POKÉMON: CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS

#28: Indigo Intrigue, Part 3

The shadows obscured him quite well. There was no need for apprehension. Everything was going exactly as he had planned. The next phase of the plan was nearly complete; all it took was a phone call to make absolutely sure.

There was a ring. His patience rewarded, he took out the cell phone and answered, "Speak."

"It's done," the voice from earlier spoke, "The next phase is in motion."

"Is he looking?"

There was a soft chuckle, "He's deployed his entire team as his search party. He's truly worried."

"Excellent," he replied, a grin crossing his face, "How goes the detective's progress?"

"Each has lost one Pokémon," the voice recapped, "A bit of a rough start, but the good investigator will succeed. No doubt about it."

Yes, everything was going exactly as he had planned. "Stay hidden," he spoke into the receiver, "Make sure that little imbecile Dontae doesn't find your 'kidnappee'. The next step is mine to initiate, so wait for my signal."

"It begins tomorrow, right?" the voice asked, "When the Rogue enters the finals?"

"Indeed," he replied confidently, "Remember to wait for my signal. If all goes to plan, though, you won't be as necessary as I fear, but it is always nice to have a little . . . . leverage."

The voice gave another soft laugh, "I will wait, then. The Rogue will fall tomorrow, one way or another!" There was a click. Then silence.

At the Rogue's signal, Golbat came gliding back to his side, when suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pocket; the PokéCell was ringing. Employing sleight of hand, the Rogue used one hand to cover the other as it reached for the cell, and his eyes widened as he read the text on the screen:

"CANT FIND STACY. LOOKING N NRTH COLISEUM. SENT MY TEAM TO LOOK 4 HER. NEED HELP.

DONTAE"

He stood frozen for a moment, and it seemed then that the whole stadium had gone completely silent. The long, awkward pause lasted just long enough for the announcer to finally pry, "Interesting, folks! Ryoguchi, it seems, has taken some time to contemplate! Is he placing extra thought into his next Pokémon choice, or has he been surprised beyond movement of Naomi's skills! The tension mounts, battle fans! What will the Trainer do now?"

Naomi seemed to dislike waiting as well, "Yoo-hoo, Ryoguchi! Time to make your choice, dear. Don't want to keep our fans waiting, do we?"

The Rogue closed his eyes and sighed, then, as quickly and subtly as he could, pressed a message into his cell to return to Dontae:

"B THERE SOON. KEEP LOOKING.

– R"

He then dropped his phone back into his pocket, took up his next Ball, and readied for the rest of the battle. Across the way, Naomi had a Ball already in hand, "Well, it's about time. Are we ready, dear?"

The Rogue nodded, enlarged his PokéBall, and deployed his next battler, "Kabutops, strategize!"

At the same time, Naomi placidly deployed her own, "Dugtrio, please assist me."

Both Balls went off with a PANG, and while Kabutops took to the field on the Rogue's side (evidenced further by its picture appearing under 'Ryoguchi's' on the jumbo screen), Naomi's battler took her side as well, on the field as well as on the scoreboard. Dugtrio, a Ground-type, was a simple-looking creature that poked over two feet out of a small hole in the ground. Each identical brown body was cylindrical with a rounded dome head, and each head's rough, grimacing face was merely two black, beady eyes and a round mouth. Each head, aside from size and facial expression, perfectly resembled Dugtrio's pre-evolution, the smaller, single-bodied Diglett.

"And now for the next round, battle fans!" the announcer bellowed, "Ryoguchi sends in Kabutops, while Naomi counters with a Dugtrio! The type advantage could go either way, what with Dugtrio's Ground-type being stronger than Rock, but weaker than Water, so this battle should be very interesting!"

The Rogue began the next round, "Kabutops, Water Pulse!"

"Double Team!" Naomi commanded.

"Trio, trio, trio!" the three heads chanted in unison, and like many Pokémon the Rogue had seen before it, Dugtrio used mind-blowing speed to split itself into two entities. Kabutops' pulsating water rings struck the fake Dugtrio, negating all damage.

"Quick!" the Rogue followed up, "Use Slash!" Kabutops obeyed, racing in and stretching out its scythe-like claws for the assault.

"Sand-Attack!" Naomi countered, and Dugtrio's front head suddenly, and very rapidly, buried itself in the ground and popped back out over and over again like a Whack-a-Mole game gone berserk, generating a cloud of sand that struck Kabutops full in the face. Although Kabutops' Slash was a fortuitous success, the ancient creature continued to swing its claws blindly, being nowhere close to securing another direct hit.

"Good!" Naomi cheerfully encouraged her Pokémon, "Now, another Double Team!"

"TRIO!" the three-headed rodential creature answered, "Trio, trio!" Once again utilizing the impossible speed of the move, two clones split into four, and Dugtrio's evasion went up again.

The Rogue made another attempt at an offensive, "Try another Water Pulse, Kabutops!" Kabutops obeyed, but its attempt to strike was met by another Sand-Attack; once again, its aim was thrown, and Dugtrio suffered no damage.

The suffering for Kabutops, however, was only about to begin.

