Chapter 9: One Step Closer

Another victory bites the dust for both the Wonder Guard Demon and the Stow-On-Side Gym. Despite everything that went down just before the dynamaxing phase, Kabu and Bea still didn't hesitate to reward Karthaniel Davis his rewards for the win: The fire badge plus TM38 from Kabu and the fighting badge plus TM42 from Bea. The two even gave him a handshake and a fist bump respectively as a sign of a job well done, even though the battle didn't go all the way as planned. Sir Davis accepted it all with an appreciative smile before he continued on his journey with Hatterene.

They had to venture through the Glimwood Tangle in order to get to the next gym challenge at Ballonlea and as soon as Karthaniel stepped foot within the nearly dark forest, Hatterene had to stop and take in the familiar atmosphere. This concerned her mentally unstable lover for a moment as he spoke.

"Hatterene-love, are you alright there?" He asked her in his most pacifying tone of his handsome voice since meeting the anthropomorphic Silent Pokémon.

"I'm fine, thanks." Hatterene replied with sincerity. "It's just that… this place feels all too conversant to me. Where are we?"

"I had a feeling this location would be a blur to you, considering the fact that you've been a prisoner in that bloody facility for over ten years." Karthaniel kept a handsome regal smile of reassurance as he approached her, placing a hand upon her left shoulder for comfort. She felt that solace, but the white pupils within her black eyes were still scanning the forest with apprehension. "This is Glimwood Tangle. Usually, many fairy types reside here, including your pre-evolutions: hatenna and hattrem."

"That explains it. I was practically born here, but I swear I don't remember much about it."

"Don't worry. This small venture through here will be a peaceful one. Besides, for some odd reason, the glowing mushrooms here are acting as temporary beacons of light to keep the demon away. We'll take our time with our stroll and probably have to camp out here just before we arrive at Ballonlea. It is getting rather late."

"(Sigh)…I suppose." The two held hands as they both took the casual walk through the forest. The peaceful sounds of various pokémon were like aromatherapy for the ears towards Karthaniel and he sighed at about halfway through the walk as a sign. As for Hatterene, she took really good glimpses of some wild small pokémon just watching with curiosity. She even eyed a few of her pre-evolutions and slightly smiled as they just stared at her with astonishment. By the time she looked down at two distant hatenna, she noticed a small cave beneath a glowing tree between them. That's when she felt a small twinge of pain within her head and the blue glow within her eyes flashed for that same amount of just a few milliseconds and she twitched upon both sensations, quickly removing her famous hat in the process. This immediately alerted Karthaniel as he held her shoulders to keep her from anything further. "Agh! What the hell is this?!"

"Hatterene! What happened?!"

"I… I don't know. Why am I drawn to that cave there?" Karthaniel just spotted that same cave and became as curious as a newborn toxel. "It's like…" She paused as she felt that same pain once more and flinched once again. "…something's beckoning me towards it."

"Well, I don't think you should dilly-dally, love. You should follow those hatenna there and see what it is. I'll wait for ya out here."

"Are you sure, Sir Davis?" Hatterene finally made eye contact with her lover since stepping foot into the forest.

"You've been treating me well since that fateful first meeting back at Hammerlocke. Now that we're officially a couple, our compassion towards one another has skyrocketed to a height that not even my corviknight can reach. I feel completely safe here, so yes. I'm sure. Go ahead. It's your turn now." Hatterene was awestricken by his words of wisdom in a deeper tone of his heavenly voice and gave him a loving embrace as the benefactor of her confidence.

After the quick ten second hug, she carefully placed her hat back on and took careful steps towards that fateful cave. The hatenna twins squeaked with delight as they saw this and they happily ventured inside with no worries. The entrance itself seemed small, but miraculously, Hatterene was able to easily crawl through without a single struggle, leaving Karthaniel alone with a few wild pokémon keeping him company every once in a while as his other five pokémon companions were asleep within their pokéballs.

