"That was where he moved when his mom was sick." Nino frowned at Alya's report of the previous night, and the information she'd recovered. "She died there. Also, where he met Plagg."

"So, you know where it is?"

"Not exactly. Never thought to ask. Though…"

"Though, what?"

"Though you said you heard about it from Josh, right? He knew Adrien long before we did. If I remember right, they knew each other at the time. No guarantee he knows the address, of course, but it's possible."

Alya bit her lip and crossed her arms. "He also mentioned a shed."

"That I do know. The shed was kind of a workshop for his dad. Someplace he could get stuff done without family getting under his toes, you know?"

Juleka sighed. "I'll call Josh."

"Nah, I can do it." Nino said. "You still need to get your physical and talk to Rose, right?"

Juleka grunted but conceded. "I still think we're going a bit quick here."

"No such thing." Alya said. "This is about finding Adrien."

Alix snorted. "And getting Gabriel."

"I couldn't give a fuck about Gabriel." Alya hissed out the words. "I just want my friend back."

"Which you're not getting without finding Gabriel. If he was going to give up, he'd be back by now."

Marinette held up her hands. "Alright. Yes, we'll also be supporting Adrien through whatever he's intending on doing. But the main goal is just finding him."

"Well, Spots, when's the big moment?" Alix raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Soon as the others find out you're leaving too, Ms. Bustier won't have a class anymore."

"Juleka's the only one who hasn't gone through the paperwork yet, so… a few days maybe."

Nino furrowed his brow. "Alix. You guys will be fine here?"

"Who do you think we are? Just get our classmate back. We'll hold the fort." Nino bit back a smile. "By the way," Alix said, "who's this Josh guy?"

"Model friend." Nino said. "He and Adrien go way back. Not as close as Jules or me, just because they don't see each other as much, but they've known each other almost since Adrien became a model."

"I see. Hot childhood friend. Lovely."

Juleka giggled. "I should go. Need to be at the nurse in ten minutes."

Nino separated himself from the others to guide her out. "Yeah. I'll walk with you."

She smiled bashfully at him. "Thanks." Quietly, the two left their gathering and headed towards the nurse's office.

"You sure you want to come?" Nino cast her a wary glance once they were alone. "You don't need to, and we could end up in a big fight."

"I know. But it's… It's Adrien."

"But what about Rose?"

"She'll understand."

Nino couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't quite right. Juleka didn't even participate outside of chance when the attacks were going on. That she'd volunteer to go on a journey while so many others in their class stayed behind didn't make sense. I get that she wants to help Adrien. I get why she wants to help Adrien. But why go herself? I know she trusts that we'd find him if she stayed.

"Nino." He found himself rooted in her gaze. "You know how I found out he's Chat Noir?" He shook his head. Juleka smiled. "I ran into him in the store. Buying eyeshadow."

Despite himself, Nino grinned at the thought. "I can only imagine how he reacted when he saw you."

"He tried to convince me it was for Plagg."

"No way."

Juleka laughed. "I swear. Obviously, I didn't buy it."

"And so he came clean?"

"Pretty much. I was going to leave it alone, but one day he asked me to give an opinion on a performance, and things spiraled from there."

Nino worried his lip. "What does that have to do with needing to go on this?"

Juleka stopped walking, her head turned to the door leading to the nurse's office. "I was the only one who knew." She said. "Just me. Because of that I made one of my best friends. And if we didn't get close, honestly the rest of you probably wouldn't even be my friends right now. And it's one thing to say that you guys can save the city. You can. You could save Adrien yourself, but when it's him, I can't sit out. He brought me in. Without him, I'd… well I'd probably only have Rose."

"You know we all liked you, Jules. Even before you started hanging with Adrien."

"I know. You didn't dislike me. You didn't like me either. I was just a classmate. Some of you barely noticed me." Nino averted his gaze, ashamed that what she said was true. He'd been in her class for a few years and still barely spoke more than a few words to her outside projects before Adrien showed up. "Don't worry. It's okay. But still, Adrien gave me people to call family. And now his is in danger, so I can't sit here and not go make sure he knows his family's right here."

