Chapter 11: One Good Turn… Deserves Another (Pyrite Town)

About 20 minutes after Alexander had left the hotel room, just when Wes and Rui were beginning to think that maybe he wasn't coming back after all, he reappeared in the doorway once again, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Well, looks like we're ready," he commented, recalling Espeon back into her Pokéball. "Shall we carry on to breakfast?"

Wes and Rui both agreed eagerly, and the three were soon off to the same restaurant where they had all encountered one another yesterday (more or less). Several minutes later, after ordering up some food, they all sat at a table and began to eat.

Rui smiled as she took a bite out of her toast covered in grape jelly. "Mm… yummy!" she commented, drawing tiny smiles from her two male companions.

"Good?" asked Wes.

"Yep!" She leaned over to Wes and touched him to make sure he really was in one piece. "Are you sure you feel ok?"

Wes lowered her hand so he could get a bite of his scrambled eggs in his mouth. "Yes, I'm fine," he assured with his mouth full. "A little sore, but fine. Don't worry so much."

"How can I not?" Rui asked. "You almost died! And now you're acting as if nothing happened!"

"I'm fine, really…" Wes repeated. He took a moment to toss some bacon underneath the table to Espeon and Umbreon, and then decided to change the subject. "So… I guess we're in Pyrite Town now… I've heard things have been going on around here nowadays too… Do you know anything about that, Alexander?"

The older teen looked up from where he had been concentrating on his breakfast, and shrugged. "A little… But I've only just gotten here myself, so…" He slowly poked at a clump of eggs on his plate absently. "From what I've heard, the Colosseum seems to be undergoing some suspicious changes… That might warrant a look at. Though, any guess would be dangerous to make, with the reputation this city has."

Wes cracked a smile. "You're telling me. Pyrite's been the center for criminal activity as long as I can remember. Not the nicest of towns…"

Rui shuddered a little, and squeezed closer to Wes. "Wish I'd known that before I traveled here… then I wouldn't have been kidnapped."

"Worry not, Miss Rui," Alexander said, bobbing his head in the semblance of a sweeping bow. "As long as I'm around, I assure you no harm will befall you."

"Thank you," Rui beamed. "I feel so much safer with both you and Wes around…"

Wes glowered threateningly at Alexander at those words, to which Alexander replied with merely a grin. Hey, I have no problem with him saving my life, Wes thought murderously, but the very instant he lays hands on Rui, he's outta here!

Sensing the malevolent thoughts in Wes's mind, Alexander decided to cool off the flattering for now. Wes will take good care of her, he told himself. You don't need to divide her affections between you and him… "Ah… so. Miss Rui. I will kindly direct both you and Wes to the facilities around this… um… fine city. There is a police station next door, and a Duel Square where trainers like to battle one another down the street. It's a bit rough, but the best place for information, or so I've heard. The Colosseum should be another stop on your agenda as well…"

"Alexander… You sound like you're going to leave soon…" Rui said, sounding disappointed. "Are you?"

"Ah… yes, I'm afraid so," Alexander replied apologetically. "I have things of my own to do… But fear not, I'm sure we'll see one another again."

"Hope so," Rui remarked.

"As do I…"

Wes bit his lip to hold back a scathing remark towards Alexander. He wasn't too sure why he should feel this defensive towards Rui; it wasn't as if the mercenary meant her any harm. But deep down, he knew… it had something to do with his own feelings…

Damn Alexander…

Unfortunately for poor Wes, Alexander's prediction would prove to be true.

This wouldn't be the last time they saw him…

Route 121 in Hoenn; west of Lilycove City:

On Route 121, en route to the Safari Zone and Mt. Pyre, is hidden a mansion. Built far back off the road, concealed by deep undergrowth and trees, the barred gates loom menacingly; warding off all who would approach. The mansion itself is like something out of a haunted house tale… forbidding, dark…

…And dangerous.

Local stories and urban legends tell of the family who lives—or once lived?—there. Many generations ago… the patriarch of the family made a deal with the forces of evil… and thus aligned all of his blood to the darkness; forever possessing powers that rival those of even the Affinities of Dark, Ghost, and Psychic-types. With these powers in hand, the family estranged themselves from the rest of the world to their mysterious mansion, where they have remained to this day.

All who pass the barred gates—by dare, by business, or other means—never return.

The house is dubbed cursed by those who know it, as are the only remaining family members within…

This is the Shinigaru mansion.

