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Pyrite Town

Meganium whined in protest as her trainer used up the last of her potions.

Lovrina couldn't help acknowledge her Pokemon's protests. Supplies were running pretty low, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to venture out to Duel Square to win some money without getting noticed. Patrols by Duking's lackeys were on the increase and she didn't want to risk getting spotted by somebody looking for her. Granted her impromptu makeover wouldn't make her instantly recognizable, but why risk getting thrown in jail when you can hunker down for the moment.

Although truth be told, even she wasn't sure if she could hold out much longer. Finding refuge in the old Cipher hideout underneath Pyrite was a smart move. Managed to wire a spare generator to power a light and set up shop in a dusty old room. Just a sleeping bag to rest on, a bag to carry her stuff (or lack thereof since she dropped most of her stuff back on Citadark Isle in the mad scramble to get away), and a crate to hold the supplies she bought from the mart.

Wasn't much, but it at least guaranteed a roof over her head. Not to mention the sheer size of the complex would give her some time in case she was spotted. Maybe even enough to sneak her way out of one of the hidden exits.

Where to go next though...that was a good question.

She sighed as she recalled her Pokemon back to her ball. Lovrina had run most of the scenarios in her head, and none of them were particularly appealing. Right now her best plan was to head to the wastes once her cover was blown. Out in the desert, the wastes were home to those who didn't want to be found. The admin recalled that's where a fair portion of their recruits came from aside from Pyrite Town. Such a remote region would give her enough time to figure out her next move.

Absent-mindedly, she looked at her personal radio. Once she got the call, she'd make her way to Greevil's new base from the wastes once she shook off her pursuers. She had a whole file containing all the data she could save on the Shadow Pokemon project.

Except...she had been waiting a while. Her securing of the Dragonite was supposed to be her way back into Cipher, but since that went belly up, she had been hoping to be recalled given how integral she was to their efforts. Especially the creation of XD-001. And she did know the Grandmaster would recall the agents that managed to evade the authorities.

But that was before. And she was still waiting…

Lovrina did entertain the idea of going to one of those recruiters, letting them know she's still out here. She did have the papers to do so.

Even still it was risky. A stranger like her was beginning to turn eyes in Pyrite Town, and chances were they could possibly trail her and blow the recruiters' cover. And blow any chance of rejoining Cipher out of the water.

That was the reason for her hesitation.

Right?

She didn't know why she picked up some of the files she nabbed. Must've been a habit of hers. Everything she worked for was there in her hands. All the data accumulated from the Shadow Pokemon project. And as before, she began shifting through the files, looking at the pictures.

Her palms shook as she gazed at those photos.

All those Pokemon.

They had the same look as that Salamence back at Gateon Port.

That...that couldn't be right.

Lovrina searched through the files again. Some of the details in the various pictures were different, but the energy was the same. Pain. Fear. Anger. Rage. It was all written on their faces.

And it was only now that it occurred to Lovrina that some of them were too young to be carrying such expressions.

This...this wasn't right. Lovrina knew that the world was a harsh place. And she needed to toughen these Pokemon up if they were going to survive.

But these photos...they didn't even seem like Pokemon.

They didn't look alive.

Her heart raced as she put down the files. She couldn't bear to look anymore. Lovrina knew the process wasn't pleasant, but how else would these Pokemon have a chance in this cruel world?

But who made this a cruel world?

Lovrina ignored the voice in her heart as she fell into a fitful sleep. She was just exhausted from everything that happened. Right now she needed rest to figure out a plan of attack.

But in the dark of that old facility, sleep didn't come easily.

The Wastes of Orre

Michael examined the redesigned Snag Machine as he pulled the throttle on his bike.

Kaminko had decided to give the device some extra protection following their misshape with Greevil back at the lab. He reinforced the palm of the glove with microgenerators that would kick in if anyone attempted to hack into Michael's Pokeballs again, generating an electric field that would interfere with the signal. Of course, working with electricity wasn't exactly a risk-free endeavor, so the good doctor also installed several small plates of armor running along with the cables to the shoulder component that would help cushion any discharge. Also helped to protect the exposed cables as well.

The upgrades were certainly a nice touch, and Michael did feel a bit more confident with the added protection, but Kaminko admitted that he would have to experiment with it further if they wanted to stay one step ahead of Cipher. Knowing them they were also be finding workarounds the Snag Machine as well, so widening the gap was imperative.