"I understand." Nino gave her a quick hug, just an unspoken way to assure her that he was definitely part of that new family. "Now get in there. Just need to be cleared for adventuring and then we're almost out the gate, yeah?"

She smiled widely at him. "Yeah."

NL: hey dude its nino took ur # off adriens phone
JK: Nino! How've you been? You found Adrien?
NL: no srry
NL: he left his phone we only just got into his room and found it
NL: evidence and stuff
JK: Isn't the estate still on lockdown though?
NL: never underestimate us dude my friends are nuts
JK: Lol sounds like. Not that I didn't know
JK: Running out to fight those megas
NL: worried 4 me?
JK: You know I was! How could I not be?
JK: But seriously, it was really scary. I figured out Adrien while it was still going on and when he'd pull those ridiculous stunts I just
JK: Yeah
NL: feel ya dude
NL: but srry to bother u about this but i think ull wanna help
JK: With what?
NL: just some information alya read thu ur messages 2 adri
JK: Oh Mew that's so embarrassing
NL: seriously
JK: Okay, okay, what about them
JK: I am seriously embarrassed though. Now I'm reading through them again and geez
NL: focus buddy
NL: y do u think theyd go back to cyllage first
JK: It's not obvious? Mrs. Agreste, of course. Plus, if Mr. Agreste really is some sort of terrorist mastermind, he probably has safehouses. Best guess is that old shed is one of them
NL: ?
JK: Secret trapdoor. Didn't Adrien tell you that story?
NL: right u think theres more there tho
JK: Depends how long he was planning all this, but yeah. Nothing like those devices from the attacks comes without preparation, and even if it doesn't have anything to do with it, it's a secure location.
NL: in the old family home
JK: In the old hidden basement. Difference.
NL: do u kno where it is
JK: Like, the address? No, he hasn't been there in a while, I doubt I have any notes.
NL: dang nothin
JK: Well, I couldn't tell you the address but I could definitely show you where it is if we were like, there
JK: Used to live in Cyllage. That's where we worked together the most. Always went over to their place before and after shoots
NL: :(
JK: You're going after him, right?
NL: yea
JK: I want in
NL: no offence but like is that even possible 4 u
JK: Yeah, of course. I'm nowhere near as popular as Adrien, so I'm not as busy in the first place. And anyway I'm already licensed to travel.
NL: y do u want 2 u kno wed bring him back
JK: Sure, but he's my friend too. And I know my way around Cyllage. That's your first stop, right?
NL: yea i guess
JK: Then bringing me is your best chance to start closing the three month lead he has on us
NL: …ill talk to alya
JK: Nice! See you soon :3

"No, Ma'am. That's all. You're cleared to go. Just show that slip to the bureau and if everything else is in order you should get your license."

Nino looked up to where Juleka was being led back into the lobby by a young woman. "Thank you." Juleka said.

"Of course. And good luck on your journey. Remember the most important thing is to have fun!"

Juleka smiled back at the woman until they were left alone. The passing glance between her and Nino showed him they were thinking the same thing. Fun isn't even almost the most important thing at stake here.

"How'd it go with Josh?" Juleka asked.

"He wants to come, too."

Juleka crossed her arms and frowned. "I thought we agreed that we wouldn't bring too many people. We're already pushing a crowd."

Nino sighed. "I know. But he knows where we need to go, at least at first. I think bringing him would be a good call."

"When Chloé finds out…"

"Don't remind me. With how difficult it was to get her to agree to stay here in the first place, if she hears Josh is coming she'll throw a fit."

Juleka hummed. "Either way, too big a crowd will be too obvious. Gabriel would see us coming a mile away. Might anyway. At least with Josh it's not another of our class."

"That's true. But we don't know how big his operation is. Alya's mentioned it before. How would a fashion designer know how to make a device like that? The idea of him working alone is hard to wrap my head around. In that sense, having more backup can only be a good thing."

