To Seize What Should Not Be Seizable

Despicable beings.

Their design represents a depressing sense of morality.

My representatives…

I hope you will be able to fix this.

Twelve hours earlier

Dream Eater sat in an office chair at a table in one of the rooms of the squad's hideout. He was bored and had nothing to do, so he had decided to check on Extrasensory, who was completing the designs for the research they had stolen a few hours ago. Sleep Squad's leader was sitting across the rectangular table, working at a computer.

Midnight was in its Poke ball, which Dream Eater tossed to himself as he leaned back in his seat. He sighed. He had let two of their members get captured. He knew he should probably be worried about them, but he wasn't. Not only did they mean very little to him, but they also didn't know any valuable information. Since they were the two newest members, important information had been withheld from them, including what their plains were besides world domination and where the main hideout of Team Dominion was.

Sure, they might have known where this location was, and Dream Eater and the others were taking a big risk by staying a bit longer, but they all had confidence the two prisoners would be able to hold out long enough for the rest of Sleep Squad to escape. Luck seemed to be on their side. Still, Dream Eater knew that Extrasensory was trying to work fast, and Confusion had his Pokemon ready for when they were prepared to leave.

"How much longer do you have?" Dream Eater asked.

"I'll need fifteen more minutes," Extrasensory replied. "Then I'll be able to send the schematics over to the engineers, who will be able to start production only a short while later. After that, their flying Pokemon will distribute the products."

"Who are they taking them to?" Dream Eater asked.

"Anyone who is a veteran member on our servers," Extrasensory said. "Mostly the ones who inputted their addresses."

Team Dominion had a classified webpage only certain people have access to. They had to have trainer accounts registered to the CPP system, and they couldn't have a Pokemon already. Once they registered into the Team Dominion system using their trainer account, the original account was severed from the CPP database by Team Dominion's hackers. Team Dominion had created a society of everyday trainers who were all willing to use any means necessary to get their own Pokemon. They were the organization's army.

"Is that wise?" Dream Eater asked. "What if someone decided to use our product to work against us?"

Extrasensory shook her head. "The boss doesn't think so. These devices that we're distributing are illegal. Not only that, but how many people do you think would rather turn us in than get their very own Pokemon? You know how society is."

Dream Eater nodded. "They are selfish creatures who wish to meet their own personal needs."

"Exactly," Extrasensory said. "Not only that, but this will give them a reason to be loyal to our cause when the CPP finally starts treating our destruction as a priority."

"So, when will they be getting these in the mail?"

Extrasensory smiled. "Somewhere around eight to noon today."

Dream Eater nodded. "Good. This will be interesting to watch."

Now

Kyle walked through the snow-covered park with his friends. He had let his Eevee out of it's Pokeball, and it bounded and rolled through the fluffy whiteness. Kyle had quickly discovered at the first fall of snow that Eve absolutely loved it. As soon as it had come down, Eve had been begging to go outside every snow day. It would remain there for around an hour before it became even slightly frigid. Kyle smiled every time he saw his Eevee enjoying itself so much.

Adrien's Pikachu had a similar addiction to the snow. It pranced right beside Eve and occasionally threw clumps of snow at it with its tail. Adrien seemed to like watching his Pokemon playing happily as well.

Scarf, however, was a different case. The Dratini's grasp on Carol's neck was tighter than it usually was, to the point where she had to point it out to her Pokemon every now and then so it could loosen up before slowly curling tighter again. It seemed to be wary of the snow. In fact, Carol had said that Scarf hated any type of cold and that it frequently tried to distance itself from any source of it. The only reason Scarf wasn't signaling that it wanted to go back in its Pokeball, Carol speculated, was that it still felt safe for now on her shoulders.

Noah had released his Pokemon as well. His steel-type Aron, which he called Shine, wasn't necessarily fascinated by the snow, but nor was it discomforted by it. It trotted on its four legs next to Noah, looking warily at the other Pokemon. Noah had explained that Shine often was suspicious of other Pokemon attacking it out of nowhere. Considering an Aron's defense stat, Kyle would've thought that it shouldn't have to worry about that.

