They climbed the steel ladder down into the well and went far enough in so the only light was from their torches (because they didn't want the Pigeot to shoot straight out) before releasing the first of the poke balls.

Kiara was all for releasing them at once. Seraphina was more cautious - especially since they'd been extremely lucky that they'd been in no condition to fight the first time around, and no way they could handle a Gyrados and Pidgeot together (and maybe not even separately) at full health.

In the end, she revealed totodile, told an impatient Kiara to release her mantyke, and then let the vulpix loose.

The vulpix stared at them, then at the surroundings where the wild slowpoke lounged deeper in and their two pokemon stared curiously. Sera felt somewhat guilty at that: they'd only add more pokemon to an environment that was native to them, and it would make any rock or fire pokemon understandably uncomfortable, but the pricking sensation that something was wrong overrid that concern.

Then the vulpix settled onto a dry patch of soil and yawned.

Kiara of course melted at once. "Aww!" she bounced a little and Joker floated by her head. "Look at you, you're perfect!"

Sera would have facepalmed if she wasn't watching the Pokemon like it would pounce. "Kiara, you realize I will probably keep this one."

"Yep, yep!" She didn't seem to be listening, of course not, only focusing on moving closer with a too eagerly outstretched hand. In all honesty, Sera wanted to keep the Vulpix to save it from Kiara's extra enthusiasm.

Kiara knelt and reached to gently scratch the fluffy ears. Vulpix tensed and then went slack, making more small noises of delight. "You try it Fi! They're so fluffy!"

"No."

Kiara pouted. "Spoilsport."

Sera sighed. Why. Had Kiara forgotten what would happen if she touched a Pokemon for the first time? Then again, it was kind of important, in this case. She took a deep breath and reached for the tip of one ear.

A few images, gone so quickly she almost missed them. Flying. Crying. Two vulpix fighting. A strange humanoid creature using a psychic attack. Bubbles.

And then nothing. A dizzying black that drew her in and trapped her there. Not the warmth from inside an egg or a womb but something more blank, more terrifying.

Nonexistence. That was the word.

And then there was a sting that was most definitely not a memory. She blinked, and the Vulpix was butting its nose against her hand. She drew it away - and yep, a nice little ring of bite marks on her index finger.

She took a deep, calming breath. Hopefully this wasn't one of those cases where the visions had reruns. "Thank you," she said quietly, petting the ear gently, and then the spine when all that occurred was another yawn and this one sounded content.

Kiara looked smug. "See, it worked out." Joker blew a few bubbles, grin still plastered on their face. Sera shot her a look that went easily ignored.

"Not because of you."

"These things are always because of me." She knelt in front of the kitsune, smiling still. "So, mister, are you a mister, vulpix, we were supposed to come and find you. I dunno why, do you? You seem to be from far away if you had to teleport, you know?"

The vulpix gave her an odd look and then settled down for a nap. Sera recalled her and tucked the poke ball into her belt. Part of her wanted to surrender it to Kiara - but, chances were, the others would be the same and the Vulpix, at least, seemed calm.

"What did you see, anyway?" asked Kiara, tickling Joker's underbelly while Sera recalled totodile and brought out her houndour. Pity neither of them had a ground type yet, but Houndoom's Leer would hopefully cower the other if it tried anything.

Or maybe Kiara was right and it was paranoia. Which had only gotten worse, really, with that terrifying nothingness she'd seen.

And Kiara was looking at her in that way that promised constant nagging unless she explained herself. Which...she did appreciate, and probably less than she should. "Nothing," she said. "But not like they were just born. More like...they hadn't existed before - and suddenly fighting, and a flash, and then the forest where we found them."

Kiara nodded, a strangely pensive look crossing her normally loose and bouncy features. "Sounds like there are super experiments afoot," she concluded. "The visions didn't give me that much, or maybe I just don't remember it." She shrugged. "Maybe the professor can take a look once we're sure these critters are okay." She tossed the next ball carelessly and out popped a bright yellow and black mouse. It sat up on its hind legs and shook its rabbity ears. Static electricity fell from its body into the dirt and it stared about, blinking its big beady eyes.

"Hullo!" Kiara chirped, giggling at the sight of it. "Why are you all so cute?!"