"Backup who hasn't been through the things we have. He's a hobbyist battler at best, and his team is not the strongest."

"But they're not exactly pushovers. And we all hadn't gone through those things until they happened. I don't see why a first street fight is any worse searching for Gabriel than protecting the city from megas."

"You want to put him through that at all?"

"Of course not. But it's not the same situation. Even if this is a whole organization, we're not going to be fighting only megas. Even with this, it's safer than what we were doing. Besides, a few months out and we're doing okay, aren't we?"

Juleka worried her lip, clearly unimpressed with his reasoning. "We're doing better. And we don't know how Adrien's doing."

Nino sighed. "Let's just go get you licensed. We'll go over it later with Alya."

Without another word, the two meandered down the street to finish their preparations. It wasn't until two days later, though, that Alya officially called the briefing.

Gathered all together in Marinette's room, Alya, Juleka, Marinette, Joshua, Chloé, and Nino eyed each other.

"Josh! What on earth are you doing here?" Chloé growled. Nino wasn't sure he wanted to know what was behind the distaste in her expression. He's not exactly a plebian, so the normal excuse doesn't apply.

"Ah, Chlo. Sunny as ever, I see. I'm here because I want to find my friend. Same as you."

"How did you even hear about this?"

Alya cut in with a sharp cough. "I asked Nino to contact him. While I was looking through Adrien's phone, I saw that Josh has an idea of where Gabriel may have gone. Since it's supported by the message Adrien left, I thought it would be a good idea to bring him into the fold." Alya stared down Chloé, cutting off the hiss before it started. "To expedite matters."

"And what could he possibly help with?"

Josh chuckled. "I'm their personal tour guide of Cyllage City, of course." The way he bowed dramatically reminded Nino just a little too much of Adrien. "No one else here has gone out that way, so I'm going to make sure we don't waste time getting lost."

Chloé snorted and turned up her nose, leaving Alya to shake her head with a sigh. "Anyway." Alya said. "The point of this meeting is to make sure everyone is prepared. One way or another, it's almost definitely not going to be an easy journey. Given that so much time has passed, we have to assume the worst with regards to Adrien."

"Not the worst." Marinette said. "Even with everything, I don't think Gabriel would do more than capture Adrien."

"Right." Alya nodded. "So we need to be prepared for a jailbreak if it comes to it."

Josh raised his hand. "But we don't know what that facility would even look like, or whether there will be more people – like guards. How can we prepare for something we can't predict?"

"Again, we'd have to assume the worst." Alya closed her eyes and tapped her foot. "Given what we know of the devices used in the attacks here, the police don't think Gabriel was acting alone. We don't have any reason to think he'd have access to that kind of information, much less understand it. So that's a partner at best, a whole organization at worst."

"But what's the motive? Why attack at all?"

"After finding Adrien, that's what we're going to try to find out."

Nino had to speak up there. "Woah, Alya, are you sure that's a good idea? Getting Adrien back is one thing, but to go out of our way to confront these people…"

"If nothing else, we deserve an explanation."

"That's just selfish."

"I know!" The fire in Alya's eyes took Nino by surprise. Instinctively, he backed down. "It's not okay, what they did. We were the ones who fought. We were the ones who cleaned up their mess. I don't care if it's selfish or vengeance or whatever. I'm going to make them tell me why."

Nino looked to the others. Juleka was passive and quiet and her countenance seemed carefully controlled. He couldn't read her at all. Marinette seemed sympathetic but torn. She's definitely not enthusiastic about unnecessary danger, but it's not like Alya's wrong. We all want to know. Chloé looked somewhat approving, like Alya had actually managed to impress her.

"Sounds fine to me." Josh said. Nino raised an eyebrow, watching the easy smile on Josh's lips. "I'll support you guys all the way."

"Good." Alya said. "And Chloé, while we're getting Adrien bac-"

"I'll be here making sure the city stays safe, I know. We haven't been attacked since the showcase. I get the scrub job."