Within the cave…

Hatterene had just made a graceful landing upon the warm ground and the same colorful mushrooms immediately turned on like she flipped a light switch on the way in. The shrooms were in the thousands as they made a heavenly atmosphere. It was all too surreal to the anthro Silent Pokémon as she ventured further into the cave and then, she saw it…

"Claw marks?" She asked herself as she gently rubbed a slender hand against the massive bloody claw marks. They were dry, but they still gave her eerie chills down her spine. The same two hatenna twins squeaked once more to get her attention as well as say something about them. She translated perfectly and she widened her eyes with shock. "These are… mine?!" A single squeal from one twin responded. "I don't remember these. What exactly did I do in here? You've gotta refresh my memory. You see, I've been enslaved within a hidden facility completely off of Galar's grid for ten years and any memories about my past were completely erased after this transformation. So, please, tell me: What the bloody hell was I doing here?" A few more multiple squeaks that came out from them both for about a full minute before they both walked towards another cave entrance that was further in. Again, Hatterene took in every word and was just too flummoxed about it all. "…Could my pokédex entry really be true?" She uncomfortably followed the two little Calm Pokémon into that same cave and again, more luminescent shrooms lit up the area, revealing the most horrifying sight Hatterene's ever seen:

"Bodies… severed human bodies! My Arceus! What have I been doing here?!" She never received an answer as she dared to venture further into the cave and even had to levitate off the body part infested grounds. It was like a savage grimmsnarl caused it, but none of the bodies looked like they were bitten into. They were just… torn to pieces! And she even spotted one crucial benefactor among the bloody rubble: "They all had camping equipment with them. It can't be…" A single loud squeak echoed from the distance and Hatterene ventured even further to a single pile of more severed body parts and the same painful flashes came once more as she saw who the group of two adults and two teenagers were: "…damn. This group vaguely looks like they could be related to Lawrence. And all of these other people are…?" Several squeaks from both hatenna came once more in response and Hatterene gasped. "No! I can't believe it!" One more blink of a memory flash and she saw it within her mind: Herself on a violent rampage towards the victims after many beeps and chirps from their technology enraged her. She knew they were on the hunt for her the entire time and not all of them were related to Big Boss Lawrence. They were actually members of the research staff. They knew she was a special hatterene, even without her being shiny. Her wide glowing blue eyes with white pupils couldn't believe it all and she even tried to shake it off, but it was no use. She was doomed to watch it until the very end and she couldn't have the stomach for it at about halfway through, having her hold it tight with nausea.

Ten terrifying minutes and one full minute of vomiting later…

The twin hatenna humbly volunteered to escort the now horrified Hatterene out of that bloodbath of a cave and into the slightly cleaner section with just the claw marks on the walls. One twin gave her a sitrus berry to heal her stomach as well as her sanity. After consuming it, Hatterene ended up sitting against the right side of the main entrance as she was trying to regain the rest of her senses while breathing heavily with fatigue.

"It all came back to me now." She confessed in her softest tone. "Lawrence, his family, and his staff were all after me long before they eventually did find me in the wild area, trying to blend in with the other wild hatterene there. They sheltered in here and so did I… within that second cave. Their scanners and all other technology were making way too much noise for me to handle. I was trying to sleep at the time and became enraged. I guess I really am called the Silent Pokémon for a really good reason. Is that really all I was doing in here?" The twins nodded simultaneously this time. "Wow. It was sad that I didn't remember any of this until now. With this new enhancement that I've got, that function's completely flown out the window permanently. I've encountered many loud sounds and such and not once have I gone into that rampage since. It's an Arceus-sent transformation that I'm confidentially thankful for, especially since I'm in love with the most endearing human I've ever met. Thank you both so much for helping me remember my past. It'll all make much more sense towards Sir Davis after I explain all of this to him later. That just leads up to one more absolute conclusion: Those four bodies in the very back – they were Lawrence's two brothers and teenage niece and nephew." Again, two nods from the hatenna twins. "Oh, bloody hell! It's no wonder…"

