Ya know, sometimes I surprise even myself. I don't mean to gloat or anything, but I just worked all day to get this chapter done. It was long, hard work, but a new anime just came out in dub that I really wanna watch, but I wanted to get this chapter done for you all first. So here it is, please enjoy, as I enjoy that anime I mentioned. Thank you my loyal fans and readers, you guys rule.

As a new day dawns in Lumiose City, Ruri awakens from her slumber, yawning and rubbing her eyes a little.

She gets out of bed, then looks out the window, seeing that its a rather cloudy day out for a change. "Looks like it might rain later. Id better hurry." She says to herself, as she quickly gets dressed and ready for the day.

After she finishes in her room, she gets her Pokémon back from Nurse Joy, they all have some quick breakfast, then Ruri leaves the Pokémon Center. Draco once again fills her mind, as she is very determined to catch up to him and make things right with him once and for all.

However, before leaving Lumiose City, she feels the need to pay a visit to Professor Sycamore, just to see if he or any of the other professors have made any headway in their work on Team Overlords and the Pokemorphs. So she quickly heads over to his lab to see for herself.

Once Ruri arrives at his lab, she walks inside, then heads straight for the lab itself. She finds Professor Sycamore in his lab, still busy as ever by the looks of it. "Hi Professor Sycamore, how have you been?"

Professor Sycamore hears her voice, then stops his work, turns to her, and smiles. "Ah, Ruri. Its so nice to see you again. Ive been doing just fine myself. Im glad to see that your still safe and sound as well."

Ruri smiles back at him. "Thanks. Team Overlords is still after me and Draco, but thins have been okay so far."

The professor looks around, not seeing said Draco anywhere. "Speaking of Draco, where is he? I thought you two were traveling together Ruri."

This makes Ruri lose her smile, and look down a bit. "About that...we had kind of a falling out two days ago." Ruri proceeds to tell him the whole story about what happened between her and Draco.

Professor Sycamore is rather surprised to hear all of this. "Oh dear. Im very sorry to hear all of that Ruri. Im sure you'll see Draco again though. He's probably just taking some time to figure some things out, at least that's what it sounds like to me."

Ruri looks at him again, and nods. "Yeah, I know. Ive been doing some thinking myself, and Ive decided that Im gonna catch up to Draco, and when I do Ill do what ever it takes to make things right between us." There's not even a single hint of doubt in her voice when she says those words.

The professor smiles at her once more. "I see. Best of luck to you Ruri. I just hope that you and Draco will be okay traveling separately with Team Overlords still after you both."

"Im sure Draco will be fine, he's more then proven that he can handle himself. And Ive grown a lot too in my time traveling with Draco. By the way, Team Overlords was actually what I wanted to ask you about while Im here. Have you or any of the other professors figured out anything new? And how's the search for all the missing trainers been going?" Ruri asks him, wanting to learn as much as she can about Team Overlords.

Her questions make the professor sigh, as he walks back over to his work space. "That's the thing Ruri. None of us have any idea what we're doing at all."

This confuses Ruri, as she walks over and stands next to him. "What do you mean by that professor?"

"I mean that Team Overlords is somewhat of an enigma. We've got nothing to go on. The police have tried searching all the old secret bases of all the old evil organizations from all the regions, but they all haven't been used in years. And every day, more and more trainers and Pokémon go missing, the wild Pokémon's habitats completely cleaned out of wild Pokémon. The police have also tried to interrogate the few grunts we've managed to capture, but their simply not talking. In fact, all the grunts we've managed to capture are dead now." Professor Sycamore explains all of this to her.

This information surprises Ruri. "Dead? What do you mean? What happened?"

Professor Sycamore then continues his explanation. "The second after they were arrested, they all bit off their own tongues. For some reason they'd all rather die then give up any information, so they all take their own lives before we can get anything out of them. We think that maybe their all sworn to secrecy when they join Team Overlords, and if that's the case, then whoever their leader is, he really doesn't want anyone figuring out too much about his organization or what their up to."

Ruri gasps, not expecting that sort of answer at all, not believing that they'd really go this far to protect their secrets from others.

But the professor isn't done just yet. "And finally, there's the biggest enigma of all. The Pokemorphs. We haven't the slightest idea how their able to create Pokemorphs. For years everyone in the scientific community has always assumed it was impossible, but then Team Overlords appears out of nowhere, and suddenly they have the technology to make it possible. We've tried everything to figure out how their able to do it, but we keep coming up with nothing. Without a sample of some kind to study, we cant make any headway in our work on this subject."

Ruri keeps listening to him, and begins to think to herself. "So, you need a sample from one of Team Overlords' Pokemorphs? Is that it?"

Professor Sycamore nods. "Yes, that's correct. It could be anything. A hair, a feather, a scale, some of their blood. Basically, any DNA sample will do."