"I know, Chloé, it's frustrating, but-"

"We don't know how Gabriel and his accomplices will act when they realize we're going after them, yes, we're all aware. This isn't the first time we've talked about this. Don't worry. I'll do my job. Just make sure you do yours."

With a resolute nod, Alya said, "We will."

"Josh." Everyone's gaze turned to Marinette at her word. "Are you sure about this? If we have to fight, it won't be like the battles you know."

"I'm aware. But believe it or not I'm not totally uninvested in this. Beyond Adrien, I mean."

"Oh?"

Josh pulled a pokéball out of his pocket and showed it off with an unenthusiastic smile. "In hindsight, I almost wonder if Gabriel chose us on purpose."

"You're the trainer of one of the megas."

"Mhmm."

"Which one?"

"Manectric."

Marinette rubbed her arm uncomfortably for a moment. "I see."

"I didn't even realize until after. Manectric is a bit aloof, you see. She likes to go off on her own sometimes. But since she always comes back, I wasn't worried." He grimaced. "I saw you on the news. Saw her on top of you. Thought you were dead. Thought it was my fault. 'If I'd kept a better eye on her' I thought. Or, 'I should've been more careful, we know they're targeting pokémon that can mega evolve'. And seeing you fighting her… well think back to Adrien at the showcase. But I wasn't there to do anything about it. Couldn't even get a hold of Manectric until well after it was all over."

"Josh, that wasn't your fault."

"I know. I don't blame myself. Not really. But I just… Fact is if I had been more attentive there's a chance we could've avoided it. I couldn't live with myself if my inaction led to someone getting hurt again. And I really do care a lot about Adrien, so… I thought this would be my chance. I want to know why this happened just as much as you do. I want revenge too, even though I know it's not my place. Gabriel hurt Manectric, just like he hurt you guys." He chuckled weakly, shaking his head at everyone's expressions. "No, don't look at me like that. I don't need pity or sorrow or anything like that. I just want you to know I'm as committed to this as you are."

"Okay." Marinette said. "I believe you."

"So," Alya said. "Do we all know the plan?"

Joshua nodded. "Of course. We'll start at Mrs. Agreste's grave and go from there to the old family home. Only question there is do the Agrestes still own the place or will we be dealing with another family living there?"

"Bright side," Marinette said, "If it is one of Gabriel's hideouts, it's super unlikely that he'd sell the place."

"True. Technically we'll be breaking and entering, so I at least won't feel so guilty if it's the Agrestes' place."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Nino said. "Like Mari said, there's no way the guy would sell the place. It's where his wife died, and it's not like he can't afford to keep it."

Joshua nodded. "And we'll follow the clues from there. Wherever they lead."

"Pretty simple plan, all things considered."

Alya groaned. "I know, but we just don't have enough information. I've been poring over the police reports. The devices are way too complicated for me to even begin to understand, and we're still not even sure how Gabriel delivered the things. Assuming it was him at all."

"Mew, I wish Mom were here." Joshua sighed deeply. "She'd give us something more to stand on in that regard."

Alya furrowed her brow, leaning forward in curiosity. "Would she?"

"She's a scientist. Studied pokémon evolution for years, and form changes for even longer. If anyone could figure out those devices, it's her."

"And you can't contact her?"

"No. She walked out a long time ago. I don't even have her number or anything."

"I see. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"Do you have any idea, though? You must have picked up something that'll help understand these."

Joshua shook his head. "Only reports. I don't understand the mechanics at all. I know there's record of something similar happening in Johto. A magikarp was forced to evolve and it rampaged for weeks until someone managed to subdue it. But that was just regular evolution. We know more about that, even the forced kind. I guess it's possible the devices mimic the Mega Stones somehow, but I couldn't begin to guess what that actually means."

"Do you have any idea who'd be capable of making something like that?"

"No. No one the police haven't already looked into."

"Of course. So we're back to hoping."

"Unfortunately. I'm just kind of praying we'll find enough to go on from Cyllage."

"We all are, dude."

After a brief moment of silence, Chloé's brash voice spurred everyone to movement. "Then what on earth are you waiting for? Go bring my Adri back to me!"