Deep within the forbidding walls of the Shinigaru household… A soft whisper cut through the cold, stale air, echoing eerily and remaining just low enough to make the words themselves inaudible. The room it was coming from was dark as night; the windows were sealed shut and covered to prevent all light from entering. The only source of light in the room was one candle, covered slightly to dim the light, and the burning end of a stick of incense before a small shrine. Kneeling before the shrine was a young man clothed in black robes, his pale face flickering with the candlelight. His lips barely moved, but his words seemed to fill the entire room.

He paused for a moment as he sensed something, and the candle flickered as his one visible eye opened, revealing a dark-green iris. His other eye, his right one, was covered completely by a black headband with the symbols of the Psychic, Dark, and Ghost-types on it. He made a tiny gesture with his hand, and the strands of black hair in his face instantly were brushed aside. Another gesture allowed him to levitate to his feet, where he turned to face the door behind him.

"Koyasha," he stated softly, his handsome, thin young face expressionless. "Welcome home."

The door opened, and Koyasha herself strode in, her boot heels clicking against the wooden floor as she approached. With a gesture of her hand, the door closed behind her, and she smiled deviously, indicating she was in a good mood.

"Saatian," she greeted, going to him and putting her arms around him in a brief hug. "So… did you do it? Were you able to teleport all the way back here from Orre with one trip?"

Saatian's eye glittered with something akin to pride. "Yes. I did."

"Splendid! Your powers have improved!" Koyasha exclaimed, her equally-dark green eyes sparkling with satisfaction. "I was beginning to wonder if that was the limit to your powers…"

"I have much more capability, I assure you, sister," Saatian replied, his voice remaining soft and impassive. "So… is all going to your plan?"

"Indeed it is." Koyasha undid the belt around her waist with her katana, and held it out to Saatian. He lifted his hand slightly, and the sword floated from her hands in the air between them, hanging suspended by the abilities he had been developing since he was a baby.

"Evice believes everything is in his control… the fool. He has no mind for leading a criminal syndicate, however evil and cunning he may be. Nascour is so much more suited for the job…" Koyasha paused, watching her brother place her sword carefully on a table nearby. "Ah, but he is useful. The powers you have bestowed on him… They are doing exactly what needs to be done, just by residing in that stupid man."

Saatian blinked. "Throwing Ho-Oh's power out of balance."

"Yes."

"Johto will soon be feeling the effects of that as well… His mate will not stand for that. She and Lugia may call upon their chosen to defend if it becomes too intense…"

Koyasha waved off his words dismissively. "Ho-Oh cannot do anything. He is but one Legendary, and Celebi, by the ancient covenant, is not allowed to battle on his behalf. He is alone. And if Master Ein's experiment is working as it should… he will be overwhelmed by the shadow power growing, and will not be able to enlist the aid of the other Legendaries. No. We will take Orre, as planned."

"What of Nascour?" Saatian asked.

"His powers are much more subtle than Master Evice's, but they are coming along nicely as well. And he's playing his part just as I had hoped…" She grinned maliciously at her own words. "Ah, but he is delightful. Just like Alexander once was…"

Saatian cocked his head. "Speaking of which…"

"Yes, I know. He's in Orre now, too. I'm not worried about him… He has no idea what's going on there… He doesn't even know I'm involved over there yet. If he interferes, I will just kill him. Simple as that."

"But Koyasha… I have spoken with spirits of the past… They say—"

"I know what they say!" Koyasha snapped impatiently. "But what difference does that make? As long as Ho-Oh's prophecy doesn't come to pass, we're fine."

"…Of course."

Koyasha sighed, sitting down on the floor and stretching her arms. "What a long journey… I wish I could have teleported back with you, but I had some other details to iron out with Nascour," she murmured. "Ah… but I ask you, Saatian… What else do the spirits say? Will our power increase enough after this for our next plan to succeed?"

"…Neither I nor the spirits can tell the results of our plans, Koyasha. I can only see into the near future, not the long-term future..." Saatian replied, slowly lowering himself to the floor so he could sit next to his sister.