"Well, if that's the case, why don't I just get one for you?" Ruri asks him, taking a chance.

The professor turns back to her, surprised by her question. "Ruri, that's incredibly dangerous. Are you sure?"

Ruri nods, not letting her fear show. "Yes professor. Think about it. Team Overlords are already after me, so Ill definitely run into them again at some point. I know its dangerous, but its gotta be better then the police just running around aimlessly and coming up short every time."

Professor Sycamore thinks it over for a moment, weighing all the pros and cons in his head. "Very well Ruri, I suppose your right. But find Draco first. You said before that he was able to stand up to one of Team Overlords' Pokemorphs, take one of their attacks like it was nothing to him, and then made them retreat. Im still not sure how Draco was able to do all of that, but it'll definitely be a lot safer for you if you have Draco with you. Find him, then once Team Overlords finds you two, get us a DNA sample from one of their Pokemorphs if you can. Do you think you'll be okay doing all of that Ruri?"

Ruri grins, and nods, looking confident. "If I have Draco with me, I know we can do it. Leave it to us Professor Sycamore, we wont let you down."

Professor Sycamore smiles at her confidence. "I like your attitude Ruri, but don't get ahead of yourself. First you need to find Draco. Do you have any idea where he is now?"

Ruri doesn't even need to think about it to know the answer to that. "Draco's already beaten the gym here in Lumiose City, so he's definitely on his way to, or is already in Laverre City by now."

"I see. Well then you best hurry if you want to catch up to him Ruri. Be careful, and good luck." Professor Sycamore informs her, still smiling at her.

Ruri smiles back at him, and nods again. "I was headed to Laverre City anyway, thanks Professor Sycamore. Ill talk to ya soon." She exits his lab, then runs as fast as she can, bound for the route leading to Laverre City.

Professor Sycamore watches her leave, waving goodbye to her, hoping that she'll be okay on her own, and the same goes for Draco as well.

As Ruri heads for the entrance to the next route, she is suddenly stopped by a familiar voice. "Ruri, how are you doing?!"

Ruri stops, recognizing that voice, then turning and smiling at the source of it. "Oh, hi Rin. How've you been?"

Rin smiles back at her friend, looking very happy to see her again. "Oh, ya know. Enjoying my time in Lumiose City, doing lots of shopping, and I visited Siebold's restaurant too."

"No way, I was there two days ago! I got to battle him." Ruri is also very happy to see Rin again too.

This surprises Rin, but she keeps her smile. "Seriously?! That's awesome!"

Ruri blushes a bit at her praise, scratching the back of her head a little. "Thanks, but I didn't actually win."

"That's okay, Siebold is one of the Elite Four." Rin then begins looking around, noticing that something is missing. She loses her smile, and decides to ask her friend about it. "Where's that dragon bastard? Off hunting Fairy and Ice types again?"

Her question makes Ruri lose her smile too. "Actually that's kind of a long story. Lets walk and talk, Im heading for Route 14." She turns back to the path ahead, and keeps heading for the route, remembering her mission to find Draco.

This begins to capture Rin's interest, as she follows her friend, wanting to know more. "Okay, I was heading that way myself. We can travel together." Rin gets her smile back, able to sense that some is bothering Ruri, and trying to put a positive spin on her situation.

Ruri smiles back at Rin a little, really grateful to her. "Thank you Rin."

The two girls soon arrive at the entrance to Route 14, walk through it, and end up in a deserted playground, the grey sky getting even greyer overhead.

Both girls look around at it all, and Rin begins to shiver with fear a bit. "Its so creepy out here, isn't it?"

Ruri doesn't shiver, but nods in agreement. "Yeah, little bit. But this is the only way to Laverre City, so I have to take it."

Rim smiles big once again, suddenly full of spirit. "Ill say! Laverre City is home to the one and only Valerie! She not just the gym leader of a gym for Fairy types, she's also the number one fashion designer in all of Kalos! All of her designs are so pretty, and their all styled after different Pokémon!" Rin seems to be full of excitement, sparkles in her eyes just thinking about meeting Valerie.

Ruri giggles at her a little. "Oh yeah, I remember you saying that you were really eager to get to Laverre City Rin. I guess Valerie is kinda like your hero then, huh?"

Rin nods furiously. "You bet she is! Valerie has been my hero ever since I was little. Ive always wanted to meet her, and now I finally have my chance. I mean, Diantha is amazing too, but Valerie is a true Fairy type trainer."

Ruri giggles a bit more at her friend's enthusiasm levels. "Okay, I got it. Just try to calm down Rin, you'll get to meet Valerie soon."

Rin slowly calms down, smiling at Ruri again, as the two friends continue to walk down the route. "So Ruri, I don't mean to pry, but you never explained what happened to that dragon bastard."

