This is the third chapter of the three I'm releasing today. If you haven't read Chapter 43 or Chapter 44, go read those first.

Cody: Bastion (Wartortle), Colossal (Pupitar), Elesa (Zebstrika), Antonia (Skarmory), Cortez (Lampent), Reflet (Eevee)

Heather: Somnos (Poliwhirl), Feathers (Pidgeotto), Nadine (Nidorina), Sasha (Eevee), Smaug (Vibrava), Crescent (Lunatone)

Jared: Charmeleon, Servine, Feraligatr, Haunter, Shelgon, Jolteon

Chapter 45: Absolute Zero

The greatly anticipated grand finals of the 2012 Diamond Beach Tournament was coming to a close. The match had been intense from both trainers and their pokémon, having gone back and forth with every new match-up. In the previous match-up, there was a double KO when the exhausted Electrode managed to bring down the fresh Electabuzz with a surprise explosion, evening the odds. The crowd had exhausted themselves cheering for the match thus far, but through their hoarse voices, they continued screaming for the final match and the final match-up between the two strongest pokémon at the event, neither of which had battled in the match thus far. With no switch-ins left, it would be a fair fight with one decisive winner.

Constantine Torres had made it to the finals, as was projected by every expert who weighed in on the tournament since the pools. From the get go, he was favored to win. His mixture of youth, wisdom, intelligence, and willingness to take risks made for an unbeatable competitor. After battling his mentor in the early rounds, he dominated in every match, winning each of them with two to three pokémon to spare. On record, it was one of the most dominant performances at Diamond Beach in the past twenty years. But even when he was expected to win every match he entered, his matches were still some of the most exciting spectacles in the recent history of battling.

Daryl Jones was also turning heads since his round one match. It was predicted that he would make it far in the tournament before losing in the semi-finals to another head-turner. However, he won that match convincingly with two pokémon to spare. In his fourth Diamond Beach event, that city-born, self-taught trainer who had been previously overlooked was finally making the world notice.

The final round was upon them. On one end was Babylon the Venusaur, who hadn't lost a single match-up since arriving at the beach. The pokémon was young and hungry, and if nobody knew any better, they'd assume that this monster knew what was on the line as he eagerly awaited the final match. On the other side was Boss the Slaking, who stood calmly, picking his moment to unleash his full power. Time and experience had made him wise, and he returned the Venusaur's hungry gaze with an icy stare. He didn't look at other pokémon as if they were a grand challenge. To him, they were just obstacles.

"Begin!" the referee shouted.

Boss wasted no time, as he needed no direction from his trainer for this. He had fought countless Venusaurs before and this one was no different in his eyes. He charged straight towards his foe, intending to end this battle quickly. At his trainer's command, Babylon let loose a barrage of sharpened leaves, but Boss ran right through them, not flinching at the cuts that were being sliced across his skin. The Venusaur then tried to slow him down with a Power Whip, but the Slaking knocked them away with his meaty fists as if they were made of licorice. Once he was in range, he delivered a solid punch right to the grass-type's face. Following the strong punch, he continued striking him with a quick fury. Finally, Babylon countered by knocking him back with his giant head.

"Sunny Day! Growth!"

With a roar, the sun's rays intensified and the blooming pokémon grew in power.

"Earthquake!" both trainers shouted simultaneously. Like clockwerk, both pokémon bounced into the air and came down, countering each other's tremors before rushing at each other. What followed was a barrage of fists and vines as each pokémon whaled upon each other non-stop, neither being slowed.

"Sweep low!"

Babylon swept one of it's thick vines under the ape-sloth's feet, knocking him over. That same vine twisted around the Slaking's ankle and the Venusaur began slamming the Slaking into the ground on either side. He would have done this indefinitely if Boss didn't have a solid awareness of his opponent or his environment. On one of the swings, he grabbed one of the other four vines Babylon had out, clenched it tightly, and ripped it out from under the Venusaur's flower, provoking the beast to roar. It was cringe-inducing, seeing the vine that Boss had pulled out wriggling and flopping around on the battlefield. Babylon would be fine though, as most grass-type pokémon grew their plant appendages back very quickly. However, both trainers knew that if the Slaking could clinch out the battle quickly, vine regrowth wouldn't matter. And Daryl knew that his pokémon would have to work fast. Boss being swung around and slammed into the ground by was solid damage against his body, but being swung by his ankle was even worse. The Slaking was supporting himself on his two fists and his right foot, but he was favoring his left foot, holding it slightly above the ground. An injury like that would only get worse the longer the battle went on.

"Seismic Toss into a Body Slam!"

It was a simple combination that Daryl loved to use against heavy enemies. Before the Venasaur could even move, Boss used his incredible strength to lift the Venusaur off the ground and above his head before throwing him to the side. He followed by leaping into the air and landing his entire weight onto the Venusaur's front right foot. Daryl knew that lifting a pokémon that big would probably tweak his pokémon's leg even more, but it would be worth it if he could do the same to his opponent. It was worth the risk, and he wasn't above "playing dirty." Before he could get thrown off, Boss reached over and punched his foe in the other foot, right where the joints met.

Constantine frowned, even as his Venusaur managed to stand itself up with its vines and threw the Slaking back. He had had a plan going in when he knew that this match-up would probably happen: keep the Slacking out of range, cripple him, and wear him down slowly as he tried to break through the barrage. He had accomplished his second goal, but his Venusaur was crippled too now, now having to use his vines to support his heavy body, now that he couldn't put his weight on his front two feet. Not only was Babylon's movement stunted now, but he would have to use his vines for support instead of offense, assuming that the Slaking didn't rip those out too. His pokémon would no longer be able to play on the offense. It was time to tank.

"Petal Blizzard around yourself!" Like when he fought his mentor, this tactic would keep the Slaking out. Boss slowed down his strikes as he circled his opponent's protective circle slowly in a limp, looking for an opening. When there was none, he immediately moved into another Earthquake, and that was what he was waiting for. "Lift! Lift now!"

With only three thick vines, Babylon lifted himself off the ground long enough to avoid being tremored. It was then when Boss moved in. He knew he would take some hits from the blizzard of sharpened leaves and flowers, but since the Venusaur was suspending himself, the grass-type was limited in what he could do. Charging through the storm, Boss bodychecked the bigger monster before driving fist after meaty fist into Babylon's face. There was nothing pretty, technical, or fancy about this Slaking. He was just a relentless brawler who never let up.

"Keep on him! Get ready for the finish!"

"Sludge Bomb!" Constantine ordered. He knew how risky this was. He had watched his opponent's matches and he knew what poisoning the ape-sloth would do. But he had to cripple this monster somehow, because in a straight up brawl, Babylon couldn't win.

"Roooooooooorrr!" The Venusaur shot a powerful ball of sludge into the Slaking's face. It wouldn't do much damage in itself, but it did poison the bipedal beast.

"Hraaaaaaaaaaaah!" Boss went apeshit as his eyes went bloodshot and he began pounding against the ground, each earthward punch creating a mini-tremor. He was going to move into a Façade, but Babylon was prepared. His three remaining vines flew out, aiming to wrap around his wrists, but in a furious rage, Boss ripped another vine out, but Babylon was relentless as well. With his remaining two vines, he managed to wrap them around the ape's wrists and held him up. Still high on the toxic, the Slaking struggled, but Babylon had an option to deal with that too.

