Draco: I even came up with a place to put the catching tutorial instead of having your first Snag be mandatory, guaranteed, and done at full HP. And I thought of a way to make it immediately segue into a justification for being able to catch Pokémon in a Double Battle despite that having been explained as impossible against wilds since Generation IV. Aurya might come up with fanfictional sidequests, but I come up with entire fanfictional games.

Also, I feel like if there had been another Generation VI game they would have introduced a few more new Mega Evolutions, and probably made a Snag in Phenac be one of them so that you could have at least two potential Megas by the time you got a Key Stone (i.e. Lucario and Venusaur/Charizard/Blastoise or Latias/Latios and Sceptile/Blaziken/Swampert), but fanfictional Pokémon - even fanfictional forms of Pokémon - are a bridge too far, and I refuse to go there. As such, I'm not setting up my Snags to be specifically Mega-capable Pokémon or not.

"Do you really think they'd introduce new Mega Evolutions for the last game of the Generation if it was on the Wii U?"
They would if it was coming out in succession with a new handheld game. I concocted this pseudo-remake at the same time I concocted the story for a Kalosian neutral version (more on that in A Collection of Notes on Personal Experiences with Legendary Pokémon).

Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo and the Pokémon Company.

Chapter 4: Shadow Pokémon

"No Poké Balls?!"

Rui's question got her a weird look from the Poké Mart cashier. "Are you maybe new to the Orre region, missy? You don't sell Poké Balls when there's no wild Pokémon to catch."

"Poké Balls get damaged sometimes!" Rui retorted. "PCs are designed to transfer Pokémon between Balls in case something like that happens!"

"Fair enough," the cashier admitted, "but that's a pretty rare case. Hardly justifies keeping them in stock."

Rui sighed. "Yeah, but... Never mind."

Wes was waiting outside the Poké Mart, and raised an eyebrow as she stepped out. "No luck?"

"You knew I was gonna have no luck, didn't you?" she accused.

"I was hoping I was wrong," Wes insisted. "Like you said, five Poké Balls don't leave a lot of room for error."

"Where did you Snaggers get your Poké Balls?" Rui demanded.

"From a huge stockpile kept in the same room as the mounted Snag Machine model," Wes admitted. "Not that we can ride into Eclo Canyon and dig through the rubble without expecting the authorities to be suspicious."

Rui groaned. "Do you have any idea where to look?"

Wes shook his head. "No, I can't even begin to-" His gaze shot up. "Wait..."

"What?"

"The Outskirt Stand," he mused. "I stopped by on my way here. I think... I saw some Poké Balls behind the counter. I just assumed they were for the owner's own team, but..."

"But it's the best chance we've got," Rui agreed. "Let's go."

+x+x+x+

"You normally let your Pokémon ride in there?"

Rui's comment as they arrived at the Outskirt Stand had Wes chuckling. "Sorry," he pleaded, "was there fur on the seat?"

"A little," Rui admitted, brushing off the back of her skirt. "Guess I should've seen it coming when you walked into town with them at your sides instead of in their Balls."

The two of them stepped inside; the man at the counter offered a smile. "Hey there," he greeted. "What brings you back out here?"

Rui saw what Wes had mentioned - a row of Poké Balls sitting on the back counter. It wasn't just a row of red-and-whites, either - there was a Great Ball, Ultra Ball, Net Ball, Dusk Ball, Quick Ball, Timer Ball, Nest Ball, and Luxury Ball. "Excuse me," she prompted, "are those for sale?"

The man glanced back at them. "Oh, wow," he mused, "look at that. I've had a whole stockpile of Pokémon catching merchandise since who knows when, but there's no call for it in Orre. Figured I'd set them up to look pretty." He turned back to them. "Sure, I could sell them to you, if you're sure you won't regret it. Things'll be a little dusty, but that won't mean they don't work."