He wondered how his father would feel about how far the Machine had come since its initial conception. Back then it was only meant as a worst-case scenario tool, broken out in dire need. Now it became a vital component in their struggle. True it wasn't used to snag Pokemon anymore since all the Shadow Pokemon were captured and almost purified, but any extra advantage would be greatly appreciated.

Glad to know you're still helping us out, Michael thought with a smile. Even now his dad was guiding him every step of the way.

He was taken out of his thoughts as his PDA chimed, indicating a call. Lowering his head to shield his eyes from the kicked-up sands of the Orre desert, Michael reached up and clicked the comlink, patching the caller in.

"Sorry I wasn't able to say goodbye earlier. Your mom wanted me to start recording readings for that Purification Chamber you've got set up."

"It's alright," Michael said to Melody as her image came up on his screen. "I didn't want to bother you anyway. Figured Mom would want to get started right away. Not to mention I wanted to get to Pyrite Town as soon as possible."

"Pyrite Town...sounds inviting," Melody snarked.

"It's actually named after the mineral that was mined there during the war," Michael explained. "Actually did a lot of good business there and became sort of a boomtown. Not to the extent of Phenac City, but reasonable enough. Problem was it became a safe haven for a lot of bandits and other criminals once the war ended. Even used to be one of Cipher's recruitment sites during the first incursion."

"Sounds like they've come back to their old stomping grounds then," the girl over the comlink observed. "Any idea of what you're walking into?"

"Not a whole lot. Duking helped clean up the town once the Bandit Hero defeated Cipher the first time. It's better, but you never know. If Cipher's supporters are bold enough to start putting graffiti on walls, then that either means they're stupid or they've got a lot of power established already."

"This...Bandit Hero. I keep hearing his name over and over again. Is he a local figure or something?" Melody asked curiously.

Michael smiled. "His name's Wes. We call him the Bandit Hero since he used to be a member of Team Snagem before he found out what they were up to and their alliance with Cipher. My dad admired him a lot, even designed a new Snag Machine after the original. Wes and his friend Rui worked together to snag all the Shadow Pokemon and purify them. Even managed to capture the Legendary Beasts and gain Ho-Oh's favor."

"Ho-Oh...that's impressive," she admitted. "Ho-Oh is Lugia's counterpart so we at Shamouti know a little about him. I'm just surprised he never showed up this time around. Figured something like Shadow Lugia and Cipher returning would get his attention."

"Well following the first incursion he...disappeared. Nobody's seen or heard from him since. I don't think he's in Orre though. If he were, he would've been first on the scene once Cipher showed up. And with the embargo on shipping, he wouldn't have been able to get here easily," Michael explained. That was partially true. He figured Wes would've confided in some of his friends about what he was up to so some people probably knew where he went. Even still…

"Well, I just called to wish you good luck. Sounds like you're gonna need it," the girl said.

"Thanks, and I appreciate it," Michael said as she hung up. Chances were he didn't. He had a lot of friends in Pyrite Town, particularly with the ONBS after he saved them from that Cipher siege not too long ago. Not to mention Cail and the town's defacto leader Duking. The teen was eager to meet with both of them again. It's been too long since he'd swung back into town.

Then again, he remembered what happened in Phenac City. And the fact that Cipher had such a tight grip on the lawless community in the past was enough to put him on edge. No one should ever take half measures against Cipher. Ever.

Pyrite Town

The bike came to a stop as Michael looked out at the rusting buildings of Pyrite Town. There was the old dome where the town's colosseum was located. The windmill that marked Duking's residence. And there was the rundown pavement that weather had not been kind to.

All in all, not much had changed since last he'd been here.

As he walked into the entrance of the town, a young man with green hair and what looked to be biker clothes walked out to greet him. A Houndoom was walking beside him. Michael's belt rumbled as Espeon and his Houndoom got out, obviously to exchange hellos.

"Hey, Mikey! Welcome back to Pyrite Town!" the stranger cheerfully said, holding out his hand.

"Been a long time Cail! How thing's holding up?" Michael asked as he shook the offered palm.

"Not bad," Cail said. He took a moment to look at Micahel's Houndoom, who was sniffing and sizing up his own dog. "Well well, look who's evolved since we last met."