Ruri's smile begins to fade a little, as she turns away from Rin a bit. "Its okay Rin, but the truth is its not a very happy story." Ruri then explains to Rin everything that happened between herself and Draco. What happened on their date, her love confession, Draco turning her down, and finally, the fact that Ruri wants to find Draco and make amends with him. She blushes when she tells Rin about her love confession.

Ruri's story shocks Rin to her very core, as she looks at her friend with wide eyes, shaking a bit, until she finally yells out the only thing she can think to say at this moment. "WHAT?!" Her voice echoes out, making a lot of Flying type Pokémon hidden in the trees all over Route 14 fly away in fear.

Ruri keeps blushing. "I know its a lot to take in Rin, but its all true."

Rin takes a minute to absorb all of this information. "...Ruri...B-But...Your kidding, right?!...You and Draco...He is a strong trainer, Ill give him that, but I just cant understand what you could possibly see in a jerk like him Ruri!"

"He's not a jerk Rin!" Ruri yells at her, standing up for Draco.

Rin flinches, not expecting that reaction at all.

Ruri takes a deep breath. "Sorry Rin, I didn't mean to scare you. Its just that Draco is actually a really nice guy when ya get to know him. Yes, his attitude towards Fairy and Ice types is not exactly kind at all, but Im sure he'll come around sooner or later. Plus, and I know this might be hard for you to believe Rin, but he's also really sweet, caring, and fun to be around. He's a great Pokémon trainer, I have a great time traveling around with him, Ive learned a lot from traveling with him, and I wanna make things right between us, which is part of the reason Im looking for him right now. I know he's headed for Laverre City too. And listen Rin, I know that you and Draco are like night and day, but if you gave him a chance Im sure we could all be great friends." She explains her feelings to Rin as best as she can, hoping Rin understands at least a little.

Rin takes another minute to absorb all of this in as well. Then she sighs, looking at her friend once again. "Honestly Ruri, I had a feeling this might happen. The second you mentioned you were traveling around with him back in Cyllage City I knew this day would come eventually, especially with how you reacted when I asked if he was your boyfriend."

Ruri is rather surprised that Rin knew all of this would happen, save for Draco turning her down of course. "Wow Rin, Im impressed by your intuition."

Rin giggles to herself a bit, smiling cutely at Ruri. "You should always remember to never underestimate me Ruri."

Ruri laughs a bit too, making sure to keep that in mind. "Will do, thanks Rin."

"Anyway, yeah, Draco isn't exactly my favorite person in the world, and while I seriously doubt that me and him will ever see eye to eye, your still a very good friend to me Ruri." Rin smiles at her friend once more. "If he makes you happy, then I wish you all the best Ruri, and we'll still be friends no matter what happens."

Hearing all of this from Rin makes Ruri smile back at her, and then hug her tightly. "Thank you so much Rin. You really are a good friend."

This reaction surprises Rin at first, but she quickly regains her smile, and hugs Ruri back. "Anytime Ruri. Your a really good friend too."

However, despite this touching scene, Ruri's vow to one day get Draco and Rin to get along and become friends still stands tall.

Suddenly, Ruri and Rin's touching scene is interrupted by the sound of thunder, and its close.

This makes them both flinch, then face the sky, a storm definitely approaching fast.

"Uh oh. We'd better hurry, c'mon Rin." Ruri tells her friend, then runs further into the route as fast as she can, both to catch up to Draco, and to stay ahead of the storm.

Rin quickly runs after her, keeping up with her fairly well. "Wait for me Ruri! Careful, this route gets really swampy!" She cautions her friend as they run.

The two friends come to a complete stop once they hit the swampy part of the route, not daring to risk falling into it.

Although, a few seconds after they stop, the rain begins to poor down from the sky.

This makes Rin let out a big sigh. "Oh great, now what do we do?"

Ruri looks around, trying to find a way around the swamp. And eventually she does, though it would require them to get their shoes dirty. "Its shallow here Rin. Lets go this way." Ruri begins to walk through the shallow swamp water, looking for any kind of shelter for them to get out of the rain.

However, Rin is very hesitant, not wanting to get herself dirty at all. So she stays put, and doesn't follow Ruri even a single step.

Ruri notices this, and turns back to her friend. "C'mon Rin. I know its not the cleanest thing in the world, but if we stay out in the rain like this we'll catch a cold. Now c'mon, we've gotta find some kind of shelter."

"...Okay Ruri. Here I come." Rin slowly begins to follow Ruri, shivering with disgust when she takes her first step into the shallow swamp water, not liking this even one tiny bit.

The girls stick as close to the trees as they can to try and shield themselves from the rain, but it does little to help them stay dry.

Regardless, the two girls keep going anyway, and Rin decides to speak up. "Ruri, the rain keeps getting worse! Isn't there anyplace out here where we can stay until it lets up?!"