"Damn you," Koyasha hissed, annoyed at his answer. "…But never mind. It will work. We have woven a plot so thick in Orre… that no one could ever hope to decipher the strands. Even if the Affinities and the Chosen got involved, they could never hope to win. They don't remember…"

"No, they don't…"

With a smile, Koyasha gently put her arm around Saatian's neck, and pulled up the headband from where it covered his eye. "Reveal to me, Saatian… exactly what we need to do next. See into the near future and show me what we must do…"

Saatian opened his right eye, revealing it to not be dark green like his other eye, but a light, icy-green color; so piercing and intense that it would hurt to even look at. He blinked once, and it glowed a dark purplish-black color, as he began to stare into the future…

"I see…"

Koyasha smiled, and kissed her brother on the cheek; not out of love, but out of satisfaction, that his powers would prove to be her key to obtain a goal that her ancient ancestor had only dreamed of. "Thank you, Saatian… Now tell me all…"

"Farewell, then," Alexander finally bid, after he, Wes, and Rui finished their breakfast and stepped out into the streets of Pyrite again. "Forgive me for my hastened departure, but… like I said, I have many things to attend to."

"We understand," Rui replied. "Be careful!"

Alexander nodded, giving Wes a meaningful look. "I shall. And may the both of you take care as well." The teen then turned and strode back down the street, further into town. Wes and Rui watched him until he was out of sight.

"Interesting guy," Wes commented, straightening his shades on his head to hide his satisfaction at seeing him go.

Rui nodded. "I don't know why, but… I like him. He's nice."

"But he's a mercenary. Those types always have some ulterior motives up their sleeves, even when they are being honest."

"Oh, really?" she asked, sticking out her tongue teasingly. "He's really no different than you."

Wes sweatdropped at her words. "Oh… well… yeah… but…"

She giggled. "I just mean that you two may be, or might have been, criminals, but… you also both have good hearts."

"And that you can see, too?"

"In him? Of course."

Wes shook his head and put his hand on her shoulder. "All right, all right… Alexander's a good guy," he relented. "But he's gone for now, so we're on our own again. What do we do?"

"Since we're here… how about we go to the police station? Perhaps they can help us in some way?" Rui suggested.

Wes wasn't entirely sure how that would help, if the criminal activity in Pyrite was already a mess with police. But as usual, he conceded to her ideas. "Well, better than no idea at all," he sighed, following Rui over to the building next door to the restaurant. The two stepped into the finely air conditioned station, and Rui approached the front desk. Behind the desk sat a uniformed man with gray hair and a mustache, who looked up at the two kindly.

"Well, I remember you," he said with a warm smile to Rui. "You're that girl who said you were going to visit your grandparents in Agate Village. Back so soon?"

"Actually… I never got to Agate Village," Rui said. "Some Team Snagem criminals—or Team Cipher, to be exact—kidnapped me."

The man looked shocked. "What! Kidnapped you? You poor girl!"

"Yes. But fortunately, I was rescued by Wes." She motioned to Wes, who nodded in affirmation.

"That indeed was a stroke of luck," murmured the policeman. "If you had gotten into Team Snagem or Cipher hands, you would have been in trouble for sure…" He then got to his feet and offered a hand to Wes. "I must thank you for your heroic efforts, young man. I'm Police Chief Sherles."

"Wes. And it was no problem at all," Wes answered, shaking Sherles's hand.

The door suddenly flew open behind them, and before Wes and Rui could turn, another uniformed young man, in his early-twenties, barreled into the room in a panic, crashing into Wes. "Owowow!" he yelped, taking a moment to get his bearings. "Oh! Chief! Terrible news in town! There's this Team Cipher, who seems to be an even more dangerous team than Team Snagem! People are joining it left and right! I've tried to follow leads to see who the leaders are, but no go! And—" He stopped when he realized that it wasn't the police chief he had bumped into. "Oh! Hey! You're not the chief!"

Wes simply raised an eyebrow at his words, which clearly meant "No? Ya think?"

"I'm over here, Johnson," Sherles spoke up, with a sigh. "And I already know about Team Cipher, and have made about as much progress as you have. Whoever's leading this group knows what they're doing, to make sure none of their secrets are leaked."

Johnson saluted. "Well, I'll be sure to find those secrets, whether Cipher likes it or not!" he declared. He then took a closer look at Wes and Rui. "Hey! I know you! You're… um…"

"Rui," she prompted. "Yes, we've met before. This is my friend, Wes."

"Rui! That's right!" Johnson exclaimed, sounding embarrassed for not remembering. "And you're Wes? Great to meetcha! I'm Johnson, police officer under Chief Sherles! I keep the peace in Pyrite Town!"

