Draco: I am (probably) going to regret writing this later, but I'm already starting to regret replaying this after having started playing Platinum. I'm probably gonna switch to using a video playthrough as my dialogue ref by the Miror fight.
So, minor pet peeve for me in Colosseum: PCs are not always accompanied by healing machines (case in point - there's a lonely PC in the police station in Pyrite). Whatever difficulty-based motivation there might be for that is insignificant, because before Generation VIII, if you put a Pokémon into the Storage System, it's fully healed, even if you then immediately take it back out again without changing screens. For the pseudo-remake, the healing machine would be built-in to the PC.
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Chapter 5: Shadows Cast on Fool's Gold
After making sure the Mayor was safe (apparently having been so busy in the Stadium that the troopers had missed him entirely), Wes and Rui made their way back to the south end of Phenac.
"So," Wes mused, "what's our next destination?"
"Pyrite Town," Rui mused. "That guy in green said that's where the one in charge would be. And besides, that's where I first saw their... 'Shadow Pokémon'. I wouldn't be surprised if there's more there."
Wes nodded. "That'll be west of here. Let's go."
+x+x+x+
En route to Pyrite, they found themselves approaching something very impressive - a massive tower, with structures extending around it. Wes brought his bike to slow down near what looked like a courtyard-in-the-making at the south end, and he and Rui stepped off to approach. Several construction workers seemed to be on break, and Rui approached the nearest, asking, "What's this place?"
"A construction site," the worker insisted.
"No Mulch, Metagross," Wes snarked.
The worker chuckled briefly. "What I mean is, it's no place for tourists to be - yet. There's gonna be a Colosseum on the top of that tower - and let me tell you, when it's done, all of Orre's gonna know. Come back when the news goes out - until then, I'd stay well away."
"Fair enough," Rui conceded. "Looking forward to it."
+x+x+x+
"Come on, give a man a break, here. I keep telling you, I don't know anything."
Wes brought his bike to a stop at the edge of town in time to overhear a conversation; a Rogue near the town entrance was speaking with a man in an officer's uniform. "That better be true, Cail," the officer reprimanded. "If you're trying to con me, I'll know about it!"
The Rogue, Cail, raised his hands in defense. "Mr. Johnson, sir!" he insisted. "I wouldn't even think about lying to an upstanding officer like yourself!"
"Alright, fine." The officer, Johnson, shook his head. "I'll let you off easy today. But I'm keeping my eye on you!"
He started off - and once he was out of earshot, Cail shook his head. "Of course I haven't got a thing to tell you, nitwit."
Rui sighed. "Not the most cheerful place, is it? Small wonder I saw that Shadow Pokémon here."
"Yeah," Wes agreed. "So, where do we start looking for that punk with the afro?"
"Why don't we see if the officers know his face or not," Rui suggested. "Maybe we can at least get pointed in the right direction."
They found the police station soon enough; the man at the desk was a much more competent-looking sort than Johnson, with a head full of grey hair and an impressive mustache. As they stepped inside, he got to his feet.
"Hello, there." His voice was somewhere between welcoming and confrontational, as though he were trying to avoid assuming that they deserved one or the other. "Are you new to the town?"
"Kind of," Rui confirmed. "I'm Rui - this is Wes."
"Chief Sherles," the man replied. "A pleasure to meet you. What brings you to-"
Wes cut him off as someone ran into him from behind; he managed to keep himself upright and turned to find that Johnson had charged in and had currently landed next to an evidence locker. "I'm sorry, Chief," he pleaded, trying to right himself, "but there's trouble afoot! There's talk that thugs have been using strange Pokémo- Huh?" As Johnson managed to get himself upright, he abruptly realized who he'd run into. "You're not the Chief."
"I'm right here, Johnson," Sherles reprimanded. "And that's not news. I've heard it over and over again."
"Um, actually," Rui pleaded, "we're here about that. What's this about strange Pokémon?"
Sherles raised an eyebrow, but replied nonetheless. "The ruffians who gather in Duel Square have been reported as having acquired Pokémon of... unusually violent disposition." Wes and Rui traded looks as he continued; "They say some of them have been attacking the trainers - their own trainers, even."
"That sounds like what we're looking for," Rui admitted. "What's Duel Square?"
"The north end of town," Sherles replied, "before the bridge leading to the Colosseum."
"Thanks for the tip," Wes praised.
+x+x+x+
They were accosted by a few ruffians on their way through town - no one that Espeon and Umbreon couldn't handle, all told, and no one with Shadow Pokémon, either. When they reached Duel Square, the directions felt unnecessary - there was a large ring set into the ground to mark the edges of the battlefield, and no less than six trainers were gathered there, four of them cheering at what seemed to be the immediate aftermath of a battle between the other two.
"I feel kind of dumb for asking about where to look," she admitted. "This is where I first saw Mienfoo. Those creeps were fighting in the square, and realized I could see the dark aura."
Wes glanced at his Poké Balls. "How am I going to Snag the Shadow Pokémon in front of a crowd?" he wondered, keeping his voice low. "If I catch them out in the open, we'll be driven out of town."
Rui sighed. "There's nothing lawful about this town at the best of times," she admitted. "I'd wouldn't be surprised if some of these trainers got their Pokémon by stealing them the old-fashioned way."
"Old-fashioned way?" Wes echoed, turning to her.
