The Hexagon Brothers

It took Michael and Liz two hours to drive from Mt. Battle to the marked location. It was around 3:00 in the afternoon at this point, and they had been driving through the desert for half that time, and they began to think that Vander had misled them, or they were just missing the real place, despite the GPS working.

"So, do you really think we're going to find Cipher here?" Liz asked over the engine's roar.

"It's certainly possible," Michael said as they saw a white building in the distance. "Personally, I'm kind of hoping they're here. I want to start taking them down."

"Michael, I…I'm scared," she said. "I want to stop Cipher too, but I don't know if we have the strength yet."

"That's why we're training," Michael said. "I am scared too, but we still need to stop them."

"I…I know you're right," she said, tightening her grip around his chest. "Just please don't get hurt."

"I won't if you don't," Michael said, getting a slight giggle from Liz.

"H-hey, Michael, isn't that the van that took Dr. Krane parked beside the building there?" she asked as she pointed forward. Michael looked where she was pointing, and his eyes went wide.

"Yeah, it is," he said, narrowing his eyes angrily, driving to a dune close enough for them to walk, but he parked it where it would be hidden as well. They didn't want to go through this facility, whatever it was, only for their ride home to be sabotaged.

"Alright, let's keep quiet and stealthy," Michael said, looking at the building. They saw two doors, one for personnel, the other for vehicles. "They won't be expecting us, but it might be a good idea to find some disguises."

"Michael, we're from the HQ Lab, which is home to the only thing Cipher fears. And that Snag Machine recently it two fears. I think they'll know it's us. Hell, they might even have files on both of us already. Even with disguises, you'd stand out like a sore thumb with it on"

"Yeah, true…I just think we should be cau-" he stopped speaking as the personnel door opened. They then saw six men poor out, all wearing the same type of uniform, but they each had a different color. In order, their uniforms were red, blue, brown, yellow, purple, and green. "Who are these guys?" he whispered.

As if on cue, the six men lined up horizontally, and the one in red spoke. "We, the Hexagon Brothers, have arrived at our posts for guard duty! Now, brothers, sound off!" He turned forward, and the one in blue started counting, going down the line.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

There was a slight pause, while the one in red began to look confused. "Wait, five?" he asked. "We're missing somebody."

"Maybe we just miscounted," the one in green said. "Let me try. Count off!" Like the one in red, he then went silent, and the one in purple began the count, ending with the same result.

The one in red then turned to his group. "See, I told you we're missing somebody," he said. "But, oh well, I'm sure he'll turn up."

"Hang on, I think we're all here," the one in yellow said.

Michael and Liz looked at each other incredulously. It only got worse when the six decided to try a different formation, getting into a circle. "Alright, let's try this now. One!" the red one said. Michael and Liz then struggled not to laugh when the men made it to six, and the one in red continued the count. Once the man in blue counted eight, the one in purple called out.

"Eight?" he said with confusion. "Great, now there are too many of us."

The one in brown then spoke, sounding weirdly suspicious. "Careful, brothers, there might be a spy among us."

That made Liz snort with laughter she was trying, but failing to suppress. Unfortunately, that also alerted the six men that they weren't alone. "Hey, who's there?" one of them called out, suddenly sounding more menacing. Michael decided to just come out and wing it, Liz following him, realizing they wouldn't have a chance of sneaking inside now. "Now, what do we have here?" the one in red said. "A couple of rats trying to spy on our lab?"

"What d'ya say, brothers?" the one in blue called out. "Should we take 'em out?"

"How about we do this the right way," Michael said, hoping their behavior earlier was an indication of their intelligence. "How about you all battle me one at a time, and I beat you all senseless with minimal effort?"

Liz looked at Michael, knowing that he was subtly referencing Austin Powers: Gold Member with that line, but she couldn't help but think his bluff was a little too much. There is no way these guys would be so–

"You're on!" the one in yellow called out. Liz struggled to stop herself from facepalming.

Michael just took out Nick's Pokéball. "Glad to hear it. Who's first?"

The one in red came forward. "Slugma, Houndour, your master needs you!" he said. Michael's eyes narrowed as he felt the sudden chill in the air, and his Shadow Monitor began to beep as the lava slug and hellhound puppy appeared. As the eyepiece extended, Michael saw the dark aura around Houndour. The Shadow Pokémon was listed as level 17, with Slugma at 15. Michael smirked happily, with Nick's level, being at 15 as well.

