Garius left for the House of Adonus, and Ashus, Bracchus, and Mistia started packing for Fuschia. As they checked out of the Glademon Center, a beautiful blonde woman walked in with a gorgeous Glademon beside her. The Glademon looked a bit like a brown fox, but it had an orange mane and a giant fanned fluffy tail that it carried high like a peacock.

"Hello, Susia," said Joya.

"Yeah, hi, Susia," said Bracchus.

"Nope," said Mistia, grabbing his ear.

"Hi," said Susia. "Are you three doctore?"

"I am," said Bracchus, pushing Mistia aside. "My name's Bracchus Petrus. These are my friends Ashus and Mistia, but they were just leaving."

"We're all leaving" said Mistia.

"Oh, that's a shame. I came to find doctore to help me with my Glademon study," said Susia.

"Oh, they don't have Glademon," said Bracchus.

Susia looked at Pikachus and furrowed her brow. "Then what's...?"

"We'd love to help," said Ashus. "This is Pikachus."

"Pika!"

"C'mon, guys, take a hint," Bracchus muttered.

"And I raise water Glademon," said Mistia.

"Great!" said Susia. "Nice to meet all of you. This won't take long. I'm studying to become a Glademon breeder, and I just want to collect DNA samples of your Glademon. I'll pay for them."

"Okay," said Ashus. "Between the three of us, we have lots of different types of Glademon."

"That's great," said Susia. "Follow us."

They walked out of the Center and to a modest house on the edge of town. Susia's laboratory looked a lot like Billus's. She even had her own Gladedex. Sounds of caged animals rumbled beneath them.

"Can I start with your Pikachus?" Susia asked.

"Pikachus!" Pikachus answered. Susia beckoned for Pikachus to sit on a stone table in the center of the room.

"Where did you get Pikachus?" asked Susia.

"He's from Professor Okus," said Ashus.

"Ohhhh, wow," gasped Susia. "I thought he looked like Raichus. They must share DNA." She snipped some fur off Pikachus's back and stored it in a vial. "I promise I'll pay well for this."

"So did you breed this Glademon?" asked Bracchus, gesturing to the large-tailed fox.

"Yes, this is Vulpixus," said Susia. "He is my first successful Glademon. I wonder if you can guess his type."

"Well, he's clearly derived from a fox," said Bracchus. "Plain fox or Glademon?"

"Plain fox," said Susia, "crossed with a living Glademon."

"Living Glademon, huh?" asked Bracchus. He reached out to pet Vulpixus, and Vulpixus bit down on his hand.

"Oh, no," said Susia. "Vulpixus, mercy."

Vulpixus obeyed but growled at Bracchus until he backed off. "Vul!" he said.

"His mouth was hot," said Bracchus. "No way, he's a fire type!"

"You're kinda good at this," said Susia.

"There are many things I'm good at," said Bracchus.

"Let's see your Glademon, then," said Susia.

"Okay," said Bracchus. "I've got two rock types and a poison type."

"Ohh, I don't have any rock samples. Those are so rare," said Susia.

"My family supplied rocks to the House of Okus to breed rock Glademon," said Bracchus. "So we always got first choice."

"Oh, that's where I've heard your name before. The House of Petrus from Pewter City," said Susia.

"That's me!" said Bracchus. "I used to be the lanista there, but now I'm following Ashus as a doctore." He took out a gladeball and released Geodudes onto the table.

"You know, I've never fully understood Glademon breeding," said Mistia.

"It's tricky," said Susia, carefully swabbing the side of Geodudes's mouth, "and there are multiple ways to do it. The classic way is to keep a special stone or gem with a pregnant animal to give the babies special abilities associated with that type, just like the myth of the creation of Zapdo, Moltreus and Articuno."

"Right," said Ashus. "The War Birds came from eggs that nested in a deposit of Thunder Stone, Fire Stone, and Ice Stone respectively."

"It works that way," said Susia, "but of course stones are expensive. Only the House of Okus possesses every type of stone, which is why they are the best at breeding new Glademon. Ashus, your Pikachus was surely created this way. It's the most reliable way to create a new Glademon. I think that the cross-breeding method is more fun, though. It's riskier, but it works. Take Vulpixus here. I started with a plain fox that I caught in the wild and domesticated."

"Woah," said Ashus, "I didn't know you could do that."

"It's hard, but it can be done. I bred the domesticated fox with one of Lanista Blaines's Glademon."

"Arcanines?" asked Bracchus.

"Arcanines," Susia smiled. "Blaines sold me some of Arcanines's DNA, and I used the DNA to artificially impregnate the fox, and that's how I got Vulpixus here."

"So Vulpixus must be a very strong Glademon," said Bracchus. "Is he for sale?"

"Blaines was interested in him," said Susia. "I'll probably end up selling him eventually, but for now, he's a reminder for me that I can indeed do this. He's my first Glademon."

Susia collected samples from each of their Glademon and paid them handsomely. She then prepared a meal of chicken, fish, fruits and vegetables, all from her personal farm. Full of good food, they decided to spend another night.

After Ashus and Mistia had gone to bed, Bracchus cornered Susia to put the moves on her.