Ruri keeps looking around as they go, knowing that pretty much any shelter will do at this point. She soon catches a lucky break, spotting a small house through the trees. "There! Look Rin! Its a house! We can stay there!" She points it out for Rin.

Rin then spots it too, feeling relieved. "Thank Arceus! Lets hurry! Im sure the owner wont mind letting us stay at lest until the rain stops!"

Ruri nods in agreement, then both girls bolt for the sanctuary of the house they see.

Once they reach it, Ruri knocks on the door, calling out to anyone inside. "Hello?! Is anyone home?! We need a place to stay until the rain stops please!"

She gets no answer, but then the door slowly opens on its own.

Both Ruri and Rin look inside, wondering who opened it.

"Hello?! We're coming in!" Ruri calls out once more, but again gets no answer.

Even so, the girls are desperate to get out of the rain, so they both walk inside, the door closing behind them on its own too.

This confuses them again, but then they look around and see that the inside of the house is an old, run down mess.

"Weird. It doesn't look anyone's lived here for years." Rin quickly deduces.

Ruri nods in agreement again. "Yeah, but if that's the case, then who opened and closed the door?" She questions, not hearing or seeing any other living things besides Rin and herself inside the small house.

Rin shrugs, then sneezes. "Beats me. But we should probably change clothes so we don't catch a cold." She takes off her bag, and begins looking through it for a dry outfit.

"Good idea. Good thing its just us girls here. I hope." Ruri whispers that last part to herself, then follows Rin's example, going through her own bag for a dry outfit too.

Both girls pull out a clean, dry outfit and begin to change their clothes. Despite the fact that their both girls, this doesn't stop either of them from blushing out of embarrassment a little, being that neither of them has ever had to change in front of another living being before.

Even so, this also doesn't stop Rin from stealing glances at Ruri as they change, particularly at her chest.

Rin knows that Ruri is older then her, but still, Ruri is sporting a very ample sized bust for a 17 year old.

Meanwhile, Rin herself is 16, and her bust isn't flat at all, but its still only about half the size of Ruri's.

This realization makes Rin look down at herself and sigh quietly to herself, feeling defeated.

Ruri notices her sigh, and turns to her a little. "Something wrong Rin?"

Hearing Ruri's voice makes Rin blush hard, instantly snapping her back to reality. "What?! Nothing! Yes, Im fine Ruri." She turns to Ruri a little too, laughing nervously, praying Ruri didn't notice her stealing glances.

Ruri didn't notice Rin stealing glance, but is confused by her sudden behavior. "Uhhh...Okay then, if you say so." She then resumes changing.

Rin stops blushing, and mentally breaths and sigh of relief. "Thank Arceus..." She says to quietly to herself, then continues changing as well.

Shortly after that, both girls finishing changing into their dry outfits, both of them feeling much better now.

Its then that Rin remembers something, turning back to Ruri. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask. You said that wanting to make things right with Draco was only part of the reason you were looking for him. If you don't mind my asking Ruri, what's the other reason?"

Ruri turns back to Rin as well. "Oh, that." She thinks to herself, weighing the options in her head, until she finally decides that its probably a good idea to finally tell Rin about the Pokemorphs and Team Overlords. "Its kind of a long story Rin, but here goes." She explains everything that's happened to herself and Draco up to now concerning Team Overlords, and especially their Pokemorphs.

This new information is so shocking to Rin that she doesn't even believe it. "...A new evil organization? Missing trainers and Pokémon? Team Overlords? And Pokemorphs? Are you serious or is this some kind of joke Ruri? Be honest."

"I know its all really hard to believe Rin, but its the truth. Their after me and Draco, and they might be after you too Rin. Me and Draco have already crossed paths with one of their Pokemorphs. Ive seen it with my own eyes, her name was Flare, and she was a Talonflame Pokemorph. And remember that Phantom guy you teamed up with for the Shalour City tag battle tournament? He was a Pokemorph too." Ruri explains to her, trying to make her believe.

Rin is shocked again to hear this about Phantom, remembering him well. "Phantom? Seriously? No way. How could you possibly know that Ruri?"

"It was Draco. He told me. Im not sure how he knew, but I trust his judgment Rin, and you should too. Im not making this up Rin, I swear. Phantom might be a member of Team Overlords too, and if he is, then you might be in danger. Im telling you all of this for your own protection Rin, really. Please believe me." Ruri grabs onto her friend's shoulders, and looks her straight in the eye, using a serious tone and expression.

Rin looks right back at Ruri, and can tell right away that she's serious. "...But, if all of this really is true, then what are we supposed to do?"