"Wait," Carol said. "Your Pichu didn't evolve after leveling up?" The group was talking about Chu's evolution that had happened a few weeks ago.

Adrien shook his head as Kyle explained.

"It doesn't evolve based on level, according to the CPP," he said. "It evolves when it's bonded enough to the trainer, which means Adrien must have a really strong bond with Chu."

"But that means that it achieved a bond strong enough at that time for a reason!" Carol said. She turned to Adrien. "So what was happening at the time?" She asked.

"Uh, let me think," Adrien said. He thought for a moment before answering. "That's right. We had just won our twentieth match in a row."

Kyle's jaw dropped. "What?! Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not," Adrien said. "In fact, we haven't even lost a match yet."

It doesn't even sound like he's bragging! Kyle thought.

"Never lost a battle, huh?" Carol remarked. "Well then, Kyle, I guess you'll have to be the first to beat him!"

"I mean, I guess," Kyle said. The four of them walked a little more.

"I wish my Pokemon would evolve!" Noah complained after a while.

"What level is Shine right now, Noah?" Kyle asked.

"Twenty-three," Noah said.

"Yeah," Kyle said, chuckling, recalling Aron's evolution level. "You've still got at least ten more levels to go through."

"Awwwww!" Noah whined.

Carol laughed. "I feel you, Noah. Scarf needs nine more levels to evolve, but it won't really become that powerful until level fifty-five." She sighed. "I've got a long way to go."

"What level is it at?" Kyle asked.

"Twenty-one," Carol said. "You guys?"

"Twenty-three," Kyle said.

"Twenty-five," Adrien said.

"Oh!" Carol exclaimed. "So you guys should be using stones to evolve your Pokemon soon!"

"Yeah, you're right," Kyle said. His leaf stone was on the desk in his room. He'd saved it all this time, waiting for Eve to get strong enough so that he could use it. "I'm thinking of trying it once he reaches level twenty-four," he said.

"So you only need one more level, then," Adrien said.

Kyle nodded and Carol asked, "Do you have a thunderstone for Chu, Adrien?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I bought one at the store last week. I'm going to use it when Chu reaches level thirty."

"Alright, I wanna go battle!" Noah exclaimed suddenly.

"Okay," Carol said. "Just make sure you stay in sight and don't go running off anywhere."

"Sure! Come on, Shine!" He kicked up flecks of snow and ice as he ran towards the Pokemon battles, his Aron doing its best to keep up with its trainer.

Carol sighed. "I can't keep an eye on him all the time," she said, turning to the other two boys. "So could you guys help keep track of him? I'd really appreciate it."

"Yeah, sure, I'll try my best," Adrien said.

"Absolutely," Kyle said.

Carol nodded. "Thanks."

They kept walking around the park, observing the various battles taking place. Kyle noticed some strong opponents he would like to battle. The ones he began picking out included a Machop, a Fletchinder, and a Sneasal. They all looked pretty powerful. Kyle saw Adrien was doing the same he was as they both examined each Pokemon they saw.

"So," Carol began, "How have you guys been?"

"Fine," Kyle and Adrien both said simultaneously.

"Oh, come on!" Carol complained, smiling. "Don't give me that! Tell me something actually relevant."

The two boys exchanged glances and both gestured for the other to speak up. They waited for each other to say something.

Kyle gave in first. "Oh, alright," He said. "Yeah, I've been doing pretty well. Things have been kind of dying down for me."

None of them questioned whether "dying down" meant good or bad. They, like Kyle, all knew that it meant good.

"With your battle with Jordan, you mean?" Carol asked.

Kyle nodded. "I was popular for about a month, but soon enough people started to forget about me again," He said. "It's about time, honestly. I was getting pretty tired of people recognizing me everywhere I went."

"So what, they just don't recognize you anymore?" Carol asked.