"Fissure!" Naomi called out triumphantly, and at once, the real Dugtrio disappeared beneath the dirt. Suddenly, a rumble began deep underground, rising and strengthening, until it was far stronger than even an Earthquake. Like Guillotine and Horn Drill, Fissure was a rare move that, when used successfully, would knock out its target in one hit; the rumble that would potentially cause this only increased from there, until both the Rogue and Naomi were forced to their knees by the overwhelming vibrations. After a while, the rumbling ceased, but there was only a split-second of calm before the attack truly began: a deafening roar sounded off as an enormous fault suddenly tore through the ground, the crack shredding a path directly toward Kabutops. Before the Shellfish Pokémon had a chance to react, the fault powered beneath its feet and, as if left in the wake of some incredible, unseen force, pushed Kabutops up off its feet, throwing it dozens of feet in the air. Kabutops landed with a terrible CRASH, rolled over several times in the dirt, and moaned as it fell unconscious.

Naturally, the announcer could hardly contain himself, "UNBELIEVABLE! ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE! Naomi's Dugtrio lands a perfect Fissure, knocking Ryoguchi's Kabutops right out of the battle! INSTANTLY! The action is insane, ladies and gentlemen! Just plain INSANE!"

The Rogue released a barely audible growl as he returned Kabutops (his Pokémon's picture went black on the scoreboard); his frustration with the announcer notwithstanding, this battle was taking far too long. If Stacy was truly in danger, she needed to be found immediately. Once again, he cursed himself for leaving her alone, and hoped desperately that Dontae was handling things to the best of his ability. With any luck, he'd have found her already.

Switching Kabutops for the one Pokémon he was sure could counter Dugtrio's moves, the Rogue drew back and threw, "Charizard, strategize!" The white light flashed, and Charizard stomped onto the battlefield, roaring pridefully and readying for combat.

"Ryoguchi's cleverness strikes again!" boomed the announcer, "Charizard, being half-Flying, is totally immune to the Ground-type Fissure! How will Naomi react to this? Will she switch, like she did with Clefable? Hard to say until we see!"

"Hmm!" Naomi grinned interestedly as she dusted off the front of her skirt, "Impressive. But not quite enough! Rock Tomb!"

"Trio! Trio!" Dugtrio replied as, suddenly, each head began spinning in place. Just like with Brock's Onix, a cluster of heavy rocks dropped from the sky out of nowhere, aiming to bury Charizard.

The Rogue's instincts were faster, "Charizard, Smokescreen!" Charizard roared as it released a thick cloud of smoke onto the battlefield once again, obscuring it from Dugtrio's view. The Rock Tomb fell into the cloud of smoke, but there was only a THUMP following the landing of each one: no roars of pain indicating the move's success.

Knowing how effective Rock Tomb would be against a Fire/Flying hybrid, the Rogue hurriedly made a return to the offensive, "Aerial Ace!"

Charizard roared again and took off, rising above the smoke while performing a masterful loop-de-loop in the air. Dugtrio saw it coming and dove back into its copies, but it did no good; like it did against Nelson's Gengar, Charizard swept the field, knocking away three fake Dugtrios and striking the real one with all his might. Dazed, and still having taken damage from Kabutops' Slash, the three heads each bent awkwardly over in exhaustion, looking like a trio of collapsed wieners.

As the announcer squawked on and Dugtrio's picture blackened on the scoreboard, Naomi returned her Pokémon. "Well, how about that?" she asked delightedly, "We just keep matching each other. Isn't that funny?" She smiled as she swapped Dugtrio's Ball for the next, "As much as I'd like to stay even with you, dear, I'm afraid I must take control of this battle. Dragonair, please assist me!" She threw the Ball, and with a flash of light and a PANG, Dragonite's pre-evolution appeared on the battlefield. It was a serpentine creature, thin and over thirteen feet long, with vivid dark-blue skin and a white underside that went all the way down to its tail, small angelic wings for ears, and a small horn on its forehead.

"Here's the next round, battle fans!" the announcer provided, "The dragon-like Charizard versus the Dragon-type Dragonair! Both Pokémon have proven to be amazing powerhouses on their respective teams, so it would surely have made sense to see this battle saved for last here today! The surprises continue to delight in the semifinals today, ladies and gentlemen!"

The Rogue quickly made the first move, "Use Heat Wave!" Charizard roared, threw back its head, and exhaled the mighty orange gale of heat at Dragonair, propelling it with a series of flaps from its wings. Dragonair was struck, and its resistance to Fire clearly showed that it wasn't that much damage. However, even through the announcer's ridiculous rantings over what a bad idea that move was, the Rogue saw his advantage: a Burn on Dragonair's neck, just below the blue, jewel-like orb under its mouth.

"Ooh!" Naomi grinned, "Interesting! Dragonair, use Dragon Dance!" Dragonair responded with an excited squeal, and then began moving swiftly and gracefully from side to side on its end of the battlefield like an elegant ribbon dancer. With each lithe movement, its speed seemed to increase; the Rogue knew that it had, along with its attack power, and that the Burn would soon become redundant.

"Quick!" the Rogue ordered, "Use Metal Claw!" Charizard roared, and swiftly powered across the field on its wings. Its claws lengthened and gleamed with a metal coating, and when Charizard reached its opponent, it swung its claws with ferocious force.

"Iron Tail!" Naomi countered just in time, and Dragonair met Charizard's metallic claws with the last four feet of its tail, which had also gained a silvery metal sheen (including the clear blue orbs on the end that resembled the sphere on its neck). The two moves met in midair with a horrific CLAAAAAANG sound, and both Pokémon were forced back several feet, taking substantial damage.