"This is the other reason we need to find Draco. When we were confronted by Flare, she hit Draco with a Fire Blast, but Draco wasnt hurt at all, and he made her retreat. Draco has some kind of power over the Pokemorphs Rin, Im just not sure what it is yet. The point is, if we can find him, then Im pretty sure we'll be safe. If one of Team Overlords' Pokemorphs attacks us now, I don't think we could beat them on our own Rin. Then we'd be captured, taken to their secret base, and have to go through who knows what?" Ruri explains the situation to her, hoping she understands.

Rin takes a minute to absorb everything Ruri has just told her, then takes a deep breath. "I see. So Draco is even weirder then I thought he was. Still, thanks for telling me all of this Ruri. It sounds really crazy, but okay, I believe you. I trust you Ruri, and I know you wouldn't lie to me." She decides to put her faith in her friend, smiling at her.

Ruri smiles back at Rin, letting go of her, and nodding. "Thank you Rin. That's right, Id never lie to you. Im just looking out for you. What are friends for, right?"

Rin keeps smiling, nodding right back at her good friend.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the girls hear a very strange moaning sound coming from somewhere inside the house. "Honnnn..."

Both girls flinch a bit at this, looking around for the source, but finding nothing.

"What was that?" Rin asks, starting to get scared.

"I don't know." Ruri answers, in the same state at her friend.

"Honnnn!..." The moaning is heard again, but louder this time.

This makes both girls scream a little, as Rin clings to Ruri out of fear. "Okay, something is definitely here."

"But nothings lived here for years. Maybe its some kind of Pokémon or something?" Ruri tries her best to make sense of this situation.

"If it is, I think it wants us out." Rin tries to get her fear under control, but its a losing battle.

"We cant leave yet Rin, its still raining Meowth's and Growlithe's out there. Besides, Im sure that this has got to be a Pokémon, and if that's the case then it must be a Ghost type Pokémon." Ruri quickly deduces, trying to think about what Draco would do in a situation like this.

Hearing Ruri put it into words does help Rin calm down, somewhat. "Okay, but if it is a Ghost type, then how are we supposed to find it?"

Ruri begins thinking, but keeps coming up short. "Hmmmm...Im not sure. Do you have any ideas Rin?"

Rin begins to think about it as well, and she actually comes up with something. "Oh wait, I do actually!" She smiles, pulling out one of her Poke Balls, and throwing it high in the air. "Come on out Slurpuff!"

It appears before the two girls, smiling at them. "Slurpuff."

Rin turns to Ruri, still smiling. "See, Slurpuff's sense of smell is 100 million times better then a human's, so Slurpuff can learn all about the area its in by just the faintest aroma."

Ruri is impressed by this. "Wow, way to go Rin. Think Slurpuff can find a Ghost Pokémon?"

"Of course, just watch." Rin turns back to her Slurpuff, smiling down at it. "Slurpuff, we're looking for a Ghost Pokémon inside this house. Can you please sniff it out for us?"

"Slurpuff, Slur." Slurpuff nods, then takes a few good sniffs around, and senses something almost immediately. "Slurpuff? Slurpuff!" The Fairy Pokémon then begins running up the stairs.

Ruri and Rin are surprised at first, but then quickly follow it. "Come on, Slurpuff found something Ruri!"

"Right behind ya Rin!" Ruri follows her, wondering what kind of Ghost Pokémon their about to meet.

Slurpuff leads the girls up the stairs of the house, down the upstairs hallway, and finally stopping at one of the rooms.

Ruri slowly reaches for the handle, and opens the door, but the girls don't see any living things inside the room at all. "Huh? I don't see any Ghost Pokémon." Ruri looks around, confused, walking into the room slowly.

Rin follows her, then turns back to her Pokémon. "Are you sure its here Slurpuff?"

Slurpuff nods. "Slur, puff."

"Well then could you please tell us where in this room its hiding Slurpuff?" Rin asks her Pokémon, looking around for the hidden Ghost type as well.

"Slur..." Slurpuff takes a few more good sniffs, then finds it instantly. "Slurpuff!" It runs over to what appears to be a sword, leaning against a chair on the other side of the room, and points to it. "Slurpuff! Slur!"

Ruri and Rin both look at the sword, getting even more confused. "That's the Ghost Slurpuff?" Rin asks her Pokémon.

Slurpuff nods once again. "Slurpuff."

"Hmmm..." Ruri slowly approaches the sword, thinking that maybe Slurpuff is right after all. "Is it really...?"

She goes to touch it, but the sword suddenly starts to float in mid-air on its own.

This is yet another surprise for the girls, as they begin to back away from the sword, slowly.

"Uhhhh...Ruri, what's going on?" Rin questions, not understanding this just yet.

But Ruri sure does. "Slurpuff was right Rin. It is a Pokémon."

The sword unsheathes itself, and the answer becomes clear. "Honedge!"

Rin's fears vanish, now that she knows what their dealing with, looking at the Ghost type Pokémon. "Oh, it all makes sense now. Its a Honedge." She turns back to her Slurpuff, smiling at it. "Good job Slurpuff, thank you. Return for now." She recalls her Pokémon.

