Phenac City. A gorgeous jewel of a town, overflowing with water in the forbidding Orre desert. Wes had seen the town from a distance once or twice, but alas, his Team Snagem duties had never actually taken him there. From what he knew, Phenac was built around a desert oasis, and it made full use of the water. It was supposedly a very pleasant place to live, especially by Orre's standards, which was but one of the reasons Wes was looking forward to this.

And then, as the white stone walls of Phenac City came into view, Wes frowned slightly. He saw some figures moving around near the entrance to the city, and as he drew closer, he realized he recognized them as the same men from the Outskirt Stand. Moreover, as if to drive the point home, he could see their green hovercar parked nearby. The men were struggling with a large brown sack, and Wes was shocked to see that whatever was inside the bag was struggling and squirming!

"Hey, what are you doing?" one of the men demanded. "Get a grip, man!"

"Yeah, you say that," the other man retorted. "But this… it won't stop squirming. Makes it tough to hold on."

Wes parked his motorcycle a short distance away, and slowly approached the men, listening to what they were saying with a frown on his face. This was sounding more and more shady by the minute, and he didn't like it. Espeon and Umbreon were standing by his side, and from the looks on their faces, it was safe to assume they felt the same.

"OK, OK," one of the men was saying, apparently to the sack's contents. "Settle down in there. Just be quiet for a little while longer."

However, it appeared the sack's contents had no intention of listening to this man. A ripping sound came from inside the bag. "…Beh!" gasped a woman's voice from inside the bag. "Help! Someone let me out! Kidnappers!"

"Tch!" grunted the other man. "That tape didn't keep her yap shut! Hey, quit your shouting!"

"Oh, crap," the first man said suddenly, noticing Wes. "Did that punk hear all that?"

"You bet your ass I did," Wes responded as the men placed the sack on the ground and approached him. "What the hell are you doing, kidnapping someone like that?"

"Mind your business," snapped one of the men, the one whose shirt had no sleeves. "Since you overheard us, we don't have any choice now." As he spoke, he procured a pair of Poké Balls from his belt. "Blame it on your own bad luck!" he grunted, throwing both balls simultaneously.

Wes snorted- each ball had produced a Whismur, and they looked even weaker than Willie's Zigzagoon.

"Go get 'im, Folly!" the other man exclaimed.

"OK, both of you, give 'em an Uproar!" the man called Folly ordered.

"Helping Hand and Secret Power!" Wes commanded.

The Whismur started to expel an unholy racket from their mouths. Horrendous, very loud screaming. But Espeon and Umbreon were undeterred, and executed their respective moves as ordered. In no time at all, Umbreon's Secret Power, powered up by Espeon's Helping Hand, had knocked out one of the Whismur. Folly gritted his teeth, unable to do anything as his remaining Whismur continued its attack.

"Espeon! Confusion!" called Wes.

"Espe!" Espeon responded, sending a blue wave of psychic energy Whismur's way. The Psychic-type move made contact, and before Folly could react, his other Whismur had also fainted.

"Gaah!" grunted Folly as he withdrew his Whismur. "You're tougher than you look! Taking out my Whismur like that… you're no ordinary Trainer, are you?" Then, as he got a proper look at Wes, his expression turned to one of dawning comprehension. "Wait a sec… that face…" he murmured. "I seen that face… Might you be… Team Snagem's…"

To Wes's immense relief, however, the battle had attracted the attention of several of the townspeople, in no small part due to Whismur's Uproar, Wes had no doubt. Folly and his cohort turned to face the crowd as one woman noticed the squirming sack and called them robbers. "Y-You be quiet!" the other man snapped. "We're no robbers! We're kidnappers! Get it? Kid! Napp! Ers!"

"Wha- you dingbat!" exclaimed an incredulous Folly. "Don't shoot off your mouth! And you!" he added, turning on Wes. "Don't get all happy just on account of winning this once! Next time we meet, I'll trash you, your Pokémon, and all!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Wes retorted, shouting after them as they fled, abandoning their hovercar. "What are you gonna sic on me next time? A third Whismur?"

"Oh, yuck!" exclaimed a voice from behind Wes. "There's someone inside there!"

Wes wheeled around. The sack! He'd almost forgotten! "Let me at this," he offered, approaching the sack. He worked at the knot what held it shut, until finally, the rope came loose, allowing the person inside the sack to finally emerge.

If the woman was younger than Wes, it wasn't by very much. She wore a blue and pink jacket over a black top, with a light grey miniskirt, and a pair of pink boots. Her fiery orange hair was split into two ponytails. And, Wes couldn't help but note, she was quite cute. "Phew," she sighed, stretching out. "Thank goodness! I'm saved!" Then, as she looked around, her look of relief gave way to one of confusion. "…So, where is this?" she added. "Where'd those two bring me?"

"This is Phenac City, the opulent city of water," replied a nearby woman. "And that guy saved you from those thugs," she added, pointing at Wes.

"Yeah," added a young man dressed like he was ready to go running. "The way he battled those goons, that was something else. I wish you could've seen it."

"Oh! Is that so?" the recently-freed woman asked, turning to face Wes. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "And… uh… you are?" she asked.

"I- I'm Wes," Wes replied. "It was no trouble, really, just… the right thing to do, y'know? So, uh, what's your name?"

"I'm Rui," replied the woman. "I'm sure glad I met you. I was in the next town over when those goons grabbed me- Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, as though only just remembering something. "Those guys, did they use a peculiar Pokémon?"