Michael smiled. Last time he met Cail, they had a battle. Back then Houndoom was still a Houndour, going up against the impromptu gatekeeper's own Houndoom. She lost the battle, but she did perform amazingly enough to impress her opponent. Even refused a recall.

"Funny thing. She evolved not too long after we had that battle of yours," the red-haired teen informed. "Guess she wanted to even things up the next round."

"I can imagine." Both Houndooms had finished their greetings, Espeon hanging back so he wouldn't get in between. It was clear to both that Michael's dog had gotten a lot more powerful since last time.

Michael wondered if that meant a rematch was in the air.

"C'mon, let me take you to Duking. The boss wanted to see you as soon as you got into town," Cail offered as he walked into the settlement with his Houndoom in tow. Michael and his Pokemon followed soon after.

Already their presence was beginning to be noticed by the locals. Michael had a few tough-looking trainers smile and wave to him, almost promising a match later on if he could afford the time. Say what you will, but the people of Pyrite Town always appreciated a good trainer. Indeed, as they walked through Duel Square, a couple of the trainers not currently battling were nodding their heads in their form of greetings. Guess he'd have to make a stop by here on the way out.

Although curiously, the friendly greeting wasn't universal. There were a few trainers that just...stared. No "hellos", no greetings. Just...staring. And that look in their eye…

There weren't too many of them, but it was enough for Michael to take notice. Granted Pyrite isn't very receptive to outsiders, but the teen was hardly an outsider when he fought off Cipher that one time.

"Yeah...things here have been getting kinda tense these past few days," Cail admitted as they walked past the starers.

"Any incidents so far?" Michael asked.

Cail shook his head. "Aside from the graffiti, no. Everybody's been keeping to themselves thank Arceus. Last thing we need is a full-scale slugfest between everybody.

"And that's not including that strange trainer who's been skulking about."

Michael blinked as he heard what Cail said. "What do you mean by strange trainer?"

"There's this girl that's been hanging by Duel Square, participating in some of the battles. Doesn't talk all that much, only just battles, takes her prize money, and disappears. And from what I could gather at the market, she mainly spends stuff on food and supplies," Cail explained.

The younger teen cocked his head in confusion. "Sounds an awful amount of stuff you're kicking up over a single trainer."

Cail shot him a hard look. "I know everybody in Pyrite Town. I know many of the frequenters, and a lot of them come from the wastes. You know, the place you go when you don't want to be found. If somebody shows up and I don't recognize them, that's a problem. Especially since they've been keeping their heads down this much."

"You thinking she might be a recruiter?" Michael asked.

"That I can't say," the older teen admitted with a shrug. "She hasn't been seen with any of the ones we're certain are either recruiters or potential recruits. I'm thinking she's just laying low for the moment. Just worried about what would happen if she did get any ideas. Seems the type that Cipher's looking for. Especially since she seems to be a pretty good trainer from what I heard."

"So you do have potential suspects? How come Duking hasn't made any moves against them yet?" It seemed pretty dangerous to allow the agents that would be drumming up support for a very notorious terrorist organization to go free.

Cail thought for a moment. "Let's...let's just discuss it with Duking. Not out here in the open."

Michael nodded as they approached the building in front of the rope bridge that led to the colosseum. Duking's headquarters.

Outside the building, the burly man himself was waiting for them. "Michael! Long time no see!"

"Nice to see you too, Duking!" Michael cheerfully greeted, gripping the larger man's hand in a handshake. He could almost feel the muscles that went into that shake.

He's...quite the figure.

Trust me, he's a lot friendlier than he looks, Michael inwardly reassured Lugia. And smarter too. Found out where the wild Pokemon in Orre had gone.

That certainly is impressive, the legendary mused.

"Come on inside! Get you out of the heat," Duking offered, gesturing towards the open door to his place. Michael gratefully took the offering as he ducked inside. Cail simply nodded to the defacto mayor of Pyrite Town and took position by the door. Compared to the rough and tumble surroundings of the town, Duking's place was rather nice. Books lining his shelves. Comfortable looking furniture. Wasn't as much as HQ, but still pretty formal compared to the other dwellings in town.

Inside Duking's office, two other teenagers were waiting. A boy and a girl respectively. Michael said a pleasant hello to both of them. They were Secc and Marcia, two core members of the local ONBS News Station. Memories flooded back as Michael remembered it was Secc that helped them out deciphering the ROM and how Marcia helped take down the Phenac City Cipher Network. Figures they'd be involved here as well.