"Go for it, Brother Red!" the others cheered in unison.

"Seems we have another Shadow…" Michael said as he sent out his Jolteon. "Ready buddy?" he asked. Nick gave a confident nod, getting into a ready position. "Let's go."

"Shadow Blitz, Houndour!" Red said. "Slugma, use Ember!"

"Nick, use Thunder Shock on Slugma!" Michael said. With his superior speed, Nick was the first to make an attack, shooting stream of lightning at the scorching slug. It hit with a lot of power, but Slugma was sturdy. He held on with about a quarter of his health before spitting out a stream of cinders. It wasn't until Jolteon leapt out of the fire's path that Michael saw Houndour running at Jolteon quickly, hitting the Lightning Pokémon in the side. Michael winced as Nick's health dropped almost to the halfway point.

"You two fucked up coming here," the man in red said. "Now die, you pathetic punk!"

As if to shout in defiance, Nick fired another Thunder Shock, hitting Slugma again, knocking him out of the fight, earning a scowl from the Red Hexagon brother. He then turned to Houndour, and Michael heard the buzzing of static electricity gathering in Nick's fur. He then fired an orb of the purple lightning, using Thunder Wave, although it seemed he still had a long way to go before perfecting the move. It hit the Houndour, who immediately began to shiver with the electricity coursing through his body.

"Great job, buddy!" Michael said, having taken his chance to initiate a snag. He put his arm to the side as a Pokéball materialized in his hand. He quickly threw the Pokéball at the Shadow. The energy hand extended and closed around the paralyzed Houndour, pulling him into the ball. It took less than a minute for the ball to stop rolling and snap shut. Michael smirked as Jolteon ran over and picked up the Pokéball for Michael, bringing it to his trainer. "Thank you, Nick. You were incredible out there." He then took out healing items, and healed the Jolteon. He then let Houndour out, being cautious with the Pokémon as he gave the little fire dog the Lum Berry he'd received in Agate Village. Despite a look of clear aggression from the fire dog, Michael was showing compassion to the Pokémon.

Unbeknownst to the two trainers, down in the basements of the building they were beside, a few Cipher Peons were waiting in a security room, where they also had an electronic listing of every Shadow Pokémon on the premises. It had been an order made by the Grand Master himself, given the development of a new Snag Machine, and it was updated anytime there were changes. So far, there had only been additions as more Shadow Pokémon were created. They had been celebrating their success after Greevil left without killing anybody at the facility, only to get jolted out of their enjoyment by a short alarm. They all turned to the screen to see that the Shadow Houndour, belonging to one of the irritating Hexagon Brothers, had just dropped from the list.

"What the fuck?" one of the women asked. "Weren't those idiots just sent up for guard duty?"

"Yeah, they were," one of the men said. "Somebody radio Lovrina, then get to your stations. Those of you with Shadow Pokémon, be very careful." He then got onto the radio for all personnel in the facility, for those who weren't in the security room currently. "All Cipher members, be on alert, but cautious. We have intruders on the premises, and one has a Snag Machine. Do all that you can to stop them, but do NOT lose your Shadow Pokémon. The Grand Master does not tolerate failure, nor does Lovrina."

Michael was currently standing across from the blue uniformed man, who Michael now knew to be with Cipher. He also had Nick and the newly snagged Houndour out for the battle. "Come on out, Froakie, and Poliwag!" Michael saw they were both level 15.

"Nick, Houndour, let's take care of this," Michael said. The Houndour snarled at his new trainer, but Michael returned the glare with a strong, but caring look. The dark puppy relaxed and decided that he didn't really care who his trainer was. He wanted to battle…and anybody could be his target.

"Both of you, use Water Gun and pick your targets!" the blue brother said. Both Pokémon reared back and fired small jets of water, each one aiming at the Pokémon in front of them. The Froakie aimed for Houndour, while Poliwag aimed for Nick.

"Nick, counter Poliwag's attack with Thunder Shock. Houndour, dodge and use Shadow Blitz on Froakie!" Michael hoped his call would not fall on deaf ears with Houndour. Nick obeyed without hesitation, trusting Michael deeply. Houndour, looking confused at his new teammate's loyalty, decided to ignore the order to dodge. Instead, he sprinted forward with the shadowy aura around him becoming regularly visible. Michael winced as Houndour took the Water Gun, losing almost half his health in the process. In contrast, Nick had blasted and evaporated the incoming Water Gun with his Thunder Shock, which continued forward, hitting Poliwag powerfully. The attack was enough to knock out the tadpole Pokémon.