"Okay, okay!" Alya laughed. "Take care of Emma. Adrien would be sad if something happened to her."

"It's not Emma he needs to worry about. Honestly, whoever decided you should take care of Kivva…"

Alya shook her head. "Later!"

When Nino imagined leaving Lumiose to travel Kalos, he had imagined a very different experience. He thought he'd set out with Adrien maybe, or with one or two other friends. He thought he'd finish school, then travel before joining the work force. He thought he'd travel to exotic locations and film some cool videos he'd post online, that it would be fun and lighthearted, that it would be like an extended vacation.

But it wasn't. He stepped out of the gate with four friends by his side, each with a solemn purpose. He abandoned his studies – fully intending on returning to them, granted, but still. He wasn't travelling to flowery meadows or steaming volcanoes, but to a graveyard where his best friend's mother laid. He wasn't wandering, looking for fun. He was on a quest. A mission that he knew very well might lead him into danger that he hadn't faced in months. That he had dared hope was over.

Joshua's hand hitting his back made him stumble a little. "It'll be fine, dude." Joshua said. "We'll find him. Then we can go on a real journey, yeah?"

Despite himself Nino smiled. I really hope that's true.

A long, long trek later, the group finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. They had gone through Camphrier Town with little more than a pause to restock on supplies. They'd marched tirelessly down Route 7 and through Connecting Cave and finally they laid eyes on Cyllage City.

The graveyard was small, isolated on a tall cliff a bit removed from the city proper. Nino was out of breath from the hike. He saw Joshua kneel on the ground and clasp his hands together.

"Look at the gravestone." Alya said, pointing to it. "Someone's been taking care of it." Nino looked closer. It was perfectly clean, save for a few stray leaves that had collected at the base.

"Not Adrien, though." Juleka said. "It's been too long. He wouldn't still be here. Nor would his father, if this is just a safehouse."

"You're right, of course." Alya said. "But someone is here. That's a clue at least. Any guesses?"

Nino hummed. "Nathalie." He almost grimaced at the neutrality of his voice. Despite how much he'd heard of her, Nino had never met Mrs. Agreste. He didn't grieve or mourn, though he knew he should. It felt disrespectful to visit a grave for a clue and nothing else. But he remained impassive regardless. Cold, like Gabriel at his worst. Nino hated thinking like that.

"Just what I was thinking."

Joshua unclasped his hands and stood. "Sorry." He said. "She was… a really good person. I had to pay my respects while I was here." We all probably should. But what's the point? Praying to some god to help the dead. She's gone. Sitting here thinking for a few minutes makes no difference to her.

"Of course, Josh." Marinette said. "As long as you need." No, that's mean. He knew her. He's probably religious, too. If it brings him comfort, I suppose.

"I'm done. We can head down now, if you guys are ready."

"Sure." Alya said. "Let's find that house."

Joshua led the way, winding down the hill and through the paths with ease and familiarity. Unsurprisingly to Nino, the house was also on the outskirts of town. It was a towering, grand structure. Much more modest than a mansion, certainly, but clearly showing off wealth.

What stood out most, though, was the shattered window. "The glass in on the inside." Alya pointed out. "Someone broke in, not out."

"Burglars?" Juleka suggested, glancing inside along with the rest of them. The window led to a dusty room. All the furniture was covered in white sheets, yellowed from age and dust. The four-poster bed against the wall had the curtains surrounding it drawn back haphazardly, as if simply thrown. And the sheet covering the mattress proper was pulled away, hanging onto the floor.

"Probably." Alya said. "But still the chance it was Adrien." She began climbing through the window. "Nino, double check you have me on speed dial, then take Josh and look for the secret room in the shed. Jules, Mari, you and me are going to check the house. If Adrien did go in here, he might have left some evidence."

"Roger that." Joshua said, backing up from the window and turning to the shed. "Nino?"

"Right behind you, bro." As per his instructions, Nino double-checked his phone to make sure Alya was only a button press away. Satisfied, he followed Josh to the "shed".