Wes tried to sound polite. "Is that so?" he said, shaking Johnson's hand. Keeps the peace in Pyrite? That's gotta be the biggest oxymoron I've heard in my entire life…

"You betcha!" Johnson then gave a sharp salute. "Sorry to jet, but I have to go back to my patrol. See ya!" He zoomed back out the door before anyone could speak further.

Sherles sighed again, rubbing his temples. "Ah… that's Johnson. He's a good-hearted kid, but he's also rather naïve as well. Doesn't get as much done as I would like… But I can't complain. He's the only police officer I have under me, and he's eager enough."

"So… you haven't gotten any leads on Team Cipher at all?" Rui asked. "I mean… I want them to be stopped, so they won't cause anymore trouble."

"Actually… we have a pair in the jail right now, whom I believe are from Cipher," Sherles said. "I didn't have to go looking for them… they came to us, begging to be tossed in. Sounds crazy, but I gave them what they wanted…"

Wes nudged Rui. "If it's ok, could we go see them, and maybe get some info out of them?" he asked. "I… kinda want to get back at them for kidnapping Rui."

"Feel free," Sherles said, motioning to the door leading to the jail area. "Just don't do anything stupid… Team Cipher, from what I've heard, is ten times more dangerous than Team Snagem."

"Don't worry sir… I won't," Wes responded, a slight smile on his face as he followed Rui into the jail area.

Once they closed the door behind them, Rui looked up at Wes. "What do you want to ask the Team Cipher guys, Wes?" she asked, sounding very puzzled.

"I don't know… whatever comes to mind," he replied, leading the way down to the hall. They reached the end, and then opened a door to their right, which led to an office with one more jail cell. And in that cell…

"You? What do you want!"

Wes and Rui both gasped in surprise. "You two! Folly! Trudly!" Rui cried, pointing at the two Cipher Peons now behind bars. "What are you doing in here?"

"What's it look like?" Folly shot back, sounding annoyed.

Wes crossed his arms. "The police chief told us you two came here and asked to be arrested. What for?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Trudly replied. "We failed Master Gonzap when we couldn't catch Rui for him—and ticked him off quite a bit when he found out we joined Team Cipher without permission, too… And right after that, we failed Master Miror B. by not stopping you in Phenac! So, we decided jail would be the safest place for us!"

"Cowards…" Wes grumbled.

"You jerks almost got Wes killed with that Makuhita!" Rui accused angrily. "How could you?"

Folly rolled his eyes, leaning against the bars of the cell. "Look, girly, we only do what we're told to do by our higher ups. If we have to kidnap, then we kidnap. If we have to steal, then we steal. And if we have to kill someone… then that's what we do! Sheesh… Wes, teach your girlfriend a thing or two about life in a criminal team. It'll save her the confusion…"

"Shut up," snapped Wes. "Tell us now: Where's Miror B.?"

"Miror B.?" Trudly repeated. "No way in hell we're telling you that!"

"Why not? Miror B.'s not going to know you two told me."

"Wes, you don't get it. Didn't ya hear? Cipher's way more intense than Team Snagem ever could be," Folly interjected. "We tell ya, and Cipher'll figure out. They'll know. Don't ask me how, but they'll know."

Trudly nodded in agreement. "Not only that, but…" He trailed off, looking a bit nervous. "Ya know how Kimberly was Team Snagem's Valkyrie?"

Wes raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Yeah. Of course I do."

"Team Cipher's got one of their own, too... 'cept she ain't got the same title, of course… If we told you, the higher ups would send her to track us down and silence us for good. So, no way, man. Our lips are sealed."

Rui frowned. "You can't just leave us with nothing!" she cried. "Come on, at least a hint or something—"

"Chill it, Rui. Let's just go," Wes cut in, turning on his heel to leave. "Folly, Trudly, I don't like you guys any more than I did when I came in, but you now have my sympathy." He turned, and grinned. "I think I get what you're afraid of."

Folly and Trudly looked relieved. "Seriously, man? Cool dice," Folly commented.

"But, Wes! We need a lead!" Rui wailed, following Wes to the door out of the office.

The two Cipher Peons in the cell both looked at one another, seeming to consider. "Hey… um… If it's a lead ya need, dude…" Trudly called.

Wes and Rui stopped. "Yes?" Wes asked.

"One word… Colosseum."

Rui blinked. "What? Colosseum? What's that supposed to mean?"

Folly snorted. "Look, girl, if you can't do anything with that, then tough shit," he spat. "We're not risking our necks any more than we need to."