The Rogue saw the power boost in his own Pokémon, and made his next move quickly, "Another Metal Claw!"

Naomi made her next move in rapid succession, "Outrage!"

Dragonair's voice suddenly changed in tone from a light squeal to a fear-inducing roar, and it began radiating a fiery red aura. Its black eyes glowed stark white, and it coiled up, ready to strike. When Charizard approached, Dragonair sprang forward in a crushing tackle, knocking the wind out of Charizard and plowing it into the dirt. The follow-up Metal Claw hadn't even touched the Dragon Pokémon.

"Amazing!" the announcer's voice grated on the air, "Dragonair's Outrage has overcome its Burn and floored Charizard spectacularly! And with the speed boost also courtesy of Dragon Dance, the edge clearly belongs to Naomi in this round! Hopefully, the Confusion that is the drawback for use of Outrage won't be too much of an issue!"

That's when Dragonair began to glow.

The Rogue made a double-take, at first believing that his opponent's Pokémon was evolving. This wasn't the case, though; the light wasn't as strong, and the form change wasn't present. Instead, the white glow permeated Dragonair's body for a moment, then split up the middle, separating into two thin, equal halves. The two halves of the coat of light then fell away from Dragonair in two opposite directions, and the Dragon-type suddenly showed a new vitality. The Rogue could see how; Dragonair's Burn was gone.

The announcer naturally supplemented the action, "Wow, folks! Ryoguchi's strategy in wearing down Dragonair backfires! With the Shed Skin ability at Dragonair's disposal, it has a chance of shedding off status ailments, such as Paralysis, Poison, or Burns!"

Naomi made her move with an excited grin, "Continue with Outrage!" Dragonair's body emanated that same fiery aura, and it charged across the field, ramming into Charizard again before the Rogue could even call its next move. Without the Burn crippling its strength, the attack was stronger than before, and Charizard roared in agony as it was knocked unconscious for the first time in this tournament.

"The action takes a breathtaking turn, folks!" the announcer bellowed, "Mighty Charizard is struck out! This was Ryoguchi's trump card, and now its gone! How does the Trainer plan on continuing this battle?!"

"Oh, don't fret!" Naomi called out, seemingly to no one, as she returned her Dragonair, "I'm sure Ryoguchi's got some fight left in him." She then addressed her foe directly, "Don't you, darling?"

As Dragonair's picture went monochrome and Charizard's went completely black, the Rogue found it almost painful to return his fallen Charizard. Return it he did, though, but the selection of another battler proved to be perplexing. Deciding to give Naomi a reason not to send Dragonair back out anytime soon, the Rogue made his choice and opened his next PokéBall, "Seadra, strategize!" In a flash of light, Seadra appeared, peaceful, but steeled for combat.

Naomi grinned as she took up her next Ball, "Hmmm, another interesting choice." She held up her Ball, enlarged and threw, "Jynx, please assist me."

In a flash, another Pokémon joined the battle. It was humanoid, with long blond hair, puffy pink lips, and purple skin (or was it black? The Rogue couldn't quite tell). It wore a long red dress with a hem that pooled on the floor around its feet, and the fabric shook as the creature wiggled its hips seductively and babbled in a strange language, "Thella gact tamoc nomekop!"

The Rogue ignored the by-now mandatory 'here's the next round' speech from the announcer and made the first move, "Water Pulse!" Seadra honked in reply, aimed its snout at Jynx, and prepared to launch its pulsing water-rings.

"Jynx, use Attract!" Naomi called out just as quickly.

"Staysh gruckee dasi nati!" Jynx babbled, then struck a supermodel pose, winking and blowing a kiss at Seadra, "Tic ario stratyas . . ."

Seadra did not respond in the slightest, and launched its move with its usual precision. Despite its efforts to seduce Seadra, Jynx was bombarded by the dizzying water-rings. This gave the Rogue a surplus of hope; in his battle with Nelson, he had been disadvantaged by Gengar's Attract because his male Charizard had fought a female Gengar. Through reasoning, the Rogue deduced that, because Jynx is an all-female species, and because Attract only works against the opposite gender, his Seadra must be a female.

Water Pulse's side effect had not worked, and Jynx still kept her faculties. Naomi capitalized on this and made her next move, "Use Lovely Kiss!"

The Rogue knew what Lovely Kiss did, and panicked, "Smokescreen!" Seadra honked again and exhaled a cloud of black from its snout.

This did not stop Jynx. "Vul sev brev gles doota!" she babbled as she sauntered up to Seadra, the swish in her hips uninhibited even in the face of a female opponent. Just after Seadra had blown the smoke out onto the battlefield, Jynx lowered her face to Seadra's and planted her lips firmly on the side of Seadra's snout, giving her a wet, noisy smooch. In a matter of seconds, Seadra's eyes fluttered, and the Water-type flopped to the ground, Asleep.

As usual, the announcer went nuts, and both Trainers ignored him. Naomi's follow-up was on point, "Now, for a Focus Punch!"

"Keneta sugimoogee moriquaaaaa!" Jynx chanted as she aimed her glowing fist at the sleeping Seadra. With the seahorse-like creature unable to attack and disrupt the move, the charge for the attack fell through, and Jynx launched a devastating Focus Punch. Seadra was slammed in the gut, lifted ten feet off the ground, and flung painfully to the farthest wall of the arena; she slept through the entire attack.