Ruri narrows her eyes at this wild Ghost type, then pulls out one of her own Poke Balls.

Rin notices this, knowing what Ruri is planning to do. "I can already see where this is going. Good luck Ruri." She smiles at her friend, taking several steps back to give her some space.

Ruri smiles back at her friend, and nods. "Thanks Rin. Im gonna catch this Honedge. It'll make a great addition to my team, and give me a full team of six. Go Clawitzer!" She throws her own Pokémon into this battle.

It appears, looking ready to add a new teammate and friend to the party. "Clawitzer!"

Honedge gets right to the point. "Honedge!" It uses Shadow Sneak, hitting Clawitzer from behind, and fast too.

"Shadow Sneak. Pretty good first move Honedge. Hang tough Clawitzer, and use Water Pulse!" Ruri strikes back fiercely, a nice grin on her face.

"Claw, Clawitzer!" Clawitzer obeys, hitting Honedge right back with a powerful move.

Despite the damage, Honedge doesn't quit. "Honedge..." It uses Autotomize to raise its speed, then goes in for another attack. "Hon...edge!" It uses Night Slash this time, hitting Clawitzer fast and hard.

Clawitzer still refuses to go down though, as Ruri makes an observation. "Honedge's ability is No Guard, so all of the moves it uses, and all the moves we use will hit every time. A pretty good ability, but it also works for us too. I cant let this drag on for too long, every second I waist here, Draco gets further and further away." Ruri thinks about Draco, making her confidence and determination sore high. "Lets finish this now Clawitzer, Dark Pulse now!"

"Claw...itzer!" Clawitzer puts everything it has into this next attack, and since it cant miss, Honedge takes the full power of a super effective hit, powered up by Clawitzer's Mega Launcher.

Honedge falls to the ground, in no shape to continue battling. "Honnnn..."

Ruri sees the chance, grabbing an empty Poke Ball from her bag. "Alright, Poke Ball go!" She throws it at the down Honedge.

The Poke Ball hits, and Honedge goes inside.

The Poke Ball then begins to shake, as Ruri, Rin, and Clawitzer all watch to see if the capture will be successful or not.

After several seconds, the Poke Ball finally stops shaking, making this capture a success.

Ruri smiles at this, then walks over, and picks up the Poke Ball. "Alright! We did it Clawitzer! We caught Honedge!"

Clawitzer is happy at this result too. "Clawitzer!"

"Thanks Clawitzer. We've got a new friend." Ruri smiles at her Pokémon, then recalls it, putting both it, and Honedge's Poke Ball away for now.

Rin smiles at Ruri, walking back over to her. "A very nice catch Ruri. It might not be a Fairy or Ice type, but its still awesome."

Ruri turns, smiling back at Rin. "Thanks Rin, Im glad to finally have my sixth Pokémon, and a new friend in Honedge."

With the mystery of the Ghost Pokémon solved, Ruri and Rin head back downstairs to wait for the rain to stop, doing what ever they can to pass the time, both of them hoping it ends soon.

However, the two female trainers end up waiting for over two hours, but the rain has no end in sight.

This makes both of them a bit stir crazy, especially with the fact that all Ruri is able to think about is Draco getting further and further away from them with every second that passes.

Given this realization, Ruri decides that they've waited long enough, and its way passed time to do something. "Okay, I think we've waited long enough. We have to go Rin, now. We cant waist anymore time just sitting here doing nothing."

"Are you saying that we should run through the rain then Ruri?" Rin asks her, just wanting to be sure.

Ruri nods in response. "We have no choice Rin. Its not that much further to Laverre City. Once we get there, we'll go to the Pokémon Center, get warmed up, and get our clothes cleaned and dried. And Im not leaving without you Rin. Please come with me."

Rin looks at Ruri, then out the window. She takes a deep breath, and turns back to her friend, nodding. "Okay, Im with you Ruri. Lets go."

Ruri smiles at her once again. "Thanks Rin. If we run it wont take long for us to reach the city."

Rin smiles back at her, nodding again. "Ill follow your lead."

Both trainers get ready, then open the door, and run as quickly as they can out into the rain, heading straight through the swamp to Laverre City.

However, just as they think they've reached the end of the route, their path is blocked by a bunch of huge tree roots, growing right up from out of the swamp.

This really confuses the girls, as they try to find another way out, but its the same thing every time.

After trying and failing to find an exit five times, Rin begins to get rather frustrated. "What the heck is going on here?!"

"I don't know Rin. There tree roots cant have been here for very long. Something must've made them grow here. If we can find the source, we should be able to find a way out of here." Ruri begin to look around for the source of the tree roots.

"The source has already found you girls." A voice is suddenly heard through the trees, followed by footsteps, getting closer and closer to the girls.