Wes smiled, and nodded. "Thanks much, you two," he said, grabbing Rui's hand and pulling her out the door with him. "Good luck…"

The two found themselves back in the first room of the police station, where Sherles was busy with some paperwork before him. "Ah, Rui, Wes," he greeted. "Find out anything?"

"Actually—" Rui began, before Wes clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Actually, we didn't. They wouldn't tell us a thing," Wes finished quickly. "Thanks anyway, though… We'll see ya later…"

Sherles watched curiously as Wes hauled Rui outside once again. "Um… ok… Take care…"

Once outside, Rui pulled herself out of Wes's arms. "Wes! What was that all about? How come we didn't tell him—?"

"Shh," Wes hissed. "Keep it down. Look. I didn't say anything because I know why Folly and Trudly were so scared to leak anything."

"Why?"

"Ok. See… back when I was in Team Snagem, I knew this girl. Her name was Kimberly. She's about 19, I think, and was Gonzap's direct subordinate."

"Who's Gonzap?" Rui asked.

"He's the leader of Team Snagem… not a very nice guy…" Wes's sentence trailed off, as memories of his former boss's cruel and unforgiving ways came back to him. He shook his head and continued. "Anyways, Kimberly was raised in Team Snagem to be completely obedient to Gonzap ever since she was a baby. She's grown into an impassive and submissive girl, and does all sorts of special missions for Gonzap that he wouldn't trust anyone else with. One of these missions is sometimes killing people."

Rui gasped. "Really? That's horrible!"

"And Kimberly can do it like no one else can. She's so cunning, so smart, and so skilled at sneaking in and out undetected… She's never been caught. And I doubt she will, either… And Folly and Trudly said that Team Cipher's got someone like that as well. So I believe them when they say that if they ever leaked something, Cipher would know. And they don't want to be on the receiving end of whatever their hit lady has to offer."

"I think I understand," Rui said, sounding a bit frightened. "The criminal world is so scary… How can anyone live like that?"

Wes sighed. "It's not easy," he admitted. "Only the toughest and smartest ones out of the bunch survive…"

"I see… So did Folly and Trudly just risk their lives by telling us 'Colosseum'?"

"Pretty much… And I can't really explain why they decided to tell us even that. I think it's just a small act of consideration… from one criminal to another."

Rui smiled. "So… not all criminals are as cold-blooded as they're made out to be," she stated.

Wes smiled back. "You're catching on, Rui. So… let's go see what this Colosseum's all about, ok?" The two turned around to survey their surroundings again, before heading back towards where the hotel was again. On the way, Rui decided to ask further about Wes's past.

"So… you know this Kimberly you were talking about?" she asked.

A short pause. "I did."

"Did you have to work with her?"

"Many times. We were two of the best members on the team," Wes said, with a faint smile. "She… I guess you could say we were friends, in a way."

Rui looked sympathetic. "Do you miss her?"

"I don't know. I know she's doing all right, so I can't worry. Besides… I have an even better friend with me right now."

"Wes!" Rui giggled, blush appearing on her cheeks. "You really think I'm a good friend?"

"No, you're a great friend. You know that. Now stop blushing, or you'll make me blush."

"You blush, Wes? I wanna see that!"

Wes shook his head, and ran away from her. "No way! I'm not blushing in front of you!"

"Come on, just a little…!"

From next to the police station, watching the pair dash down the street, a pair of fierce brown eyes narrowed in jealousy. "Damn… who the hell are they?" he growled. "Being happy in the midst of Pyrite? That just makes me sick!"

"Cail, are you venting again?" a random passerby asked, as he walked past the young rogue.

Cail's head snapped up, and he spat fiercely in the man's direction. "And if I am? Fuck off, ok?" he snarled, glaring at him until he was gone. "Damn… stupid people, trying to mess in my business all the time… It's just…"

A rare softness flitted across Cail's face for an instant, betraying the thoughts he held within. "Just wish… I just wish Sierra would come by more often, that's all…"

His eyes hardened again, and he snorted, tossing some of his green hair out of his face. "Damn Team Cipher. Damn Sierra…" he snarled. "Just… get this stupid takeover thing over with, already…

"So I can see you again…"

At that precise moment in time, Alexander was back in the old, rundown building known simply as Pyrite Building, where—with plenty of smooth talking and charm, as well as pilfering an ID badge from a Cipher Peon—he had managed to incorporate himself somewhere in the clockworks of Team Cipher. It wasn't too hard to do, actually. The Peon he was talking to as of right now was completely unaware that Alexander wasn't really a member of the team.