While Houndour slammed into Froakie, he was still the loser of that bout in terms of how much health was lost, with Froakie losing only about a third of his health. That was when the guy in blue threw his next Pokémon. Michael's Shadow Monitor responded as the light materialized into an adorable little Spheal.

Liz's heart began to throb when she saw which Pokémon Cipher had turned into a emotionless machine. Spheal was known to be playful, and especially friendly with people, and these monsters had turned it into a weapon. How low will these guys go?

"Houndour, I need you to listen to me now," Michael said, seeing that the Shadow Pokémon's heart gauge was dropping slowly. It had made it halfway to the second section, indicating slow progress. "Use Shadow Blitz on Froakie again. Nick, use Thunder Wave on Spheal."

Before either of the Pokémon could respond, Spheal had gathered two orbs of Shadow energy, firing them both. Michael's monitor gave him a notice. "New attack detected: Shadow Wave," he read under his breath. This time, as Houndour powered up, he dodged that attack, as well as Froakie's second Water Gun. He sprinted as his shadow aura surrounded him, quickly slamming into the helpless frog. He dealt a little more damage this time, likely because he hadn't been slowed down by a Water Gun. Froakie collapsed to the ground, but he seemed to be on the cusp of passing out. Michael saw that the frog Pokémon was sitting at literally one point of health, and he was struggling to get up.

While the little blue frog had trouble standing, Nick had been blindsided by the incoming Shadow Wave. He lost a quarter of his health, and he was staggered slightly by the shadow attack. Despite being hit, Nick still endured and gathered another static shot, hitting Spheal directly. Michael wasted no more time in programming a snag. He threw the ball, and almost as soon as the energy hand returned with Spheal, the ball snapped shut.

Many miles away, in a dark, luxurious car driving across the region's highways, a cell phone rang. "Hello?" said the voice of Ardos, who was in the passenger's seat of the car. Eldes was driving while the Grand Master was sitting in the back seat, seeming to be brooding slightly as he listened to Ardos closely. "I see, so Orison and Hanz have taken our bait. Good," he said, letting the other person talk. "No matter the losses, The Grand Master's plan will no longer be affected if your lab falls. Use your weaker teams. Let Orison think he's a threat to us." With that, he hung up.

"Seems the boy is growing quickly," Greevil said with a slight cackle. "In less than a week, he's waging an assault on our facilities. No matter. If my Shadow Pokémon plan is to be a success, we will need to cull the weak from our ranks."

"Master…are you sure it is wise to not just crush the boy while we have the chance?" Eldes said, sounding concerned.

"Is that worry in your voice, Eldes?" Greevil said with a bemused tone.

"Only regarding that tactics, sir. If there's a potential threat getting stronger, wouldn't it be wisest to crush it while it's still relatively harmless, then gain power at our leisure?" Eldes asked, almost making it rhetorical.

"Perhaps…but the boy isn't moving strategically. While he's making quick work of the weaker, easily turned Shadow Pokémon, we are creating more Shadow Pokémon with enough power to more than make up for any losses, such as the one you were just given," the old man said.

"Perhaps," Eldes said, looking briefly at the new Pokéball on his belt. Despite it being inside the Pokéball, he could sense the overwhelming power the dragon within possessed. And he knew quite well how powerful the creature had been before it was turned into a Shadow Pokémon. After all, he was the one who had raised it from an egg, and it had been his first Pokémon.

Michael stood up after healing his team again. Noticing that Nick was beginning to look a bit tired from two battles in a row. So, he decided to let him rest for his next battle, which was apparently going to be against the brother in brown. With Spheal and Houndour ready to battle already, the brother sent out his own two Pokémon: a level 17 Baltoy and a level 17 Hoothoot.

When the Shadow Monitor responded, showing Michael that Baltoy was the target, he saw a pattern with these guys. All the Shadow Pokémon these guys had must be at level 17. He smirked and began the battle. "Houndour, use Shadow Blitz on Hoothoot. Spheal, use Shadow Wave," he said. Houndour gathered his aura, and he sprinted at the round owl. He moved fast, but Hoothoot just began to flutter away. Just as he landed, though, the little owl took a powerful impact from Spheal's Shadow Wave. Baltoy had simply waited and let Spheal's attack hit him. While Hoothoot lost nearly half of her health from that hit, Baltoy had barely lost a tenth.