Both girls turn in the direction of the voice, and for some strange reason, they both somehow recognize it.

The being soon steps out into view. Its Phantom. He currently wearing his shades and looking right at the girls.

Rin smiles when she sees him, remembering them being a tag battle team back in Shalour City. "Phantom, its so good to see you again! What are you-" She then stops cold, losing her smile, and remembering everything that Ruri told her about Phantom, Team Overlords, and the Pokemorphs.

Ruri begins to feel very uneasy, looking at Phantom like she can just feel that something bad is about to happen. "Stay back Rin!"

Rin listens, moving behind Ruri, never taking her eyes off Phantom.

Ruri gathers her courage, and looks right at Phantom, having to yell because of the rain. "What are you doing here Phantom?! Are you the one that made all these tree roots?!"

Phantom laughs a little, then grins at the two girls. "I guess its all out in the open now, isn't it?! Lets just cut to the chase, you two ladies are coming with me right now!"

Rin is shocked to hear this from Phantom. "Phantom...but why?!"

Ruri glares at Phantom now. "He's with them Rin! With Team Overlords! Im right, aren't I?!"

"It really took you this long to figure it out?! Look at my face!" Phantom takes off his shades, revealing his one big eye to the girls.

This is a real shock to the two trainers, as they both look at Phantom with wide eyes. "...Oh my Arceus..." Is all Rin can say at this moment, starting to get very scared.

"Draco was right." Ruri says to herself, getting scared too.

Phantom laughs a bit more at their reactions. "Im not just a member of Team Overlords! Im an Admin! And also, a Pokemorph!" He begins to change. He grows horns that look like tree branches on his head, his skin turns to bark, his hands change into three fingered claws, his feet and legs become tree roots, and he grows leaves on his wrists and horns, his body growing much bigger then that of a normal human being, and his clothes somehow changing to fit his new body and size.

Ruri and Rin watch his transformation in horror, both of them shaking with fear a little.

Phantom looks down at the girls in his new form, as a bolt of lightning lights up the whole area in an instant. "Allow me to introduce myself! Im Phantom! A Team Overlords Admin, and a Trevenant Pokemorph!"

Both Ruri and Rin look up at Phantom's true form, their fear growing.

However, this doesn't stop Ruri from putting on the bravest face she can, taking a step forward. "C'mon Rin, we have to fight back!"

Rin looks at Ruri, shocked and confused. "Seriously Ruri?! You wanna fight that...thing?!"

Ruri turns back to her, looking as brave as she can. "I know our chances are slim, but if we just do nothing then he'll capture us, remember?! So c'mon, lets show this thing what we can do Rin!"

Looking back at Ruri, Rin begins to feel a tiny spark of confidence herself. She stands at Ruri's side, and both of them ready a Poke Ball. "Okay, lets give our best shot Ruri!"

Ruri nods, then throws her Poke Ball up. "Im counting on you Aurorus!"

Rin throws up her Poke Ball as well. "Don't let me down Vanillish!"

Both of their Pokémon appear, glaring at Phantom, determined to keep their trainers safe. "Aurorus!"

"Vanill, ish!"

Phantom just grins at this. "So we're gonna do this the hard way then?! Fine by me! Take your best shot!"

Ruri keeps glaring at him. "Oh we will! Aurorus!"

Rin glares at him too. "Vanillish!"

"Double Ice Beam attack!" Ruri and Rin yell out their commands at the exact same time.

"Auror...us!"

"Vanill...ish!" Aurorus and Vanillish both fire their Ice Beam attacks in perfect unison.

The two Ice Beams combine, and then hit Phantom dead center, with tons of power.

"Did we get him?!" Rin yells out, as both girls wait to see the result of their combination attack.

However, they quickly see that their attack did little to no damage to Phantom, as he just laughs even more. "Hey, not too bad girls! Care to take another shot?!"

Ruri and Rin look at Phantom, both of them far more shocked then before, and they both also begin to feel hopeless.

"Allow me to explain! See, we Pokemorphs are far stronger then any human or Pokémon, including the legendary Pokémon! Sure, the legendary Pokémon give us a bit more trouble, but that's why we have more then one Pokemorph! Our stats are far greater then any Pokémon, so while your attack was super effective, it'll take a lot more then that to beat one of us!" Phantom explains to the girls, as another flash and bolt of lightning are seen and heard.

"No way...Power like this...it cant be real." Rin shakes again, having no idea what to do now.

And Ruri isn't much better, her confidence slowly fading away.

"What?! No second attack?! Fine then, my turn! Energy Ball!" Phantom makes two Energy Ball's, one in each hand. Then he throws them at Aurorus and Vanillish.

His attack hits hard, and both Pokémon are instantly unable to battle.

Ruri and Rin lose even more confidence now, as they both recall their Pokémon.