"So… you want me to do what?" Alexander asked, brushing some of his hair aside as he regarded the Cipher Peon standing before him.

The Peon smirked. "I'd like you to deliver this… to Lady Venus," he said, holding out an envelope.

"Lady Venus?" Alexander repeated, taking the envelope and looking at it.

"Yes, that's what I said," the Peon replied, sounding annoyed. "This is a message from Master Ein. Get it to her, and perform with the utmost courtesy… It's confidential information."

Alexander inwardly sighed; he didn't want to scurry about playing messenger for Team Cipher. Not in the least bit. But… if it would get him important information that would help him take down the criminal syndicate… then it was fine. He could handle it. "Very well. I'll get the message to Lady Venus," he said, putting the letter away.

The Peon grinned. "See that you do," he said. "The elevator down to The Under is right over there. Report back here when you've completed the mission."

The two saluted, and Alexander quickly continued down the hall, examining the ID badge that he had stolen. Fortunately, unless you scanned it through a computer and looked up the member data, you wouldn't be able to tell that the ID didn't belong to him. "You're a lucky Psyduck, that's for sure," he murmured, shoving the ID back in his pocket and boarding the elevator. "Hopefully, this won't be a waste of my time… I need to see exactly what this Shadow Pokémon thing is all about…"

He waited patiently as the elevator went down, creaking slightly with lack of maintenance. The temperature and amount of light dropped noticeably the lower he went, indicating that he was definitely going underground. When the elevator finally stopped in The Under, Alexander had to blink for a few moments to let his eyes adjust to the lesser light. There were several neon lights illuminating the wide, underground city, but it was still relatively dark. He stepped out of the elevator and took a good look around.

Shops and bars… the occasional dark form of someone walking around… and technology. That's what he noticed first off. From the vid-screens hanging here and there to the satellite dish on the far side of the "city," The Under struck him as a strange but technologically-savvy place. It had once been a mining village, when people made a living digging up the materials and resources that these caves had to offer. But once most of the resources dried up, so did the village; leaving only a nest for those seeking to escape society and the law, living under their own set of rules.

Alexander decided to check out the whole of The Under before seeking out Lady Venus. He had absolutely no idea who she was, but he was guessing she was someone big with Team Cipher. Ah well. She would go down along with the rest of her criminal syndicate once he was through with it…

"Stop! Leave my Shroomish alone!"

The tearful cry of a young girl echoing from somewhere ahead of him quickly jarred him to attention. His chivalrous spirit rose up, and he instantly took off running towards the source of the cry, to assist the girl in danger. He froze as he came to the main part of The Under, and looked about uncertainly, wondering which way to go next.

"Help! They're trying to take my Pokémon!"

That ended his confusion. Alexander quickly turned down one alley, and then to another, his long ponytail flying behind him as he ran. He quickly stopped short as he came upon the source of the commotion; three thugs, surrounding a little girl and her Shroomish. The Shroomish looked dizzy, and Alexander quickly discovered why—one of the goons had a Machoke out, which had no doubt battled the Grass-type into submission.

"Just hand the Shroomish over, little girl," one of the thugs threatened. "Otherwise, we'll have to hurt you too."

"Machoke!" the Fighting-type Pokémon exclaimed.

The little girl, who only looked about 7 or 8-years old with black pigtails, shook her head and hugged her Shroomish to her protectively. "No! I won't let you have Shroomish!" she cried. "You'll just take him away and make him a Shadow Pokémon!"

"We warned you… Get her, Machoke!"

The Machoke loomed over the girl, and she screamed in terror.

"Hold it right there!" Alexander yelled, making everyone turn to look at him.

A second thug smirked at the teenager. "Heh, what do you want, punk?" he snapped.

"Threatening a little girl is for cowards," Alexander said, drawing his sword and holding it before him in a ready position. "If you want a fight, I'll be more than happy to take all of you on."

The three laughed. "Oh yeah? Let's go, Machoke!" yelled the first thug. The Fighting-type roared and sprang at Alexander, who leaped backwards to avoid a Karate Chop attack.

Alexander quickly plucked a Pokéball from his belt with his left hand, and tossed it before him. "Scyther, you're up!" he cried. "Meet that Machoke with Slash attack!"