Wes bought five more Poké Balls and a couple Great Balls for now, then he and Rui made their way back outside. "So," he asked as he set his keys in the ignition, "where do you suppose those thugs with the odd Pokémon went?"

"I think I could figure out where from Phenac," Rui admitted. "But first things first. How does Snagging differ from catching a wild Pokémon?"

"I don't think it differs at all, really," Wes admitted. "With this one, anyways. I mean, for example..."

+x+x+x+

Thud!

Wes stumbled back from the impact; he'd come to Gateon Port on duty, and was currently dressed in the Team Snagem uniform with the hood up - and the handheld Snag Machine equipped on one arm. As he turned towards the impact, he found a young boy sitting there - dressed in a yellow top, a pair of blue slacks, and a blue headband around spiky brown hair. At his side was a younger girl in a white dress, with pink hair done up in a pair of buns not quite tight enough to prevent it from hanging loose around her face.

"Hey, be careful!" the girl insisted. "Jovi and her brother are busy!"

Wes raised an eyebrow at them as the boy got to his feet, crossing his arms in reprimand. "I'm the one who should be careful?"

"Jovi saw you get in his way!" the girl protested. "Jovi's brother could beat you any time!"

With a chuckle, Wes glanced at the boy's belt; he only had one Poké Ball on it.

The girl, Jovi, saw his gaze. "You want to battle? Big brother, show him what you can do?" The boy shrugged apologetically before reaching for his belt; with a chuckle, Wes did the same.

You are challenged(?) by Youngster Michael!

The two threw their Poké Balls at the same time; Espeon opened her eyes and was surprised to see an Eevee standing before her, moving like a scrapper. Wes was equally surprised, but for a different reason; he surreptitiously drew out his PDA, checking his Snag List to confirm that it was the last Pokémon he was looking for on this venture.

"Espeon," he instructed, "Hold Back!"

With a nod, Espeon charged forward to meet the Eevee's dash. A Quick Attack struck her side, but to no harm; she brought her paw forward and struck the Eevee in return, hard enough to hurt but nowhere near hard enough to risk knocking her out.

Jovi laughed in response. "Holding back?" she mocked. "Jovi knows better than to hold back in a Pokémon battle, and Jovi doesn't even battle! You're just making big brother's job easy!"

"Well, you don't hold back if you want to knock out your opponent," Wes agreed. "But it's a different matter if you're trying to catch them."

He swept his left hand to the side, a Poké Ball in his grip, and the Snag Machine whirred over his hand. Streaks of light ringed the Ball's surface, and he brought it back and hurled it forward with a twist; it curved through the air towards the Eevee, who had no opportunity to react before it opened up. The light around the Ball's surface extended, reaching out to envelop the Eevee as light wrapped its form.

Then the light withdrew into the Ball, and it closed and fell to the ground, catching Michael and Jovi off-guard.

Shake... shake... shake... Click!

With the locking of the Poké Ball, it bounced up lightly before rebounding back towards Wes, who caught it with a chuckle. "I guess that makes me the winner," he mused, withdrawing Espeon in his other hand.

"What!?" Jovi was horrified. "You stole big brother's Eevee! You stole him!"

"I didn't steal him," Wes retorted. "I Snagged him."

Then, before they could draw attention to him, he turned around, dashing out of Gateon Port before they could alert someone more capable.

+x+x+x+

"Yeah," Rui confirmed, "that doesn't sound any different than catching a wild Pokémon. But..." She set her hands on her hips. "Everyone in Orre fights Double Battles. People with just one Pokémon are rare, and not super popular. Trainers can't aim in a Double Battle. When people try to catch a wild Pokémon in a Double Battle, they knock out the other one first."

Wes glanced at his hand. "Well, I was the best Snagger on the team for a reason..."

Rui was dumbfounded. "You mean you can throw a Poké Ball at a specific Pokémon in a Double Battle reliably?"

"More or less," Wes confirmed.

"Wow," Rui murmured. "Not saying I approve that you used it for criminal reasons, but that's impressive."