"Wake up, Seadra!" the Rogue desperately commanded, just as he had to his Kabutops during the third round, "I need your help! We have to get out of this battle as quickly as possible! Please wake up!"

"Oh?" Naomi took in the Rogue's desperate pleas, "Get out of the battle? Whatever for, dear? I'm just getting warmed up! Focus Punch again!"

"Chigu nana pefweedaaaa!" Jynx went on babbling as she readied another punch, Once again, with nothing around to stop the charging phase, the attack was made successfully, and Seadra was pummeled by the powerful Fighting-type attack again. This time, though, Seadra finally woke up, shook a little bit, and stood at attention, ready to return the favor.

The announcer blared on, "Well, it's about time! Seadra has finally awakened, and the battle can now continue! What surprises will Seadra have now that its awake? The cat-fight gets wilder and wilder!"

Naomi grinned again as she made her next move, "Well, we'll just have to see if we can stop you in your tracks. Jynx, use Ice Punch!"

The Rogue made his comeback in the form of a repeat of a previous move, "Smokescreen!"

Seadra cawed out her compliance and puffed out another cloud of smoke. At that time, Jynx had balled up her hand into a fist again, but this time, instead of glowing white, it sparkled with a freezing blue mist. With the earlier Smokescreen adding to the equation, Jynx's move was a miss, and she let known her frustration, "Furgle no meeba koptarg?!"

The Rogue finally switched to the offensive, "Use Water Pulse!" Seadra squawked and launched the move again, and the water-rings sailed out of the smoke cloud Seadra hid in, striking Jynx and making her waver about in Confusion.

"Now, strafe it with Twister!" the Rogue commanded, and Seadra squawked as she emerged from her cloud, blowing a harsh tornado of blue energy at Jynx. The attack struck, making the Humanshape Pokémon Flinch, and it was no time at all before the next Twister struck.

This move did not make Jynx Flinch, but the Confusion still remained, and Jynx slapped herself in the face, mumbling more nonsense words, "Hespi enni roaki . . . ."

After one last Twister made Jynx Flinch again, the Rogue ended the battle, "Water Pulse!"

Seadra cawed and projected another series of water-rings. Jynx was bombarded with the Water-type attack and thrown backwards, landing roughly on her back. Jynx rolled over onto her face and muttered one last muffled utterance, "Blagmeeeee . . . . ."

"And now it's half-and-half, folks!" the announcer blared as Jynx's portrait went completely black on the screen, "Naomi is now down to three Pokémon, and brave Ryoguchi has evened the score again! These two mighty Trainers are trading blows amazingly well, and no doubt both are still only showing part of their strength!"

Naomi, instead of showing irritation at 'Ryoguchi's' persistence, seemed oddly pleased. "Oooh, this is exciting!" she grinned as she returned her Jynx and switched its Ball for another, "I'm having so much fun! Are you having a lovely time too, Ryoguchi, darling?"

The Rogue could feel worried frustration creeping up on him, but strove to hide it in his reply, "Uhhh . . . yeah . . . . I'm impressed so far . . . ."

"As am I," Naomi replied with a wink, "But we can't keep up this little tete-a-tete forever, dear." Enlarging her new PokéBall, she called upon her next battler, "Lapras, please assist me!" The white flash and PANG sound signaled the arrival of Naomi's battler, a large, blue reptilian creature that towered at just over eight feet in height. It resembled the ancient plesiosaur, as it had four fins as its limbs, a long neck and a stiff, grey carapace on its back. It also sported a cream-colored underside, curled-back crests on the sides of its head, and a short, dully rounded horn on its forehead (in bold contrast to the sharp-pointed horns of Rapidash and Dragonair). It widened its mouth and sang out in a pleasant, melodic call as it pushed itself along on the battlefield, ready to fight in spite of its gentle appearance.

"Lapras, use Thunderbolt!" Naomi called triumphantly. Lapras sang out beautifully as the horn on its head began sizzling with yellow electricity. The arrow of hazardous electrical energy shot from the Transport Pokémon's horn, aiming right for Seadra.

The Rogue's reflexes went off as quickly as the Thunderbolt, "Smokescreen!" Seadra blasted the field with another cloud of smoke, and dodged the attack by diving into it just in time.

Undeterred, Naomi followed up quickly, "Hail!" Lapras sang out loudly again, and in moments, the smoke was accompanied by a wickedly cold winter storm that blanketed the field almost as well as Sandslash's Sandstorm would have.

Similarly to that move, the Rogue remembered, Hail would damage non-Ice-types little by little over time, and coupled with Lapras' use of the super-effective Thunderbolt, the Rogue needed to act quickly. "Use Twister!" the Rogue called, attempting to use Seadra's superior speed to his advantage. Seadra obeyed, spraying out the blue vortex of draconic energy.

"Blizzard!" Naomi commanded, and Lapras took a deep breath, singing out harmoniously again as it exhaled a monstrous frozen wind. Seadra's Twister paled in comparison to this freezing tempest, and the weaker move glanced off of Lapras while Seadra was stricken harshly by the Blizzard. When the move settled, Seadra was covered in snow, and its face, back and limbs were coated with a thick layer of ice, restricting its movements.

"UNBELIEVABLE!" the announcer practically sang it, "Seadra has been Frozen! Ryoguchi's attempts to ward off Lapras' powerful attacks have proved fruitless! What can he do now?!"

