Possible Solutions?

Akiko

"Well? What happened after that?" I asked.

Chance was shivering before us, the contents of his bag scattered on the ground in front of him. "Well…after a while, the Shedinja turned black and the screaming stopped. Then the…the shadow imploded. And…the Shedinja's crest and morph-wires…fell to the ground."

"Let me get this straight," Branden sounded shaken. "A Shedinja, notorious for being stupid-tricky to take down in a battle, was just…absorbed?"

"Dark-types might argue with your classification, Branden. But yes."

"And…" I prompted.

"I chickened out when the crest hit the floor. I turned and ran; took on my true form to gather the stuff I'd left at each cage, got the stuff into the bag, morphed back, crawled through the vent again, and here I am."

"Taking your true form was risky," Springslip scolded him. "You could have been caught again, and you might not have been as lucky as when Loki found you!"

"I think Loki's my uncle," Mystike said softly. "I'm not sure, Loki's a fairly common name among the male Zoroark…"

I studied the trinkets that were scattered before us. They were relatively simple things: a scale from one hybrid, a broken claw or tooth from another, a necklace, a little charm, somebody's broken glasses, the walkie-talkie, and a little box. Everything was along those lines, nineteen items. The box had been from Kyerrsha – I pocketed that one myself. I'll open it later. Like maybe after this mess is over.

"What worries me," Kenshin remarked, "is that shadow. It doesn't sound like any Dark, Ghost, or combination thereof that I've ever heard of. You, Allielle?"

The Frillish shook her head. "Nope, although I don't know every ghost-type out there – my memorization had mostly run to the Water-types."

I kind of got that – hybrids apparently only really memorize the facts directly pertinent to their individual element, shape or lifestyle. And her lifestyle had directly involved the ocean, where no ghosts actually went.

"Hm. A-rather-tricky-puzzle, and-a-worrying-one. Would-Loki-know-answer, do-you-think?"

Chance shrugged. "All I really got from him was that he didn't want anything to do with it. I'm not sure how much he knows."

I picked up the communicator. "Well, let's try calling him." I stared at it for a minute. Then I pushed a green button. "Um…hello? Loki, come in!"

After a minute of silence, a male voice came. "I take it you're the leader of this little excursion?"

Mystike just about collapsed. "That's my uncle. Even through an audio transmission, I'd know that voice anywhere."

"Yes, I'm Akiko. Can you tell us anything about the, um, Shedinja-absorbing shadow?"

He was quiet on his end for a bit. After a minute, he spoke again. "I heard one of the shia'liin Espeon calling it 'Lady of the Underworld,' so there are high odds on you dealing with a female entity."

"But what is she?"

The silence stretched for even longer. When he spoke again, I could tell that his words had just sent chills down the spine of each of us who had one (I've got my doubts about Schwilk's standard form).

"I don't know; she's not any hybrid I've heard of. I'd ask a Metagross or Alakazam for a second opinion, but none were captured."

"So…what does she want?"

"I don't know that either…not really. From what little I've been able to gather, she apparently relates to the rebel shia'liin. A big majority of them think they're better than everyone else."

"So a basic world-domination plot."

"Probably."

"Does she have a weakness? Like, is there a reason she's targeting Shedinja right now?"

"Actually, I think the reason she's absorbing Shedinja is because they're the weakest of those captured and have a natural…entry point."

I felt a little ill thinking about it.

He wasn't done yet, though. "It's unlikely that she fears them. In fact…huh."

"What? What did you think of?"

"…It's a long shot; so much so that I'm a little hesitant to suggest it."

"What?"

"An offhand comment from Mrozan – he's that Espeon I mentioned – was that she didn't seem to care for the side of the Institute that was actually on the Sun Side."

I stiffened. "You mean she doesn't care for light?"

"That's exactly what I mean. Not any usual attacks, though; one…Shedinja…did see her coming and tried attacking her. He used a Hyper Beam. The shadow opened up to let the beam shoot right through it without touching it. Flash might work, but…I don't know if anyone actually knows that one – it's practically a gimmick move."