"Babylon, Sweet Scent!"

Shaking the flower, the Venusaur released pink dust into Boss's face. Slowly, the bloodshot eyes faded and Boss fell into a trance. The scented powder calmed him down and the struggling ceased. It was then that the Venusaur used Sunny Day and began charging his Solar Beam. This would end Boss attack would end. Constantine knew it, Daryl knew it, Babylon knew it, and deep within the recesses of his drugged mind, Boss knew it.

And that was why he chose not to lose that day.

As the ultra-powerful green beam shot from the energy orb that had been building above the flower, Boss used whatever consciousness he had left to lift his body up above the beam as it shot. He wouldn't have been able to do this if his other two limbs had been wrapped up, so tearing out those other two vines had paid off. That upper-body strength gave up just as the beam subsided, much to the shock and awe of the crowd, the trainers, and the Venusaur. But Babylon's grip loosened after letting loose such a powerful blast, and that was when Babylon struck. With the last of his strength, he flung himself out of the Venusaur's grasp, up into the air, back into the earth, using Earthquake as he landed. Said Earthquake blasted a huge chunk of the earth under the Venusaur upwards, sending Babylon up with it. As the Venusaur fell earthward, the Slaking charged again and struck it dead center with the most powerful Giga Impact he had ever unleashed. Once again, Babylon was launched up again, and once again, it fell. There was no need for any more aggression from Boss.

"Venusaur is unable to battle! Slaking is the winner. Therefore, victory goes to Daryl Jones!"

"Therefore," a new voice of the announcer rang, "Daryl Jones is the 2012 Champion of Skitrex's Diamond Beach tournament!"

The crowd erupted, and Daryl Jones felt a level of elation that nothing he had ever experienced could compare to. He felt weak in the knees, but he refused to fall to them where he stood. Instead, he rushed to his pokémon's side and the two embraced.

"We did it, old friend. We did it."

"Raaaoooh," the ape-sloth groaned in happy response, although he could barely stand.

Daryl looked over at Constantine, who was tending to his Venusaur. When the younger trainer looked up at him, his expression had traces of anger. Hopefully at himself, Daryl thought. Boss pulled the Buneary out of the hat at the last second, but there was nothing unfair about it. It was a clean, untainted victory.

"Hey kid, thank you for the battle," Daryl said as he and Boss approached Constantine and Babylon. "You were everything I figured you'd be and more. It was a pleasure." He held out his hand, and the other trainer eyed it for a moment before shaking it. He still looked grumpy though.

"You better not lose at your championship match. Because once I get the chance, I will challenge the Elite 4 and I will become the champion. And when I become champion, it will be all the sweeter if I take it from you."

Daryl shrugged. "Like I said, it's been a pleasure." The kid was an asshole, but he hoped that he did meet him again one day as champion versus challenger. They had only battled once, but defeating him in a best of five setting would prove that he had earned it.

But that was a battle for another day. As his friends, family, and the press surrounded him on the battlefield, he let himself get sucked into the excitement. Richard Kaiser… the champion of Skitrex. He would be his next challenge. A challenge that he would overcome like he had every other obstacle in his life.

Beige walls, carpeted flooring, excessive air conditioning, and the light buzzing of fluorescent lights; it was like he was in the doctor's office. Before becoming a trainer, he hated going to the doctor, but several Skarmory-related injuries later, he had grown immune to that discomfort. But it wasn't a doctor's office. There were doctors on site, but they were for pokémon. It wasn't a pokémon center though, but a research facility; one that specialized in mining and testing zinc products. What he had learned through a few hours of research was that the vitamin business was competitive and that new products always needed testing. That's where him and his pokémon came in.

The others were doing their best to fend off boredom. Jared was texting, Heather was reading one of the lobby's old magazines, and Brooke was reading one of her books, mumbling the words under her breath, almost in a tune of sorts. All the while, her hand was encircling his, her index finger slowly making circles on the top of his hand. That, and the extra-cold air conditioning blowing on the back of his neck were the only things keeping him awake. He desperately wanted to nap, but he wanted to be awake for his appointment. From what one of the receptionists told him over the phone, Dr. Blake Merrick did not like to have his time wasted.

Just one minute. His eyes began shutting, but that didn't last long.

"Sleepy much?" Brooke asked, squeezing his hand.

He looked at her, doing his best to keep his eyes open. "What gave it away?"

"Other than you shuffling around like a zombie all the way here? Call it a hunch."

"Yeah, well, one thing you'll learn about me is that I'm an insomniac." He wasn't about to tell her why he couldn't sleep, but he figured she would have noticed by then that he was constantly up at night.

"Yeah, I get that. Anything in particular keeping you up?"

"He's just a night Rowlet. Literally, it's why he wants to travel at night," Heather answered. From the corner of his eye, Cody saw her nod at him. He appreciated her covering for him in his exhaustion, even if she didn't believe in the whole Darkrai thing.

"Yeah, pretty much that." He envied Heather a little bit. She somehow talked her parents into paying for her pokémon to stay at a research center who was run by a family friend back in her city. Of course, he would have to maneuver his way through an interview where his social skills would probably do him no good, judging by what he had heard about the man who would be conducting said interview. He figured those rumors were true, as for his application, he had to provide a comprehensive profile of each of his pokémon thus far, which he had to submit for approval, combined with cumulative doctor notes on his pokémon from the pokémon centers. Submitting those notes were easy, but writing his own were difficult, especially when he had to write about Antonia and Cortez, both of whom would be considered "problem pokémon". How could he possibly portray them in a way that made them appealing for being vitamin test subjects?

I just can't screw up. He was about to close his eyes again when the receptionist piped up.

"The doctor will see you now. Just down the hall and out the door."

"Okay, here it goes." He stood up and the others followed. Giving himself a few quick slaps in the forehead in his last attempt to wake himself up, he walked past the desk, down the hallway, and out the door.

They entered a large field, surrounded by a high, concrete wall. In the distance were several small mountains, the front of which was connected to a large building: the research center. Nearby was a forest and a large body of water, all within the confines of the facility. Various pokémon were scattered about in the distance, as well as several scientists. But Cody had no time to analyze his surroundings before a new voice interrupted him.

"Good, you're here. Just on time. Technically a few seconds late, but I can forgive that."

The young trainer turned his head to see the doctor himself. He was a tall, pale skinned man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties, though the few wrinkles on his face and the prominent amount of grey in his medium-length brown hair made him look older. He was wearing thin-rimmed glasses and a long white lab coat that looked pretty uncomfortable, considering how hot it was outside. But he didn't seem to notice. In fact, if he hadn't spoken to Cody in the first place, he wouldn't think that the man had noticed him at all, as he was staring at his tablet that he was currently scribbling something on with the stylus in his free hand.

He held out his hand. "Yeah, uh, hi? Dr. Merrick? My name is Co-"

"Cody Storm, yes, I know, I wouldn't be here talking to you if you weren't expected," he interrupted, his voice exasperated and coarse. He looked up and immediately scowled, ignoring the trainer's hand completely. "What's all this? Who are these, these people?" he asked, waving his stylus at his traveling companions. "You did not say that you were bringing these people. We do not want to waste our time babysitting them. The Gracen Research Institute is a place of just that: research! This will not do!"