"Hoothoot, use Peck on that traitorous dog!" the brown guy said. "And Baltoy, use Shadow Mist!" Hoothoot moved quickly, pecking hard at Houndour. That was when Michael noticed the small tongues of fire puffing out from Houndour's mouth.

Did he just learn a new attack? Michael quickly opened Houndour's move list, and saw that he had learned Ember. "Houndour, let loose with your Ember!" he said proudly.

Houndour opened his mouth and shot out a small ball of fire, hitting Hoothoot directly, knocking the bird back and to the ground. Michael saw its health bar hit zero before turning his focus to Spheal. "Use Shadow Wave. Let's weaken that Baltoy."

"Baltoy, use Shadow Blitz on both of those traitors," the man in brown said. Baltoy gathered his shadow aura and spun quickly. He flew towards Houndour first, but he was met with an Ember, and he slowed down significantly. That drop of speed was enough for Michael's snag programming to lock on to Baltoy. He decided to take his chance, throwing the Pokéball before dealing any damage. To the surprise of all those present, the ball shook three times easily, snapping shut like the past two snag attempts.

"Yes," Michael said happily. "One more Pokémon safe." Despite them still being unable to feel emotions, both Houndour and Spheal took a keen notice of what Michael said. Their reactions put metaphorical cracks in the barrier Cipher put into their minds, and their heart gauges dropped again, getting halfway to the next segment of the gauges. Houndour, starting to get some memories back, saw the Pokéball and remembered how Jolteon had retrieved Spheal's new Pokéball. Thinking it might get him similar praise, he trotted over and picked it up before walking back to Michael, dropping it into the smiling trainer's hand. "Thank you, Houndour, you're so helpful." Michael healed his Pokémon as the yellow brother stepped forward. For some reason, he didn't bother to rush Michael. He just sat there and waited. "Alright, Houndour, you've fought brilliantly, but you should take a break for now. We'll win, I promise." Houndour seemed to nod slightly, and Michael could've sworn that he saw the little dog's tail wagging slightly before he went into the Pokéball.

Michael then sent out the Baltoy he'd just snagged, looking non-chalantly at his yellow-clad opponent. While Cipher worried him, these six men just made him want to laugh. The clay doll Pokémon levitated a little distance off the ground.

"Go kill them, Chinchou and Electrike!" he said as he sent out a level 11 blue fish with two antennae ending in yellow bulbs that pulsed with electricity, and a level 12 green dog-like Pokémon with yellow streaks down his sides like lightning bolts.

"Spheal, use Shadow Wave. Baltoy, use Shadow Blitz!" Michael said.

"Electrike, use Quick Attack on Spheal. Chinchou, use Water Gun on Baltoy," he said. Electrike made the first move, his blinding speed making him look like a blur to everybody present as he went to slam into Spheal. However, that maneuver only put him directly in line with Spheal's attack. The Shadow Pokémon gathered two orbs of his aura, firing one directly into Electrike's side, making him tumble hard across the battlefield. At the same time, Chinchou shot an orb of water at Baltoy. Without thinking, and like a machine, Baltoy spun out of the way, moving like a top with its balancers out like blades. Its aura flared up as it flew at Chinchou, hitting with precision and a great deal of power. That hit was followed by Spheal's other orb of shadow energy. That second hit knocked Chinchou to his trainer's feet, earning a look of contempt and disgust from the yellow-clad trainer.

"What, you're angry that you lost?" Michael asked confrontationally. "You treat your Pokémon like abandoned property, and you're shocked that they don't battle at their best? You people in Cipher disgust me."

"Fuck off, kid," the guy in yellow said as he recalled the two knocked out Pokémon. "My Shadow Pokémon will shut you up. Go, slave!"

The Pokémon that came out was the fluffy, blue-faced sheep Pokémon, Mareep. Liz had always had a soft spot for the little electric sheep, and they had always been gentle. This one, however, looked like it wanted to murder every single person and Pokémon in the vicinity. Seriously, who is so heartless that they could turn some of the most loving creatures in existence into monsters? I know from history classes that Cipher's researcher, Ein was responsible for creating Shadow Pokémon ten years ago, but that was deplorable even by the standards of that time. So, who would be so evil to follow in his footsteps?