"How are things going?" He asked both of them.

"Great! We got a lot of footage of the Cipher arrests at their Key Lair," Marcia said cheerfully. "I also got footage of the Miror B. takedown in Gateon Port."

"Oh! I didn't know you were there," Michael said with a surprise. Though to be frank it was a pretty hectic day. Wouldn't be a shock for him to not notice something like who was reporting at the time.

"Funny thing. I've been reading up on Miror B. doing time at his prison, and apparently convict morale had gone up 200% ever since he was incarcerated and started doing his weekly jam sessions," Secc informed him. "Warden figured there really wasn't any harm in it and was happy for any excuse to improve prisoner morale."

"In other words, disco never dies," Marcia translated. Michael shrugged. He wasn't a fan himself, but if Miror was doing some good, who was he to judge?

"Sorry I didn't contact you over a video feed," Duking said as he walked over to his desk. "Didn't want to risk Cipher listening in on our conversations. Given what we know about them, it would be a good assumption."

Michael folded his arms as his gaze hardened. "You're right there. I already know a lot about what's going on. Do we have a list of names we're looking into."

"Nothing conclusive yet," Secc informed. "Some names, but nothing we can make an arrest on. They've been keeping quiet for the most part, only talking to a few individuals and limiting contact with others."

"Well if we have a list of names, how come we don't just run them out of town?" Michael retorted. "Police are useless out here but at least we can disrupt their operations here. Plus there's a lot of people that hate Cipher in Pyrite so it wouldn't be too hard to get a riot."

"That's the problem," Duking chimed in, taking a deep breath. "We know a few names, but we don't know how deep the web runs. They've been so careful, they may have more support here than we thought."

"And sympathy for Cipher is growing," Marcia stated. "Again, there's only been a few recruits so far, but when they're bold enough to spray paint graffiti, that means a lot of people are starting to throw their support behind them. Duking's tough, but we run the risk of drawing this into open conflict if we make a move like you said."

"So why don't we get the International Police to make a few arrests and scare the other?" Michael suggested, his voice raising a little. The others in the room flinched a little alarmed from the shift. "Looker's got the people for that sort of thing."

"Michael…" Marcia said hesitantly. "...from our informants, we know that Cipher's been using foreign interference as a platform for their movement. If the International Police make a move, we also run the risk of giving more support to Cipher's arguments and risk an open conflict."

"I do want Cipher gone, but I'm not gonna run the risk of allowing open warfare in my streets when we have an alternative," Duking firmly stated.

Michael gritted his teeth. He was gonna make a comment about how Cipher was gonna bring the war here no matter what they do. Railing that Duking was hiding his head in the sand and just letting Cipher get away with their dealings. That they needed to take the fight to them instead of just waiting…

...but then his mind reminded him that Duking mentioned an alternative.

"What's the alternative?" he asked, fighting down his frustration.

"Have you ever heard of the Tournament of the Bandit Hero?"

He blinked as he heard what Secc said. "No..what's that?"

"The Tournament is an annual event held every year at the colosseum following Wes's victory over Cipher 5 years ago," Secc explained to Michael. "Pyrite Town was where he started his fight against Cipher in earnest. It's a way for us to

commemorate his achievements."

"Whoever wins will be hailed as that year's champion," Duking elaborated. "Almost every tough trainer from around town will be there."

"We were wondering if you could enter the tournament," Secc continued. "You're the best trainer we know. Not to mention practically everybody appreciates a tough trainer. Win, and you'll practically be a hero around here. I mean, you already are, but you winning a tournament to honor Wes would be on a whole other level. That way we can cut into Cipher's recruitment rates since you're also a representative of O.R.F."

"And make those recruiters think twice before continuing. Not to mention preventing them from getting their hands on the glory that comes with a win," Duking finished. "They might even pack up and leave if the pressure against them becomes too great."

That...is a good idea, Michael thought. It dealt with the problem of not escalating things, pulled the rug out from Cipher, and would help restore people's faith in the Foundation. All in all, everybody gets something.

"You guys okay with this?" Michael asked his Pokemon. Houndoom barred her teeth in a nasty smile while Espeon gave him a look that made him realize he asked a stupid question. The pokeballs on his belt shook with agreement.