"Hmmm," Naomi continued her excited grin, "Right where I want you. Thunderbolt, Lapras!" Lapras vocalized its compliance, and launched another blistering bolt of lightning. This time, unable to run or hide, Seadra took the attack, squealing in pain as the lightning coursed over her body. The ice broke away, the snow evaporated instantly from Seadra's body, and the Water-type collapsed, squeaking in pain and unable to fight any longer.

"Ryoguchi's in trouble now, folks!" the announcer yelled, much to the Rogue's persisting chagrin, "He's down to just two Pokémon now! Will he strike back and even the score again, or will Naomi be able to keep up her momentum! The tension is reaching its peak, battle-fans!"

The Rogue glanced through the Hail and up at Seadra's blackening picture on the scoreboard as he returned her. Next to him, Golbat shook and chattered eagerly, looking ready to be called back into action. "Not yet," the Rogue urged, gently shaking his head, "If you faint now, you won't be able to help me look for Stacy. I'll need you to finish this battle so you can stay conscious and cover the area from the sky. That means I have to save you for last, so just stay calm." Golbat nodded, reluctant but compliant, not letting its orders interrupt its zealous determination.

Swapping Seadra's Ball for the last one on its belt, the Rogue took a deep sigh and steeled himself for the rest of the battle. "Jolteon, strategize!" he called as he threw the Ball, and in a flash, Jolteon stood ready, relaxed and focused in the face of danger.

The announcer declared the switch to the audience, and the battle continued quickly. "Jolteon, use Thunder Wave!" the Rogue commanded, determined to retake control of the battle.

"San-Da!" Jolteon barked, generating the wave of static electricity from its jagged pelt. Lapras' dismal speed betrayed it, and before it could make its move, it was stricken and partially immobilized with Paralysis.

"Oooh!" Naomi gasped, surprised, "You're a spunky one! Lapras, use Hyper Beam!" Lapras' mellifluous song intensified as a white-hot ball of light formed in its mouth. Lapras launched the incredibly powerful beam of white energy from its mouth, aiming it right at Jolteon.

"Sweep the field and use Double-Kick!" the Rogue called out just as the beam was launched.

"San-Da, San-Da!" Jolteon howled and took off like a shot, speeding across the field and just barely missing the Hyper Beam. Proving to be Lapras' obvious superior in agility, Jolteon approached the Water/Ice hybrid quickly, turned nimbly and thrust its back legs into Lapras' chest donkey-style. Lapras whined in pain and shuffled back; being a Fighting-type move, Double-Kick took its super-effective toll on the larger creature.

The Rogue followed up quickly, "Use Shadow Ball!"

"Another Hyper Beam!" Naomi countered. Both Pokémon aimed their attacks, Lapras forming another potent energy attack in its mouth while Jolteon's mouth conjured a murky ball of dark energy. The Hyper Beam was angled down, while the Shadow Ball was launched upwards; both attacks struck, and while Lapras was caught in the face by the ball of darkness, Jolteon was thrown back to its own side of the field from the force of the blast. Lapras was obviously still ready for more, but Jolteon looked as though it was nearly expended, and it struggled with all its remaining strength to get up.

Suddenly, Lapras collapsed, still conscious, but obviously exhausted. The successful Hyper Beam's drawback, a forced turn skip for recharging energy, was getting the better of it, and it lay sprawled on the field, weak and exposed.

The Rogue quickly took advantage of it, "Thunder!"

Jolteon nodded, its pelt sizzled and crackled, and a thunderclap sounded off as clouds swirled in the sky. Jolteon then screamed as it released an overwhelming bolt of lightning upon its enemy, "SAAAAAAN-DAAAAAAAAAA!"

Lapras, unable to escape in time, squealed in agony as the lightning bolt struck it hard, sending crackling shock waves rattling through its body. Jolteon cut the power on its move, and Lapras lay there in the dirt, skin smoking and eyes rolling in its head; appropriately, the hailstorm around the battlefield faded at the same time. With one last dulcet sigh, Lapras' head fell forward, and its consciousness ebbed, declaring it unfit for the rest of the battle.

"Oh, dear!" Naomi called out as she returned her Lapras, her tone sounding more excited than stunned, "I was so sure that Hyper Beam would finish off that Jolteon. How very interesting!"

The Rogue glanced anxiously up at the big screen, watching Lapras' picture fade to black. I have to get out of here, he thought fretfully to himself, Dontae needs my help. We have to make sure Stacy is okay. I can't just stand here and do nothing anymore!

Naomi switched her Lapras' PokéBall and took up the next one, still smiling, "I have to say, Ryoguchi, you are far exceeding my expectations, dear. I've never had a battle quite as . . . arousing . . . as this one."

The Rogue continued to hide his anxiety as he replied, "Thanks . . . ."

"Well, then," Naomi replied resolutely, "I believe this is when I must end this battle, darling. Dragonair, please assist me!" She threw the Ball, it opened, and Dragonair reappeared, still healthy and vibrant after its battle with Charizard.

The Rogue made his move quickly, knowing his window of opportunity would soon shrink, "Use Thunder Wave!" Jolteon released the web of static electricity again, and Dragonair whined as its body contracted with Paralysis.

Naomi merely continued smiling, "Oh, you silly, silly thing, you. Did we not learn from before? Dragonair, Dragon Dance!" Dragonair leaped around the field gracefully once again, surpassing much of the restrictions of its Paralysis and increasing its offensive strength as well.