The Bug/Flying-type came out in a burst of light, and yelled his name out in a challenge. "Scy-therrrr!" The two Pokémon met each other and traded fast and furious blows, blocking and dishing out powerful Slashes and punches.

In the meantime, Alexander dashed past the dueling Pokémon to meet the three thugs, who had grabbed iron bars lying about to fight him. Alexander met the first thug in a clash of metal, his longsword cutting cleanly through the iron bar and chopping it in two. As the man stared at the two pieces of metal in his hands for a brief second, Alexander kicked the man in the chest, sending him backwards. The teen barely had enough time to parry the second thug's swing, and he ducked and rolled to dodge the third man's attack as well.

"At last," the young mercenary smirked, eyeing his opponents. "A hand-to-hand combat. Something I've sorely missed…"

"Want some, punk!" The second thug came at Alexander again, and iron bar met Aquatic Night as the force of his charge sent Alexander staggering into a wall. They struggled for a moment, trying to force their weapons back against each other, before the thug suddenly grabbed Alexander's shirt collar and flung him to the floor. Alexander winced as he hit the floor, and rolled aside to avoid the thug's next attack. He parried a blow from the third man, and gasped as the first one suddenly came back with a kick in the side, making Alexander double over in pain for an instant.

The three thugs regrouped and grinned down at him. "You think you're so tough, don't you?" they jeered. "We'll beat the crap out of you for messing with us."

Alexander smiled. "Just try it. I dare you," he taunted. And, as expected, the three lunged themselves at him to put their threat into reality.

"Afraid you should have given up when you had the chance!" he yelled, back flipping and turning the sword in his hand so he was holding it backwards. As the first thug came once more, Alexander high-kicked him in the jaw, and then whirled around to meet the second one with a blow that cleaved the iron bar he was holding in two. Twirling the sword back around and gripping it in both his hands, Alexander brought his blade down in an overhand cleave that hewed sickeningly through flesh and bone and instantly killed the man. The other two thugs gasped.

"What the—? You killed him!" the third thug yelled. "Damn you! Take this!" Alexander tensed for a moment, expecting him to lunge forward, but instead the iron bar suddenly flew from his hands at his face. The mercenary blocked it with his sword and prepared to finish him off, but the first man caught the bar and swung it at Alexander's head, who managed only barely to dodge. The man swung again, this time aiming at Alexander's left leg and smashing it so hard into his shin that Alexander cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground; his leg unable to hold his weight with the agony.

"Take this!" the man yelled, bringing the bar up to smash Alexander over the head with it.

"Shroomish, Tackle attack!" the girl suddenly yelled. The Grass-type Pokémon instantly flung itself forward with the little energy it had left, and Tackled the man away from Alexander. Taking advantage of the moment, Alexander painfully got back to his feet and prepared for the man's next attack. As he came at Alexander once again, the teenager ducked skillfully under the horizontal swing of the bar and spun around behind him. The sword changed position in his experienced hand once again, and without a bit of hesitation he plunged the blade into the man's back in a backhand stab. He kicked the body away and pulled his longsword free, now turning to the third man who came at him with his bare hands.

Alexander was bowled backwards by the man's fierce charge, and his back hit the wall. "Die!" the man screamed, his fist flying towards Alexander's face…

…And stopping in midair. The man froze, looking down at the longsword that had just been rammed into his gut. Alexander licked his lips with a grim smile, and leaned forward to the man's horrified face.

"Forgive me," he said simply. "Take solace in knowing my judgment will someday come as well…" With that, Alexander pushed the man backwards and yanked out his sword, letting him fall dead to the ground.

There was a terribly awkward silence for several moments, as Alexander and the young girl stared blankly at the three dead men strewn about the alley. Then, with a sick groan of pain, Alexander collapsed to his knees, unable to stand. The young girl ran to his side with only a slight hesitation.

"Are you ok? Sir?" she asked, taking Alexander's hand in her own.

Alexander allowed his sword to fall to the pavement with a clatter, trying hard to bite back the pain in his leg. "Yes… I've had worse injuries in the past… I'll be ok…" he gasped, sitting back so he could examine his leg. Pulling up his pant leg, he winced at the sight of the enormous purple, blue, and green bruise already starting to form. "Ouch… ugly, isn't it?"

"Oh… thank you so much, sir," the girl said tearfully, throwing her arms around Alexander's neck and crying for joy. "You saved me and my Shroomish. They were trying to capture my Shroomish to make it a Shadow Pokémon for Lady Venus!"