"Thanks, I guess."

+x+x+x+

The ride back to Phenac City was largely uneventful - until they found that the truck was back.

Wes and Rui exchanged worried glances and dashed into the city. The woman who had first directed them to the Mayor was quick to approach them, revealing that Folly and his compatriot had returned, with company, and headed for the Mayor's house; the two of them sprinted up to the second tier in a hurry, and Wes quickly seized the door and threw it open.

And was greeted with red and white.

A very confused Wes found himself staring even as Rui nearly ran into his back. Standing in the Mayor's house was what initially seemed to be a giant Poké Ball on a stick. Then he realized that there was an unusual texture to the Poké Ball, and then that the stick had arms and legs. His jaw dropped as he realized that that Poké Ball was an afro, attached to someone in a dark leather ensemble; near the TV in the living room were a trio of figures in what looked like armour of green, blue, and yellow, and on the opposite side of the afro'd figure was a woman in professional dress, being harassed by Folly and his companion in the odd hat.

The latter had heard the door opening, and turned with a gasp. "Master Miror!" he warned. "It's them! That girl, and the Snagger!"

The afro'd figure turned around, revealing that he wasn't wearing a shirt under his jacket (and took excellent care of his body, thankfully); his eyes were masked by a pair of mirror shades, and he had a single glove on his right hand. As he regarded the pair of them, a smirk rose on his face. "Oh, my," he mused, "now aren't you two frightfully pathetic." He glanced back at his cohorts with a smirk. "You mean to tell me you were overcome by this fool?" Wes was feeling very insulted as the man turned back to him. "Darling, wasn't your name Wes or something?"

Wes glared. "What's it to you?"

"Well, I'm sorry to say it to your face," the man replied, "but we don't have the liberty of lettin' your lady friend have her liberty." He turned to Rui, who took a wary step back. "That sweet little thing can see things that people aren't supposed to see, you see? That won't do for what we're wont to do. It won't do at all." He turned his attention back to Wes. "If you don't like pain, like most people, you can avoid the pain by keepin' your nose out of where it needn't be."

He snapped the fingers on his ungloved hand. "Folly! Trudly!" The two stood at attention as he glanced back at them. "You two better take care of these two, you hear? I will be waitin' for you in Pyrite, and I expect you to know that I will be expecting the lady when you arrive. The rest of you, with me!" The tricolored figures in armour nodded, making to follow him as he stepped out of the building.

"Let the music play!"

The odd-hat, Trudly, turned to what seemed to be a music player, and a quick-paced song began to play as Folly stepped forward. "You caught me off-guard last time," he reprimanded. "This time, I brought my A-team!"

"What sort of trainer deliberately has a B-team?" Wes retorted. "I'll take you down as many times as it takes!"

You are challenged by Miror Peon Folly!

Wes and Folly both went for their belts, each throwing two Poké Balls forward; a Minccino appeared that looked much more battle-hardened than the last two, accompanied by a Tympole who looked like he should have been a Palpitoad by now. No sooner had the lights faded than the Tympole acted, firing a Mud Shot that hit Espeon full-on; Umbreon quickly charged forward, only for the Minccino to intercept him and twist into a series of Tail Slaps. Espeon wiped the mud from her eyes with one paw and unleashed a Psybeam at the Chinchilla Pokémon as soon as she had a clear shot, knocking him back far enough for Umbreon to resume his dash at the Tympole.

The Feint Attack connected hard, leaving the Tympole reeling; the Minccino had taken quite the hit, but still had enough in him to close the gap on Espeon and hit her with a Tail Slap bombardment, as well. Espeon promptly retaliated with another Psybeam, throwing the unconscious Minccino clear across the battlefield as the Tympole launched a point-blank Bubble Beam at Umbreon; as soon as the bombardment subsided, Umbreon closed the gap to finish off the Tympole with a strike of Assurance, knocking it out and leaving it tumbling.