Acting as soon as he could before Dragonair's Shed Skin could kick in, the Rogue pressed his advantage, "Shadow Ball!"

"SAN-DAAA!" Jolteon bellowed forcefully as it conjured the murky ball of shadows in its mouth. It launched the move without hesitation, and it rushed across the field toward its foe.

"Flamethrower, Dragonair!" Naomi countered, and Dragonair obeyed, breathing a destructive stream of fire at Jolteon. Both moves sailed past each other; Dragonair was struck hard by the Shadow Ball, while Jolteon was pelted by the wicked flames. While Dragonair recovered quickly, though, Jolteon cringed in pain from the black, smoking Burn wound on its left front leg.

The Rogue saw the Burn, and made a desperate attack, "Use Thunder!" Jolteon shook its pelt and obeyed, and the roll of clouds and the thunderdrop overhead signaled the launch of Jolteon's ultimate attack.

"You can't keep this up forever, dear!" Naomi called out delightedly, "Use another Dragon Dance, Dragonair!" Dragonair squealed and began moving rhythmically, swirling its long thin body around and just barely dodging the surging electrical move. At that time, Dragonair's skin glowed and split away from it again, its Shed Skin ability eliminating its Paralysis and prompting Naomi's final move, "Outrage!" Dragonair roared furiously, its body glowed red and its eyes glowed white, and the extra speed from its Dragon Dance allowed it to easily cut ahead of Jolteon and ram it with a devastating full-body attack, instantly knocking out the Lightning Pokémon.

"This is it, folks!" the announcer shouted, "Ryoguchi is now down to his final Pokémon, the very Pokémon standing next to him right now! Can Golbat knock out two in a row and win the battle, will Naomi keep up the momentum she needs to finish the battle now, or will the pattern continue with one win apiece with a loss for Ryoguchi as the result! Things are looking bright for Naomi and grim for Ryoguchi, folks. But this battle is not over yet!"

Unfortunately, the Rogue finished the announcer's words in thought as both he and Naomi returned their Pokémon (Jolteon's picture went black on the screen, while Dragonair's went monochrome). The detective then turned to his partner and nodded, and once again, Golbat was halfway to the battlefield when the Rogue called out, "Golbat, strategize!"

"Clefable," Naomi called softly, "Please assist me as best you can."

Her PokéBall opened, and in a flash, Clefable returned to the battle, still displaying full vitality, "Clefaaayyyy-buuuuulll!"

The Rogue began in earnest, "Golbat, Poison Fang!"

"Safeguard!" Naomi called back. Clefable began conjuring its shield, but its speed was easily outclassed by Golbat; the Normal-type was taken by surprise by Golbat's venomous attack, and as it backed away to finish conjuring its sparkly shield, it learned that it was too late; Clefable's breaths were clouds of purple Poison.

The Rogue pushed ahead, "Now, Air Cutter!" Golbat swept the air with its wings and sent the sharpened air-blades whizzing through the air; they struck Clefable full-force.

"Cosmic Power!" Naomi called, and Clefable sang to itself as the image of outer space coated Clefable's skin again, increasing its defenses.

The Rogue was undeterred; he knew that Clefable's only weapon, Toxic, was useless, and that Clefable's only strategy now was using up Golbat's moves. The detective made sure to not allow that to happen, "Another Air Cutter!" Golbat stirred up the sharp winds and peppered Clefable again.

"Use Moonlight!" Naomi countered, and Clefable sang out loud as the single moonbeam covered its body, regenerating its health. It could hardly be helped, though, as by now, its wheezing breaths had morphed into coughing and sputtering. The Poison was worsening.

Golbat continued using Air Cutter, while Clefable kept building its defense with Cosmic Power, periodically regenerating its health with Moonlight. Eventually, though, its use of the health-restoring move was exhausted, and the Poison now took over half its health in one sitting; Clefable's coughing now yielded sizzling, corrosive phlegm. The Rogue ordered Golbat to land one last Air Cutter, and the move struck hard with a Critical blow; with the Poison taking over from there, Clefable was finally brought to its knees and felled, bringing the score down to one Pokémon per side.

As the announcer made the usual analysis of the situation, Naomi called out to the Rogue as she returned her Clefable, "Well, this is it, Ryoguchi, the last round. Are you ready, sweetheart?"

The Rogue nodded, appearing confident despite his inner turmoil. Golbat was exhausted from its battles against Clefable and Rapidash, and Dragonair had already brought down Charizard and Jolteon, two of the Rogue's most reliable Pokémon. What was worse, the battle was taking far longer than it should, and Stacy was still missing.

"Give it everything you've got, Golbat!" the Rogue called out to his partner, "We have to win this battle, and now!" Golbat turned back to its human partner and nodded, its eyes fiery and determined to end this grueling battle once and for all.

"Oooh, yes!" Naomi spurred him on with childlike ecstasy, "Determination! That's what I love to see! May the better Trainer win, darling!"

"And this is the final round, folks!" the announcer boomed, "It's down to one Pokémon per Trainer! Golbat versus Dragonair! Each has secured two wins in this battle, and both have taken a fair amount of damage already! I think it's safe to say that whichever Pokémon lands the next blow will secure the match for its Trainer! Battlers, fire when ready!"

"Iron Tail!"

"Air Cutter!"