Kyle shrugged. "I mean, every now and then someone will see me and call me out, but it's happening less and less frequently."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Adrien said. "Except it took even less time for me to begin to blend in again. People told me for about a week about how cool my moment had been, then it all just stopped. It's a relief, but I'll still occasionally come across someone who recognizes me."

"I was wondering about Jordan, too, by the way," Kyle brought up. "How's he doing?"

Adrien shrugged. "He's been to school only a couple of times this month. He's started to come outside and battle other people so he can level up his Pokemon and keep up with the rest of us. I wanted to invite him today, but his internal conflict was actually pretty bad at the moment, from what he told me yesterday." He looked up to the sky. "I feel bad for him."

Carol nodded. "But things have been going well for you, too, Adrien?" She asked.

Adrien nodded, rubbing his forearms. Kyle noticed that he did that a lot.

"Yeah," Adrien said. "Nothing's really changed for me, so things are still going good."

Kyle noticed Chu lightly slap the back of Adrien's calf with its tail, a stern look on its face. Kyle frowned. Adrien bent over to pick up the Pikachu and rubbed its head, which did not calm Chu down in the slightest.

"What'd it do that for?" Kyle asked.

"No idea," Adrien said. "I think it's just bored and wants to start battling."

"Well then," Kyle said, grinning. "How about we get started?"

Adrien smiled. "Well," he said awkwardly. "I actually wanted to battle some other people first, if that's alright with you. I don't want Chu to get tired before I can battle anyone else."

Kyle's grin faded, and he straightened. "Oh," he said, surprised. "Okay, sure."

"Sorry," Adrien said. "We'll battle later." He turned and began walking towards where Noah had gone.

That was weird, Kyle thought. He seemed… really uncomfortable for a second there.

"You know what just happened, right?" He heard Carol say.

Kyle blinked. Carol was leaning for slightly, posed as if she were expecting something.

"What?" Kyle asked.

Carol sighed. "Your look of confusion tells me you don't."

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked. "Do you mean Adrien?"

"Of course!" Carol said. "He's obviously hiding something from us! You saw how his Pikachu reacted when he told us how he was doing! Chu is usually patient when it comes to waiting for a battle. It never rushes Adrien."

"Are you saying that Adrien lied to us when he said he was doing well?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know," Carol said. "It's either that or he's not telling us everything. We should talk to him."

Kyle shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Carol protested. "He could be in trouble!"

"If Adrien wanted help with something, don't you think he would ask?"

"In English class, during the incredibly rare times he needs help, he will never ask for it," Carol said. "He likes to deal with his adversaries himself."

Kyle sighed. He was about to say that he didn't want to invade Adrien's personal life when he saw Carol's face. Her expression held determination and persistence. She wanted to help Adrien; it was important to her.

"Fine," Kyle said. "We can ask him about it if you want later."

Carol visibly relaxed. "Good." She waited a bit before asking, "Did you hear about the new trainer gym that's opening up downtown?"

"Yeah!" Kyle said. The trainer gym was advertised as a CPP funded location where trainers could easily meet and battle. The best part, in Kyle's opinion, was that it was possible to earn money there.

"You'll be able to earn money for your family," Carol said.

Kyle nodded. "For sure." Eve nodded its head as well. Kyle looked around at the various battles. "But anyway, what do you say we start battling with some of these people? Its been awhile since I've had a good match."

Carol grinned. "Sure."

"Hey!" Kyle heard someone shout in the distance. He recognized it as Noah's voice, and he seemed to be in distress.

Carol whipped around, and both of them examined the source of the outburst. Kyle saw Noah facing a teenager, a fair distance between them. Shine wasn't in sight, which was odd. Kyle didn't see why Noah would put him away, even if it had been defeated. They had brought potions, and Noah was carrying some. The teenager - he looked to be about eighteen - also had no Pokemon on the field, though he was carrying a Poke ball.

Wait a minute, Kyle thought. That's not right.

The teenager's Poke ball was a different color than most Poke balls. Kyle couldn't be sure at this distance, but he thought the Poke ball looked black. Kyle tried to think about it as he and Carol approached Noah in a jog, Eve following them.

