-The Next Day

(7:30 am)

Edric woke that morning without the alarm, waking the shirtless boy next to him as well. They took turns showering and getting dressed.

The air when the four of them stepped out of the inn was darker than usual. The houses lining the street they were on were still blowing smoke into the air and now the streets were covered in an eerie fog. The city was also more lively than usual. Many strange people were walking down the road towards the museum.

"Isn't that Team Platinum thing today?" Emily piped up.

"I think so; do you still want to go Em?" Hart replied, turning towards her.

"Of course! That fucking Dragonite! I seriously want one of those things!" She responded enthusiastically.

"You know you can buy a Dratini egg online."

They began walking with the crowd down the street to the museum.

"Yeah, but those things cost about a couple million credits… Speaking of a million credits, how'd you get an Axew? I did a little research last night, and when that thing evolves, it'll be cannon!" Ethan interjected

"Axew hatched from an egg the day before I came to Jubilife City. My grandfather had the egg for twenty years before he died. He refused to believe it was a dud so he kept it for twenty years. I have no idea where he got it from though. He always told me when I was younger not to touch the egg, that something really special was going to happen one day and it would make me really happy. I guess he was absolutely right. I really do miss my grandfather, and I guess Axew really is the only thing I have to remember him by." Hart finished with a slight crack in his voice.

"Aww, What did he die from?" Emily asked.

"He wasn't sick. He was the healthiest old man I've ever seen. He was ninety eight years old. I'm guessing it was from old age." Hart said.

The museum was quite busy as well. A worker there led them and a bunch of other people to an auditorium that was way in the back. They took a seat on the balcony where there were people talking quietly.

"This seems a little shady Edric." Hart said.

Edric didn't respond, but watched as the show began.

"Welcome future Team Platinum Trainees!"

It was a loud voice, presumably belonging to an old man. The man walked out onto the stage. He was tall, lanky, and bearded. His nose was long and crooked and his hair was silvery-white. His eyes were a dark-blue surrounded by long eyelashes. He opened his thick jaws to speak again.

"Today, you will be shown a showcase of possibilities that you can achieve in the next month. We are Team Platinum."

The man stepped to the side so that the curtain behind him was in full view. There was a large roar, and a pair of glowing red eyes opened in between the velvet. All the lights suddenly shut off, and the curtain pulled back. They heard the man's voice again.

"Sunny Day!"

There was a suddenly a pulse of blinding light in the large Pokémon's left hand. Edric and the others covered their eyes. The temperature in the auditorium flared as the Pokémon brought the light into both hands, then up to its face to reveal a menacing yellow and black mug with two lightning rod-shaped growths on its head. Edric's eyes finally adjusted to the harsh light to take in the Pokémon completely.

It was big and yellow with black stripes around its thick muscly arms and ankles that looked like electrical tape around thick golden wires. There were also large black tendrils protruding from under the golden hair beneath his furry chin. He made another fierce growl and raised his fists into the air, thrusting the sphere into the air. It exploded into and electrical explosion, arcing across the auditorium ceiling as if the drywall were storm clouds. The attack filled the lamps hanging from the ceiling with energy, plunging the room into a light brighter than before and allowing everyone to see the giant behemoth that was Electivire. Edric and the others had to quickly cover the devices strapped to their arms that were yelling out information.

"Electivire; the Thunderbolt Pokémon. Using its tendrils, it can let 20,000 volts of electricity out with a single touch."

Emily completely fangirled while the boys clapped with the rest of the crowd. Ethan leaned over to whisper in Edric's ear.

"That's amazing. He converted Sunny Day into an actual attack. I wonder how long it takes to do that."

Edric nodded and furrowed his eyebrows.

Something was strange. Edric had a sinking feeling in his stomach like something was wrong. He shifted around in his seat and turned his head back to Ethan.

"Bathroom."

Edric got up out of his seat and sidestepped his way through the aisle. He went out the door to the back, following the signs indicating the men's bathroom. When he opened the door to the lobby, he was hit by a different type of aura. It was unsettling. Edric sucked in his breath and went into the bathroom at the other side of the lobby.

The bathroom was basically a medium length hallway lined with urinals on the wall, and stalls at the end of the room. There were three strangely dressed characters half yelling. Edric took a urinal further away from the three. He immediately tuned into their conversation unintentionally.

"That's not even possible, they don't even exist!" The taller one said rather loudly.

"Keep your fucking voice down, someone came in!"

All three at once stared over at Edric, who stared back.

"What the fuck are you looking at kid?" said the third one, who hadn't spoken yet.

Edric quickly shuffled around at the urinal until he got himself together and walked towards the doorway. The grunts continued talking.

"It doesn't matter if they even exist, Victor will make it happen, and to do it, were going to have to find them. All of them."

Edric stopped at the doorway and peaked past the corner to see if they were looking. They hadn't noticed. The taller one spoke again.

"What exactly are they?"

"The Plates!"

There was suddenly a chime that fell through the air, emanating from Edric's pant pocket.

Fuck.