"That was just one hit! Ruri, what do we do?!" Rin turns to her, feeling very scared now.

Ruri tries to give her a reassuring answer, but even she has started to lose hope as well. "...I don't know Rin."

"Ill field that one! As I said, you ladies are coming with me! Now!" Phantom begins moving, heading towards Ruri and Rin.

Ruri and Rin look at him, shaking slightly, as they both back up, but back into his tree roots. Their trapped, with no where to go, and neither of them has any options left.

Phantom looks down at them and laughs a bit more. "Don't worry, our master will take good care of you two!"

Suddenly, something very surprising happens, even for Phantom.

From out of the murky, muddy swamp water behind Phantom, two giant claws emerge out of nowhere, both of them completely covered in mud. They grab hold of Phantom's arms, and hold on tightly.

This shocks Phantom, as he's not sure what's going on at all. "What the?! Who or what are you?! Let me go!" He struggles to break free, but its no good.

Ruri and Rin watch this, both of them getting even more scared, Ruri keeping a good hold on Rin for protection.

But then, the two large claws throw Phantom back, right into the trees from where he came.

Phantom hits the trees, really feeling the impact of that. "Urgh...What the heck?!"

After that, the creature the claws are attached to slowly emerges out of the swamp. This new creature is even bigger then Phantom in his Pokemorph form, but its so covered in mud that none of them can make it out very well. The creature glares at Phantom and roars loudly, its roar proving to be even louder then the lightning.

"What the heck is that?! Please tell me its on our side!" Rin hides behind Ruri, praying that this new creature doesn't attack her and Ruri too.

This new creature doesn't look like any Pokémon Ruri has seen before, and its not just because of the mud covering its entire body.

The creature then opens its large mouth, and fires what appears to be an extremely powerful Dragon Pulse at Phantom.

"Oh crap!" Phantom yells out, right before the Dragon Pulse hits hard, a large explosion following the impact.

After that, the creature turns back to Ruri and Rin, preparing to fire another Dragon Pulse.

Rin begins to cry, getting even more scared. While Ruri keeps Rin behind her, bracing herself for the impact.

However, the creature then does something unexpected. It fires its Dragon Pulse at Phantom's tree roots, blasting a very big hole in them, and giving Ruri and Rin a way out.

Ruri and Rin both see this, and begin to calm down, wondering why the creature would help them like that. But when they turn back to where the creature was, they find that its already gone.

"...What was that thing Ruri?" Rin asks her, taking several deep breaths.

Ruri does the same. "...I don't know Rin, but it saved our lives. Lets go, quick."

Rin nods furiously, then both she and Ruri run through the opening the creature made for them, and continuing onto Laverre City.

They both feel a strange mixture of relief and curiosity, grateful that creature saved them, but also wondering what it was exactly.

A little after that, Draco walks out of some trees, arriving in Laverre City himself. The rain doesn't seem to bother him, but he's also covered in a good amount of mud for some reason. He takes a deep breath, and keeps walking, entering the city. "I did what I had to do. I hope you can forgive me for this mom."

Meanwhile, Phantom emerges from what looks like his Phantom Force attack. He's breathing heavily, leaning against a tree for support. "...Damn it...What the hell what that thing?..."

"Awww, what's the matter Phantom? Capturing two little girls too difficult for you?" Flare suddenly appears, flying down to him, landing in the tree he's leaning on, and smirking down at him.

Phantom glares up at her. "Shut it Flare...You had trouble dealing with someone before too ya know."

"True, and it looks like Flare's report turned out to be right after all." Ideo steps into view as well, looking at his defeated comrade.

"Maybe so...But even if it is the same guy, what are we gonna do about it?" Phantom questions, wanting to get revenge just as badly as Flare.

Suddenly, a new being steps out into view, standing at Ideo's side. "Ill tell you all what we're gonna do. The time for these little games is over. This time, we'll all go. And this time, we'll bring them all to our master. One way, or another."

Flare, Ideo, and Phantom all exchange some looks, then grin evilly, and nod in agreement.

The new being grins the same way. "Perfect." The new being licks her lips in anticipation. "I cant wait to get started. Dragons are my absolute favorite prey." She laughs to herself a little, as yet another flash is seen, followed by another loud bolt of lightning.

Jeez, talk about a lucky break, huh? Looks like Ruri and Rin managed to escape the swamp, and with Ruri adding a new Pokémon and friend to her team to boot. But while Team Overlords' capture plan might've failed this time, it looks to me like their far from finished, and their wrath is soon to come. Very soon indeed. Will Ruri and Rin be able to catch another lucky break? What will become of Draco in all of this? Just what was that creature that saved Ruri and Rin? And what is about to happen in Laverre City? Trust me when I say you don't wanna miss the next chapter of Pokémon Clear Version.