Could he have painted it? Maybe he had it customized? Kyle had heard of these things before. Kyle still wasn't quite sure why Noah was so upset until he said something else.

"Give me back my Pokemon!" Noah shouted as Kyle got close to him.

What?

The teenager suddenly turned and ran. Kyle glanced back and forth from Noah and the runner, trying to figure out what was going on.

"What happened, Noah?" Carol asked, concerned.

"He took my Pokemon!" Noah said. He looked to be on the verge of tears. He focused on Kyle. "Go! Chase him!"

Kyle had no time to question anything Noah had said, especially if what he was saying was true. He immediately began sprinting after the supposed thief, thoughts racing through his head. Eve was right behind him

How can he do that? He thought. Noah doesn't seem like he'd lie about this, and that guy seems like he really wants to get away. But it shouldn't even be possible!

The thief was fast despite the snow. Kyle cursed at how widely spaced the trees in the park were. If they were like the trees in Sale Woods, he would've had a severe advantage. Kyle had closed the distance between them, but the thief had begun running faster when he had noticed he was being chased. Kyle wasn't sure if he could keep up forever. He was a good runner, but not as good as this guy was. Eve was also usually pretty fast, but the snow was slowing it down a lot because of its height.

Kyle watched as a Pikachu suddenly darted past them, running towards the thief. Chu closed the gap in seconds and jumped into the air. It flipped and brought its tail down on the thief's shoulder. Unfortunately, it didn't do much. The thief cried out in pain but kept his speed as he threw Chu away, sending it tumbling through the snow.

Kyle tripped on his own feet and fell to the ground. Eve stopped to see if Kyle was alright. He groaned as he watched the thief reach the wooden fence that surrounded the park.

Damn. He thought. He picked himself back up and started running again, but the thief had gained even more ground. Kyle doubted he would be able to catch him.

The thief was about to vault himself over the fence when a shape came out of nowhere and socked him across the face. The thief crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain. Kyle slowed to a stop and raised his eyebrows. The figure who had just punched the thief was a Pokemon.

But not just any Pokemon. Kyle's eyes widened. Eve went on guard, as it recognized the Pokemon as well. It resembled a small monkey, and it had a burning flame at the end of its long, thin tail. It was a Monferno, classified as the playful Pokemon. It was the evolution of Chimchar. It jumped on top of the defeated thief and pounded its chest.

That would mean… Kyle's eyes darted around until he found what he was looking for.

A figure in a winter coat and jeans was walking towards them. Kyle's eyes settled on him, and he took a defensive step back. He watched as his old enemy approached the four of them with his hands in his coat pockets. The figure kept his gaze from meeting Kyle's; he kept himself focused on the fallen thief.

"Hey," Kyle said.

Jordan stopped when he was a few feet from Kyle. He still wouldn't make eye contact. "Hey, Parker," He said quietly.

He already seems so different than he used to be, Kyle thought. Is he really the same person as before? He recalled what Adrien had said about a persona.

"Thanks for the help, I guess," Kyle said.

"Sure," Jordan said as Kyle walked up to the thief, who was starting to try and get up. Eve was still in a defensive stance. Jordan looked at it and took a step back. Eve kept its eyes on Jordan as it followed Kyle.

Kyle shooed Fireball away, and the Monferno stopped pounding his chest and moved away so Kyle could talk to the thief. He noticed the strange Poke ball on the ground and picked it up to examine.

It was unlike any kind of Poke ball Kyle had seen before. It was completely black, save for a dark grey TD on the top half of the Poke ball. Kyle tried to open it but found that he couldn't.

"Damn," Jordan said. "Were you chasing him down just to steal his Pokemon? Maybe I shouldn't have helped you, after all."

"Really?" Kyle asked. "I thought the idea of stealing other people's Pokemon interested you." Kyle found it difficult to keep the irritation out of his voice. Jordan fell silent.

