"Well, Wes? What did you think? Pretty cool, huh?" Gonzap asked. Wes didn't say a thing. He was afraid to open his mouth. That poor Shuckle had been turned into a Shadow Pokémon… just like that.
"Hey, Wes, I'm talking to you! You should be honoured. Not very many members of Team Snagem get to see the process of turning Pokémon Shadow! …Ah, whatever. Listen, buddy. I need you to go blow up that place where we found the girl. Here's the detonator." Wes took it, and the thought gave him an idea…
*BOOM*
With the power of a Hitmonchan, Wes blew a hole in the wall of Team Snagem's base. The dust clearing, Wes stepped forward, and looked at Team Snagem's money maker: the Snag Machine. He held his arm out, and the Snag Machine linked around his arm, locking in place.
"Red alert, guys! Red alert! Run to the source of the problem!" a grunt yelled out. Wes rolled his eyes. He ran from the building, to find his signature Umbreon in wait. He turned, and ran towards one of Snagem's vehicles. Wes hopped in too, and he, Umbreon, and Wes's other Pokémon Espeon made away with a mighty roar.
Wes? You still have that Snagem bomb thingy. What were you blowing up this time?
Wes looked at the detonator, and activated it. Sure enough, Snagem's hideout burst into a heap of rubble.
Idiots. They never plan ahead.
Wes stopped at the old Outskirt Stand, and watched two men pass by with a strange sack.
Uh, Wes… that doesn't look good.
"Why not, Summer?"
There's a presence in that sack. Something's alive in there!
Wes weighed up his options. Crooked though this desert may be, kidnappings were on a whole other level of criminal acts. Anyone who'd stoop to such lengths, let alone succeed, would be likely to be part of Team Snagem or its affiliate… Wes forgot the name of said affiliate.
We're going after them, aren't we?
"But I wanted food!"
There's time for food later.
Wes trailed the two shady men into Phenac City. They tried to get the sack through town, but seemed to struggle.
"Help! Someone! Kidnappers!" a young female voice cried out.
"A human girl?"
She's obviously key to thwarting the plans of our enemy. That can only be a good thing.
"Fair point. Hey! You there! Drop the sack and face us like men!"
Umbreon had used its Taunt attack on humans. The two men did indeed drop the sack, and turned to face Wes.
"You… did you hear the girl? You can forget about her." Wes's face became lined with fury. He balled up his right fist.
Uh… Wes? It might be best if no one sees your… modifications… in public. It's terrifying to see you at work.
Wes uncurled his fist, and gestured for Espeon and Umbreon to make their moves.
SHADY GUY FOLLY would like to battle!
SHADY GUY FOLLY sent out WHISMUR and WHISMUR!
Go! UMBREON and ESPEON!
Umbreon and Espeon flashed twin grins. Countless hours in the pits had given them a thirst for battle. Umbreon charged in with a Bite, and Espeon remained behind, using Confusion. The two were exceedingly powerful, and overcame Folly.
WES defeated SHADY GUY FOLLY!
"Gah! …You win. You can take the girl. Damn… that power… that's just not legal, man." Folly and his companion fled the scene, leaving Wes with the sack. He knelt down, and opened it, peeking inside only slightly.
"What do you want? You've tormented me enough!" the girl panicked.
Sh… We are not your enemy. What is your name?
"Oh… they call me Rui."
My Trainer is named Wes. I don't know what he saw earlier today, but he hasn't said a word since. I am an Espeon, and with us also is my boyfriend and companion, Umbreon.
"Nice to meet you, Espeon. But, if you don't mind… they stole my dress. Can you-?" Rui began. Wes ran off, and immediately came back with a set of clothes to serve as replacements.
"Thank you. You're my knight in shining armour, Wes."
"Why steal the dress, though?"
"It was making one of their Pokémon go insa- wait. That's right! Wes, you have got to help out here! The other guy… he had a Makuhita. But it had no compunction about attacking people!"
A Fighting-Dark type Makuhita? But I thought all Makuhita were pure Fighting…
"No, it's worse than that. That Makuhita had a shadowy aura around it." Wes's eyes dilated. He thought back to the Shuckle. A shadowy aura had surrounded it, before it turned Shadow.
"Shadow Pokémon? This doesn't sound good!" Wes stated.
And there's the Wes we know and love!
"If that guy got a Shadow Pokémon… then they have to have been distributed to more powerful foes. Ones that could honestly be bad news."
"…Now what?" Rui asked.
"…Rui, what I am about to tell you may sound horrible. You may start to hate me. But it is both true and relevant."
"…I can handle it!"
"I am an ex-Team Snagem member. On my arm is the only Snag Machine in the world."
"Yeah? And?"
"…Rui, I just said I was a member of Team Snagem."
"You're the nicest guy in the world. I don't care about your past. Just promise me you'll-"
"Save the Shadow Pokémon."
Rui rushed forward, and threw her arms around Wes. Wes gave a brief pause, before patting her on the back.
Wes is growing up… Espeon looked over at Umbreon, and drew him under her arm.
"So, remind me, why are we stopping here?"
"I need things called Pokéballs in order to Snag Pokémon. This is where I get them," Wes elaborated. He ordered several Pokéballs over the counter, and a small meal for all four of them. He sat the group down at one of the tables, him sitting next to Rui.
"Listen, Rui… do you have Pokémon of your own?" Wes asked nervously.
"Oh? No… no I don't. Mom thought getting a Pokémon meant going on an adventure, and neither of us wanted that. But now, I guess we're travelling together."
"Figured as much. They'd probably have stolen the Pokémon anyway. Here, take this as a start." Wes gave Rui a Pokéball. Rui looked at it.
"But what am I supposed to catch? You have the Snag Machine… I can't catch anything."
"What made you think it was empty?" Wes asked. Rui looked closely at it. It indeed appeared to be a Pokéball tagging a Pokémon whom was sent out. She looked across the table.
"One of yours? No, Wes, I couldn't take them apart…"
"We're travelling together. We can easily trade whenever we encounter battle. Oh, and one other thing… here, take this. It's a Battle Brace. You use it here in Orre to actually battle."
"This is a lot to take in… I'm going to be a Trainer?"
"Yes. Things are best learned through experience, Rui. You'll need a few battles under your belt before we make a judgement about your skill."
Welcome to Orre: still not after Chugga beat the final boss of XD. Knowing the deal with my anniversary, I thought I would unintentionally follow the schedule again... *sigh*
Don't expect many splashes. I have the data for Miror B., Dakim, Venus, Ein, Gonzap, Nascour, Evice, and if the scenario will wind up playing out, Fein. If you're familiar with the game, that means four scattered splashes, and then seven bundled up near the end. And wherever Fein goes.
Segue way about Fein... post game. For Colosseum, the story will end with Evice's defeat. The post-game Shadows have been moved forward, as a fair warning. Except for one...
Next time, on Shadow Pokemon Plan, Wes and Rui meet the bedazzling admin of Snagem's affiliate... remind me, what does he do for them, anyway?