The pikachu did not answer. Instead, it leaped toward her, fangs out. Joker, who'd floated down to play, reeled back, static shooting through its body. Houndour shot out from between Sera's legs and leered.

The pikachu turned around and growled back, before digging its paws into the ground as though ready to ram. Or Tackle. Or Quick Attack. Wait, can a Pikachu even learn Tackle?

Pikachu shot towards houndour and Sera. Definitely Quick Attack.

"Hey, we won't hurt you." Kiara crept forward. "There's a good -"

Pikachu was going to knock down houndour before it listened to Kiara. "Roar!" Sera snapped.

Houndour roared, and pikachu shot back into its poke ball to be replaced by a Meowth.

"Aww," Kiara pouted, before brightening. "But the meowth is cute too. Don't you think, Joker?" Joker made a strange little noise and Kiara finally turned and noticed. "Joker!" She moved to examine his body. "I'm sorry buddy, I really should have noticed." She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small bottle. She sprayed a little of it on her Pokemon, who relaxed with a pleased sigh. Then Kiara lifted her head to look at the meowth. It was standing on its hind legs, paws raised, eyes squinting in the relative dark.

"Jessie? Yer not Jessie. And where's James? And de twerps?"

Kiara stared blankly, actually surprised. On the meowth's other side, Sera stared blankly as well. The meowth was talking. And not telepathically like apparently some psychic and legendary pokemon could, but lips moving and voice coming out, honest to goodness talking.

Then Kiara squealed and knelt down beside the meowth, who jumped but managed to stay on its hindlegs. "Oh wow, you can talk!"

"Course I can talk," the cat pokemon grumbled. "Where you been, girly. And where am I, for that matter? And who are you?"

"The slowpoke well just outside Azalea Town," Sera replied succinctly, before Kiara could give the more long-winded response, "She's Kiara, and I'm Sera. But...how can you talk?"

"Oh, never mind the how right now," Kiara interrupted, before the meowth could answer. "That's Prof Elm's forte -"

"Oh, you're not sending me to some nutty professor," the meowth muttered, but he went ignored by both girls.

" - he can tell us what happened," Kiara finished triumphantly.

Sera almost tilted her head. That was… good, for Kiara. Maybe she was concentrating. That didn't happen too often. She was going to appreciate it. "You think he will though?"

Kiara shrugged. "Sure! I mean," She knelt to look at the cat. "It's not like you've got anything to lose right? Or gain." She smiled a bit too wide."You don't know where you are nor how to get back. You've been captured. And I mean, help us and we can help us find that Jessie person you're looking for. Doesn't that sound good?"

The pokemon stared at her for a long while, eyes narrow and claws still poking out of the tips of his paws. Then they retreated. "You two are weird," he decided.

Sera let out a snort. He did not even know the half of it. "So are you."

"Touche, toots." He regarded her before rubbing the coin on his forehead. "Y'see, I'm a member of Team Rocket, the baddest of the bad."

"Oh, I like where this is going already," Sera deadpanned.

Kiara giggled, petting Joker. "Aww, come on. How can they be that bad with a name like that?"

"Don't you ever watch the news?" Sera countered. "Team Rocket are notorious for stealing Pokemon all over the Johto-Kanto continent."

"Strong pokemon," Meowth corrected. "But we're only interested in this really strong Pikachu that belongs to the twerp. Hey, the Pikachu wouldn't happen to be around here, would he?"

"Sure is," chirped Kiara, before Sera could think it'd be a bad idea, and snatched the ball from the pile. "Here!"

She released the Pikachu again, who looked about briefly before snarling something at the meowth.

"Not that Pikachu." Meowth waved a paw. "That's a copy the weird floating guy made."

Floating guy? Kiara made a face before reaching down to pet the pikachu. It nipped at her fingers in slight disgust. Kiara pouted, then paused. A chill ran up her spine and she looked about.

It was like a cat, a tall, mutated cat on its hind legs. It was watching over the trees, the clouds. Below it was the sound of stampeding feet, of beating wings and smelling of hunger, hunger and thrill and-

Kiara pulled her fingers away, puzzled. Then she pet the Pikachu again. "So a lot of these little guys are clones?" She was more confused than terrified. "How?"

"How would I know?" sniped the cat. "I only saw what happened. That doesn't mean I know. Don't be an idiot."