Like heck is that a shed. It's just another, slightly smaller house next to the big house. "Locked. Figures." Joshua knelt so he was even with the lock and in a brief flash of pink, his dark denim jacket vanished. Ditto? An odd tendril of pink something was wrapped around Joshua's arm, feeding itself into the lock. "Got it?" A quiet cry responded to his question, and Joshua turned his hand. The lock clicked open. "Thanks, buddy." In another flash, Joshua had his jacket on again.

"I didn't know ditto could turn into inanimate objects."

A friendly glance. "Oh, yeah. They can turn into pretty much anything. Mine is actually a lot better at things like this than actually transforming into other pokémon." He turned the door handle unceremoniously. "Thought the Agrestes would have better security."

"If it's a secret hideout, the real security would be inside, wouldn't it? Can't have it too obvious."

"That's true. Come on. Adrien said the secret trapdoor was in the study."

"Was it a button on the desk?"

"Inside the desk, I think. Don't remember what drawer though, we'll just have to check them all."

"Right." Like the house proper, the shed had all the furniture covered in dull sheets to protect it from dust. Nino figured that if anything like that had been misplaced, even this long out he'd probably be able to tell the difference from the dust cover. Something small, sure, but if one of those sheets had been moved he'd have a hard time missing it.

This place is creepy. It's too quiet. He jumped at a bump. "Did you hear that?"

"It's just the place, Nino. Don't let it get to you. Look. Clearly this place isn't frequented, so most likely we're in the clear. Study's right here." Joshua opened the door for him and Nino cautiously stepped inside.

Like everything else, the desk was covered in a white sheet, but this one had been disturbed. Dust collected in an unnatural pattern, it wasn't so meticulously spread but rather thrown as if in a hurry. Nino lifted one side to expose the fine woodwork underneath. "Can ditto do that trick again?" He asked, eyeing the locks on the drawers.

"Yeah. But first we should…" Joshua started grabbing drawers and pulling them. Most were locked, as expected, but one, the bottommost right drawer, slid open.

"Is that the right one?"

"Let's find out." Joshua reached in and shoved the seemingly random assortment of office supplies aside to reach the very back of the drawer. "Yeah. That's it." He pressed something, and the bottom popped up, spilling the contents of the drawer to the very back.

"Why would he leave it unlocked?"

"Most likely, it was Adrien. Either he left it, or he made Gabriel leave in too much of a hurry. Either way, since it is the only one, I think Gabriel was the one that unlocked it in the first place. Adrien can't remember that much better than I do, and he said he was in the doorway, so he wouldn't have seen the exact drawer, anyway."

Nino took a deep breath. His chest felt tight. He wasn't sure if it was apprehension or excitement. "Let's press it."

"Sure thing." Joshua pressed the revealed button. And nothing happened. Joshua frowned. "Hold on." He closed the false bottom and pushed the drawer shut. When it clicked into place, Nino lurched forward as the ground beneath him began to descend. "Woah. Alright there?"

"Yeah." Nino took Joshua's arm until he was certain they were both balanced. "Fine. How deep do you think this… goes…" Nino's words died in his throat when he saw the dresses.

There's an army of them. He shared a look with Joshua. So many mannequins. What was he doing down here? They were of all colors, though plain black seemed to dominate the closer ones, and they stretched off in rows beyond where Nino could see. The dim light, coming only from lights inlaid in the floor around a worktable, was not doing much to help ease Nino's nerves. How big is this room, even? Is there a light switch somewhere?

"Nino…" Nino turned, catching sight of the beautiful, sleek, extravagant white dress next to the nearby desk, the desk itself a much more minimalist and utilitarian design than the one upstairs, especially when juxtaposed against the dress. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It's her wedding dress." Nino confirmed. He'd seen pictures of Adrien's mother, of course. One happened to have been taken during the marriage, so he could recognize the dress.

"Why is it down here?"

"Better question is what are those other dresses?"