"Oh," Jared began, not really caring either way. "We can go if-"

"No, no, stay. We will play host to your friends, Mr. Storm, but visitors must be registered in the future. Just stay in... stay in a group and follow me. We're going over to the woods."

Cody looked back at his friends and shrugged. This guy is weird.

The tall scientist walked briskly towards the trees in the distance, passing various pokémon. Some of them were common, such as Rattata, Pidgey, Spearow, and the like. But they also passed a lazy-looking Dragonite just sleeping in the middle of the field. Cody was more focused on Merrick though. The man had only spoken a few sentences, but he could see why people said he was difficult. He spoke quickly and harshly, not seeming to want his time wasted in any capacity. Before Cody could ask any questions, Merrick began talking, getting straight to the point.

"The Gracen Research Institute was founded ten years ago by myself and the Dr. Hector Davis, God rest his soul. The Gracen Mountains are filled with zinc. Zinc, as you should know, is a vitamin. We mine the zinc and have it shipped out for human and pokémon use alike all over Skitrex and all over the world. However, we also take said zinc and use it to create new, safe, efficient products. This is where trainers come in. We need a large variety of pokémon to test these products on. The bigger our sample size, the better. So we allow pokémon to live at this facility in exchange for a small, reasonable fee and the permission to test our products on them. But we only accept pokémon from reliable trainers whom we can trust and whose pokémon we can work with. Any additional pokémon you send here will be charged and analyzed for their suitability. Do you have any questions this far?"

"Yeah, this is safe, right? I mean, I've heard nothing but good things, but... I..." Cody's voice fell flat as the tall man faced him with a look on his face that could only be described as disgusted and insulted. The group's movement had grinded to a halt.

"You did your research? You did your research. Look at him, he did his research," he spouted, almost aggressively. "Then, Mr. Storm, you'd know that we have a five-star rating for pokémon testing facilities. You would know that we have never had a pokémon die here from anything other than old age. And you would know that we've never had a pokémon fall ill from our testing, and even if we did, we have doctors and nurses on staff for that sort of thing. So yes, it's all safe. And it has to be, or the activists would never let me get a moment's rest, not that they don't keep trying to snoop around in my affairs. I take pride in what I do, and what I do, I do it painstakingly precisely. So please, if you would like to insult me anymore, now is the time."

He stood frozen, mouth slightly agape, but he closed it and said nothing. This guy was an absolute dick, but he wasn't lying. Cody had not found a single thing wrong with his facility. It was almost too good to be true, from what he read. He just realized that questioning this man would set him off, even with honest questions.

"Keep walking," the doctor ordered, and the group continued.

As they kept going, Cody felt Heather draw near to his ear.

"You sure about this guy? He's a bit-"

"Crazy?" Brooke cut in in a whisper that was audible enough for everybody to hear.

"No talking! We're here." They had reached the edge of the forest where a Flaafy was sitting under a tree. With another wild wave of his arm, Dr. Merrick shooed the sheep away and pointed at the trees. "This is one of our many biomes. Pokémon can sleep outside or in the stables; I don't care which. Just remember that this isn't a place for pets. We do not pamper, but we do provide high quality food and environments for our subjects. Speaking of which..." He pulled out a pokeball that Cody recognized as Mars's ball. "We received this one from you this morning." He clicked the button and released Mars into the patch of dirt. The mole dug over to Cody and rested his head against his trainer's shoes. Cody had to have him sent over earlier, as he could not carry seven pokémon to the facility.

"He's a bit temperamental, like your report said, but easy enough to work with," he said, now looking back at his tablet, most likely at Mars's report." Healthy coat, good vitals, appropriate strength for his species... he is pretty old for a Diglett to not have joined with two others yet, but I imagine that has to do with his temperament. You have been trying, no?"

"Yeah. No luck so far though," Cody sighed. "He's difficult."

"Well, regardless, he has been approved." Dr. Merrick then pointed with his stylus at the open patch of dirt in front of them. "Release the other six here, in a line. Make them stand still so I can observe them."

"Okay, right." One by one, he released his other six pokémon onto the dirt patch, telling each of them to stay put as they were. One by one, they all looked around, wondering why they were being told to wait. Their curiosity was answered as Dr. Merrick approached them, a cold expression plastered on his face. He started with Bastion, kneeling down on one knee next to the Wartortle, squinting at him with narrow eyes. He took a picture of the turtle with the camera on his tablet and then balanced it on his knee so he could get a hands-on observation. He took out a pocket measuring tape and began measuring Bastion; his legs, his arms, his shell, his ears, his tail, all the while punching in his results into his notes. Then he checked the skin and the shell with his fingers, presumably making sure he was healthy. Then, he paused for just a moment, and from the angle he was standing at, Cody could have sworn that he saw the faint traces of a smile emerge on Dr. Merrick's face. The researcher then scratched Bastion on his ears the way that the turtle liked, but only for a second before standing up and moving on to the next pokémon.

The process was almost identical for both Elesa and Bastion, both of whom were calm and well-behaved as the doctor did his measurements, giving them both pats on the head when he was completed. Reflet was a different story. When Dr. Merrick knelt next to her, she cowered for a moment, her long ears drooping. Seeing her companion being frightened, Antonia let out a threatening, guttural growl, but Merrick paid her no mind. He held out his hand to the little pup and reluctantly, the Eevee sniffed it. She was still afraid, so he held out his hand a second time, this time with a treat he had pulled from a baggie in his pocket. After that, she seemed comfortable with him taking the measurements, and like the others, he gave her a pat on the head when he was through. Then, he stood up and faced Antonia.

"Hey, be careful, she's-"

"I read your report and I know her type are aggressive. However, if she wants to reside here at any given point in time, she'll need to respect the staff." He turned to face her, returning the bird's chilling stare, unflinching. The Skarmory began growling again, but Dr. Merrick pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit it up. By now, Antonia had learned that small flames were of no danger to her, but she still stopped and stared. Merrick put the flame away and pulled out another treat. Antonia snatched it out of his hand, but still glared at him. However, her body relaxed and she let him take the measurements, although she wasn't happy about it. He even gave her a pat on the head in the end, which she accepted, though she still looked annoyed.

"Such lovely creatures, Skarmory," Dr. Merrick mused. "She may be aggressive, but you've done well raising her. Whenever we do get a Skarmory here, they're often far more temperamental. Plus, she's protective of your other pokémon, meaning that she's adjusted well to her flock." He looked at Cortez, who had now broken line and was floating around whilst humming a tune that one could have sworn was the Funeral March. "And then there's you." Merrick approached the Lampent, who didn't seem to pay attention to him at first. When he touched the ghost's head, the golden-ghost turned to the man and laughed.

"HAW HAW HAW!" Each time his mouth opened, a puff of smoke was released into the doctor's face, but he didn't flinch.

"I've never seen this color-variant on a Lampent in person. Not a shiny, but definitely..." He reached out to touch the ghost, but Cortez spit a tiny flame at his hand before laughing maniacally again. Merrick pulled his hand away just in time, though a few of the hairs on his knuckles were singed.

