~Aeon Town~

The sun had just started to peek out from the east, painting Aeon Town in swathes of yellow and orange. Long shadows stretched out from each building. It was from these shadows that a blur raced forward. It sprinted up the hill leading out of the town square, pausing only to dip into cover behind the occasional tree.

A Zoroark's pointed, dark-gray snout poked out from one of the trees, followed by her sharp, angled face with pointed ears and a large crimson mane. She reached up and plucked an envelope from her mane, cradling it in her red claws.

"Good, no one's around. Just go and make the drop nice and quick, Zoroark. Hurry, before people start waking up," she whispered. Deep breaths followed, with Zoroark placing the envelope in her mouth. She got down on all fours and sprinted forward, using her upper limbs to help propel her the rest of the way to the Aeon Observatory.

Zoroark scanned the building's exterior until her eyes fell on a mail slot positioned to the right of the entrance. A sign neatly displaying, "Place job requests here," hung over the slot. Zoroark sped toward the chute and skidded to a halt. As she spun around, she grabbed the envelope from her mouth and thrusted it into the mail slot. She pressed her face against the wall and heard a soft fwump from the other side. She sighed in relief.

"Now I just got to hope my request gets to the right team."

Zoroark backed away from the Observatory, and then sprinted toward the edge of the hill. She stole one more glance at the building to make sure there was no one watching, and then leaped off, disappearing behind the steep drop-off.

Once upon a time,
There were three feisty little young'uns.
Dreams of exploring brimming in their eyes.
I saw that there potential,
And decided to take 'em under my wing.

Now, they've grown up,
Into three lovely ladies.
With thrill-seeking spirits and eyes fer adventure.
They're serpents, they all know Captivate, and they work for the guild.
They are…

Special Episode 2: Horizon's Angels

Chapter 16: From Lively Town with Love

This special episode focuses on Team Captivate completing a top-secret assignment. It takes place concurrently with the events of Episode 5.

~Aeon Observatory~

"A little lower… a little lower… a little lo– oh baby, that's the spot right there!"

Serperior gave a content sigh and slumped down in her chair. She stared blankly in front of her, watching steam rise up from the base of her tail. Beside her, Dragonair sat next to a tray of small stones, all of which gave off steam like the one positioned on Serperior's body.

"You know, most Pokémon opt to use all the stones so they hit their pressure points," Dragonair muttered. "Using only one kinda defeats the purpose."

"Hey now, I can only tolerate so much heat at once, Airy," Serperior said. "And I am very much tolerating this right now." She sank back into her seat and let her head loll off to the side.

"You could have at least told me you only planned on using one stone," Dragonair sighed. "It takes time to heat these up properly, you know. Hey, Milotic, do you want to use any of these as long as I've got them heated up?"

Dragonair glanced over at a pink, heart-shaped bed in the corner of the room. A loud snore flared up from that location.

"… guess not," Dragonair said.

"Why don't you just use them on yourself, Airy?" Serperior giggled. "Come on, I can squeeze over a little bit to make room."

"Hot stone therapy isn't something you do to yourself, Serperior," Dragonair chided. "We've been over this before."

"Oh! Oh! I'll take the hot rocks if you don't want them, missy."

Dragonair pivoted around, expecting to find someone in the room's doorway. Nobody was there.

"… no, no, no. Over here. On your left," the voice instructed. Dragonair turned to her left, only to see a column helping hold up the ceiling. "Perfect!"

"Uh, I'm not giving my stones to a piece of the wall," Dragonair said.

"Why not? I've been feeling kinda low on minerals, lately," the column whined.

"These are not for eating," Dragonair said.

"Oh, for pity's sake, Airy. How long are you gonna indulge him?" Serprerior groaned. She turned to look at the column. "Get outta there, Haunter. We told you to stop creeping around our room."

A set of large eyes and a big grin appeared on the column. "Aww, come on. Don't be like that, Serperior. I happen to think this vantage point really rocks. Mwee hee hee hee he– AUUGH!"

A jet of steaming water suddenly spilled across the column from the far side of the room. The eyes and mouth disappeared and Haunter's shadowy body melted out of the column. Milotic slithered over, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Uuurrrghhh…" Haunter gurgled. "Waaah! You girls are such killjoys."