Unfortunately, Liz's questions would need to wait, as Michael got ready to battle more seriously. His Shadow Monitor had gone off, and he was now getting ready for a snag. Despite feeling ready he still needed to battle first. Otherwise, he'd miss his chance at catching and saving this Pokémon.

"Shadow Blitz, and Shadow Wave," Michael said to his team. Both Spheal and Baltoy began to attack fast, the clay Pokémon spinning on his base rapidly and the little seal bounced slightly as he fired an orb of shadow energy at the little sheep. Mareep just stood and let the two attacks hit her, giving a glare as her health only dropped by a third. For Michael, though, it was just enough for him to take the chance at a snag. His motion was smooth, and his aim was as true as needed. It seemed that, as soon as the ball snapped closed, the sparks flew to indicate a successful capture.

"What? That traitor!" the man in yellow said angrily. Spheal ignored the anger of the Cipher admin, and just rolled forward happily and lifted the Pokéball, starting to balance it on his nose before he placed it down and bumped it hard enough to roll it to Michael's feet.

"Yeah, no kidding. You're all subhuman scum if you think that your Pokémon aren't screaming for help from their mental prisons," Liz said softly.

Michael was noticing a great deal about his new Shadow Pokémon, and it seemed that they were all responding quickly to his caring demeanor, and were all beginning to return to their happy, natural states. Unfortunately, looking at their heart gauges told Michael that there was still a long way to go before they could be purified.

Back at the HQ Lab, Dr. Christian Hanz and Dr. Lily Orison were both looking at the room where the Purify Chamber was to be housed. "Alright, we're just waiting for the final bits of coding, then it'll be ready," Dr. Hanz said. "Most likely, it will be done tomorrow morning"

"Yeah, and it's a good thing we linked it to both Michael's and Liz's PC accounts," Lily said. "But, why did you add an extra link for Liz?"

Christian smiled. "She asked me to. She said, and I quote, 'I can't let Michael take on Cipher alone.' So, we're making a Snag Machine for her too."

"Another one?" Lily asked. "Is that smart, or safe?"

"Well, if Michael is the only one taking on Cipher, he's going to get overwhelmed. It's too much for just one man. Hell, Wes almost went insane when he was facing Cipher…and that was a branch. Michael might be facing the true Cipher. He's gonna need the help."

Lily sighed. "Yeah, you're right," she said. "So, when do you think those two are finally going to admit that they're in love with each other?"

Christian chuckled. "I have been asking myself that question since they were in high school. But…I'd say it's not much longer. To be honest, the night before they left for Agate, I noticed them talking out front. Must've been emotional, because she kissed him at the end of the talk. Looked like she was making a point to him too, because he stood there for a solid minute."

Lily giggled. "Those two…and they still don't know about the Lab's pool on when they start dating. To be honest, though, Michael's being a bit oblivious to Liz's signals."

"Yeah, but Liz is too hesitant when it comes to telling Michael how she feels," Christian said with a little bit of a chuckle. "He's gonna make the first move. I guarantee it."

"No, she's going to be the first," Lily said. "Besides, I've got $100 riding on that bet."

That got a hearty laugh from Christian. "Yeah, and so does almost everybody else at the lab." They both began to laugh the way they had back when they would have bonfires with their spouses when they were newly weds. It was comforting, in a platonic way, that some of the good times didn't change

Michael had finished healing his Pokémon again, then looked up to see that the man in purple was his next opponent. "So, I'm guessing you use poison types," he said, seeing the pattern of these six brothers. "Think you can really beat me with your skills?"

"Say what you will, but our teams have six of the strongest Shadow Pokémon at this lab," he said.

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, you guys probably only have two more Shadow Pokémon. I have the rest of those Shadow Pokémon you're talking about."

"What of it? They were worthless anyway. Now, go and serve your master!" the purple man said. The two Pokémon that came out were a level 10 Koffing, and a level 11 Grimer. The first was a levitating purple rock-like Pokémon levitating due to the noxious gases in his body. The second Pokémon was a purple blob of toxins. Michael shuddered at the sickening smells of both creatures. Luckily, he had two level 17 Pokémon, giving him an advantage. The issue, though, was that his Pokémon were Shadows, and he needed to remain cautious should they ever go into Reverse Mode. Luckily, it seemed to be too early in the purification process for Reverse Mode to activate.