"Cortez, no!" Cody shouted at his pokémon. The doctor may have been a douchebag, but he didn't deserve that. "Sorry, he's-"

"Childish? I read your report. I know that this one and the Skarmory were the ones you were worried about." He sighed, shaking his head. "But surely, you're an adolescent yourself, so I think you should understand what's going on here."

He didn't. "What? I don't follow."

"You're a teenager. You act out. All of you do from time to time," he stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "This Lampent is no different. I'm sure when you caught him, he was reasonably well-behaved, if not a little bit playful and tricky. However, he's smart and rebellious. He knows he can get away with things your other pokémon can't. On top of that, although he has human-level intelligence, he can't talk with you. Ghost pokémon usually can't connect to people way, save certain contextual irregularities or if they're puppeting a psychic-type. It could talk to other smart pokémon, maybe, but none of yours have that level of intellect. Your Pupitar will when it evolves, and maybe your Eevee, depending on what it evolves into, but until then, he's probably bored. If you want his behavior to improve, continue praising good behavior, ignore the bad behavior if you can, and spend some time with him; try to bond. Also, do your friends have any smarter pokémon?"

Cody looked back at Heather and Jared. "Well, she has a Lunatone and he has a Haun-"

"Get your pokémon to spend time with them. It'll be good for him. But training a ghost type is not easy. Hopefully, you knew that when you captured him."

Cody had turned around, but he could sense Jared's smug grin over that last statement. But he didn't have time for that. "So, how do we deal with it for the time being? He can't stay at my house when I'm not using him, so..."

"Simple." The doctor brought his fingers to his mouth and blew a loud, piercing whistle. Instantaneously, all the other humans in the area felt a shiver pass through their spines. The pokémon standing there seemed to shudder as well, and even the hot sun seemed to be replaced with a cold winter wind. Out of the ground, a shadow that wasn't there a few seconds ago formed into a three-dimensional figure, and then that figure's shape became more defined. What stood there now was a sinister looking ghost with an extended grey face, one red eye, and a rotund body that looked like a large face. The Dusknoir let out a throaty chuckle as it turned to look at the pokémon who stood in a line.

"The Reaper. I don't remember why I named him that. I was either angsty at the time or it was because I liked the Blue Öyster Cult. Maybe both. Whatever the case, he's my first pokémon. We did well at Diamond Beach back when we were young. Now, he's mostly retired, but he's the enforcer around here. If a pokémon is acting up, he's the one who deals with them, and usually, he doesn't even have to fight to deal with them." Dr. Merrick looked at his pokémon and then pointed over at Cortez. "You know what to do."

The much bigger ghost floated over towards Cortez. All of Cody's other monsters moved away out of general discomfort, but the Lampent didn't seem to care. The golden ghost looked up at The Reaper and began laughing again, not a trace of nervousness in his tone.

"Hmm, figures." Merrick made a pushing motion with his hands. "Everybody take a few steps back. We're going to have a battle."

"A battle? Now? Cortez versus… him?" He looked at Cortez and he looked at The Reaper. An unruly Lampent taking on a mature Dusknoir was obviously a losing battle.

"Obviously," Dr. Merrick answered, reiterating the younger trainer's thoughts. "But if your Lampent refuses to respect his elders, my pokémon is willing to remind him that he should. So take your place across from me and we'll begin."

"Okay. Cortez, get ready."

Everybody had moved far enough back to make space for the battle. Cortez was still laughing like a maniac, but The Reaper stood with his arms crossed, not impressed in the slightest. It was time to begin.

"Will-O-Wisp!" Cody knew the only possible way Cortez could beat this much stronger ghost was by crippling it, and Curse was way too risky early on, so a burn would have to do. Following it up with a Hex would be the best option. Unfortunately, his Lampent had other plans.

"Hahahahahahahaha!" The pokémon did not follow his order, which was strange. Since evolving, despite his general misbehavior, Cortez usually followed battle instructions, but something about the Dusknoir got under his skin. The lamp pokémon flew forward with a Flameburst, but the much bigger ghost stopped him with just one hand. Holding the charging ghost in place, The Reaper threw him forward, sunk into the ground, reappeared from the shadows to where he had thrown his target, and hit him straight on with a Shadow Punch. With the force of the attack, Cody figured that Cortez would be done already, but his pokémon weakly regained his levitation. He already looked shook up.

"No more games, Cortez! Will-O-Wisp!" This time, his pokémon followed orders, but the Dusknoir simply threw the flame off with a backhand. This time though, Cortez hit the bigger ghost with a Flame Burst, but the Dusknoir was barely phased. He tried out his backhand on Cortez now, which sent him flying, though not as far as the Shadow Punch.

Instinctively, Cody wanted to tell his pokémon use Curse. It was a fantastic move to use whenever Cortez was on the losing end of a bout, as it was a great last ditch effort to cripple an enemy before his ghost fell. The problem was that in a one on one fight, he had nothing to switch into, which weakened his strategy. "Try a Night Shade!"

"Ha HA!" Cortez threw up a large, blobbish aura that covered his foe, but like with the Flameburst, The Reaper seemed mildly irritated at best. With a swing of his fist, he disintegrated the shade melted back into the shadows. A sneak attack was imminent.

"Ready an Inferno!" Cody's ghost lit himself ablaze, ready to fight whatever emerged from the shadows, but that was when Dr, Merrick uttered his first command of the battle.

"Disable!"

Just like that, the flames died down and Cortez looked around in panic, unable to light any fires larger than a few embers. Behind him, The Reaper reemerged and before Cody could shout out any warning, the Dusknoir clasped the Lampent in a bear hug.

"Ominous Wind!" That was Merrick's second and last command. The Reaper did let go of his prey, but as he did, he blasted the smaller ghost with a dark and sinister wind. At close range, that was enough to knock Cortez out of commission.

"Good work, Reaper," Merrick said coolly.

Well, he beat him, but I don't know if that will actually do anything. Cody was already going to his pokémon with a berry in hand, but Merrick held up his free hand.

"No, we'll take care of it. Reaper, Pain Split."

The large ghost approached the smaller one and put his hand on the Lampent's head. "Huroooh!" Both of them glowed with an indigo aura as the Dusknoir gave the Lampent some of his energy. Typically, this sort of move was used by a pokémon on the losing end of a match in order to regain health while hurting the opponent, but the situation was intentionally reversed.

"You see, the pokémon here respect him, as while he is stern, he is also merciful," Merrick explained. When Cortez was floating again, he looked up at the cyclops who stared down at him, and in turn, he bowed his head in what seemed submission. The Dusknoir then placed his hand on the lamp's head as if to say, "Very well."

"See, no problem," Merrick continued as if they had not broke for a battle. "Pokémon here usually get along with the others just fine. They're fed well and have plenty of space to exercise. Along with testing our zinc products on them, we also give the female pokémon anti-estrous serum. Basically, while living here, they'll be less interesting in breeding with other pokémon of their species. It's not a 100% guarantee, but it works well enough. If you want your pokémon taken off the serum, just let us know. Do you have any questions?"

Don't say anything to piss him off this time. "Does this mean I'm in?"