Both Pokémon reacted spontaneously; Dragonair's tail solidified into thick, shimmering steel, while Golbat swept the air with its wings, launching the blades of wind with vicious force. Dragonair wavered nimbly across the air as it dodged each air-blade flawlessly, and Golbat performed and elegant spinning dive as it avoided Dragonair's Iron Tail.

"Flamethrower!"

"Poison Fang!"

Once again, both competitors reacted almost instantly. Dragonair projected the burning stream of orange light at Golbat, while the Poison/Flying Pokémon dove from high above, its fangs sizzling with venom. Golbat pushed valiantly through the fire, screeching in pain as it flew, and landed the move, making Dragonair give a choked squeal as the poisonous fangs sunk into the Dragon-type's neck. Both Pokémon pushed off of one another and landed on their respective sides of the field, standing at attention and ready to receive what would be their final commands.

Naomi screamed it out triumphantly, "OUTRAGE!"

Desperation churned with fervor as the Rogue responded, "DOUBLE-EDGE!"

Golbat took off for the sky, climbing a height of two-hundred feet in little time. At the same time, Dragonair roared in a voice that would put its evolution to shame, and gained the fiery red aura and brilliant white eyes its move bestowed. Golbat dove from its high position and engaged in a furious corkscrew dive, while Dragonair curled itself up and sprang upwards, ready to slam all of its draconic fury into Golbat. In a violent collision of power and wills, Golbat's Double-Edge and Dragonair's Outrage met in midair in a grand explosion, and the two battlers fell out of the sky, landing roughly on the battlefield, mangled and debilitated. Golbat's wings were spread menacingly, while Dragonair was coiled in a threatening pose, and both Pokémon were dead silent.

After a lengthy, nerve-wracking pause in which not just the whole stadium, but the whole world, seemed to go completely mute, both Golbat and Dragonair began to slowly fall forward. Their energy was completely spent, and it seemed as though both Pokémon were unable to continue any longer. The tension seeming to slow down time itself, both Pokémon seemed to take several eternities in hitting the ground at the same time.

Only one Pokémon lay defeated on the ground.

Golbat had balanced itself with its wings just in time, pulling itself up with its last bit of energy. Dragonair uncoiled its body and lay relaxed on the ground, its strength evaporated.

"IT'S OVEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!" the announcer's voice went insane with awe, "RYOGUCHI HAS DONE IT AGAIN! HE HAS SECURED HIS PLACE IN THE FINALS IN THE VERY FIRST TOURNAMENT HE EVER ENTERED! NAOMI HAS PROVEN TO BE HIS NEAR-EQUAL, BUT IN THE END, THIS CLASH OF THE TITANS ENDS WITH RYOGUCHI'S VICTORY! WE WILL SEE THIS MIGHTY TRAINER WRAP UP THE TOURNAMENT IN THE FINAL MATCH, TOMORROW! BE THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!"

Golbat hissed up at the announcer's box as it limped back toward the Rogue. As it saw its human partner, it grinned, chittering with the last crumb of energy it had left. The Rogue walked out into the battlefield and met with the Bat Pokémon, catching it just before it fell to the ground. "Thank you, old friend," he whispered so that only Golbat could hear, "This surpasses everything you've ever done for me. I wish this was under better circumstances, and I wish I could repay you."

Golbat merely grinned, weakly but pridefully, a face that the Rogue was sure meant something like, 'Just get me to the Pokémon Center and we'll be even.'

Naomi had returned her Dragonair and approached the Rogue by this time. "Excellent battle, Ryoguchi!" she congratulated him, her calm, mature demeanor barely slipping into schoolgirl glee, "You are by far the strongest Trainer I've ever met. That was the most inspiring, exhilarating battle I've had in a long time. I do hope we can get together again soon, my darling!"

When she held out her hand to shake, the Rogue took it, restraining his urgency, "Uhhh, yeah. I had fun, too, Naomi. Thanks for the battle."

Naomi gave a gentle giggle, "Oh, so very shy! See you soon, dear!" She then gave him another wink, blew him a kiss, and sauntered slowly away. As soon as Naomi turned and walked toward her exit, the Rogue turned and bolted for his, his Golbat keeping up well in spite of its injuries.

The Rogue's team was healed quickly in the lobby of the main building, and the detective was about to summon his Charizard when Dontae approached him, his Charmander at his side. Both looked absolutely dreadful, shaking and sweating, their breathing strenuous and anxious. Dontae began quickly and manically, "Did you get my—"

"Yes," the Rogue cut him off, "Have you found any trace of her?"

"Nothing!" Dontae barked in frustration, "My team and I searched all four coliseums! Each of us has been over each one at least once! We haven't found so much as a blond hair! It's like Stacy just disappeared into thin air!"

"Damn it!" the Rogue shouted and bashed his fist on the counter beside him (making Nurse Joy and her Chansey assistant jump). He then set his mind to work, pushing down his worry and self-castigation in order to think straight. "All right," he said at last, keeping his voice down, "Gather your team back up, do a floor-by-floor sweep of the main building. After that, see if you can get down into the lower levels, and if they don't allow you, find a way to sneak in. Remember, don't give Kaine a reason to jump ahead of schedule, even if it is just by a day."

Dontae's next question was one the Rogue had subconsciously asked since his battle with Naomi, "What if Kaine's the one behind this, too? What if he took her as leverage to make sure we don't stop him?"