Folly growled, withdrawing both his Pokémon. "Blast it," he muttered. "I got tripped up again?!"

"Step back!" Trudly insisted. "Leave him to me!"

Wes shook his head. "Go ahead and try," he warned, "but we're not gonna let you take us down!"

You are challenged by Miror Peon Trudly!

Trudly hurled a pair of his own Poké Balls forward as Espeon finished wiping the mud from her eyes; a Yamask and a Venipede emerged, both looking eager for battle. Wes took note of the fact that Trudly still had a Poké Ball on his belt as he directed his Pokémon forward; the Venipede propelled bolts of Venoshock at Espeon even as a Psybeam flew his way, and a gale of Ominous Wind howled forward from the Yamask, striking both of the Eeveelutions before Umbreon slammed a Feint Attack into him.

The two Pokémon were both knocked out by the super-effective blows, but both of Wes' Pokémon were a bit weaker than they'd started - Espeon moreso. Trudly seemed to be aware of it, too - he grinned as he withdrew his Pokémon, slapping their Balls onto his belt and drawing the last one.

"Let's see if you can keep it up!" he snapped. "Come on!"

He hurled the Poké Ball forward - and Rui cried out as it burst, revealing a Mienfoo. Yet Wes was immediately able to tell there was something wrong with it - the Mienfoo screeched, war in its cry as it appeared.

"That's the one!" she warned. "Wes, that Pokémon's...!"

Wes couldn't begin to ask what she was talking about before the Mienfoo charged forward. Umbreon and Espeon both prepared for the blow too late to realize it wasn't aiming for them; Wes and Rui quickly split up, leaping away as the Martial Arts Pokémon tried to strike the Snagger with a fist covered in darkness.

"What the-!?"

"It's radiating a dark aura!" Rui warned. "It's like it can't do anything but fight! They must have done something to it! You have to catch it!"

Trudly's gaze shot up. "Catch it? What are you-!?"

Wes grit his teeth. "Espeon! Umbreon! Hold Back!"

Mienfoo turned to the two Eeveelutions as they charged forward together; it didn't have the opportunity to evade before their attacks slammed into it, one-two - hard enough to send it reeling, but not enough to knock it out. Wes promptly drew a Poké Ball in his left hand, sweeping it out at his side to set off his Snag Machine.

Rings of light traced the Ball in his grip, and he flung it forward with a twist, sending it curving through the air. His Eeveelutions quickly leapt aside as the Snag Ball approached; the rings extended as it opened, enveloping the Mienfoo, and Trudly gave a yell of terror as it vanished into the light; the Ball closed firmly, falling to the ground.

Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!

Wes pumped his fist in relief as the Ball bounced back towards him, and Trudly grabbed his hat in his hands in terror as the Snagger caught the returning Ball. "What!? No! My Pokémon! How did you-!?"

"What are we gonna do?!" Folly cried. "Miror's gonna chew us out if we tell him we got flattened again!"

"What do we do?" Trudly echoed. "What is there to do? Run away!"

Wes stepped aside as the two fled, following them with his gaze. "I have no idea how they can be scared of a guy who dyes his hair to look like a Poké Ball," he observed.

Rui shook her had and stepped up to the woman they had been bothering, who had been watching the battle with equal parts fear and amazement. "Are you alright, miss?" she asked. "Where's the Mayor?"

"I-I'm fine," the woman insisted. "Mayor Es Cade said he was going to the Stadium to speak with someone..."

"Then those other four might be on his case," Wes observed. "We should go."

"Right," Rui agreed. Then, turning to Wes; "I'm glad you were able to Snag that Pokémon."

"What was that about, though?" Wes asked, glancing at the Poké Ball in his hand. "You said there was... an aura?" His gaze fell. "I... thought I saw something."

"What?" Rui exclaimed. "You saw it?"

"Not when it came out," Wes insisted. "You recognized it right away, I didn't see anything. But when it tried to attack us... it was like these weird shadows were coming off the blow."