"Yes, you're "in" Cody Storm," the doctor said, rolling his eyes. "Your pokémon are all healthy and reasonably well-behaved, so they'll make good candidates for our program. You can register any future pokémon with us, but they'll have to be approved. We rarely have to turn anybody down though, so you'll be fine, so long as you can pay the increase in the housing cost, which as you know, is minimal." He nodded at his Dusknoir, who sunk into the shadows and disappeared from sight. "Depositing pokémon with us is simple, as you can do it from any pokémon center PC. Withdrawing them is a bit more time consuming, as we have to find them within the facility and bring them to you, but you don't have to worry about that. Each pokémon is given a tracker while they are here, which we take off when we send them to you. These devices also alert us if a pokémon escapes the premises. But when you withdraw a pokémon, expect it to take an hour at most for us to get them to you. We have staff here twenty-four hours a day. So…" He offered his hand. "Welcome to the Gracen Research Institute."

Cody eagerly gave the man a strong handshake. "I promise, you won't regret this!"

"That's exactly what people say before they before they do something regrettable," he sighed, exhausted. "Don't be that person, Mr. Storm." He looked back over at the closest research building. "If you would like to tour our facility, you may. We feel that trainers who leave their pokémon with us should be allowed to see what they're being offered. You can't tour alone, however, so once we get to the lab, I'll hand you off to one of the interns. I can't waste anymore time on you."

"Well…" Cody looked over at his pokémon, who were now spreading out in the field. They seemed to enjoy the place already, save Cortez, who looked slightly sullen. He figured that the facility was without a doubt a safe environment, but he also decided that he would like to see more of it. It was like reading the fine print. "Yeah, I'd like to, actually." He looked over at his friends. "You guys can go if you want. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, not that this isn't interesting or anything, but I'd like to go get some battles in," Jared said, stretching his arms out before placing one of them over Heather's shoulders. "You coming?"

"Yeah, definitely," she answered, right before mouthing Cody the words "good job", accompanied with a smile.

"And you?" He fully expected Brooke to head back to town with the others, so he was surprised when she shook her head.

"No, I'll hang out with you," she answered, clasping onto his arm. "Somebody's gotta keep you out of trouble."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he quipped, though he was happy she decided to come with him, just in case the rest of the tour was boring.

"Well, you two," Merrick motioned towards Heather and Jared, "see yourselves out. Right down the hill. Head straight there." He looked at Cody and Heather. "You two, come with me. We're heading to the lab. You can let your pokémon stay here if you want. They can't be outside their pokeballs inside the building, so..."

"Sounds good. Let's go." With Brooke linked to his arm, he followed the doctor up the hill. While the previous night had been a trip, he was feeling re-energized by his success in his audition. But in less than an hour, his day was about to take a turn for the weird.

Another overly-air conditioned room, this one even colder than the lobby at the bottom of the hill. Once they reached the door, Dr. Merrick radioed for an intern, pressed the door code to let them in, and walked off to another part of the facility. Once inside, Cody and Brooke found themselves in a poorly lit room to wait for the intern to come through the password protected door. It was just the two of them now, save her pokémon and his Eevee, who had followed him up to the lab, as she didn't want to be left alone. They were all in their pokeballs though, as the rules of the facility demanded.

"Hopefully, this doesn't last long," Cody admitted, his tone sour.

"What? Then why did you agree to it?" Brooke asked, almost sounding upset. "I wouldn't have come if-"

"Yeah, that's why I gave you an out," he answered, feeling bad now that she came with him. "I'm only here because I want to make sure this place is as safe as they say it is."

"What, you think something's up?" she asked incredulously. "It seems pretty good to me."

"No, nothing's up. I just need to be sure," he assured her.

"Fair enough. It's fine." She clasped his arm tighter."I can handle this for a little bit."

"Thanks," he answered, looking into her pretty, grey eyes. She was so attractive that he still couldn't get over the fact that she had some sort of interest in him. Okay now kiss her. But before he moved in, the other door opened and a short, bespectacled woman in a lab coat who didn't look much older than them stepped through. She gave them a smile and introduced herself before instructing them to follow her through the door and into the lab.

The next twenty minutes of Cody's life seemed to last as long as the last twenty months. Maybe zinc was fascinating for some people; the intern seemed to be utterly enthralled with the subject. But to him, she might as well have been talking about astrophysics in latin. It was even worse that they weren't allowed to use their cellphones inside the lab as well, or he would have killed time with texting.

"And there is one of the storage freezers we keep for preserving some of our perishable products. That room is off limits for tours because we keep it at sub-zero temperatures for preservation purposes, and we require special suits for working in there," the intern explained.

Then why bring it up if we can't see it? It's not like you didn't show us every other little thing. He knew that that wasn't fair towards her, but he just wanted the tour to end already. He could tell that Brooke was struggling to stay awake too. From time to time, he tried to talk to her or make her laugh to make up for the amazing time they were having.

"So, you probably think I'm a loser," he joked under his breath so the intern couldn't hear him as she explained the zinc mining process.

"What, for the tour? No, I get it: you're a nerd," she giggled softly.

"Do I look like I'm having fun?" he joked lightly under his breath. "No, I'm talking about me losing out there. I lost badly. You know I usually do better than that, right?"

"I figured," she whispered back, "considering that other than today, I only saw you lose once to that girl with the Greninja."

"Yeah, but still," he groaned, feeling dejected.

"What? You think I wouldn't think you're cool if you can't beat a pokémon that outclasses you?" she questioned, pursing her lips tightly so she couldn't laugh at him. "Fine, if you don't show me something cool for the rest of the day, I'll think you're a loser. Okay?"

THUNK!

Cody was about to agree, but he was cut off a loud noise that made both Brooke and himself nearly jump out of their shoes. Behind the glass, there was a giant machine that periodically smashed the rocks that were dropped in it by a conveyer belt. If Cody had been paying attention, he would have known what the hell he was looking at, but at the end of the day, he supposed it didn't matter. Following the intern through another door, they were standing in a small room with a one-way door that led back outside.

"And that concludes the tour," she chirped happily, seemingly unaware that the two had not been paying attention whatsoever. "Do you have any questions?"

"No, that's it. We should be going. Thank you for the tour." He turned for the door, but she stopped him.

"Wait, would you like a sample? We've been marketing our new flavor of zinc bites, so-"

"Okay, okay." Trying not to let his itching to leave show, he picked Reflet's pokeball and released the Eevee onto the floor. Taking the kibble piece from the intern, Cody knelt down and held it out to his pokémon nipped out of his hand instantly. She didn't seem to love or hate it anymore than the regular kibble, so he assume that that was a good thing. "She seems to li-"

THUNK!

"Yip!" Reflet leapt into the air at the sound of the machine and began running around the frantically.

"Oh crap," Cody muttered. Reflet was still jumpy at times, especially with loud noises like that. He fumbled for his pokeball, but before he could attempt calling her back, the door leading into the room opened as another researcher entered the room. At the sound of another THUNK, the Eevee bolted for the opening. "Reflet, get back here!"

"Sir, your pokémon can't be running around the-"

"Hey, somebody stop that pokémon! It can't-"

"Cody, what-"

He ignored all the voices and briskly walked towards the open door, looking down the hallway, just in time to see his pokémon's tail disappearing around the corner.