"Excuse me? Which one of us is spying on another team's private time?" Milotic scoffed. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't report this little peeping incident to Braviary, huh?"

"Oh! Oh! Here's a perfect reason: he's not here. Mwee hee hee hee hee!"

"He'll be back, you know," Milotic countered.

"But not for a few days. The big expedition started and everyone's already left," Haunter said, floating back into the air. He pulled his eyeballs out of his ethereal head and started juggling them. "I just wanted to have a little fun since we've got the run of the guild."

"Then why not go mess with the rookies? I would think that Vulpix would be good for a laugh riot or two," Serperior said, stretching out her tail.

"Now, see, I totally thought of that, but Null is already up and prowling around the main level like he's stalking prey," Haunter said, poking his index fingers together. "Just between the four of us, that guy is S-C-A-R-Y scary!"

"You're a ghost, Haunter," Milotic pointed out. "I thought you were better than that."

"Ghosts can't get scared? I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was speaking to Giratina, lord of spookiness." He bowed before Milotic. "Oh, thank you ever-so-much for gracing our dusty halls with your overwhelming terror, sir. You're looking rather… fabulous compared to the legends though. Mwee hee hee hee!"

Milotic gave Haunter a glare that suggested he was five seconds away from another Scald to the face.

"W-Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Haunter threw his hands up and waved them about. "I… I have a reason for being here. I'm just doing Braviary's job in his absence, I swear!"

Milotic raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really!" Haunter snapped his fingers. "Show 'em, Drifloon."

Drifloon materialized from the flower pot next to the stone column. Milotic's face immediately went bright red and she adjusted her position. "Y… you let him in here with you?" she hissed.

"Heh heh… hiya, gorgeous. You're such a pretty sleeper," Drifloon greeted, shades of red popping up underneath his eyes. "Anyway, you guys got a personal request." He held up an envelope. "This one's apparently really high priority." He tossed the envelope toward Dragonair, allowing her to glance the top of it.

"This envelope's got a seal from the Water Continent," she gasped. "What do they want with us?"

"Dunno. It had your team name on it. And the instructions on the front specifically said this stuff was, 'For your eyes only,'" Drifloon mused. "I assume that meant you fine femme fatales knew about this." He brought one of his strings up toward his face and blew a kiss at Milotic. She shuddered and looked away.

"Get out before I freeze you," Milotic growled.

"Whatever you say, gorgeous." Drifloon winked and floated out of the room. Haunter followed along after him.

Milotic shook her head. "You use Captivate on a guy one time and he won't stop leaving you alone."

"To be fair, you had, like, three different emeras bolstering it," Serperior said, giggling. "Anyway, what's in the mail? Is it an assignment?"

"Let's find out. Airy, if you please." Milotic held up the envelope and Dragonair sliced it open with a small blade of wind. A single piece of paper spilled out onto the floor. Milotic scooped up the letter.

"Team Captivate, I address this to you in the hopes of acquiring your help with something incredibly important. I'm afraid I can't go into details about it in this letter. The information is very sensitive and I need to relay it to you in person. If you receive this message, please meet me at the Treetop Motel in Terrace Village. Sincerely… Zoroark?"

Milotic blinked and looked down at the letter again. "I… I don't believe this. It's really signed Zoroark!"

Serperior rolled her eyes. "Oh, great. I'll bet Haunter's set up one of his overly-elaborate pranks. When I get my tail on that guy, I swear…"

"It does seem rather fishy," Dragonair muttered. "Zoroarks value their secrecy above anything else. That one would try to accost us without the guise of an illusion is quite perplexing. It seems like a unnecessarily risky endeavor for one of their kind. What do you think, Milotic?"

Milotic tapped her chin. "Well, the way I see it, either Serperior's right and we'd be walking into some sort of prank, or this is genuine. If this Zoroark is dropping any illusion pretenses, they might really be in trouble."

"That, and an official Water Continent postal seal is not something you can just pull out of thin air," Dragonair pointed out. "I'm inclined to believe it's genuine. In which case, we should really get going."

Serperior wrinkled her snout. "Hmph. Fine. But I'm keeping at the back of the group. And when you two get doused in paint or mud or whatever Haunter's set up, I'll be right there to do my patented 'I was right and you were wrong dance.'"