Joshua bit his lip, stepping towards the desk and the myriad papers scattered on it. He clicked on a lamp and picked up a sheet of paper with a simple sketch on it. "I've seen this before. These dresses… I think they're prototypes."

"Of what?"

"Mrs. Agreste's funeral gown."

Nino looked back out to the mannequins lined up like a legion of soldiers. "There's so many."

"Let's find a light swi- did you hear that?" Joshua furrowed his brow. Nino strained his ears, listening for a sound.

"Hear what?"

"I thought I heard…" He shook his head. "Probably nothing. I don't really like the dark, so my mind is playing tricks on me."

"I feel you, bro. Let's get some lights on."

"Over here, there's a wall. It must be nearby, right?" Joshua stepped over to the wall. "Ah! That must be it."

From the corner of his eye, Nino saw a flash of light. He jumped practically out of his skin. "What was that?"

Joshua paused before hitting the button. "Hm? What is it?"

"I saw something. A reflection, or…" He tried to move around to get the same angle, but the spot far down between the dark dresses remained black.

"Well we'll see. Over there, ri- ow!" Nino only saw Joshua holding his hand protectively to his chest. "What the hell?"

"What is it?"

"I think something bit me."

"You got to be joking right now."

"Uh…" Joshua hesitantly reached once more for the light switch, but before he could touch it, teeth materialized from nowhere and chomped down on his fingers. "What the…"

The gleaming smile lingered for a moment before dissolving away, melting and dropping with gravity like water and vanishing before it hit the ground. "Josh…" Nino felt his throat tighten.

"Um… You saw that too, right?" Joshua's voice was just slightly too high-pitched.

"Yeah…"

Joshua took a deep breath. "If we both make a break for the switch, one of us will probably be able to hit it."

"You sure?"

Joshua smiled, easygoing and familiar. Nino recognized it from Rocco and for a moment forgot that he was the original, not the illusion. "Totally. We need light. We're sitting ducks if we don't."

"Alright then."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!" On three, both boys reached for the light switch. The razor teeth closed once more around Joshua's hand, this time earning an expletive, but Nino managed to touch the wall before whatever was trying to stop them could react.

The entire room burst into pure white. An unholy shriek directly into Nino's ear forced him to cover his ears as tightly as he could. He tried to get a glimpse of what was happening, but all he saw was Joshua hunched over with his hands over his ears, just like Nino was.

Pop! Pop! Small explosions accompanied shattering glass and the room was once again plunged into darkness, but this one was total. Not even the floor lights that guided them earlier survived the screech. Underground, battered by shards of glass, and blinded, Nino reached out tentatively for the last place he'd seen Joshua.

"Fuck!" Joshua exclaimed when Nino felt another person. His shoulder, Nino thought.

"Sorry. Just me."

"Say something next time, geez." Nino felt a hand close over his and he intertwined their fingers. "Did you see it?"

"No."

"Me neither, but I don't know of any pokémon like that."

"Reminds me a little of sableye. The teeth."

"Yeah, but sableye can't dissolve like that."

They both stood still as stone for a while, until Nino dared speak again. Even then, it was a whisper. "It doesn't seem aggressive when the light's off."

"No. But we can't find what we need without light."

"So, what do we do?"

"Do any of your pokémon know Flash?"

"No."

"Then call out someone to protect Meowstic."

Nino ran his hand over his belt. Noivern. Not enough space here. Maractus. Politoed. She'll work. He let Politoed out of her pokéball and waited for Joshua to do the same with Meowstic.

"Is everyone ready?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah."

"Hit it, buddy."

Meowstic emitted a faint light from his ears that got brighter slowly until Nino had almost the same visibility as he had when he first came into the basement.

"I don't see it."

Nino felt his hand squeezed by Joshua's. "Should we call Alya?"

"I don't know." Joshua led the way, Meowstic clinging to his leg, back to the worktable.

Nino reached for his phone regardless, but never managed to reach it. Something swept his feet from under him, flipping him on his back. Knocked breathless from the impact, Nino responded slowly, and didn't have time to really see what had barreled through him to attack Meowstic.