"A… peculiar Pokémon?" repeated Wes. "No, not really. That guy, Folly, his Whismur were extremely weak, but that's about it. What do you mean by peculiar Pokémon?"

"Oh…" sighed Rui. "Never mind, it's fine…"

"Is it?" Wes asked. "Something's bothering you. Believe me, takes one to know one," he added, grimly recalling his own distress preceding his decision to quit Team Snagem, quite literally, with a bang.

"Y'know what?" asked the athlete. "You should go see our mayor for advice. Mayor Es Cade is a very kindly person. I'll bet he'll be able to help you out. His house is near the fountain square just past here," he added, pointing northwest. "See the stairs on the other side? Go up them, and his house is on the left."

"That sounds like a good idea," Rui nodded. "Yeah… maybe the mayor will know something. Then, she turned to face Wes. "Hey, uh, Wes," she added. "I… I know I'm imposing, but… well, I don't have anyone else I can turn to here… Do you think you could maybe escort me around for a while? Please?" she asked. "I mean, those men might come back, and I don't have Pokémon of my own-"

"You don't have Pokémon?" Wes repeated in mild surprise.

"Yeah, I… I've never really wanted to become a Trainer," admitted Rui. "I guess I ought to have caught one at least for protection, but… so, can I come with you? Please?" she asked.

The decision was an easy one for Wes. With no Pokémon of her own, Rui was easy pickings for basically the first crook who thought to go for her, and her getting kidnapped really drove that point home. Moreover, even if that wasn't a factor, Wes found he was inclined to agree to her request in any case. Rui seemed like a nice person, and Wes wanted to get to know her. "Sure you can," Wes agreed.

"Thank you, Wes," smiled Rui. "Eheh, I had a feeling you might say that," she added. "If you're with me, Wes, it won't matter if those guys come back again."

"Espe! Espeon!"

"Umb! Umbreon!"

"Well, you got on Espeon and Umbreon's good side with that remark," Wes grinned as he reached down to scratch the both of them behind their ears. "Yeah, they made quick work of those Whismur."

"Thanks so much," Rui replied. "So, what say we go see the mayor?"

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Wes, leading the way around the fountain, towards the stairs pointed out by the athlete.

The athlete's directions were looking very promising. Once Wes and Rui had ascended the stairs, they could see a house on the left, just near another entrance to the city. But as they approached, the door slid open, and out walked a very tall man. He had long silver hair, piercing red eyes, and was clad in skintight purple and red clothing. He stopped as he noticed Wes, and looked him over. "Hm?" the man murmured. "I'd guess you're a traveling Trainer."

"…Yeah," Wes replied warily. The man's appearance sent chills down his spine, but he kept his cool, kept his face the same as ever.

"Hm," smirked the man. "I like what I see in your expression." He gave a dark chuckle and added, "I have a feeling I may see you again somewhere." With that said, he walked away.

Rui shivered slightly as the odd man walked away. "Wow, he's creepy," she murmured.

"Yeah, he is," agreed Wes. "What's someone that creepy doing at the mayor's house, anyway?"

"Maybe he's nicer than he looks?" suggested Rui.

"Could be," shrugged Wes, before leading the way into the house, the door still open to allow them inside. "Hello?" he said, seeing only an empty room before him, sparsely decorated with basic furniture.

"Ah!" came a voice. Wes and Rui jumped simultaneously- a short, very fat man was standing up from behind a desk in a corner of the room, a desk neither of them had initially noticed. The man was bald save for two tufts of grey hair on either side of his head. "You must be travelers. Welcome, welcome to Phenac City! Allow me to introduce myself- I am Es Cade, the mayor of this fair city! Now, since you're here, I can safely assume you need my assistance with something, yes?"

Rui stepped forward uncertainly. "Um… Er…" she mumbled.

"Oh?" Es Cade replied. "What can I do for a pretty young lady like you?"

"I… I saw it!" Rui replied.

"And what did you see?" Es Cade asked kindly.

Rui closed her eyes and gulped. The memory had to be a distressing one, Wes realized, especially if this had anything to do with her being kidnapped. "Well, I… I saw a peculiar Pokémon… no, that's not quite right… What I saw was… there was this Pokémon that gave off this purplish-black aura. And it would attack people, wouldn't think twice about it. The way it battled, it was like some sort of fighting machine!"

"Goodness!" Es Cade replied. "A Pokémon like a fighting machine that attacks people? A frightening thought, for sure… but it seems a little hard to believe."

"But it's true!" protested Rui. "Because I saw that Pokémon, a pair of frightening men kidnapped me!"

"She was kidnapped," Wes added. "The men had her in this sack, I had to chase them off with my Pokémon."

Es Cade nodded. "I see. I understand. I shall order an investigation at once," he said.

Rui sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mr. Mayor," she said.

"Oh, no, no, there is no need for thanks," Es Cade replied warmly. "We mustn't allow thugs to simply do as they wish. Especially thugs that endanger a pretty young lady like you. Now, I ask only for a little time on this matter," he added. "And I promise we'll get some useful information for you."

"Sounds good," Wes nodded.

"Oh!" Es Cade added, as though recalling something. "If either of you are Pokémon Trainers, I can recommend a place for you to go here in Phenac. I urge you to visit our city's pride and joy- the Phenac Colosseum! A breathtakingly beautiful stadium befitting our oasis city! You can enter in a colosseum challenge and see how you stack up against other Trainers."

"Well, I'm no Trainer, but Wes here is," Rui said, smiling at Wes. "What do you think? I'd love to see how your Pokémon battle."

"I like that idea," nodded Wes. "Let's go."