"At which point I'll happily give you a nice, big hug and lather you in whatever slop I get covered with," Milotic sang.

Serperior shrank back at this. "Nnnngh… never mind. Forget I said anything."

~Terrace Village~

Team Captivate made their way up to the hilltop village. Sunlight bristled across the smattering of log cabins. In the distance, a mosaic of purple hues drifted up from the tree line of nearby Twilight Forest.

"Ah, I never get tired of that sight," Milotic chirped. "Really makes you appreciate what the Tapus have given us here in Horizon, huh?"

"Hey now, we're not here for sightseeing," Serperior said. "There's the Treetop Motel. Let's head inside and see if we can find Zoroark. Assuming they even exist in the first place." Serperior pointed her tail forward. Milotic gave her unamused look. "What? I said I was gonna hang back. And I meant it."

Milotic rolled her eyes and slithered forward. Dragonair tailed her while Serperior brought up the rear. Milotic opened the doorway and Serperior flinched, expecting to see something grimy spill out in front of her. To her surprise, Milotic entered completely undisturbed.

"It's okay, the lobby's clear," she announced.

Serperior's snout stiffened. "… hmph. That's just what Haunter wants us to think." She followed her teammates inside. The Treetop Motel's lobby was a small room, consisting of a trio of chairs in front of a stone fireplace and a wooden desk with cubby holes behind it. Said desk was currently staffed by a small Ledyba.

"Good morning. Welcome to the Treetop Motel. I'm Ledyba. What can I do for you?"

"Hi there. We're Team Captivate, with the Horizon Exploration Guild," Milotic introduced. She swung her neck around to show off her gold explorer's badge.

Ledyba's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh! One of our patrons asked me to keep an eye out for you three. Give me one moment." She turned and fluttered on up the stairs.

Milotic turned to Serperior with a knowing smirk. "And you thought this was a prank."

"I'm still skeptical," Serperior muttered. "Remember that time Team Specter got us to go all the way out to the Solaris Wastelands just to lead us into a sand geyser? I was cleaning my leaves for a week. A week."

"Excuse me… miss?"

The team turned to see Ledyba's head poking out from the staircase. "If you would just follow me upstairs, please." She beckoned them up.

"Be on your guard, girls," Serperior whispered as they slithered forward. Ledyba guided them to a door at the end of the hall and knocked on it.

"Come in!" a muffled voice called from the other side. Ledyba opened the door and gestured for Team Captivate to enter. Milotic went inside, followed by Dragonair and Serperior. The latter shut the door behind her and turned around to find a Zoroark sitting on a wooden stool.

"You're Team Captivate?" Zoroark asked, studying the serpent trio.

"That's us," Milotic replied. "I'm Milotic, and these are my teammates, Dragonair and Serperior."

A warm smile appeared on Zoroark's face. "Oh, thank goodness. I was so worried my request wasn't going to reach you ladies." Zoroark got to her feet and walked over, fidgeting with her claws. "I really appreciate you coming out here like this. Sorry for the hush-hush letter."

"I just want to know what was so important you couldn't tell us in your request," Serperior said.

Zoroark looked down and her face flushed. Serperior raised a curious eyebrow. "It's… kind of embarrassing, really," Zoroark muttered. "I need you all to promise you won't speak a word about this to anyone back at your guild. Not even as part of some friendly coworker chitchat."

"Seriously? Okay, that just makes me all the more suspic–" Serperior started, only for Dragonair to cut her off by wrapping her tail around Serperior's snout. She gave Dragonair an annoyed look.

"Forgive my friend," Milotic hastily said. "Team Captivate treats each and every one of its assignments with poise and tact." She turned to Serperior. "Don't we?"

Serperior silently nodded, prompting Dragonair to release her mouth. She let out a gasp of air and started rubbing her mouth with her tail.

"So, what do you need us for, Zoroark?" Dragonair asked.

"Well, I'm actually visiting Horizon, see," Zoroark explained. "My village heard about the nectar that grows in Twilight Forest. Even though they warned that it would be a long trip, I volunteered to come collect some. I thought everything was going just fine. But then, out of nowhere, I got jumped!" Zoroark raised her arms up. "This deranged-looking Parasect ran at me, screeching like an agitated Sableye."