"I don't know what they did," Rui admitted, "but now I know I wasn't just seeing things. That Pokémon... those thugs must have done something to it. I'm sure there are others like it."

Wes sighed, glancing at his Snag Machine arm. "Wasn't expecting to leave Team Snagem for a journey like this," he admitted.

+x+x+x+

"Well, well. What an awkward situation."

The voice from nearby drew Wes and Rui's attention as they stepped out of the Mayor's house, a freshly-healed Espeon and Umbreon trailing behind them; one of the armoured figures that had left with the afro'd leader - the one in green - was standing near the west exit, arms crossed over his chest. Now that Wes got a good look at him, it was clear that it wasn't quite armor, so much as it was a jumpsuit of some kind that happened to have stiffened portions in imitation; the helmet possessed a visor, masking his eyes but leaving his mouth exposed.

As they turned to him, he stepped forward threateningly. "Trudly and Folly came running out of the house with their tails between their legs," he mused. "Looked like they were headed for the Pokémon Center before they jumped town. I'm guessing we have you two to thank for that?"

"Where are the others?" Wes demanded.

"Miror's headed for Pyrite," the trooper observed. "He told us to man the exits to the town, make sure his peons had some backup if they couldn't bind the girl again." He turned to Rui. "Sorry to break it to you, but I'm not about to let you pass."

"You're not going to let anything," Wes insisted. "We're going to pass by force, if we have to."

The purpose of exposing the trooper's mouth became clear when he grinned at them. "Can't stop you from trying," he conceded, "just from being able to succeed!"

You are challenged by Mystery Trooper Verde!

He went for his belt as Wes and Rui stepped back, giving Umbreon and Espeon room to take position as the trooper hurled a pair of Poké Balls forward. A Grimer and Servine appeared before him - and the Grass Snake Pokémon screeched in anger as it appeared, looking furious.

"Wes!" Rui warned. "The Servine!"

"Another one?" Wes glared. "Umbreon, Hold Back!"

Umbreon charged the Servine as Espeon turned a Psybeam on the Grimer; the Sludge Pokémon had little opportunity to react before the Psychic-type attack hit it full-on, the super-effective blow enough to knock it out in one shot before it could even act. Umbreon slammed his paws into the Servine, leaving it reeling - but the Grass-type promptly retaliated, lashing its tail at the Eeveelution with a burst of shadows that hit far harder than a Dark-type attack would have.

As the Moonlight Pokémon reeled, the Servine winced, and Wes realized that its attack had come with some unpleasant recoil.

The trooper threw out another Poké Ball, this one sending out a Spoink that promptly began bouncing forward. Psychic energy gathered around its head as it charged as Espeon, slamming a Zen Headbutt into the target it would effect. The two promptly switched targets, Umbreon charging a Feint Attack into the Spoink and Espeon charging the Servine for a withheld blow; the Servine, however, struck in return at the same moment, and though Espeon's blow wasn't enough to knock it out, the recoil from its own blow was.

"No!"

The trooper was quick to react, withdrawing the Servine and then his Spoink when it was finished off by Umbreon's Assurance. "So Folly was telling the truth," he observed. "If you can knock out a Pokémon and be disappointed, you must be a Snagger." He shook his head. "And I can't blame them for losing, either, after a fight like that."

"What did you do to that Pokémon?!" Rui demanded. "What was that aura?!"

"I don't speak Riolu," the trooper retorted, "so I don't know about any aura. But I do know this much - that was a Shadow Pokémon."

Wes narrowed his gaze. "Shadow...?"

"The admins are the only ones privy to the details," the trooper insisted, "but the gist of it is, they take a Pokémon, and they turn it into a fighting machine. Fill its heart with darkness to rob it of joy and fear, until it's got nothing but anger - and then they lock that darkness inside, so it can't leak out!"

He turned off, making to leave the town. "Good luck trying to unmake something like that, Snagger!"