"I really enjoyed hearing about your work today," he said. "I think you'll be a fine Glademon breeder."

"Thanks," she said. "All of your samples will really help."

"I'll always be available to help you," said Bracchus. "If you want any stones from Pewter, I can put you in contact with my father."

"Oh, thank you," said Susia.

"So, besides Glademon breeding, what's a beautiful girl like you do in a town like this?"

Susia blushed. "I'm very focused on my work. I travel a lot to collect specimens and learn from other breeders."

"You should travel with us," said Bracchus. "We're going to every major city in Kanto collecting ludus badges. You can collect specimens and meet breeders."

"Oh, thanks, but I'm probably going to just work with what I have for now, thanks," said Susia.

He reached for her hand. "You don't have to be alone, Susia."

She jerked her hand back. "Thanks, but no thanks, Bracchus."

"You're different from other girls," he said.

"I think it's time to sleep," she said.

"Oh, I couldn't agree more," he said.

She smacked him. "No, Bracchus. I'm flattered, but no."

"Is there someone else?" he asked, rubbing the side of his face.

"No," she said. "I'm just not that kind of girl."

"Ohhhh, no, you have me all wrong," said Bracchus.

"Do I?" she said, patting him sympathetically on the shoulder. "Good night, Bracchus."

He leaned forward to kiss her but found she'd already walked away.

A scream traveled up the stairs from the depth of the house, startling Ashus awake.

"Mistia," he said, prodding her.

Another scream met their ears, and the smell of smoke wafted into their room. Bracchus had stumbled out of his room, sword drawn, heading down the stairs. Ashus, Mistia and Pikachus followed.

"The fire is coming from the basement," Bracchus said.

"Where's Susia?" Ashus asked. They looked around the empty living room uneasily.

"I'll go check on her bedroom," said Mistia.

Ashus pulled out a gladeball. "Squirtiles," he said, and the turtle appeared. "Squirtiles, put out the fire."

"Squirtil," said Squirtiles. Squirtiles hobbled downstairs and sprayed water, subduing the smoke. Then there was a vicious growl and a crash. Ashus, Bracchus and Pikachus rushed downstairs.

Vulpixus had pounced on Squirtiles and was biting at his neck. Squirtiles spat water at Vulpixus, and he let up. Squirtiles tucked himself into his shell. Vulpixus was growling at them, tail fanned. It clearly looked like there had been some sort of scuffle in the lab. Scrolls of the Gladedex were strewn out on the floor and half-burnt.

"Vulpixus," Ashus said soothingly, "we're not here to hurt you."

"Vulllllllllllll," he growled, smoke seeping out of his mouth.

Bracchus put down his sword, and Vulpixus lowered his tail. The scene he was hiding made them nauseous. Susia's body was lying bloodied on the floor. "Noooooooooooooooooo!" Bracchus yelled, rushing to him.

Ashus looked from the body to Vulpixus, shaking and staring at his dead breeder. He slowly brought out his sword. "Bracchus...do you think Vulpixus...?"

"Vullllllllllllllllllll!" Vulpixus cried.

Bracchus had Susia's body in his arms. He looked up at Ashus, tears in his eyes. "No," he said. "It was...it was..."

Ashus put away his sword, and Mistia walked downstairs and gasped. Ashus took her hand, and they walked forward, then gasped. Carved into Susia's corpse was the letter "R."

"Ashus," Bracchus said, breathing heavily, "we must end them."

Ashus knelt down. "What did she do? What threat was she?"

"Ashus," Mistia said, resting her hand on his shoulder, "look." She pointed to a shelf of jars labeled with different Glademon names. There was Charmander, Bulbaesar, Squirtiles, Pidgeotto, Krabbia, Geodudes, Onixa, Zubatus, Psydukus, Goldeena, Staryus and Starmia.

"There's only one missing," Ashus said, the realization slowly overtaking him. An empty space between Charmander and Bulbaesar.

"Pikachus," said Pikachus.

Ashus started to sob. "This is my fault," he said.

"No," cooed Mistia.

"It is, and you know it," he said. "If I'd never come here, neither would Team Racchetus. You said it yourself, Mistia, when they first met. They will never stop following me." She hugged him.

"Susia," Bracchus moaned, "she was so beautiful, and so...pure."

"Ugh, Bracchus, please don't talk about sex right now," said Mistia.

"I'm not," said Bracchus. "She turned me down. She said she wasn't that kind of girl. And you know what's crazy? I could see myself settling down with a girl like her."

"Vull," said Vulpixus, resting his head on Bracchus's shoulder. He licked Bracchus's face.

Officer Jenia arrived and questioned them about the grizzly scene. The following evening, they took the body and had a funeral. Vulpixus stayed at Bracchus's side the entire time.

When the fire had died, they got into the chariot to continue on their way to Fuschia. Vulpixus sat patiently next to the chariot and watched them board.

"Oh," said Ashus, "what's going to happen to Vulpixus?"

"Vulll!"

"Nobody said anything about him," said Bracchus.

"Vul?"

"Vulpixus, do you want to come with us?" asked Bracchus.

"Vul!"

Bracchus took out a gladeball and tossed it at Vulpixus. He entered it.