Kyle pushed the thief over with his foot. He leaned down and grabbed the thief by the front of his coat. One side of his face was red from the punch. Kyle expected that it would bruise in time.

"Open it," Kyle ordered.

"No way," the thief said. Eve stepped back a bit, finally turning its focus away from Jordan, then ran up and kicked the thief's side with Double Kick. "Alright, alright!" The thief said, wincing. "Give it here."

Kyle handed the thief the Poke ball. He opened it, and an Aron was released in a flash of light. Seeing it made Kyle furious. He hadn't been sure before, but now…

"Where did you get this Poke ball?" Kyle asked.

"I'm not saying anything!" The thief said. "You guys aren't the cops!"

Shine charged at Kyle. Eve stepped up to hold it back, but it was Fireball who punched it and sent it sprawling to the side. Eve took a step back, visibly surprised at Fireball's action. Shine didn't get up.

It must have used Mach Punch, Kyle thought. Steel is weak to Fighting-type moves, so I bet Shine is knocked out. But that means Fireball must be a pretty high level. What concerned Kyle more was that Shine had tried to attack him, which meant it was loyal to the thief. The Poke ball had changed Shine's loyalty as well as its owner.

Kyle turned around at the sound of crunching snow and saw Adrien, Carol with Scarf, Noah, and Chu all running towards them. Carol stopped when she saw Jordan, but Adrien and Pikachu ran up to Kyle and Eve while Noah ran over to Shine.

"Shine!" Noah exclaimed. "Is it going to be okay?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Kyle assured him. "It just got punched."

"What was that?" Adrien asked.

"I don't know, exactly," Kyle said, turning back to the thief whose coat he still held. "I've been trying to get answers. Apparently, he was able to capture Shine, even though he belonged to Noah already. Shine also changed loyalty, like when a wild Pokemon is caught. I think it has something to do with this Poke ball." He handed it to Adrien to examine.

"Uh, guys?" Carol asked. Kyle and Adrien turned toward her. "Are we just going to ignore the elephant in the room?" Everyone turned to Jordan, who shifted uncomfortably.

"We don't have time right now," Kyle said. "We have something more important to deal with. Besides, he helped us deal with our little friend here." Adrien nodded in agreement.

"So," Kyle said. "Tell us, or we're just going to keep hitting you. What is this Poke ball? Where did you get it?"

"I told you!" The thief said. "I'm not saying anything! You guys aren't cops! Besides..." He looked over Kyle's shoulder. "I don't think they like what they see."

Everyone turned around. People in the park were starting to look their way. Some had already made a few steps forward.

"If you just let me go," the thief said, "I'll just be on my way and you can keep the Pokemon. I don't think you'll want to deal with them."

Kyle grimaced. It must look like we're trying to bully him or something.

"I'll explain things to them," Carol said. "You guys see if you can get him to start giving some answers." With that, Carol jogged over to the spectators.

Kyle turned back to the thief and raised his eyebrows. "That was solved pretty quickly. Anything else you want to try?"

The thief smirked. "I didn't think that would work anyway. Still, I can see in your eyes that you don't have the guts to keep punching me until you get what you want."

Kyle paused. The thief was right. It wasn't in Kyle's nature to do something like this. He didn't want to hurt anybody, even if he knew he had to. Commanding Eve to hit the thief had been difficult enough. Could he really interrogate this person?

Jordan rolled his eyes and stepped over to Kyle and the thief. He lightly pushed Kyle away, who let go and took a few steps away, surprised that Jordan was making a move. Jordan shoved the thief back into the snow, holding him there and kneeling beside him. He leaned in close.

"Look," Jordan said. "You have limited options, here. No, I'm not a cop. I'm worse. I'm not a ballless dick like the rest of these guys." He pointed over his shoulder where Kyle, Adrien, and Noah stood. "I'll beat you and hurt you until you finally give us what we want. Not just with my Pokemon, but with my own fists. So you better think carefully about your next words. If they're not answers, the other side of your face will bruise as well."