"Hm…" I thought about that. Doesn't like light, but no usual light-generating attacks are likely to work… "Thank you. I'll need to think about this."

"Whatever you decide, you'll need to make a move soon – every time she absorbs a Shedinja she gains in strength; it won't be long before she moves on to absorbing other prisoners."

Kyerrsha! "Thank you. Over and out." I pushed the red button to turn it off.

"What do we do now, Akiko?" Bridgetta asked. Any other time, I'd have been vaguely amused that a Clan feline had just asked me, a Skitty, for a plan. But…I didn't have a plan…yet.

I wandered over to a tree and curled up next to it. "I need to think."

I lay there for a few minutes, my eyes closed. I was…actually semi-deliberately trying to fall asleep. See, I often got my most creative ideas right before I fell asleep – I think it's something to do with the way my brain's set up. Heading into dreamland opens up the creative side.

We need…something drastic…this 'Lady of the Underworld' doesn't like light, but laser-like attacks do nothing, because they're too easily dodged. Flash might work, but…I don't think any of us have that attack. Wait…Flash? Or a flash, such as a bright light that appears suddenly and fills the room? …What do we have that might cause something like that?

My musings were interrupted by a loud shrieking of "Maa!"

My eyes snapped open and I started chasing the sound at top speed – on all fours; I was finally getting used to bounding.

The Institute's island was on the Twilight Border, which meant that half of it was practically endless night. Branden had told the flock to stay on the Sun Side of the line just after Chance went into the Institute for recon.

One of the younger Mareep had strayed over the line. Apparently he'd gotten really far before running into trouble, because I could see him running back for the line.

He didn't quite make it before something – a shadow – shot forward and grabbed his tail. His bleating rose in volume and pitch, and his face – he's in pain!

I spun about, dropping my feet on the other side of the line and extending my tail towards him. "Grab hold, kid!"

He just managed to grab hold with his odd little tri-fingered hands, and I started trying to pull him back.

It wasn't working – it was all I could do to keep us in place! Suddenly, I heard another yelp and felt us start to slide backwards myself!

"Chance!" I yelped.

Chance and Bridgetta both ran over and grabbed my hands, using their claws to keep their grips. I didn't mind – if it keeps us from losing the poor kid, I'll endure anything!

Now that I didn't have to do more than keep my feet braced and play rope, I could spare a look over my shoulder.

The shadow had grabbed his feet and pulled them off the ground, which was what had caused the failure to keep in place. The shadow had spread down his tail, and was spreading even further…up his legs…over his wool…and his wool was reacting to the touch and shriveling away!

The shadow had just about covered his woolly hair when something strange happened.

An inhuman shriek sounded out in the darkness and the shadow just let go!

With one final "Maa!" of surprise, the kid flew free, and we all fell in a heap safely back on the Sun Side.

The poor Mareep started crying.

I didn't blame him: on his legs, his upper arms, and a bit of his neck where the shadow had touched, his skin was just…gone. His wool had suffered plenty, too; his hair was pretty much untouched, but the further towards his tail you got, the shorter and more shriveled his wool was until it was nearly gone. His poor tail…it was shredded almost to the bone, and the orb at the end was gone. He must have felt like one big mass of pain.

At least the shadow hadn't reached his face, I thought, because I'm not sure I'd have been able to stand looking at that.

He tried to take a step and fell down again, crying some more. When I looked, I saw that his little hoof-like feet were equally bloody.

Bridgetta took one look at the shining red mess that had been shadow-touched skin, covered her mouth and ran to a different tree. I could hear her throwing up.

I sighed. "Come on, kid, let's go." Carefully, I picked up the little boy, and Chance and I went back to the group.

Everyone was horrified at what had happened.

Branden swallowed once and spoke. "Fluffy?"

His voice cut over the crying, and the Mareep stopped with a gulp. "T-t-Trema'fluff."

"Tremorfluff. You can probably fix that damage by shifting. Your Pokemon form's too similar to your true form, so go human like Allielle."