Thirty minutes later, at approximately 10:25 PM within a tent at a campsite just outside Ballonlea's city limits…

"…I see." Karthaniel concluded as he was just lying down on a soft inflatable queen sized mattress underneath a purple comforter for warmth from the chilly Glimwood Tangle. Hatterene was right next to him without her hat on. It was resting not too far from her side. They were facing each other and were within each other's arms, having the anthro Silent Pokémon slightly blush at the feeling of her lover's tattooed hard-as-steel muscles up against her body for the first time. "First of all, I'm just glad that it didn't end up being a trap for you. You were in there for quite a while and now I see why. Your pokédex entry doesn't lie, love. 'If you're too loud around it, you risk being torn apart by the claws on its tentacle.' Yep, sounds 'bout right. I never expected it to be connected to the facility, though. No wonder those staff members escaped so easily and quickly. They probably had knowledge of that massacre and dared not to be a part of it. Overall, it's safe to say that you really are much stronger than you look."

"I didn't want to remember it, but I had to for your sake as well as mine." Hatterene confessed with watery eyes. "I'm truly not one to harm humans nowadays since this enhancement. Seeing my old self prior to it scared me… a lot. Yet, you're still with me and you still love me. I can feel that within your soul right now. How come?" Karthaniel started feeling a deeper passionate fire within him as he heard this in her most dulcet tone and gently stroked her right cheek as he saw a single tear drizzle down as well.

"Hatterene, it's like I said before you ventured into that cave: Our compassion has no limits now and this seemingly fatal mental illness I have is not stopping it all. Not even anything about your past will haunt me. We're in this journey together and we were destined to be more than just a pokémon trainer and his pokémon companion. I also have absolute faith in the fact that we will find my parents soon. They will be found alive, well, and still remember their only son after being gone for many, many days now. That damn demon can say all he wants within his trance. It won't take over me. I love you, Hatterene…" Karthaniel paused as he slowly leaned in towards her for a passionate kiss. "…and I truly mean all of it, love." They both shared a steamy kiss that seemed wilder than the others they shared and their harmonious moans within their mouths explained that benefactor perfectly for the next three minutes. After that was over, they slowly parted and Karthaniel's anomalous eyes opened almost immediately, but Hatterene's eyes slowly opened to reveal that that black sclera was replaced with a glowing lustful shade of pink and had her most seductive smile to match, making her appear in her darkest since her transformation.

"Karthaniel, those were the sweetest words you've ever said to me since our first encounter." She started in her deepest tone of her heavenly voice. "I knew you really felt that way about me all this time. Now that I've dug deeper into my past and you still accept me as your love, I'd like nothing better tonight while we're still here within the Glimwood Tangle." Hatterene then used Psychic to get into Karthaniel's outer zipper pocket on his backpack and pulled out a not-too-small spray bottle with the words 'Rainbow Passion' written on the label from behind him. It was like the trainer had eyes on the back of his head and reached up at the exact moment it was floating above his shoulder. "Use this and make me yours forever while we have the chance, Sir Davis."

"Ya sound sure about it, Hatterene-love. I do love you enough to make it so. Let's keep this between us after this, okay?" Karthaniel got into position by letting the comforter come off of both of them as he gently pinned Hatterene down upon her back while he aimlessly dropped his pajama pants and boxers simultaneously and kicked them off to his right before professionally spraying on the condom upon his privates with delicate precision all while he kept his one blue eye and one brown eye on the now horny anthro Silent Pokémon's glowing pink eyes with white pupils. "Those eyes say so as well. Here's hoping for a brighter future for both of us."

"Much, much brighter." Those were their last words for the night as Karthaniel finished the protection application and didn't waste any time as he slowly slid into Hatterene with all the love in the world and her harmonious lustful moans was music to the man's ears as he made love to her for the first time and it won't definitely be the last.