"Shadow Pokémon? Well, worry no more, my dear. Those goons are definitely not coming back…"

The girl shuddered and nodded, looking up to see Scyther flying back to Alexander. Behind the Mantis Pokémon, the Machoke stood forlornly from where it had been battling Scyther, wondering what to do now that its trainers were gone.

"The poor Machoke," the girl said, getting up and going to the Fighting-type. "Machoke! If you want… you can be my Pokémon now. You won't have to do mean things like beat up people anymore. I'll take good care of you, I promise!"

The Machoke looked confused, but seemed to like the idea of not doing any more evil deeds. "Machoke! Ma!" it said happily, taking the little girl's hand and following her back to Alexander.

"Um… My name is Megg… What's yours?" she asked shyly, motioning for Machoke to help Alexander to stand.

"Alexander," he said, wincing as he stood. "I'm glad I could help you… Miss Megg… Guess I'll be going now…"

"Wait, you can't go!" Megg cried. "You have to meet my friends over at the Kids Grid! They'll be happy to know you helped me and Shroomish!"

"Shroomish! Shroom-shroom!" the Shroomish exclaimed.

Alexander wiped his sword clean on one of the bodies, and sheathed it. "Kids Grid? What's that?" he asked, allowing Megg to take his hand and lead him through the streets of The Under, with their three Pokémon tagging along behind.

"It's a secret organization of kids like me, who are dedicated to stopping Team Cipher," she explained. "My big brother Nett is the leader here in The Under. Our friend Secc has a branch in Pyrite Town too."

"Kids stopping Team Cipher?" Alexander was impressed. "Surely you're kidding?"

Megg giggled. "Nope! We're serious. We have a few grownups in Pyrite helping us… but we're really on our own doing this all ourselves! We've managed to delay some things and thwart a couple of their plans…" She trailed off, looking sad. "But we're really not getting far. Cipher is so strong…"

"There, there… Just keep up the faith," Alexander reassured.

"Thanks… you're right. We have to beat Cipher, or they'll take all the Pokémon and make them evil," she said. "…Well, here we are!"

They had arrived at a building with a huge antenna dish next to it. A boy about 10-years old with green hair was standing in front of it, examining the dish closely. "Bitt! Look! This is our new friend, Alexander!" Megg called, making the boy turn.

"Oh! Megg!" he said. "Alexander? Where did you meet him?"

"He saved me from some thugs who were trying to steal Shroomish!" Megg said, picking up her Grass-type in her arms. "And look! I also got a Machoke that belonged to them!"

Bitt smiled. "That's awesome, Megg! And, big guy, thanks a lot for helping her out. Really! Megg's the littlest of the Kids Grid down here in The Under… I'm glad nothing happened to her."

Alexander smiled. "Of course."

"But he kinda got hurt fighting the bad guys," Megg continued. "So… I think we should let him rest here for a little while till he feels better."

"Oh, I'm all right, Miss Megg…"

"That's a good idea, Megg. Mister Alexander, I think she's right. You should stay here for a little bit," Bitt insisted. "I bet Nett would like to meet you and thank you for saving his little sister, too. We can also tell you about the Kids Grid!"

Although Alexander didn't want to impose, his curiosity about this Kids Grid was perked. He wanted to see what it was all about. "Very well, if you really insist…" he laughed. "I guess I'll stay for a little while."

"Yay!" Megg exclaimed, hugging Alexander, before taking his hand and leading him to the building. "I like you. You're nice. And… um…"

"And what?" Alexander encouraged gently, recalling Scyther into its Pokéball as he followed her.

"Um… you're cute. And you have pretty hair. I like how you look," she replied shyly.

Alexander blinked at her innocent observation for a second, before smiling broadly and squeezing her hand. "Why… thank you," he said, blush appearing on his cheeks at Megg's sheer cuteness. "That's kind of you to say…"

Megg is such a cute little girl… like Rui… he thought. As Megg looked away, he allowed a frown of worry to cross his face at the thought of her. Wes had better be taking good care of her… If anything happened to her…

Alexander quickly banished that thought away. He wouldn't let thoughts of Rui stray him from what he had to do. It's for you I'm doing this, Rui… And once Team Snagem and Cipher are gone, we'll be together again…

And I'll never let you go…

Notes: No matter how cute and charming they may be, never invite over strange men to your house, kids. :P