?"

Mimi nodded enthusiastically. "I got a new dress!" she squealed.

"Yes, we know that Mimi," said Dimentio exasperatedly. "After all, this is only the four-hundred-and-sixty-seventh time you have said that."

"Ya counted?" frowned O'Chunks. "I though yeh had better things ta do, Dimentio."

"Like destroying all worlds, for instance," added Timpani lightly.

Mr. L nodded. "Exactly," he said. "Precisely what I've been trying to tell you guys."

"Minions!" snapped Blumiere, and the said minions fell silent. "We are going off-track."

"Not the first time that's happened," muttered Mr. L to no-one in particular.

"Mr. L, I'm gonna have to ask you to shut it, 'K?" interrupted Nastasia. "The Count's speaking."

"Thank you, Nastasia," said Blumiere. "Back to what I was saying."

The Count held up a small glass phial with a stopper in it. Inside was a transparent liquid that looked like water, yet was so clear the phial looked almost empty. "Count Blumiere has seven of these in total," he explained. "In them is a liquid that will - "

" - transport us to the Pokemon dimension and change us in order to fit in," finished Dimentio smoothly. "I am always displaying my full attention towards your spoken words, O Count, even though they do not interest me in the slightest."

"You display your full attention to my diary, too," growled Mimi, hands on her hips. "But they actually interest you!"

Mr. L bowed his head and nodded again.

"You too!" she snapped, whirling around to face the masked man. "When you two just met, you guys were always sneaking into my room and reading my diary and making fun of me - "

" - an' so on an' so forth," finished O'Chunks. "Listen, why don't we just listen teh what teh Count has teh say, 'den yeh can argue 'bout Mimi's diary."

"Those were just the smartest words you have ever spoken," remarked Nastasia. "And I completely agree with you."

O'Chunks flushed and suddenly looked immensely proud of himself.

Suddenly, Count Blumiere exploded. No, not literally. All he did was yell in his loudest voice possible, "ARE YOU GOING TO SHUT UP AND LISTEN OR DOES COUNT BLUMIERE HAVE TO COME OVER THERE AND MAKE YOU?"

"No, Count," said Nastasia hastily. "We'll shut up, 'K?"

"Finally," groaned Blumiere. "As Count Blumiere was saying, there are seven phials, each filled with potion. Count Blumiere will now hand out one to each of you."

And so he did.

After he had finished, Blumiere held up his own and yanked out the stopper. Everyone copied him. Mimi had a hard time pulling out her stopper, until O'Chunks and Dimentio both suddenly took pity on her and went over to help. O'Chunks got there first and yanked the stopper out. "Thanks, Chunky!" beamed Mimi.

Dimentio scoffed and turned away. "I would have removed the bothersome stopper easily... with magic!" he snapped.

"Yeah, yeah," replied O'Chunks, shambling back to his spot.

"Right, then," said Blumiere grimly. "As they say... bottoms up!"