"That doesn't-!" Wes didn't have the chance to retaliate before the trooper was gone, and he growled in frustration.

Rui's gaze fell. "They fill its heart... with darkness?"

Wes turned to her. "How do we even try to undo that?" he wondered.

"Well, color me surprised."

The voice from nearby drew their attention; Wes and Rui turned to find a man in a white jacket approaching them. "Noticed those thugs were blocking off the town's exits," he observed, "so I go to take care of them. Turns out I'm not the only one who had the idea."

"Who are you?" Rui asked.

"My name's Justy," the man replied. "I'm the Pre Gym Leader." He crossed his arms. "Forgive me for saying, but... did I hear you and that scoundrel mention something rather ominous?"

Rui nodded. "You could say that. You see..."

Hearing the explanation, Justy sighed. "That sounds like a terrible thing, indeed," he admitted. "But, if you ask me, claiming that a Pokémon that has been 'filled with darkness' can't be undone seems rather presumptuous of them. Even the most unfriendly Pokémon can grow closer to a trainer in time." He raised his gaze. "If you should spend time with these... Shadow Pokémon, then perhaps you can start to cleanse their hearts of the darkness they've been subjected to."

"You think so?" Rui mused.

"It's worth a shot," Justy admitted, "wouldn't you say?" He smiled. "And if you ask me, there's no better way to spend time with a Pokémon than training."

"In another region, we'd take that as advice to seek out some wild Pokémon," Wes observed. "But this is Orre."

"That doesn't mean you can't train your Pokémon," Justy retorted. "Or have you never heard of Super Training?"

Draco: ...Okay, I will admit I did think a little bit on which Pokémon would receive Mega Evolutions. But mostly because I really wish we could see what Genesect used to be like before Team Plasma did its machinations. Given that Aerodactyl's Mega Evolution is described as achieving what it really looked like in prehistory, that seems like the most likely way such a sight would come about.

So, a Snagger needs a way to make sure that his target Pokémon gets their HP low enough to get caught without getting knocked out. I am unashamedly assuming several event-exclusive moves to be available to Pokémon obtained in Orre in this pseudo-remake, because the moves themselves aren't terribly impressive. Espeon and Umbreon both start with Hold Back. Mostly because False Swipe's name and the Pokémon that can learn it indicate a requirement for appendages that Eeveelutions don't have.

And yeah, shameless #PlayerPunch for the tutorial flashback. Wes Snags an Eevee, gets a message seeing an Eevee suffering, and defects from Team Snagem. And not just any Eevee, but the starter Eevee of XD.

Also, Generation V had a sweet occurrence during Gym Leader battles (and maybe other battles that I don't quite remember because I haven't played Unova in ages) where the battle music was overridden when the opponent sent out their last Pokémon. I would have something similar occur when a Trainer sends out a Shadow Pokémon in the pseudo-remake; a track that starts with a build-up, goes quiet for the sound of a heartbeat, and then loops from when the instrumentals resume.

As for that conclusion, I would have it that the PSS, Pokémon-Amie, and Super Training are individually unlocked at points in the story where they become practical. Mostly because nothing ticks me off in Kalos quite like having access to Pokémon-Amie before I have enough Pokémon for the minigames and thus have a limited supply of Poké Puffs. Justy gives you access to Super Training after you beat a Mystery Trooper; Shadow Pokémon are not eligible for proper Regimens (because Shadow Pokémon can't earn effort values), but pounding on a Training Bag will do their Heart Gauge good.

And I'm shamelessly reflecting my own gameplay in having Wes miss the Mystery Trooper's Servine. I always go for Verde because Verde is right outside the Mayor's house, thus there's no reason Wes and Rui wouldn't beeline for him; Bayleef has Synthesis and Shadow Rush has recoil, and at least twice I've fricked up and knocked it out because I failed to account for them both.

No, I'm not gonna have Shadow Rush be the only Shadow Move in this one. We're using XD's full list. Maybe even plus one.