"Goodness. That must've been quite the shock," Dragonair said. "Are you alright?"

Zoroark frowned and shook her head. "No, that's why I called you here. Because of this…" Zoroark pivoted to her side and swished her mane forward.

"Uh, I don't get it," Serperior muttered.

"Look! Parasect cut off the base of my mane… pearl and all," Zoroark whimpered, prompting Team Captivate to gasp. "I tried to grab it, but in the chaos Parasect knocked it away toward a cave. I was already hurt and didn't want to chance anything, so I deployed my Escape Orb and I've been holed up in my room ever since."

Serperior pursed her lips. "Lemme get this straight. Your big, secretive mission is to rescue your hair? Won't it just grow back eventually?"

Dragonair lightly slapped Serperior behind the head. "Show her some respect," she scolded. "This is obviously very troubling for poor Zoroark."

"You don't understand! Parasect cut off my pearl," Zoroark blubbered. "The pearl in my mane is a fulcrum to help me channel my illusion-making powers. Without mine, I'm completely useless! I can't return home like this. I'll be an outcast in the village. Everyone's going to laugh me into exile! A Zoroark without illusions is like a wingless Dragonite or… or a Milotic without their radiant scales!"

Milotic shuddered at the thought. Zoroark fell back onto her bed, burying her head in her lap. "If I just had the pearl back, I could get it fixed. There's a mage back home who can use a spell to fix it. But… but I can't stand up to Parasect. Especially without my illusions!"

"Good gracious. I'm very sorry to hear about that. I promise, we'll do everything in our power to get your hair back," Milotic vowed. "Right, girls?"

"Absolutely," Dragonair agreed.

"I guess so," Serperior said.

"Really?" Zoroark's expression brightened up. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She bolted up and wrapped Milotic up in a big hug. The serpent's eyes nearly bulged out of her head and she appeared a bit woozy when Zoroark backed off. "I can compensate you three very well for your help. I swear it!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," Serperior muttered under her breath. Dragonair gave her another scathing look.

"Now then, you said you thought you saw the pearl roll off into a cave?" Milotic asked. Zoroark nodded. "And were you in the nectar fields?" Zoroark nodded again. "Okay, it sounds to me like your cut-off mane ended up in Nectar Cave," Milotic concluded, turning back to her teammates. "Dragonair, pull out our Wonder Map and find the fastest route through Twilight Forest based on its current condition."

"As you wish."

"And Serperior, grab us poison guard emeras from the bag," Milotic instructed. "We don't want any funny business in the forest. Ready the petrify wand too, in case we get jumped. Twilight Forest is supposed to be peaceful, but if Zoroark got attacked, then someone could be making trouble."

Serperior fished a trio of small, raindrop-like crystals out of the item pouch. "Got 'em, chief," she said, tossing one emera to each of her teammates. Milotic fastened hers into the looplet around her torso.

"I've got our route, Milotic," Dragonair declared. "There's a northeast path that leads directly to the meadow with the nectar. But, the cavern is a fair distance down a long hill from that meadow. It would be faster if we proceeded north and then cut across a trail at the first junction we see."

"Excellent work," Milotic praised. She turned back to Zoroark. "Sit tight. Team Captivate's on the case. Let's move out, girls!" They raised their tails in unison and touched the tips together, then proceeded to exit the motel. The instant they emerged outside, they caught sight of a Riolu and a snow-white Vulpix.

"Milotic?" Tessa gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Milotic met the Riolu's gaze. "Riri! She smiled and blew a kiss in Tessa's direction. "What a surprise to see your team here. Most novices never go east of Clayback River."

"There was an assignment and you know as well as I do the guild's short Pokémon right now," Tessa explained.

"How brave," Serperior chuckled. "I see you even managed to drag Mr. Personality out of the sentry station." She glanced at Null. "I'm surprised you didn't, like, melt in the sunlight."

Null lowered his head, fixing his sharp gaze on Serperior.

"Now, now, Serperior. We shouldn't tease our fellow guild members," Dragonair scolded.

"I invited him to join Team Radiance, for the record," Tessa declared. "He, uh, didn't exactly say yes, but he's going to give us some help from time to time."