"Sir, you can't go back there without a-"

"It will only take a minute." He broke into a brisk jog down the hall. They're going to kick me out for sure now. He should have known better than to let Reflet out in that room right next to the machines. But he didn't trust anybody to find her before he did. The last thing he wanted was for one of the researchers to restrain her and accidentally hurt her. No, he'd face the music. Luckily, the halls weren't all that difficult to follow, so he kept running, listening for barks of his pokémon and the yelling of staff. Finally, he arrived in one of the storage rooms, next to the big, iron door that led to the walk-in freezer. The door was slightly ajar, and two employees were standing next to it, looking inside.

"Hey, you find her?" Brooke must have been behind him the whole time, but Cody was too focused in his chase to notice that she was there until she spoke.

"I think so." He approached the two men. As he got closer to the open freezer door, he felt cold from inside. The cold air from the freezer made the air conditioning feel like the heat of a furnace by comparison. "Did my Eevee just-"

"Yes, into the freezer," one of them answered, severe irritation in his tone and his frowning face as he turned to face him. "Pokémon are not allowed to be out of their balls here. Now she's gone deep within the freezer. I just popped in for a second to grab the- Oh nevermind! We need to get the protective suits!" He motioned to his co-worker to follow him. "We'll get her out for her, hopefully before she freezes to death. Stay here and don't go inside!"

Cody waited before they disappeared before he reached for the door before Brooke grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Are you crazy? They said DON'T go in!" For the first time, he saw her wear an expression that wasn't so pleasant; a mixture of anger and concern.

"I'm going in," Cody replied indignantly. "She's in there, all alone. I'm just going to pop in and out, like that guy did. No suit, no problem."

"Cody… stop and think about this," Brooke pleaded with him, now trying to reach him with a softer voice, "it feels really cold from here. They probably wear suits in there for a reason. And they said she could die in there, so what about us-"

"Just in and out," he repeated. "I don't know why they need to keep it that cold in there, but I'm not going to wait for those guys. Unless she evolves into a Glaceon on the spot, she'll die in there, so I'm going to get her back before it's too late." He touched Brooke's hand, hoping he could calm her down even a little bit. "If you want, wait out here. I'll-"

"No, I'll go with you. I just have a bad feeling about this, that's all." She clutched his hand, grinning weakly. "Let's find her."

"Alright." Taking a deep breath, he pulled the heavy door open and walked into the storage freezer.

The cold inside was unbearable, like nothing he had ever felt. After spending the better part of the Skitrexian winter nights outside with Antonia, he figured he would never experience any cold that could compare. Granted, he wasn't wearing winter clothes or standing near a fire (or a fire pokémon), but it was still even colder than he expected. Breathing even was difficult, and the moment they entered, Brooke embraced him for warmth, though it didn't do much to help. The room they were in was large, but it didn't look like he had expected. The storage units were multiple locked doors on the walls surrounding the room, but the center of the room was completely empty. In the back of the room was a giant doorway that didn't seem like it belonged there, primarily because in this room of cold steel, the doorway was made of stone.

"Sh-shit, we sh-shouldn't h-h-have c-come in h-here," he muttered between the chattering of teeth. Scanning the room, he looked for Reflet, but she was nowhere to be seen. Could she have gone through the doorway?

And then it happened; the door behind them shut. Cody was too busy shivering to jump at the final noise, and he tried to pull the door open, but to no avail. Just touching the metal handles of the doors made him want to scream from how the frozen steel burned his hands. It was locked from the outside.

This has to be a health or safety violation, he thought to himself. What do they have in here worth locking up so bad? There was a number pad next to the door, but of course he didn't know the passcode. Above the pad was a bright-red emergency button, so he punched it without hesitation. He could hear the alarms outside the door blaring. Hopefully, those guys in the suits would get there soon.

"W-what is g-going on?" Brooke asked, huddling up on him again, burying her face in his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep his teeth from chattering, but failing miserably. "D-door's locked. G-gonna look f-for her u-until h-h-help arrives." Still hugging for warmth, the two of them trudged through the frozen air towards the doorway. The closer they got, the more suspicious they looked. Judging by the edge of the doorway, it looked as though there had been a door at one point, but not anymore. Perhaps it had broken? Once they were standing under it, Cody could see markings on the walls past the doors. They looked like letters, but none that he would have recognized. The weird thing though was that the stone doorway exited into a stone stairway that led down to somewhere. There was a bright light at the bottom of the steps shining at somebody.

"I c-can h-hear her," Brooke said, bringing her mouth up to Cody's ear so she wouldn't have to speak so loud. "S-she's c-crying. D-d-down there."

Damn it, Reflet. I swear, sometimes… He looked over at the door. Wherever those guys with the suits were, they were taking their sweet time getting back, despite the alarm. He slowly took a step down the stone stairs. And another one. And then another after that. Each step they took, the air seemed to be getting colder, but Cody clenched his teeth and hugged Brooke even tighter. He felt awful for her coming with him. She'd probably want to get away from him for sure after this sudden change of events. But he tried not to think about it. Reflet was the one who needed his help, and with every step, he could hear her struggled whines a little clearer. Finally, at the bottom of the stone steps, he was able to see her. Reflet was hunched over, shivering and crying a high-pitched whine.

"Reflet, c-come over h-here!" he shouted, though it was a struggle as he felt the ice enter his lungs. She looked over at him, but didn't move otherwise. Instead, she kept looking forward. What is wrong with her? He slightly withdrew from Brooke, though not completely as he picked up the pace. He picked up the frozen Eevee and held her against his body. To his surprised, tiny ice-crystals hung off her fur. That quickly? She had only been in the freezer for a few minutes at best, but she was covered in a light layer of frost already.

"She o-okay?" Brooke asked, huddling up against Cody again to keep them all warm.

"Sure. S-she's no Glaceon though." He tried to laugh, but it was just too uncomfortable. Okay, let's get back upstairs. But something caught his attention; considering how low the temperature was, he figured that his Eevee would be tucking her face within the crook of his arm, but not so. She continued to stare forward. What are you looking at? The floodlight was pouring onto where he was standing, but the space in front of them was a dark chasm. He couldn't see anything within the chasm, but at the edge of the darkness and light, he saw bits and pieces of ice moving by quickly, like they were being moved by wind. Wind? Down here? It sounds like, at least.

"Tuuuuuuuu!"

Even in that sub-zero cavern, Cody felt a new wave of goosebumps pass over his skin. That voice… it sounded hollow. Almost robotic.

"W-what w-was that?" Brooke asked, clutching him tighter, her fingernails digging into his skin.

"I d-don't know, b-but- Holy shit!"

For a brief second, he saw something flash blue in the black cavern before him. It was only a second, but it was long enough for him to make out the general form of whatever was in the swirling, icy winds. Then, the thing in the icy mist flashed again before glowing a light, baby-blue. But this thing was no baby. It was a pokémon; a tall pokémon with well-defined edges, a pointed head, thick arms with three finger-like appendages popping out of each, and what looked to be seven yellow eyes. Such a big monster, standing perfectly on two pointed feet. It looked so foreign. So strange. So alien. But Cody recognized it.

"S-shit, it's a… it's a R-Regi-... A Regifreeze." Wait, that isn't right. He knew that wasn't right. He had seen this pokémon before. There were several scattered across the world, though most of them were protected by the International Legendary Pokémon Treaty. No wonder this "freezer" is so cold. He was so enthralled that he didn't notice Brooke snap a photo of the thing on her phone.