The next morning, at 8:45 AM to be exact…

"Good morning, Sir Davis." Hatterene greeted sweetly as she just came back into the tent with an equally shared portion of an egg white omelet curry in each bowl: having one in her famous hat claw and one in both of her slender hands as Karthaniel just sat up and stretched after a good night's sleep, despite the steamy moment they shared last night. He kept a handsome smile as he got his bowl before the anthro Silent Pokémon took her seat back in bed next to him outside the comforter. She… was still naked. "Looks like you slept like an aron in a quiet cave."

"I sure did." Karthaniel replied in agreement as he took in his first spoonful, ate it with satisfaction, then he noticed with slightly pink cheeks. "Uh, Hatterene?"

"Yes?" She ate casually as well while keeping her adorable and playful smile in check as she kept her black with white pupil eyes on him.

"You're still in the buff, love."

"I know. I just feel like being in this state for bit longer while we're still here where I feel mostly at home and while we're still alone together. I know you like what you see here now."

"Indeed. I cannot lie to you. That enhancement you keep mentioning did more than just give you much more power than before. It made you into quite the Psychic and Fairy Goddess of Absolute Perfection. It's no wonder your first time was actually quite impressive last night. How long did we last exactly?"

"Well, your unexpectedly big penis penetrated my vagina at approximately 10:30 last night and our incredible intercourse lasted until about 11:45. In other words, it wasn't an all-nighter, but it's as suffice to say that you did love my body as much as the rest of me. Notice anything odd about my body, now that you truly see me, Sir Davis?"

"Hmm…" Karthaniel still ate at a steady pace as he used his eyes only to scan her perfect near human-like figure for a few seconds and did notice one thing: "Your immaculate breasts don't have nipples. Funny how I failed to notice that last night. I guess our passion was only enough for the traditional sexual intercourse without the foreplay. Either way, though, we were both amazing."

"And you don't mind this one minor change in my female anatomy?"

"Not one bit, love." They both paused their meals for a moment to share a sweet, tender peck on the mouth before they resumed eating. "Aside from that, everything we shared prior to it was all 100 percent true. Now that we've finally made love for the first time, we definitely have the utmost confidence in this journey. I must ask you again while I have the chance still: Do you know where my parents are now?"

"Unfortunately, no. I still don't know, but worry not, Karthaniel. I do know one thing: Once we finally defeat the demon, that question and much more will finally be answered."

"Huh? Really? Did our moment last night do the trick at last?"

"As much as that sweetens the pot in terms of wishful thinking, no. It was that revelation I had to endure prior to it. Everything about my past had to be discovered in order for it to happen. It was like finding a long-lost key after many eons."

"Yes! Incredible!" The two had just finished their breakfasts before they shared a heartwarming embrace as a small celebration of this newfound hope for the mentally unstable trainer. Upon that touch, Hatterene didn't blush this time. She just closed her eyes to take it all in with her most serene smile, which was completely oblivious to her lover. This was the happiest she's seen Karthaniel since meeting the man and it felt surreal in a good way for once.

Fifteen minutes later…

As they held hands, Karthaniel and Hatterene had finally arrived at Ballonlea and it was a small town but was still big enough to have the gym at the very back of the square. Of course, they had to stop at the Pokémon Center first to get all of the other pokémon healed up, just in case. During the wait, Opal and Bede approached the anomalous-eyed trainer as he sat in a seat next to his beloved anthro Silent Pokémon, who eyed Bede with a regal glare of suspicion in her eyes.

"Sir Karthaniel Harrison Davis, is it?" Opal kindly greeted in her sweet, tender elderly voice. The said trainer nodded twice as he stood up to show respect for the old woman. Hatterene remained in her seat. "Champion Leon has spread word about your extremely fragile mental state, dear. I truly sympathize with you and you'll have nothing to worry about here. Bede and I are fairy-type experts here at Ballonlea. Since you're a special case, I've decided to let Bede command two of my pokémon while I use my other two. Bede here will be the one to gigantamax. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Most definitely." Karthaniel happily agreed. "The mushrooms here in this area have literally been like a barrier from the Wonder Guard Demon. I don't feel his presence at all and it's the first time this has happened since I made landfall here in Galar." This made Bede show wide eyes of absolute shock while Opal lightly applauded with glee, even as she still held her famous cane.