The thief started to get nervous. "I don't believe-"

The thief's words were cut off as Jordan raised his fist and brought it down on the thief's face. Kyle winced. Noah opened his mouth in awe. Adrien didn't move.

"Hey, man, are you sure-?" Kyle began.

"Shut it!" Jordan told Kyle, who flinched slightly. Jordan was acting way more aggressive than he had been earlier.

Jordan turned back to the thief, who was groaning in pain and holding one side of his face. "Alright, I'll try again," Jordan said. "What kind of Poke ball is this?"

"Mother-! That's it!" The thief finally took his chance and tried to get Jordan off of him. It was Jordan's turn to get punched in the face. The thief pushed Jordan off of him and stood up. He didn't get so much as three steps away before Fireball used Mach Punch on his leg. The thief fell again.

Adrien walked over to help Jordan up and see if he was alright. Jordan pushed him away and walked over to the thief, kicking him in the gut. The thief curled up and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Jordan wiped his mouth where he had been punched.

"Alright!" The thief said, holding his arm out and coughing. "I'll tell you guys! You just have to promise not to rat me out to the police!"

"Sure, alright," Adrien said. "You have a deal."

The thief nodded, satisfied, then stood up shakily. Jordan and Fireball readied themselves in case the thief decided to run again.

"Oh yeah," the thief said. He pointed at Noah. "The kid has to go."

"Why?" Kyle asked over Noah's sudden whining.

"You guys can't tell anyone else about this, or I'll be in big trouble," thief said. "That kid is going to tell everyone he knows what I'm about to tell you."

Jordan looked like he wanted to punch the thief again, but Kyle quickly said, "Sure. Noah, go find Carol."

"But I don't wanna!" Noah said.

"Now, Noah," Kyle insisted. "He's not going to say anything if you refuse to go."

"Oh, fine," Noah said. He walked towards where Carol had gone, holding Shine in his arms.

"It's called a Dominance ball," the thief explained. "It was manufactured by Team Dominion."

"Team Dominion?" Jordan asked. "Those guys who raided the CPP facility last night?"

"Wait, you saw that too?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, I did," Jordan said. "Wasn't the rumor that they were after some research?"

"Yeah," the thief said, "and those rumors are correct. The research was schematics of that Poke ball in your hand." The thief pointed at Kyle. "Apparently, some CPP professor designed it."

"So what does it do?" Adrien asked. "It captures someone else's Pokemon?"

The thief nodded. "Not only that," he said, "But it also changes the Pokemon's loyalty, making it obey the orders of whoever the Dominance ball is tied to."

That's why Shine tried to defend him, Kyle thought.

"Okay, first of all," Kyle began, "How do we cancel its effects?"

The thief shook his head. "I don't know. Catching it with the original Poke ball wouldn't work since it's tied to mine. The only way I could think of doing it would be to either destroy or deactivate the ball, but it's pretty durable."

"Why wouldn't there be a way for you to just release your control?" Kyle asked.

"Why would that be an option?" The thief asked. "Why would Team Dominion want a failsafe like that?"

He's got a point, Kyle thought. I certainly wouldn't want people to be able to do that if I was the leader of Team Dominion.

"Okay then," Kyle said, "How do we deactivate it?"

The thief shrugged. "Hell if I know," he said. "You guys will have to figure that part out on your own."

"If he doesn't know, there's no reason to pressure him about it, I guess," Adrien said. "We'll just have to find someone who might be able to find a way."

"Is that it?" Kyle asked.

"One more thing," the thief said. "Team Dominion has distributed these things all across the country. They all have accounts on this program they developed. So just look out for other people, I guess."

He looked around at the three people next to him. "You know," he continued, "I really hate people like you. You were incredibly lucky to actually get a Pokemon, you know. You have no idea how it feels to wake up one morning, so excited about your life changing forever when you realize it's only going to change for the worse."

Kyle sighed. "It feels like you've been abandoned," he said. You looked forward to it for years before you were let down." The thief cocked his head. "I used to be like you," Kyle said. "I wasn't given a Pokemon. I had to find it on my own. So did he, as a matter of fact." Kyle pointed at Adrien.