Faster than Edric had anticipated, the tall man was upon him. He lunged at him and grabbed Edric around his wrists. The smaller boy thrust his knee up into his stomach and brought his foot up between the legs. The man fell to the floor with tears in his eyes as the others lunged forward and grabbed both arms. Edric fell to the floor and kicked one of the men's left shin. The grunt fell to the floor, releasing Edric's arm. Edric pulled the other to the floor as well, catching him in the face on the way down. He reached over and grabbed both arms, only to bend them backwards and return to a standing position. He looked down at the men as he ran through the bathroom door, back across the lobby and up the stairs through the door he came from. He half whisper/half yelled across to the other three.

"Guys, we need to get the hell out of here!"

A couple people in the balcony told him to shut the hell up, but after a few more shouts, he got their attention over the video that was playing. Edric frantically motioned his hand to come to him. Hart got up and squeezed his way through, sporting a confused face.

"What the hell is wrong dude? What the hell happened to you?"

Edric hadn't noticed that he had twisted his wrist until now, the pain could be dealt with.

"Hart. We've got to get the hell out of here. These guys are up to something!"

Hart Smirked and turned back to his seat."

"I'm serious! Get those two and let's get the hell out of here!"

Hart plopped back down in his seat and reengaged the video. Edric let out a deep sigh, and clapped his hands on his sides in an 'I give up' manner.

He suddenly felt a pair of hands close tightly around his wrists. He opened his mouth to yell again, only for it to be covered by a big pair of hands. His knees caved in and he was quickly carried out of the room kicking and squirming. They took Edric out of the auditorium and through another door in the foyer. They sat Edric, who had stopped screaming, in a chair. Two mammoths-of-men held him down.

The man who'd been on stage appeared from a corner, and approached Edric. He looked younger up close.

"Turn him loose."

The two men released their grips at once, and Edric threw his fist up at the old man's face. The man leaned his head to the side, letting the fist fly over his shoulder. With his right hand, he reached up and grabbed Edric's arm, placing his other palm on Edric's shoulder. Edric fell to his knees in pain, and the man placed his foot on Edric's back.

"You're young…" The man kicked Edric onto the floor, releasing his arm. "and Foolish."

Edric moved so that he was on all fours. "Who are you?"

The man grew an evil smirk."

"We are Team Platinum."

The other men in the room began to talk under their breaths.

"I, my good sir, am Victor Saint Spare."

Edric stood to face the man again.

"Well whoever the hell you are, what are you planning?"

Victor smirked again, and turned to face the mirror in the room.

"It seems, young Edric that you know too much already. Our primary plan shall remain unknown to those who resist Team Platinum. But don't worry boy, the time will come when the moon falls."

Edric made a confused face, and turned his head around the room. There was a somewhat long silence before Edric spoke.

"So what're you guys gonna do with me now? Kill me?"

In response, there was a great laugh all around the room. Victor turned back to Edric, a smile on his stubbly face.

"Now why would we do that? You will simply be escorted to a facility in the north where you will become one of us."

Edric spat on the floor in front of where Victor stood, causing the laughter in the room to abruptly end.

One of the two men that held Edric earlier dawned a pair of handcuffs. Edric didn't fight back when he locked his wrists behind his back.

Edric was taken back into the parking lot to the door of a black van. They covered Edric's head with a black bag and whispered a few things before rolling the van door shut again. There was suddenly a large bump, and the van window's glass broke suddenly. Edric's heart began to beat fast, and he managed to get the bag off using his teeth. He got up off the seat and looked through the broken window.

There was a flash of green, and he saw a Beedrill flying by. The Beedrill was shot out of the air by a beam of flames and crashed into one of the grunts. A few second's past, and the door came rocketing off the hinges, revealing Pignite, Emily, Grovyle, Ethan, Dewott, and Hart.

"Miss us?" Emily joked.

As Grovyle cut the Handcuffs apart with a Leaf Blade, multiple guards came rushing through the door, flanked by Roark and Adam.

Emily moved over to Edric as Roark and three other men dressed in black blazers approached.

"You know, I knew they were up to something. No one carries around a fucking Dragonite the first week into their journey.

The four of them were escorted by one of the men to the police kiosk outside the Oreburgh gate, where they were all interviewed one by one about the situation. Emily went first, followed by Ethan, then Hart, and lastly Edric.

The captain's office was dimly lit, and had a mysterious feeling to it. The captain was a young man in his thirties; he had thick stubble and a strong jaw. He held up a clipboard and scribbled a few things on it, before asking Edric to start from the beginning.

Edric explained what he saw and heard at the museum. The captain wrote things down as he spoke. Eventually, the captain stopped Edric and sat him in the other room while he stayed and wrote more things in his clipboard.

The situation was all too familiar for them. They waited in the room together for another five minutes before the captain came out again.

The captain took a deep breath again and spoke in an exhale.

"Well it seems you four, or you in particular , have attracted the attention of a terrorist group named Team Platinum."

"Wait a second. If you guys already know about Team Platinum, why are you letting them do stuff like organizing giant recruiting shows?"