"Oh, wonderful! We can finally breeze through this challenge without any issues this time! Show us your best within the next ten minutes. We'll be waiting, dear. Bede, come now. We must prepare for this momentous occasion. I must tell Leon about this development with the essence of the mushrooms around here. This should shine a new light on all of the rest of the leaders around here." The two trainers left, having Bede look back at the two lovers for a seemingly slow five seconds before they continued on their way back to the stadium to make the preparations. When they were gone, Karthaniel returned to his seat next to Hatterene, who never lost her regal glare of inquest.

"Something on your mind, love?" He asked casually.

"Bede. Ever since he encountered us in that cave way back when, he hasn't been giving me any positive vibes at all." Hatterene replied as she never made eye contact with her lover. "He seems like an innocent young lad, but something about him just doesn't seem right."

"Well, I have heard rumors that his past actions weren't tolerable for a moment. This was back when Chairman Rose was at large at the time."

"Chairman Rose?" She finally gave her lover her utmost attention. "How come I've never seen him around here?"

"Have no idea, but I'm sure someone here knows. For now, let's not worry about it and focus on a strategy. Corviknight will definitely be in the battlefield for this one. Do wanna tag along again?"

"As much as I love to, I'll sit this one out this time. Besides, there's a mawile within the battle this time and you know I don't take kindly to that particular pokémon for obvious reasons, despite the fact that love you so dearly."

"I understand, Hatterene-baby. I'll have Corviknight and my trusty Magnezone take part this time. How does that sound?"

"Perfect, Sir Davis." The two shared an embrace at the exact same time the famous healing chime finally sounded from behind the main desk and the two stood up, gathered the others, and headed for the stadium for the easiest battle Karthaniel's ever had since being diagnosed with the disease.

Meanwhile, back at the Wedgehurst Pokémon Lab…

"Huh?! Are you sure?!" Sonia exclaimed after Leon just gave her the update on the effects of the illuminated mushrooms within the Glimwood Tangle and Ballonlea. She was frantically trying to do more research on that factor as the champ continued.

"Absolutely." He replied. "In addition to that, it also appears that the serene Hatterene actually found a very crucial piece of her past prior to becoming a prisoner to that mysterious facility. The staff of that place was in search of her and their very noisy technology disturbed her so much that she lived up to her pokédex entry with extreme prejudice!"

"…you mean, she was violent towards humans before then?" Sonia calmed down after that and still kept her focus on the computer, even after Leon casually took a seat next to her and watched her work with her.

"That enhancement gave her more than just that increase in power. Now with that revelation embedded within her soul, she can finally reveal the many answers to Karthaniel's questions, but that's only after the Wonder Guard Demon is permanently defeated. For now, the mushrooms are keeping him away temporarily. While we have the chance, did you get the whereabouts of those security guards that escaped yesterday?"

"It. Took. All. Night! Officer Jenny literally had her police force searching high and low for them, but she finally apprehended them at an… unlikely location: The Slumbering Weald."

"Huh! No wonder. Why did they hide there of all places?"

"The fog. They figured it would hide them forever, but nope! She's just waiting for you to interrogate them at her headquarters at Wyndon."

"Excellent! I mustn't delay this any longer, then. As for you, I need to you figure out why the mushrooms are blocking the demon. Once you find out, let my brother know right away and peace will be one step closer to being restored."

"Yes, sir!" The young professor made a playful salute that made the young champ smile with humor before he went on his way towards Wyndon to finally get more answers from the staff of the hidden facility.