The Rogue sighed, burying his face in his hands for a few seconds. "I don't know," he finally replied, "I'm convinced that he wants me in the finals of this tournament, but I don't know why he's going to these lengths to make it happen. First, he threatens to destroy the Plateau, now this . . ." He took a moment to settle his emotions, silently cursed himself for letting them get out of hand to begin with, and continued calmly, "We need to move quickly. Hurry and sweep the building like I said." Dontae quickly nodded and ran out, Charmander racing beside him, and the Rogue proceeded to release his Charizard from his Ball.

"Charizard," the detective ordered, "I need you to scout out the skies above the Plateau, see if you can find my father. Stacy's gone missing, and we need his help." Charizard nodded and left as quickly as Dontae and Charmander had, and the Rogue turned to Golbat next, "Go with Charizard, and keep an eye on as much as you can. Your eyes work a lot better than Charizard's, and your sonar is even better than that. Stay alert, and bring Stacy straight here if you find her, okay?"

Golbat nodded and swiftly swept out of the lobby, the fastest so far. The Rogue merely wandered his way to a chair and sat down, exhausted from his battle, shocked at this sudden ordeal, and angry for feeling so powerless to stop it. If Kaine were still keeping his promise, then the Rogue was forbidden from investigating anything unusual, lest he risk destroying countless lives, including his own, Dontae's, and maybe Stacy's. This madman was besting him at every turn of this case, and the detective still had yet to even learn what he looked like. Once again, the Rogue found himself burying his face into his hands; more than ever, the feeling of being defeated weighed heavily down on him, and he suddenly had the disturbing feeling that, before moving even a single pawn, he was already in checkmate.

Suddenly, he pulled his face from out of his hands. He had an idea.

The commotion in the Eastern Coliseum was surprisingly sparse on the final day of the tournament. The Rogue, still credited as 'Ryoguchi', stood on his end of the battlefield, worried for a number of different reasons. Firstly: Stacy was still missing, and upon Dontae's consultation of security footage provided by the Indigo Plateau security force's Officer Jenny, she was not seen leaving the Plateau through any exit at any time since yesterday. This meant, without a doubt, that Kaine had found her and was holding her somewhere on the premises, but security had no idea where. Secondly: the Rogue's opponent, a Veteran Trainer by the name of Satoshi, seemed to have an immeasurable number of Pokémon at his disposal, and could be using any of them in this battle. Thirdly, a compound of the second: Tanshin was also nowhere to be seen, and this meant that Raichu and Scyther, which he was still holding for the Rogue, were not at the detective's disposal for this battle. This meant that, despite the Rogue's need for an eye in the sky, he was forced to use both his Golbat and Charizard in this battle.

Lastly, and most importantly: Kaine had yet to make his move, and that meant that the Rogue and thousands of people and Pokémon were minutes away from certain death.

The Rogue only hoped that his plan would work.

The Rogue had been standing on his side of the battlefield waiting for Satoshi for almost half an hour, Golbat shaking in (not entirely fake) anxiety next to him. Eventually, the Rogue heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see an older gentleman dressed in official Pokémon League attire walking quickly up to him. "Excuse me, sir," he said in a voice cracked with age, "Your opponent will be running a bit late today. If you don't mind waiting, he ought to be along in the next few minutes."

The Rogue sighed deeply and hesitated before answering, "I'm not entirely sure I have that kind of time."

The old official was genial in reply, "Don't worry, Detective, I'm sure this last round will be a battle to remember." He then turned and walked away, heading straight for the doorway he'd come in from.

Until the Rogue turned and stopped him, "Wait! 'Detective'?"

The older man stopped and turned around, looking at him with a pleasant expression, "What was that?"

"You called me 'Detective'," the Rogue replied, knowing fully well that no one in all of the Plateau except for Dontae, Stacy and Tanshin knew who he was, "Why did you call me that?"

There was a long, quiet pause that the Rogue could swear lasted even longer than his wait for his opponent. The old man's cheerful expression didn't change, but his voice suddenly did, and the Rogue felt his blood suddenly run cold, "Salutations, my dear detective. We meet at last."

The Rogue's eyes were saucers, and he could almost feel his heart stop in his chest. Next to him, Golbat's entire four-foot wide mouth was gaping open, and his wings flexed defensively. That voice . . . that same cold Hellfire voice . . . . the voice that taunted him, insulted him, manipulated him for an entire month straight . . . . .

"NOW!" the Rogue called to his Golbat, and from a fold in its wing, it tossed him a large microphone. The second the Rogue touched it, he began screaming desperate pleas into it, "Attention! This is the Rogue of Viridian City! There is a terrorist threat to the Plateau! Everyone leave the Coliseums immediately! Find shelter! Take yourselves as far away as possible! I repeat, there is a terrorist threat to the Plateau! Vacate the premises immediately! Vacate immediately—"

Too late.

From inside his sleeve, the old man produced a small remote. Before the Rogue could react, the old man pushed a button, and a sudden explosion made the small amount of activity in the Eastern Coliseum stir maniacally. From far away, the explosion could be heard on shattering levels, and a huge mushroom cloud of dust and smoke could be seen erupting in the direction of the Western Coliseum.

The Rogue saw the explosion pluming up over the wall of the Eastern Coliseum, and he dropped to his knees. He could feel his heart disintegrate, his nerves go numb, his mind stricken blank. It was over. Kaine had won.

Checkmate.