"Well, aren't you the little risk-taker," Serperior giggled. "Quite the feisty little girl, ain't ya? Just like your mother. I'll bet she would've done the same thing if she were–"

"Leave them alone, Serpy," Milotic said. "Besides, we have work to do."

"What are you girls doing here, anyway?" Shane asked.

"Sorry, Snowball, that's on a need to know basis. And you're not part of that need," Serperior replied. "But we'll totally try to snag a souvenir or something for ya from where we're heading. C'mon, girls!" Serperior winked flirtatiously at Shane, and then Team Captivate slithered off in the direction of the forest.

Milotic gave Serperior a curious look. "You're not really flirting with that human, are you?"

"Of course I am! Did you see the look on his face? Absolutely priceless," Serperior giggled.

Milotic rolled her eyes at this.

~Twilight Forest~

The trek through the forest proved uneventful for Team Captivate. Save for the occasional passing Pikipek and a group of Morelull hopping through the bushes, the trio didn't encounter a single soul.

Serperior looked around the forest. "Hey, girls. Um, not to be a downer or anything, but are you sure we should trust this Zoroark? No offense, but losing a piece of hair? That doesn't really seem like a feasible reason to call for help from an exploration team."

"Well, I don't really know that much about how Zoroark illusions work," Milotic conceded. "Still, you know our team policy."

"We tackle any personal requests, no questions asked," Serperior recited. "It's just… don't you think that maybe Zoroark could be making up the missing mane tidbit? She could have been showing us an illusion of her missing mane to lead us into some sort of trap."

"I personally think that's a bit of a convoluted way to bait us into some sort of trap," Milotic replied. "What, do you think this Zoroark is working with Haunter or something?"

"I wouldn't put it past the guy," Serperior huffed. "I just… I don't know. It's something in her eyes, Milotic. We haven't encountered a lick of trouble and I can see the meadow up ahead. It makes me suspicious. And we certainly didn't get to our current position by taking everything we see and hear for granted."

"Ordinarily, I'd say healthy skepticism is a good thing," Dragonair chimed in. "But it sounds to me like you're playing up the classic Zoroark stereotype. Namely, that they're shifty tricksters who you should never trust. Our client certainly sounded sincere."

"Yeah, c'mon, Serperior. You know better than to fall into stereotypes," Milotic said. "If we played down to those, you'd be a smug, pompous jerk and I'd be an airhead that's just on the team for eye candy."

Serperior pouted. "Hey now! I'm just as pretty as you are. Besides, who's the only one on the team in any sort of committed relationship here?" She pointed her tail toward her head. "Me, that's who!"

Dragonair and Milotic exchanged looks. "Is that what's got you all hot and bothered?" Dragonair wondered. "I don't recall getting word that Team Harmony planned to drop by the Observatory."

Serperior's face flushed. "Uh… well… that's… y'know…" She tapped her tail on the ground. "I might've called up Primarina on the Gear-Com and told him that there was an expedition coming up and the guild would be dead-quiet if he wanted to drop by."

"That would explain the attitude then," Milotic chuckled. "We're keeping you from your 'mon, aren't we?"

"We can't say that for sure, Milotic. For all we know, Team Harmony could be helping with the expedition," Dragonair pointed out. "After all, if Primarina comes to Aeon Town, he'll have to deal with all his adoring fans."

Serperior puffed up her cheeks. "He is so gonna come! But now we've been pulled off on this silly assignment. I'll bet he's there already and I'm wasting time playing hair-gatherer."

"Don't you think he'd call the team's Gear-Com if he was there but you weren't?" Dragonair asked.

Serperior's face blanched. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Huh, maybe Serpy's the pretty one around for eye candy," Milotic giggled.

Serperior didn't seem bothered by the taunt. Instead, she smirked. "Aww, is Millie jealous that I'm stealing her thunder? Don't worry. At least you've got a winning personality. And it's what's inside that counts, right? Isn't that what you always used to say when you were a Feebas?"

"Yeah, it totally is," Milotic conceded. The three girls broke into laughter.

"I see Nectar Cave down there," Dragonair announced. "Let's move in, ladies."