"Tuuuuuuu!" The pokémon took a step forward. With that single step forward, it felt as if the already low temperature dropped another fifty degrees.

"B-Brooke?"

"Y-yeah?"

"D-does this c-c-count as something cool?"

She didn't answer.

"Tuuuuuu!" It took another step forward. And then another. The smart thing to do was to run, but they couldn't move. Was it fear or had their legs frozen at the knees?

Is it going to hurt us? Or…? He didn't have time to find out. Large, gloved hands clamped on to his shoulders and pulled him out of his frozen stance. He panicked, looking to see somebody in a protective suit grab him and drag his stiffened body away from the frozen chasm. He felt disoriented; not quite awake. That boring tour transformed into something far beyond what he imagined it to be.

They were moved to a small room with a table, a few chairs, and no windows. It was like they were being interrogated, but it didn't feel that way yet. In all the chaos, he had been separated from Brooke, stripped down and checked for frostbite, redressed in his clothes that had been warmed up from a quick spin in a dryer, thrown into a room with Brooke and Reflet, given a thick, scratchy blanket for them to share, and given two bowls of piping-hot tomato soup. Reflet drank her own from a small saucer, though she still shivered.

Outside, he could hear two men shouting. One of their voices he recognized as Dr. Merrick. Cody couldn't make out everything they were saying, but he made out enough words to know that the good doctor's vocabulary was exceptionally colorful.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Brooke asked, cuddling up closer to him and resting her head on his shoulders. Though they had been out of the freezer for some time, they were both still shivering. It was like their marrow had frozen.

"What do you think?" Cody asked, though his sarcasm was light. He was still trying to piece together what he had seen. There was a legendary golem under the facility. Question was, why? "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. We shouldn't have-"

The door swung open and slammed shut behind Dr. Merrick as he entered the tiny room. At his entrance, Reflet yipped and lept into the wool blanket, knocking her saucer of soup over, but the doctor didn't seem to care. His face was red and his eyes were wide and filled with unadulterated rage.

"I should have you killed! What were you thinking?"

Killed? It wasn't his first death threat he received, but it was enough to startle him and shake his mind. "Wait, what?"

"No, no, I can't do that. I'm not a monster, but Goddamn it, I hate you brats right now! Jesus H. Christ, you people are killing me!" He banged his fists against the wall, letting out a pained shout as his fists hit the white bricks. For nearly a minute, his heavy breathing filled the room. Finally, when he caught his breath, he lowered his one hand, though he leaned on the wall with the others. "Besides, if I wanted you dead, I would have just left you in there. But now… now we have a problem."

Another silence followed, so Cody took the chance to speak. "That thing down there-"

"It's a Regice. They say there are about four or five of them left on earth. Apparently, they formed the glaciers and- No, that's not important. You shouldn't have seen that. Any of that. The intern who gave you the tour, Maise… she shouldn't have let you let your pokémon out in the facility. Harvey shouldn't have left the freezer door open. Of course you stupid kids just had to go in there. Of course!"

"Hey, they said she'd die in there!" Cody said, though he kept his temper under control, realizing that this situation had to have serious for this guy to be this upset. "What, I'm going to wait for my those guys to get her themselves? They took forever! Plus, who the hell auto-locks a freezer door? And who the hell keeps a Regice in their basement?"

"Those doors auto-lock and are password protected so we know who goes in and out! And you shouldn't have gone in! Without a protective suit or a strong fire pokémon, you would have died down there from the exposure alone! Idiots!"

"Well, why do you keep that thing down there if it's so dangerous?" Cody asked, finding it harder to control his temper. Thankfully for him, Merrick seemed to have gotten the anger out of his system, as while the man was still breathing heavy, his face was far less flushed. "I'm out of the program now, aren't I?"

Dr. Merrick let out a long, loud groan and he turned back to them, still looking pissed. "No. I can't. In fact, you might as well consider yourself a life-long member now, because I need you to keep this a secret."

Cody cocked his head. "A secret?"

"Yes, I'm sure you didn't see the blurb on our webpage about how we keep a legendary pokémon under our facility?" He asked sarcastically, shaking his head. "You two know now. Not even all of our staff know about this. You see…" He inhaled a long breath before continuing. "Ten years ago when we founded this facility, we were very successful from the get go. These mountains are rich with zinc and whatnot. But the building we are in now was built about five years ago, right after Dr. Davis died. It was just going to be another manufacturing and storage building, but after digging around in the side of the mountain as a part of our construction, we found a door that had been buried in an avalanche many years ago. It was made of stone and it had letters written in Procraise, the holy language, on it. Naturally, we got curious, and we figured out that it was one of those ancient doors that open when you present the right Unown in front of it. We gathered the ones we needed and opened the door… And that's where we found it: the Regice."

"Wow… amazing," Brooke said in absolute awe, only for the doctor to shake his head.

"Absolutely not, it was a pain in the ass!" His face soured again as the memories arrived. "Tell me, do either of you know what happened when that Articuno up in the Frostscar Mountains decided to roost in that mountain?" He waited for a few seconds before continuing, knowing that neither of the kids knew the answer. "That mountain and a few of the mountains surrounding it were deemed a National Park. You can't even catch a Snorunt up there now without getting fined and jailed. Point is, if the fact that a Regice is living under our mountain were to go public, all those damn activists would be right at my door, demanding that we pack up and leave. Skitrex isn't a part of the International Legendary Pokémon Treaty, but the region is allowed to deem whatever pokémon they want as "protected". If that Regice were to be added to the list, this ground would be considered a park, and we'd have to leave. That would be a huge blow to our research, our business, the trainers who rely on us, and Skitrex's zinc industry. No, we have to keep the Regice a secret." He glared at them, his eyes narrowing. "And now you two know."

"Wow…" Cody never would have considered all of that. He figured that a researcher like Merrick would love to find a legendary pokémon like Regice. "So… you can't get rid of it? Or…"

"And how would we get rid of it?" The doctor lashed out again. "The strongest pokémon here is The Reaper and even he wouldn't be able to fight that thing. You'd need a fire pokémon, no, many very strong fire pokémon, and even then, they'd have to work fast before their temperatures drop too low. Even then, it would be nearly impossible to capture it. Even a weakened Regice would break out of your typical pokeball before it seals." Another sigh. The man seemed so tired over this situation. "And if I even had a masterball, that's not a guarantee. A pokémon like that would probably break the ball before it even gets close unless it's out of energy. We've been lucky that it doesn't to want to leave. So we paid for a freezer to be discretely built around it and a few ventilation shafts to be constructed. The air is diluted and during the summer, we have free air conditioning. I guess that's a positive, but it's not worth the trouble."

"Wow…" Cody was at a loss for words. "So… what happens now?"

"I'll tell you what happens," Merrick began again, his irritation picking up. "I NEED this to stay a secret. Everybody here depends on that Regice staying a secret. So here's what you two are going to do: you're not going to tell anybody about this. Not your families, not your friends, and not even your pokémon if they're capable of understanding human speech. If you do this for me, I will let your pokémon stay here for free. We'll still test the zinc products with them, but yes, free."

Holy shit, that's actually good. "I think I can agree to that," Cody said, nodding.