"That's it…I'm done trying to reason with you," Michael said. "Mareep, Baltoy, let's save the next Shadow Pokémon."

"Grimer, use Pound on Mareep. Koffing, use Poison Gas on Baltoy," the purple-clad guy said. Koffing began to puff up before unleashing a cloud of poisonous gases. At the same time, Grimer moved forward rapidly, his fist raised as he went to attack.

"Mareep, use Shadow Blitz to counter Grimer. Baltoy, dodge that gas, then use Shadow Blitz on Koffing." Both the Shadow Pokémon began to gather their aura as they flew at their targets. Baltoy barely dodged the toxic cloud with a spin as he flew at the Poison Gas Pokémon. The two Shadow Pokémon, with expressions of savagery on their faces, slammed into their opponents. Michael almost winced as he watched the two Poison types take painful hits.

Unfortunately, Michael's theory about Reverse Mode only activating later in the process of purification as Baltoy's aura turned red, much like Artemis's energy had while she was still a Shadow Pokémon. His fury boiled over and he began to go insane with his attacking as he waited for his next targets.

"Well, now he's acting like a true Shadow Pokémon. Becoming a killing machine devoid of thought," the man in purple said as he took out his next two Pokéballs"

"Baltoy, snap out of it!" Michael said with clear concern. Baltoy heard his trainer, but their new relationship made his response less effective than it had been with Ella in Agate Village. Instead, he just continued to boil over with rage. Michael sighed as the next two opponents were sent out. The first was a blue jellyfish with red jewel-like bulbs on his head. The Tentacool landed on his body's base, with his tentacles waving in the air defensively. The second was a green blob with a yellow feather-like plume on his head, with a black diamond on his back. The Shadow Monitor began to respond once the Gulpin materialized. However, he also noticed Baltoy's health dropping from Reverse Mode.

"Gulpin, use Shadow Blitz on Mareep. Tentacool, use Poison Sting on Baltoy," the Cipher Peon said. Gulpin gathered his aura, making it visible before he began to roll toward Mareep. At the same time, Tentacool then shot a cluster of small barbs coated in poison, aiming directly at Baltoy.

"Baltoy, use Shadow Blitz on Gulpin. Mareep, use Shadow Blitz on Tentacool." Both of Michael's Pokémon gathered their auras and flew at their targets. Baltoy slammed into the green Pokémon shaped like a stomach, indirectly taking the hit that would've been Mareep's. At the same time, Mareep slammed headfirst into Tentacool, taking the poisoned barbs instead. Unfortunately, that shot wound up poisoning the woolen Pokémon, making her take on a sickly pallor. "Now, both of you, use Shadow Blitz one more time." The two Shadow Pokémon responded, crossing the battlefield with their auras glowing like fire as they both went after the Pokémon the other had attacked before. Baltoy's hit on Tentacool proved to be enough to take out the rest of his health, leaving only Gulpin for snagging. His health was currently only down by a quarter, so he wasn't quite ready, despite Michael's seeming luck with his snags. "Now, Baltoy, please, calm down and come to your senses!" This time, Michael's call got the intended results, and Baltoy came out of Reverse Mode. Mareep's hit, which was met with a Shadow Blitz as well, managed to weaken the poison-type enough for Michael to be confident in his chances at snagging him. He made the right motions, and threw the Snag Ball. Like with the other Shadow Pokémon of the six brothers, Gulpin put little fight into escaping from being snagged.

"Seems the Shadow Pokémon here want to be snagged," Michael said to Liz.

"No kidding…I wouldn't be surprised if their non-Shadow Pokémon want to be snagged too," Liz said.

Michael knelt with his Pokémon to heal them, while Baltoy levitated the newly filled Pokéball to his hand. He smiled. "Thank you, Baltoy. You're a big helper," he said. It took him two minutes to treat the injuries each Pokémon sustained, including Gulpin. "Now, Baltoy, take a rest. We still have a base to raid after this, so I want you to be at your best for that." Baltoy gave a nod as he was recalled to his Pokéball. Michael then stood again, looking at the last of the six brothers.

"You may think you've beaten us, but we're sextuplets. That means we do everything together. All of our activities are six-fold," the man in green said. "You won't overcome our brotherly bonds! Now, go, Lotad and Oddish."

Michael looked at his HUD, seeing that the two grass-types had the lowest levels of all the regular Pokémon the other brothers had sent out, both at level 9. However, he noticed that his opponent had six Pokémon in total.