The thief turned to Jordan. "You, then?" He asked. "You were the lucky one?"

"Yeah," Jordan said. "I used to think that what I got was unlucky, actually. I hate myself for thinking that, now. I don't even think I deserve to have it." Fireball hugged Jordan's leg, and Jordan patted it on the head. "I hope you find what you want. Not like this, though."

The thief nodded. "I'll be off then." He hopped over the fence and began walking down the empty street, away from the park.

Kyle and Eve turned and began heading back towards where Carol stood. She was still talking to the others in the park. He heard Adrien and Chu begin to follow them, then stop. Kyle turned to see what was the matter.

Though Kyle and Adrien had begun to move, Jordan had stayed where he was. His head was turned away from them to the side.

"Are you coming?" Adrien asked.

"I think I'll head home," Jordan.

"Why?" Adrien asked. "It's alright if you stick with us. You helped us stop the thief, after all. You also helped us get the information we needed from him."

"I think you might be the only one who thinks that, Adrien," Jordan said.

Adrien turned to Kyle.

Kyle hesitated. "I don't really care if you stay or not. If you really want to go home, then go home, I guess. If you want to stick around, that's fine too. It's your choice." Kyle turned to keep walking. "I appreciate what you did, though."

As Kyle walked through the snow, he heard more footsteps than just Adrien's and Chu's coming from behind him.

"Sorry for snapping at you like that, by the way," Jordan said. "I had to keep up the act."

Kyle shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

The three humans and their Pokemon approached Carol and Scarf, as well as Noah. Shine was still unconscious.

Noah ran up to them when he saw them get close. "I can't put Shine back in its ball!" He said. "Did that guy tell you anything about that."

"Yeah, he did," Kyle said. "But it might be a while before we can fix it."

Carol finished her conversation with the man she had been talking to. "I explained the situation," she said. "We should be fine. They understood. Though I almost lost control of them when Jordan started punching the guy."

Jordan looked away and scratched his head. Fireball snickered.

"So, what next?" Carol asked. "Did you figure out what that was?" She pointed to the Dominance ball in Kyle's hand.

"We did," Kyle said. "Apparently, it takes control of another person's Pokemon."

Carol's eyes widened. "But that shouldn't be possible, should it? Did he make it?"

"I'll tell you later," Kyle said, eyeing Noah, who was listening intently.

"Alright then, what do we do now?" Carol asked.

"I should heal it first, shouldn't I?" Noah said, taking out a potion.

"No, not yet," Kyle said, holding up his free hand. "I'm afraid it won't recognize you until we've fixed what happened. It'll probably attack you as soon as it wakes up. We need to deactivate the ball first."

Noah frowned. He looked like he was about to cry. Kyle couldn't blame him.

"Hey, don't worry," Kyle said encouragingly. "Here, you can put it away for now, if you want." He held the Dominion ball out for Noah to take. Noah grabbed it and tapped it on Shine's steel-plated head. The Pokemon disappeared inside the Dominance ball in a flash of light. Noah shrunk the ball and put it in his pocket.

"Is it smart to let him carry it?" Jordan asked. "He might lose it."

"His life is literally stapled to his Aron's," Carol said. "He'd lose a thousand-dollar bill before he loses that ball."

"Alright," Kyle said. "Who knows a guy with really good engineering and/or programming skills who could deactivate this Poke ball for us?"

Adrien turned to face Jordan, who raised his eyebrows at him for a moment. Then, a look of realization spread across his face.

"No," Jordan said. "No way."

"Come on," Adrien said. "He's the only one we know who can probably do it. You know that."

"I don't care," Jordan said. "I haven't talked to him in over a month. He probably hates me, just like everyone else I used to be friends with."

"Wait, who are we talking about?" Carol asked.

Adrien turned to Kyle. "You've met him," he told him. "One of the ones from the woods that day. He's the one who owns a Marill."