"Right. Dragonair, take the left. Serperior, the right. I'll go from the middle," Milotic ordered. Her teammates slithered into position beside her and they shot off down the hill. Their heads swiveled back and forth as they approached the cave.

"Hmm… sunlight's not very good in here, chief. I can barely make out a thing," Serperior recorded.

"Hold back, then," Milotic instructed. "Airy, we've got a Luminous Orb, right?"

"Yup," Dragonair fished it out of the pouch.

"Okay. Let's deploy it into the cave," Milotic said. "Give that petrify wand to Serpy in case we startle any wild Pokémon." Dragonair did as instructed and Milotic peered into the cave. "If we see anyone try to pounce, hit 'em with the wand. Airy and I will cover your six, and use Thunder Waves to immobilize any other Pokémon the wand doesn't hit."

"Sounds good to me. Let's do this thing!" Serperior hollered. Dragonair hurled the Luminous Orb forward. It shattered into fragments which emitted dazzling streams of light. The cave glowed as bright at the meadow outside it.

"Bwaaaargh! B… bright light!"

A deep, scratchy voice echoed through the cave. Serperior looked forward and spotted a single, crab-like set of rocks lumbering back and forth in a daze. "Boldore dead ahead, chief," Serperior reported. She kept her grip on the petrify wand and instead raised her tail, rotating it about in a circle. A whirlwind of green, leaf-shaped fragments of energy funneled out from her tail. The tornado smacked into Boldore and blew them back into the depths of the cave.

"Right side's clear," Dragonair said.

"So's the left," Milotic added. "Looks like we came at a quiet point. Fan out and search for that hair. It should be black and fade to red at the tip."

"Okay," her teammates replied in unison. Serperior made her way toward the far part of the cave entrance, while Dragonair stuck to the right and Milotic took up the left. The three scanned the rocky grounds, looking for any red swathes laying atop the rock.

Milotic passed by a trio of small, rounded stalagmites. She stopped and coiled her body around the rocks, examining every angle of the crevice between the rocky structures. Her eyes fell on the center of the gap, where a bit of red stood out in the shadows of the Luminous Orb. "Girls, over here! I've got it."

"You're kidding," Serperior gasped, making her way toward Milotic. Her jaw slackened when Milotic lifted up a clump of black and red fluff. She swung her tail around to show the dusty, teal orb stuck in the middle of the fur. Serperior shook her head and chuckled, "To paraphrase Braviary, 'Well, I'll be a Simisage's uncle.' I guess that trickster was telling the truth after all."

"And you doubted her," Milotic teased.

"Oh, come on. You've got to admit, this was painfully easy," Serperior said. "I'll bet even that human blowhard could've done this with no problems. Why did Zoroark specifically ask for us?"

The thought lingered in Team Captivate's minds as they exited the cave and returned to the forest trail. "Maybe it was the embarrassment factor?" Milotic mused. "She was completely flustered about it, remember? An issue like that requires 'mons who can understand her sensitivity. The guys in the guild would probably just laugh her request off."

"Yeah," Serperior said. "Maybe she heard someone around here mention our team name? I mean, we arepretty awesome. None of us can help it if some townsfolk decide to gossip about us."

"Well, there is the issue of that crazy Parasect that she brought up," Dragonair reminded her teammates. "Do you think we should do a sweep of the forest perimeter, just in case?"

"No!" Serperior blurted out. "Uh, I mean, we got what we came here for. No reason to risk losing it over one wild Pokémon acting odd."

Dragonair and Milotic exchanged smirks. "It sounds more like someone's itching to get back to the Observatory."

Serperior's face reddened. "Of course I am! Primarina's probably gonna show up there any second."

"At least she's being honest this time," Dragonair giggled.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with wanting some alone time with my boyfriend," Serperior growled. "Honestly, it's like I can't do a thing with him without half the guild judging me. Did Lucario and Guildmaster Incineroar have it this bad when they were together?"

Milotic frowned. "Maybe that's a subject better left unexplored."

Serperior clicked her tongue. "Why? It's not like Riolu is around to hear us. She's running about with that bigmouthed human, remember?"

"Tessa!"

Team Captivate's heads all popped up simultaneously. "Did you girls hear that?" Milotic asked. Her teammates nodded immediately.