The captain scratched the back of his neck.

"Well… Here's the thing. Team Platinum has never been 'illegal' actually."

"What the hell do you mean? They kidnapped my boyfriend for fucks sake!" Ethan yelled.

"That doesn't exactly cut it kid. Team Platinum has been active in this region for over 20 years. Doing stuff like booking the local museum or delivering a show isn't exactly bad. We do have the suspicion that they're doing something underground, but they're almost impossible to crack. So for now, I guess there really is only one option for you four."

They all nodded at once. The captain pulled his walkie talkie out of his pocket and pressed the speak button.

"Send Jensen and Atson up here, tell them to get their shit ready. It's time."

The captain released the button and put the device back in his pocket.

"I'm assigning you guys bodyguards, two of them."

Emily scrunched her face up.

"We don't need any fucking bodyguards! Did you see the way I took out those two grunts?"

The captain chuckled.

"That may be so, but just in case, were going to have you accompanied by our newest Agents."

Two men suddenly appeared at the door. They were dressed in normal clothes; much to Edric's liking, and had two Pokéballs each strapped to their belts. The man on the right had a large tattoo covering his entire right arm and shoulder. He wore a sleeveless shirt and was rather rough looking. He looked to be about 19 or 20 and coincidentally resembled Ethan. The one on the left, however, looked to be a few years older than Edric. He wore a black striped hoodie and khakis.

"This is special Agents Jensen an Atson. They're going to look after you four for a while."

"Does this mean they're coming with us? I think we've reached our limit here…" Edric said.

"Not necessarily. Agent Jensen and Atson are a part of a special group of police officers. A little different than Jump Street, but with Pokémon… Jensen and Atson will be accompanying you but they'll also have to blend in. So in general, they'll stay at least half a mile away from you while you're on the road. Either this, or go home."

"I think we'll all be happy to have them along sir." Ethan said.

The captain nodded and looked to the two by the door.

"You heard that guys; a half mile. Shanna gave you your starters right?"

Emily jumped up

"Starter Pokémon! What the Fuck? Shouldn't they have big powerhouses like Dragonite and Electivire? You seriously think a mere Snivy could even compare to the things they were packing?"

"It's not what you think girl. Not at all."

Emily's face filled with doubt.

"This'll be a one on one battle, the last standing Pokémon is the winner."

Atson smirked and plucked a Pokéball from his belt, holding it in his hand.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He questioned.

"Absolutely!" She yelled from the other side of the Pokémon Center Battlefield. The hologram announced the match, and Emily released Rhydon. Atson shook his head and giggled under his breath.

What Atson released wasn't expected from anyone except for Jensen, who couldn't stop laughing. It was big and blue with a giant turtle-like shell on its back. Its head was round and flat; giving its face a menacing demeanor. It had stubby arms and thick legs with marble like claws. Its belly was a deep cream color.

"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon."

In one swift movement, Blastoise bent down and pointed its shoulder forward. A silver metallic cannon jutted out of the opening of the shell. A brilliant shade of light blue energy began to gather around the barrel, forming a swirling surge of aquamarine power. The cannon burst and sent the energy flying across the field and pummeling into Rhydon. The explosion following the impact of the blast was unexpected to say the least. The blast created a steamy watery explosion and left Rhydon on the floor covered in shimmery droplets of water.

Emily stood astonished as Atson recalled his Blastoise. She quickly gathered up her Pokémon and wiped some water from her forehead before stomping away, past Edric and Ethan who had been brought to tears and up to a grinning Hart.

"What the hell was that?"

Hart pushed his glasses up on his eyes.

"That… Was 's starter."

Edric, Ethan, Atson, and Jensen all suddenly roared with laughter while Hart patted Emily on the back.

Movesets:

Edric Ryerson:

Monferno: Mach Punch, Flamethrower, Dig, Vacuum Wave, Flame Wheel

Luxio: Spark, Thundershock, Bite, Iron Tail, Vacuum Wave, Hone Claws

Psyduck: Water Gun, Confusion, Headbutt

Emily Ryerson:

Rhydon: Rock Blast, Hammer Arm, Horn Attack, Ice Punch

Pignite: Take Down, Ember, Flame Charge, Arm Thrust

Ethan Jacobs:

Grovyle: Quick Attack, Bullet Seed, Leaf Blade, Double Kick

Buneary: Bounce, Jump Kick, Ice Beam, Dizzy Punch, Rock Smash

Hart Wilson:

Axew: Dragon Rage, Dual Chop, Scratch, Protect, Dig

Dewott: Water Gun, Focus Energy, Razor Shell (Shell Blast variation)

Agents Jensen and Atson's Pokemon will be revealed soon. Their "Starters" however, will be written below. Oh, and Get ready for more Antagonist next chapter!

Atson's Blastoise: Flash Cannon, Hydro Pump, Aqua Ring, Outrage, Icy Wind, Protect, Focus Blast

Jensen's Infernape: Flare Blitz, Flamethrower, Mach Punch, Counter, Quick Guard, Dual Chop, Low Kick, Work Up