"Good, because if you ruin this for us, you'll damage our research, you'll cost numerous researchers their jobs, and you'll make a huge dent in this region's economy." The man's brow furrowed and his frown grew deeper. "Additionally… I will do everything I can to make your life hell. I happen to know researchers all across Skitrex. I WILL pull strings and you'll never find any facility willing to take in your pokémon. Are we clear?"

He felt uncomfortable with how much Merrick had invaded his space, but the answer was still yes. In all honesty, he didn't care about the Regice or it being kept a secret. It wasn't like the scientists were abusing it or anything. On top of that, free boarding for his pokémon was too good to pass up. He nodded, and to his relief, Merrick backed off.

"I assume you'll keep this a secret for his sake then?" the doctor asked Brooke now. "Because I can find ways to make your life hell too."

"Of course," Brooke answered softly, though her voice trembled.

"Good, we have an understanding." He groaned again, clenching his teeth tightly and pushing his hand against his head hard enough that he could have left an indent. "You two look like you've warmed up enough." He briskly walked back to the door and opened it hard enough that it almost flew off the hinges. Two more scientists in labcoats were waiting there, arms crossed. "Now get out of my laboratory. Though you have the right to visit your pokémon here whenever you want, I hope I never have the displeasure of seeing either of you again. I seriously hate kids."

Cody looked over at Brooke, who seemed a little bit out of it, but he squeezed her hand, bringing a smile out of her. He had done a good job keeping his composure, but he was really shaken by the day's events and the aftermath. But coming out of it without any repercussions, only a verbal berating, a secret to keep, and even a benefit… that was a welcome surprise. Still, he couldn't help but feel haunted. As if despite him getting off the hook, what he witnessed would eventually turn its ugly head.

The day had been nothing short of an ordeal.

Brooke sat at the edge of the motel bed that she was sharing with Heather. The girl was sleeping soundly, as was Jared in the other queen-sized bed. Cody was in his sleeping bag on the ground though. She noticed over the past few weeks that he never shared a bed with Jared when they were forced to shack up inside. At first, she had assumed that it was from some sort of latent homophobia, but that wasn't it. It was because Cody wasn't a sound sleeper. It didn't happen every night, but often when he was sleeping, he would twitch, squirm, and even briefly thrash around before falling silent or waking up.

Slowly, as not to wake Heather, Brooke rose from her bed and knelt down next to Cody, staring at him, waiting for him to start twitching or something. He didn't. Not tonight or not yet. She wondered what that was all about. She had reported the behavior to Michelle, who said that the behavior wasn't unusual. A lot of traveling trainers were at risk for developing a mood or anxiety disorder, and sleep-related disorders were no exception. Brooke had seen him behave like this three times. The second time he woke up, she asked him if he was alright, and all he told her was that he needed some air before getting up and leaving for a walk in the middle of the night. It was curious that these episodes happened so regularly and they seemed to affect his mood the next day whenever they occurred, but he never talked about them. Heather and Jared didn't seem bothered by these episodes either, so it must have been a regular thing.

Really though, up until that day, that was the only thing worth reporting to Michelle. She emailed a report everyday, save the days she couldn't get any reception in the middle of the wilderness, but it was all mundane stuff, which made her question why she was even supposed to play the mole in this group to begin with. In his files, Cody was only marked as a low-level threat, even that seemed excessive. Sure, he revealed two Brotherhood members (one to a group of potential recruits and one to the authorities), but the first reveal had no impact on the organization and the second was with a snatcher. It was possible that he panicked. Snatchers, after all, were reserved for the most dangerous of enemies who were working to undermine the organization's goals. And then with the higher levels of the Brotherhood allowing him a glimpse of important information, only for him to turn them down… It was a calculated risk of attempting to gain his favor, but she didn't understand why it was necessary. Maybe they were afraid that he would be a persistent problem for them in future operations. Maybe the Father saw potential in him. But from what she was seeing, he was just a kid. A talented kid, sure, but a kid nonetheless. And despite all that had happened to him, he hadn't mentioned any involvement with the Brotherhood to her. Maybe he was keeping it a secret, but if he was trying anything against the Brotherhood, she figured she would have noticed it.

"Oh Cody…" She touched his cheek with the tips of her fingers, though she pulled her hand back when he stirred. She felt a little bit bad for him. In fact, she genuinely liked him. He was a bit hot-headed at times and occasionally awkward around her (which she found cute), but he seemed pretty friendly, loved his pokémon, and was constantly working to improve his craft as a trainer. She wanted to think of him as a friend, as 90% of her act with him was legitimate, but she knew that she couldn't allow herself to be swayed, which was why she had already betrayed him.

Despite the huge fuss that was made over them over them discovering the Regice at the research center, nobody took the time to check their phones for pictures. Perhaps it was because the entire incident was unprecedented, but when they left, she had the picture of the ice-golem with her. It wasn't good quality or anything, as the swirling ice made a mess of the image, but it was still distinct. She sent the picture in her report to Michelle, as while it wasn't Cody-related, it was interesting nonetheless. However, no response. Perhaps Michelle wouldn't see it until morning, but she worried about Cody. If somehow, this leak cost him his placement with the research center, she would feel awful. But no, a job was a job.

As if fate was tethered to her thoughts, her second phone in her pack began to vibrate. Before the rumbling woke anybody, she swiftly flew to the device, picked it up, and took it out onto the second-floor walkway of the motel. It was a bit brisk outside and she was only wearing a short nightgown, but she needed to ensure privacy from the others if it was Michelle. When she looked down at the screen, she saw that it was, and she answered.

"I just opened your email. Please tell me this isn't some sort of joke!"

"Joke?" Brooke questioned in a whisper. "What joke? You read the email. We saw that thing!"

"Are you… Are you sure? This is VERY important! If this is legitimate, this could be a very big deal for us. I want you to promise me that this is legitimate. I can't say much on why, but if this is real, I'll send this on to my superiors. We'll follow up with more details. So?"

"Yes, it's real. The Regice is real. We saw it and I'm telling you now that it's real. We got confirmation from scientists that it's what we thought it was. Besides…" She smirked to herself. "If I was lying, you wouldn't know anyway."

"Fine, but if this ends up being a bust for whatever reason, we're both in trouble… keep what you found discrete. Keep doing what you're doing and keep reporting to me when you can. I'll let you know if I hear anything else on this subject. Got it?"

"Yes. Goodnight Michelle." She hung up. Usually, she wasn't supposed to hang up until directed, but she didn't care; it pissed her off that Michelle doubted her. That phone call did not follow any official protocol, as Michelle seemed very agitated, so maybe she wouldn't care either. But that whole thing seemed so brisk and abrupt. She had been instructed to report any rare pokémon that she found, but this must have been a big deal.

Maybe I'll get a promotion… and a raise… and a vacation. She smiled at the thought of moving up in the world, but she found herself thinking of Cody again. If the Brotherhood had reason to be concerned with the Regice, would they try to catch it? And if they did, wouldn't it lead that douchebag doctor to assuming that either she or Cody blabbed about the whole thing? She wasn't worried about what the doctor would do to her if he knew; she had an organization to fall back on if things were bad, but she worried about Cody and how that could hurt his career as a trainer. Caring for others. It was something that the Brotherhood stood for, but she couldn't stop thinking of the possible, upcoming chain of events that she was imagining might happen.

Hopefully a new chapter coming next week. Stay tuned!