"It was bigmo– I mean, the human," Serperior replied. "Sounds like they're close by."

"But there's five of them now. How are we supposed to take them all down by ourselves?"

Milotic's eyes widened. "Sounds like Team Radiance might be in trouble. Airy, any chance you can tell where they are?"

The tiny wings on Dragonair's head bristled. She titled her head toward the south. "They're on another trail, I think. We can head them off if we cut through the trees here."

"Then let's get moving," Milotic whispered. She rushed into the foliage, her teammates tailing her. Over the rustling of the trees, Milotic could just barely hear a hiss sound out from across the forest. She tucked in her head and quickened her pace.

"Hold up, boss. We should have a plan of attack, right?" Serperior asked.

"Yeah, but I need to see what we're up against," Milotic replied. Seconds later, a clearing came into a view. Milotic quickly banked to her left, pressing herself up against a tree. Serperior and Dragonair veered behind her. Milotic poked her head out from their hiding spot.

"See anything?" Serperior asked.

"You bet I do," Milotic gasped. "It's Team Radiance. And they're surrounded by… uh…" She narrowed her eyes. "They look like Parasects. But something's way off about them."

Serperior poked her head out. "Whoa, you're right. They're totally messed up. Is that what Zoroark ran into?"

"Riri's knocked out. And Null and the human are paralyzed. We need a plan of action, now," Milotic said. "Here's what we'll do. I'll hit the trio by the human with an Ice Beam. Airy, use your Dragon Breath on that lone Parasect by Null. Serpy, you'll be with me."

The trio heard the Parasects screech, "Infect! Infect! Infect! Infect!"

"Okay, it's go time," Milotic said. She opened her mouth and shot a stream of ice forward. It hit the three Parasects in front of Shane. They melted into puddles of goop.

"What the heck?" Serperior gasped, only for Milotic to silence her with a flick of her tail.

"Now, Airy," Milotic ordered. Her teammate poked her head forward and a stream of blue-purple dragonfire rushed out into the clearing. The dragonfire washed over the other Parasect, melting it into a fourth goop puddle.

"What the–?" Shane stammered.

"Phew… looks like we made it in time. Nice navigation work, Airy!"

Shane's ears twitched. "Milotic?" he squeaked.

Team Captivate sprang out from their hiding spot. Serperior and Milotic opened their mouths. A stream of ice and a crackling, pulsating bolt of blue dragon energy shot forward. The attacks combined to shower the puddles of ooze with bolts and ice shards. Each puddle started bubbling. Dragonair likewise shot two dragonfire streams at the puddles around Null. They also started bubbling.

"When there's danger to be seen," Milotic declared, blowing a kiss toward a dumbfounded Shane. "Team Captivate is on the scene!"

The puddles of ooze slowly inched toward one another. Dragonair noticed Shane's fur bristle at the sight. "Milotic, look." She pointed her tail forward. "What do you think they're doing?"

"Surround them, ladies! We'll strike in unison, if necessary," Milotic ordered. The three serpents slithered into a triangular formation just as the puddles had recombined into one. They watched as a single Parasect emerged from the puddle, his body perfectly still.

"Hold up." Serperior raised her tail. "I think he's out cold."

Shane turned toward Team Captivate. "Watch out. He could be faking or–"

The crescent moons in Parasect's eyes shattered. Red light encased his entire body, only to start melting off of it into the ground.

"Eww! That's totally disgusting!" Serperior cried, shrinking back. Null had managed to lumber to his feet just in time to see last of the red light dissolve into the ground, leaving Parasect's form lying there. His mushroom head had returned, but not a spot of color remained on his body. His mouth hung open.

Dragonair's eyes widened. "Is… is he–?"

"Nobody touch him," Milotic instructed, dangling her tail over Parasect's limp body. "He could still have some trace of something." The trio quickly backed away from Parasect and redirected their attentions toward Team Radiance.

Milotic bit her lower lip. 'Sure, we managed to finish our mission no sweat. But, something about Parasect really bothers me. How could Zoroark brush something like that off so casually?'

For Team Captivate's leader, one thing was certain.

'I think we need to have a little chat with our client before returning her mane.'

Next time: deception! Illusions! Conspiracies! All in a day's work for Team Captivate.