Back at Ballonlea…

Karthaniel and Hatterene had just arrived at the stadium with the crowd at their usual loud volume of cheers and they kept their smiles of honor as they continued towards the center where Bede and Opal were waiting. As promised, the anthro Silent Pokémon kept her distance away from the potential battlefield, but again, her regal glare of suspicion towards young Bede never ceased. She already mentally vowed to act immediately should something happen anytime.

A few seconds later, the battle was off to a smooth start. Karthaniel's Corviknight and Magnezone did a fantastic performance to take out Opal's Galarian Weezing and Bede's Togekiss respectively, stunning everyone except Hatterene. She simply stood at her far distance with utmost respect and was impressed by how his steel-type expertise really showed here. By the time they were down to Mawile and Alcremie, the crowd became silent as the younger gym leader did his honor of gigantamaxing his Cream Pokémon, turning it into a massive 98-foot-tall cake that should intimidate Karthaniel and his pokémon, but the three of them never cowered as the mentally unstable trainer did the same towards Corviknight, making the crowd cheer even louder than before.

It took a full minute for them to calm down before Magnezone didn't waste a moment using Thunder on Mawile and it didn't go down right away. Instead, it was down to just ten health points and tied down with paralysis. As for Corviknight, Karthaniel commanded him to perform Max Steelspike on Alcremie and, thanks to all the Swords Dances he performed before, that attack took it down instantly, making crowd go insane one more time as they saw that massive cake tower collapse and back into Bede's pokéball. This pissed him off as he stepped back to see if Opal could finish it off, but alas. The paralysis did the Deceiver Pokémon in and wasn't able to move before Magnezone simply shot out a Flash Cannon and it was down and out, claiming Karthaniel the winner. Opal couldn't be prouder as she allowed him to summon his two trusty steel companions back into their pokéballs and, then approached him to give him a congratulatory handshake as well as the usual rewards of TM87 Draining Kiss, the Fairy Badge, and the Fairy Uniform.

During that moment, Bede tried to hastily, but casually make his way out of the arena through the alternate entrance, but Hatterene was not having it as her improbabilities were proven true as her eyes glowed blue with her famous hat claw raised into its horrifying position while she used Psychic to block the young leader from escaping. This made the crowd gasp with astonishment and that sound made Opal and Karthaniel turn towards the action with just as much shock before the anthro Silent Pokémon did the honors while walking with regal serenity towards the now imprisoned Bede.

"Just where in the bloody hell do you think you're going in such a hurry, lad?" She asked with just as much grace in her heavenly voice, making Karthaniel nod once with expectancy while Opal looked on with wide stunned eyes. "You don't even want to congratulate Sir Davis for his first easy victory since being cursed with this mental illness that no doctor can cure. I knew something wasn't right about you."

"…humph. Someone cares a little too much." Bede spat back as he was still unable to move. He had no choice but to surrender as Hatterene finally approached him with her most threatening glare in her glowing blue eyes, having the hat claw give him a near-kung-fu-grip upon his seemingly unkempt head. "Ugh! How did you even find out?!"

"You're asking this question to a psychic-type pokémon, you simple bastard." She got as close to his left ear as possible as she whispered this to him, making her sound like a whispering spirit in the night. "Everything about you cannot be avoided, not while every single one of my six senses work together simultaneously. You struck a secret service with Lawrence and his staff from that facility. It's no wonder you cowered away back at Stow-On-Side. Care to explain yourself?"

"I've got nothing to say." After that last word, Hatterene shot a bit of Psychic into his brain, making him scream in pain. "Aaaaahhh!"

"Don't lie to me! What do you intend to do to me, if you hadn't been caught?! Turn me into Lawrence like many of the other possible lap dogs around here?! You're a fool."

"That may be, but Karthaniel's mental state shouldn't be an excuse to keep ya from them! They all think this is just a charade for that purpose and personally, so do I." Everyone in the audience only gasped at that statement while Karthaniel approached the two with crossed buff arms and Opal was on the other side of him an unimpressed look upon her face.

"Bede! How dare you?!" She exclaimed like an angry grandmother.