"Alright, time for a longer battle," he said quietly, noticing that Mareep had learned the move Thunder Shock. "Alright, both of you, use Shadow Blitz. Pick your targets," he said.

"Lotad, Bull–," the man started, but he was cut off when Michael's two Shadow Pokémon hit their marks hard and fast. Those hits were enough to knock out both of their targets almost simultaneously. He growled slightly as he recalled his Pokémon and sent out his next two. One was a Cacnea, a small cactus-like Pokémon with arms. The other was a Shroomish, a short mushroom-like Pokémon that was mostly yellow with green spots around her body.

"One more time, both of you use Shadow Blitz!" Michael said. Once again, before the man in green could make a command, Mareep and Gulpin slammed into their targets, moving with surprising speed to knock out their opponents. Michael now saw pure rage building on the man's face.

"You four are going without meals today...maybe even tomorrow," he growled as he recalled the two Pokémon on the field. He then sent out his last two Pokémon. One was the pinecone-like bagworm Pokémon, Pineco. The other was a Seedot, which looked like an acorn with eyes and feet. The latter was the one to trigger the Shadow Monitor this time.

"It should be a Nuzleaf by now," Michael said. "They must have kept it from evolving to keep it more controllable."

"Hell if I know what they did to the slaves," the man in green said. "But, then again, I don't give a shit what they did. We're just here to get a six-fold paycheck. Now, Shadow Wave!" Seedot, seeming devoid of emotions, shot two orbs of shadow energy at Mareep and Gulpin. "Pineco, use Tackle on Gulpin!"

"Mareep, Thunder Shock on Seedot!" Michael said, hoping to paralyze the acorn Pokémon to make the snag easier. "Gulpin, Shadow Blitz on Pineco!" The two Pokémon seemed to respond as eagerly as their shadow affliction allowed. Mareep's wool, having gathered a lot of electricity, sparked quickly as he unleashed a stream of lightning. His attack hit at the same time as Seedot's Shadow Wave, both dealing about the same amount of damage to each other.

While that exchange happened, Gulpin had moved with surprising speed, colliding with Pineco as the bagworm threw himself forward. However, the gap in strength and the effectiveness of Shadow attacks against non-Shadow Pokémon led to one thing: Pineco fainting, and his trainer's growing fury. Michael smirked, and programed a snag, targeting Seedot. He made the motions one more time, throwing the Snag Ball. In the blink of an eye, the energy hand had grabbed and pulled Seedot into the ball. It landed and immediately began to roll. Once again, like the last five snags, there seemed to be an inherent eagerness from Seedot to get away from his current trainer, as the ball snapped shut. Unfortunately, Michael was already at his team's limit of six. Before he could go to pick up the Pokéball, it was teleported to the HQ Lab's Pokémon storage space.

Michael still smirked as the six Cipher members started looking scared. "We need to retreat," the one in red said. "And we need to go fast. Maybe Mr. Snattle will let us join his operation!"

"Good idea!" the one in blue said. With that, all of the multi-colored Cipher Peons sprinted out of the area, running southwest into the desert.

Michael sighed when he and Liz were alone, recalling his two Pokémon and going to lean on the nearby red van. "Holy hell, six battles in a row really takes it out of you."

"Yeah, but we still have the rest of this base to go through. Arceus knows how many of them are in there."

"I'm not sure I'll be able to take them all on," Michael said.

"Sounds like you need me to join in the battles here," she said with a supportive smile.

"Would you please?" Michael asked.

Liz walked over and hugged Michael tightly. "I was going to help even if you didn't ask," she whispered before she kissed his cheek. "Now, come on. Your uncle might be in here, and that means we can save him today."

As she said that, Titania let herself out of her Pokéball and trotted over to where the six brothers had been standing. She lowered her head and seemed to pick something up. When she came back, Liz and Michael both smiled, the former praising her Pokémon for noticing the dropped item.

"Seems those brothers had trouble holding onto both their Pokémon, and their ID cards," Michael said, taking the laminated card from the fairy type. If there were doors that needed an employee ID to open, then they wouldn't be obstacles for the two trainers.

Thank you all for reading, sorry for the longer wait. New job, and some other issues I needed to address took priority.

As usual, let me know what you thought of my writing by leaving a review.

Until next time ~ jmoul18