Allielle dug into a bag and came up with a cloak like the one she was wearing. "This won't fit, but I don't think Mareep wear clothes, so this will keep him warm until he can shift back."

"Akiko, you go human first," Branden added, "because you're barely holding him now, and even a small human boy might be a bit large for a Skitty-hybrid."

I nodded and started shifting, constantly adjusting my grip on the boy so that I wouldn't drop him.

Once I was human, Branden nodded at little Tremorfluff. "By the way, Fluffy, this will hurt you, but the only way to get through it is to keep going."

"K, maa."

Once again, I had to adjust my grip on the kid; this time it was because he was growing and losing wool. Every now and again, he whimpered from the pain, but finally I was left holding a small human boy with curly golden hair.

Allielle was right: like Frillish, Mareep-hybrids didn't wear clothes.

After a moment of silence, Tremorfluff spoke. "My arms n'legs still sting."

I set him down gently on his feet and studied him, my hands on his shoulders. His upper arms and his legs at least had skin now, but it looked like a whole layer was missing from both places, no wonder it stung!

"Hold very still," I told him, not really expecting him to be able to balance without his tail, "I'll get that cloak on you."

He nodded.

As I took the cloak from Allielle and swirled it about him, I kept talking. "I know you still hurt, but it'll heal. And at least your feet don't hurt anymore, right?"

And your tail's in some other dimension that doesn't feel pain.

He started fidgeting with the cloak, either trying to make it feel normal on his shoulders or trying to get it off his hurt upper arms. Gently I eased him into a sitting position. That got his attention elsewhere. He looked over his shoulder. Then he stared up at me. "My tail's gone."

I smiled at him gently. "So's mine; humans don't have tails."

His eyes got rounder, and a tiny smile spread onto his face. Then he looked down and pulled the cloak's hem off his toes. After staring at his feet and wiggling his toes for a minute with that same tiny smile, he looked at his hand. Opening and closing his hand, he grinned up at me. "I've got five fingers!"

His first time taking a human form, no doubt. I smiled back at him.

"Anyway," Kenshin brought us back to reality, "that shadow was probably the Lady of the Underworld. Considering what we heard Chance describe," the spotted cat shuddered, "little Tremorfluff here got lucky. The question is…why?"

I blinked for a minute. Then I studied the little boy. "The shadow had reached his hair when suddenly it…recoiled like somebody who'd just gotten burned." After a moment of thought, I had a theory. "Tremorfluff…are you carrying?"

"Maa?" Apparently, even as a human, he still had the Mareep reflexes.

"Carrying…Joltik."

"Aaaahhh…yaa."

I glanced at Wooligan. "I thought you said only the oldest quarter of the flock had Joltik ride-alongs, One."

Wooligan tapped his ear and listened. Then he answered, speaking slowly. "Thaa lotathem moved ta tha youngest quarta on tha boat. Di'in wanta risk Statiking ta'non-Mareep d'ring tha sail, an' tha youngest hav' less control ova their 'lectricity."

"Did you hear all that, Uncle?" Apparently Mystike had gotten the radio up and running so that he could know what had just gone down.

"Yes, I heard all that. And frankly, the Joltik shouldn't have made any difference – they likely would have been absorbed right along with your little Mareep."

"Hm…" I glared briefly at Tremorfluff's hair. Then I pushed my fingers into the woolly pile. "Joltik, get onto my hand. If any of you got burned, we need to know about it."

I felt five sets of four little claw-feet catch hold of my fingers. As I was still human, that was one Joltik per finger.

Then I pulled my hand free and stared at the three-inch bugs; four little bright yellow ones with blue eyes…and one that was a different shade of yellow with purple eyes.

I waggled that finger, getting it to look up at me. "Excuse me…is that color normal for a Joltik?"

It walked onto my hand, leaped up and hit my face, and crawled over to my ear. Belatedly, I remembered I was still human and shifted back to my true form, making the remaining Joltik on my hands readjust themselves so that one was on the back of my hand.

The Joltik reached my ear, paused just inside on my large outer ear and spoke. "It's normal. I'm a shiny."