Kiara's cheeks puffed out and Sera smirked. "Default state apparently."

"Be nice, I like you," she said and stared at meowth. "So… your friends are trapped somewhere."

"On an island probably, unless he did somethin' with 'em." Meowth scoffed. "He's a real nasty piece of work."

Talk about an understatement.

"When I last saw 'em," he continued. "There was this storm and the twerp ran in to stop the fightin', guns blazing like twerps usually do. And then, boom, he's stone. There's a super loud noise and then it's all over and I'm waking up after you twerps throw me in a prison sphere!"

Kiara scratched her head. "The pokemon don't seem too mad about it…"

"Only because they can't talk, twerp. Trust me, I bet your Pokes have stories, most of them about hating you."

Serafina's eyes flickered. Perhaps it would be good just to take this guy out so he could shut up. Maybe. He didn't seem that tough.

Kiara however, smiled at him. "Aw, you're worried about us. That's sweet."

"What I gotta be worried about you for?"

"You'll see," Sera sighed. "Now, are you going to be helpful or should we put you back in your poke ball?"

"Helpful!" The meowth blanched immediately. "Please don't put me in there. The twerp don't put his Pikachu in there, you know. He hates it too."

"Of course we won't," Kiara cooed. "Unless you're a naughty pokemon of course. Naughty pokemon get times out. Or if we need to take you to a Pokemon Centre - oh, we can probably carry you. You're cute and tiny -"

"Cute!" Meowth exclaimed, before looking over at Sera. "Hey, red girl. Any chances I can go with you instead?"

"No chance," Sera replied flatly, lobbing the poke ball at Kiara, who caught it easily. "Now, which of these pokemon are clones? And who does the egg-like one belong to?"

"That's Togepi," Meowth sighed, now somewhat downtrodden. "It belongs to the twerpette - uhh, Foggy? Misty? Yeah, Misty's her name."

"Misty," Kiara repeated. "Nope, don't know a Misty."

Meowth shrugged. "And I don't know who else wound up here, but anything that could be caught in a poke ball aside from me is probably a clone. There weren't any wild pokemon there - aside from the floating guy."

"And you?" Sera raised an eyebrow.

"I'm my own Pokemon," Meowth shrugged. "I just hang out with Jessie and James because...well, they're my best buds. And my team and all that jazz."

"Then we'll be your temporary team," Kiara decided, "and your friends, of course." She squatted down and offered a hand. "Hi! I'm Kiara, and grouchy over there is Sera. And this - " She tickled her Mantyke's underbelly again. "Is Joker. And over there is Puppydog -"

"Houndour," Sera corrected. "Only Kiara's Pokemon have nicknames."

"Ooh." Kiara ignored Sera's rejection of the nickname for another thought. "That means I can nickname you too. And I guess I better take that pikachu, otherwise it and Houndour will never stop fighting. Which I guess leaves you with the other Meowth and the Vulpix and...ooh, can we let out Gyarados now? I've always wanted a gyarados!"

"I'd rather not be eaten by it," Sera disagreed. "Let's wait until the Pikachu's listening to you and can handle it."

"Okay." Kiara pouted, but she could see the wisdom in that. "But I get Gyarados still. And you should take Pidgeot. You've got no flying types until your Venonat evolves - oh crap!" Joker shot away in panic as she threw up her arms. Meowth looked a little warier as well. "I forgot to catch Vivi! We left it near the shrine!"

"There's too many Venonat in that forest," Sera sighed. "You'll never find it again, and it's probably a good thing. Don't want to mix it up with mine."

"Silly," Kiara stuck her tongue out. "Mine would have personality."

"Sure," Sera sighed, "and Houndour thinks you've just insulted him."

Indeed, Houndour was growling. And Meowth was coughing.

"Do you understand them?" Kiara asked curiously.

"Sure thing." Meowth coughed again. "But...uhh… the Houndour said your personality's dysfunctional."

"Oh, pooh." Kiara just waved a hand. "A chip off the old Sera, right?" Without waiting for a reply, she pressed on. "So, what next? Challenge the gym since we're here? Should be a piece of cake after Olivine, especially now that we've got a Vulpix and Pigeot too."

"You put them both on my team," Sera pointed out.

"Oh," Kiara laughed sheepishly. "Whoops?"