"I'm telling you the truth!"

"That's a load of bullshit, lad." Karthaniel said in agreement to the elderly leader. "What's between Hatterene and I is truly legit. Fate brought us together and we both believe that my parents are out there, but with this disease trying to tell me otherwise, it's too strong for me to endure on my own. Luckily for now, the illuminating mushrooms here within Ballonlea are keeping that Wonder Guard Demon away from us. There's no doubt that he'll be back at any time after we leave here for Circhester next, but regardless, we will fight it together as usual. Also, we're more than just a pokémon and her trainer. We're actually in love and it's a first for both of us. Nothing you or anyone else from that damn facility says or does will break that…" He paused as they both got as close to Bede's ears as possible, having Hatterene remain on the left and her lover on the right as they both finished off by whispering in their most terrifying whispers:

"…We guarantee it!"

This left the young leader speechless as he saw Oleana and Hop come out through the alternate exit with two male members of Officer Jenny's police force before them, ready to apprehend Bede after Hatterene finally released him from her strong Psychic grip, having her eyes turn back to the normal black with white pupils. She stood with elegance next to Sir Davis as they held hands as a sign of victory, even though they know that they're not quite out of the woods yet in terms of tracking down the secret facility's exact location. Just seeing Bede get his just desserts was suffice for closure for now. After that was done, the two officers and Oleana left the stadium for Wyndon. Hop, however, stayed with a smile on his face with his golden eyes glowing with all the happiness in the world.

"Oleana and I were watching this from the lobby the whole time." He started matter-of-factly. "We both knew Bede was the only unsupportive punk within our group and whoa! What a good excuse for it! Obviously, this mystery facility you keep mentioning will find out about this for sure, but that doesn't seem to bother ya."

"Not in the slightest." Karthaniel admitted with his handsome smile, making his anomalous eyes appear regal and noble. "Hatterene and I are ready to face whatever they have up their sleeves. Besides, the more of the staff we hunt down, the better the chances of actually revealing its location and we can defeat both them and the demon simultaneously somehow."

"There ya go! That's the spirit!"

"Hatterene's past lit up her senses now and she's able to slowly get that done without any repercussions. Personally, that's as good of a start as any."

"My sentiments exactly, Sir Davis." Opal agreed. "Also, since you said that you're heading for Circhester next, let me remain my old generous self and tell you that you'll be facing Melony and her son, Gordie, there. They are experts in the ice-type and rock-type respectively. I know that factor alone seems like it'll be another easy victory, due to your obvious expertise, but we know better."

"Indeed, but like I said before, we are prepared once we leave the essence of these mushrooms around here."

"Excellent! I wish you both good luck on your journey."

"Same here." Hop agreed. "Also, in the meantime, my brother and Professor Sonia sent me here to tell ya that those mushrooms may actually hold an extract of a permanent cure for your illness. That's why they're keeping the demon away from ya. It's not 100 percent proven yet, but Sonia's running as many tests as possible. Once that's done, we'll definitely let ya know."

"Well! That's a shocker! Please do keep us informed. Good day to you all." After that was said from Karthaniel, he and his anthropomorphic Silent Pokémon lover headed out the other exit peacefully and was ready to face harder challenges on their way towards Circhester.

As for Lawrence at the facility…

"Goddamn it all!" Lawrence exclaimed as he just found out what happened with his honorary support from Bede from a scientist within his staff. "It was worth the old college try to get help from a young boy. Technically, he's still on our side, but now that he's been caught as well as two more members of my staff, thanks to that bitch of a Hatterene, I'll have to step it up if I want her back for Mr. Statigan's sake. Hmmm… maybe… just maybe…" He paused as he picked up his phone upon his desk and dialed a mysterious number. After two rings, it picked up and he said into the receiver towards the hidden recipient with his most evil smile of supreme confidence:

"Desperation has called me at last, sir. It's time to finish what you started under different circumstances, even without Oleana to assist you now."

To be continued…