I'm certainly game, Lugia told him.

Having his Pokemon's agreement, Michael turned towards the trio. "We're in. Just let us know where we can get started."

"I'll show you the way to the colosseum where you can get registered," Secc said, leading Michael out of the room. The trainer already knew the way, but he didn't mind spending time with the other teen. Did feel good talking to him again after all.

As they left, Duking and Marcia shared a look. "Did...did Micheal seem a little different back there?" the reporter asked.

Duking nodded as he leaned back in his chair. "Yeah. He's got that look in his eye."

"He isn't the same boy that wandered into our town not to long ago," Marcia commented.

The defacto ruler of Pyrite Town simply leaned forward and sighed. "No, he's not. I'm just worried about what he's turning into."

Ruin of the S.S. Libra

Drew sighed as he made a cup of coffee, looking out at the darkened wastes. He could see the lights of the vehicles in the night.

There had been a lot of activity in the past few days. A lot of vehicles prowling about. Many of them seemed to be of military make. Wouldn't be a stretch to guess that Cipher was behind it. Seemed to be what everyone is talking about these days.

What they were looking for was anyone's guess. Though if Drew were a betting man, he'd wager that they were looking for new recruits. There wasn't anything out there except thugs, criminals, and those who wanted to disappear. All three seemed right up Cipher's alley.

Of course, Cipher being active didn't mean anything good. The technician shivered as his hair stood up, and it wasn't from the cold of the night.

Hang on a minute.

Why was his hair standing up?

He looked at his hand as the hairs stood rigid. Sure he was spooked, but this seemed to be on a whole other level.

Now that Drew mentioned it, something in the air didn't seem all that normal. It felt...charged almost.

Drew's eyes were drawn to a flash of movement across the desert wastes. It didn't seem to be a vehicle though. In fact, it seemed...almost like a Pokemon. Although from what kind from this distance, he couldn't tell. Not to mention the speed at which it was traveling. Almost seemed to be flying rather than dashing across the sands.

How was that even possible? Pokemon never ventured this far out in the wastes, let alone dashing across the sands. Sure Skarmories sometimes ventured out here, but nothing like what he was seeing.

Without warning, a brilliant bolt of lightning struck the ridge the figure was cresting. Drew looked away for a second before looking back. And suddenly...nothing. No figure or Pokemon could be seen.

Instinct kicked in as he looked up at the skies. No thunderclouds or portents to a storm.

That...that didn't make any sense.

His first thought was Zapdos since he knew that the legendary bird traveled with Michael, but he was certain the Pokemon was traveling on the ground rather than flying through the air. And if Michael was about, why on earth would he be venturing out this far without meeting with him first? Didn't seem in his character.

Drew shook his head as he made a mental note to head to the diner tomorrow and make a call.

Something like this wasn't going to go unnoticed by Cipher.

A/N: I swear, I am not doing this on purpose. I've been having trouble with work, and I was working on a side project. But the side project's done and the issues with work have been resolved so I should be back on schedule. Hopefully.

As for the shortness of this chapter, there really wasn't much to cover. Mainly just helped set up the framework for the next arc. I was planning on writing an additional scene, but I figured it would be better to get Michael on the move to keep the action from going stagnant I suppose. Only so many war room scenes a reader can take.

Duking is the defacto leader of Pyrite Town, keeping everyone in line with his physical strength. And the only enforcement since the actual law enforcement is...well...um...not very effective. Duking also is the one who discovered the Poke Spots in XD.

Secc and Marcia were both part of the Kids Grid in Colosseum, a group of kids that kept tabs on Cipher. Marcia helped spread the news on Michael's battle with Snattle in XD, actually reporting the fight. Secc helped founded ONBS by the time of XD and helped decode that ROM I mentioned. Since Secc was a major informant for Wes, I figured he'd be the one to break the news about the tournament to Michael.

And yes, it is a tournament arc. There won't be a full battle for each round, more like a four v. four deal per fight. Although the finals will be a full battle. Figured this would be a neat way to tie Wes back into the plot.

Aside from that, we get more character development for Lovrina. How is she gonna play into all of this?

We'll find out in the next chapter as Michael and co. face off against their first opponent. The Bandit Hero Tournament is on!

Thanks for taking the time to read, make sure to leave a review, and follow and favorite if you want to see more. Thank you again for all the support and as always...I'll see you all next time.