"Taking the Poké Ball with the Pokémon still inside," Rui replied. "The Pokémon's not any more likely to listen to you than if you traded for it fairly, but there are ways of earning obedience in either case." Then, shaking her head; "Anyways, as long as the officers don't see you Snagging, we should be good. I don't think any of these trainers are like to run to the police and expect them to listen."
"Here's hoping."
"Who's next?" The victor of the last fight, a figure in a bandanna and long blue coat, glanced around at the crowd. "Who thinks they've got what it takes to take me on!?"
Wes raised his hand. "Over here!" The crowd turned as he stepped forward. "I'm up for a fight."
The winner chuckled, crossing his arms. "A newbie in town?" he accused. "You sure about that?"
"Right after you came out of a fight?" Wes demanded. "Definitely."
"Alright, then," the victor agreed. "Bring it on!"
You are challenged by Bandanna Guy Divel!
The two took their places at opposite ends of the battlefield, and each threw two Poké Balls forward. A Quagsire and a Psyduck appeared on Divel's side of the field, and as Umbreon and Espeon regarded their opponents, Wes turned to Rui.
Her eyes were closed, and her braids vibrating behind her; she aimed a finger at the Quagsire, identifying that it was a Shadow Pokémon.
Wes turned back to the fight. "Umbreon," he warned, "Hold Back."
The Moonlight Pokémon was lined up with the Quagsire - he'd communicated with his Pokémon his entire Snagger career this way, using their relative positions on the field to identify which Pokémon he wanted to Snag. His Eeveelutions both nodded; Espeon propelled a Psybeam at the Psyduck, who returned fire with a Water Pulse as Umbreon charged at the Quagsire. The Water Fish Pokémon retaliated; as Umbreon managed to land a withheld blow, Quagsire Slammed into the Dark-type, throwing him back.
None of that darkness from before, Wes observed. It must be a matter of move.
Divel laughed mockingly as the Pokémon retreated. "Did you just tell your Pokémon to hold back?" he reprimanded. "What are you, daft?"
"Never question a strategy until you see the results!" Wes retorted.
Umbreon and Espeon switched targets, Umbreon striking the Psyduck with a Faint Attack before it could land another Water Pulse; Espeon waited for the Quagsire to act before making to evade its blow, and this time Wes saw the darkness surrounding its blow as it tried and failed to strike the Sun Pokémon. Espeon slammed her paws into Quagsire, leaving it reeling before she retreated; as Umbreon returned, both made to rest up, a phantasmal sun and moon appearing over them as Wes drew out a Poké Ball.
His Snag Machine hummed, and streaks of light wrapped the Ball in his grip. Before Divel could react to what he was doing, he twisted forward, flinging the Poké Ball towards the Shadow Pokémon. The crowd gave yells of horror as the Snag Ball opened, the light enveloping the Quagsire and drawing it in, in complete disregard for the fact that the Pokémon had already been caught by someone else.
The Ball closed, and fell to the ground.
Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!
Divel was left stuttering, terrified, as the Ball bounced back towards Wes, who caught it with a swipe of his hand. "But... You...! How!?"
"He caught your Pokémon!" yelled a Rider in the crowd.
"A thief!?" exclaimed a Street Performer in terror.
"He's a thief!" a Roller Boy yelled. "He's a thief!"
Wes glared at the crowd. "And what if I am!?" he demanded. "Are you gonna act like you're so much better than me!?"
Everyone in the crowd was going for their Poké Balls, furious.
"Oh, you want to fight me, then!?" he demanded. "You go right ahead! Heal up anyone who got knocked out before I came here! Go to the Pokémon Center, even, if you have to! Come fight me, unless you think you've got enough of the law on your side to go running to-!"
He cut himself off, glancing around the town as he realized something. "Actually..." He turned to Rui. "Did you see a Pokémon Center on our way here?"
"No," Rui admitted, "come to think of it, I didn't."
+x+x+x+
Every trainer in Duel Square had a bone to pick with Wes after that display - and each of them had a Shadow Pokémon. Quagsire, Skiploom, Slugma, Flaaffy, Noctowl, and Sneasel - Wes thanked his lucky stars that every Ball he threw clicked on the Pokémon he was trying to Snag. Half of them ended up transported to the Pokémon Storage System; once he was out of opponents, the ruffians had no choice but to accept his superiority among them, and directed him to the Colosseum across the bridge, where a PC was open for use with a built-in healing machine.
"A little dominating, don't you think?" Rui asked as Wes set his Poké Balls into the slots.
"I didn't want to play the villain card," Wes insisted, running the healing procedure, "but... if I have to make all of Orre hate me to help save innocent Pokémon from suffering, it's worth it."
Rui sighed. "Seven Shadow Pokémon," she observed, "plus Espeon and Umbreon. We can't help this many Pokémon at once. The system is designed to prevent one Trainer from carrying more than six Pokémon at once."
Wes turned to her. "We could split them between us," he suggested. "I can set us up with shared storage access."
"Multi Battles aren't a thing in a region where everyone fights Double Battles solo," Rui retorted. "And I don't think us splitting up is a good idea. We've only got one Snag Machine, and you said you can't see their aura."
"What do you suggest, then?" Wes asked.
Rui contemplated for a moment. "...Pick out a tactical team," she insisted. "Let's focus on figuring out how the Shadow Pokémon are being distributed around here. Once we've stemmed that, we can give our attention to rehabilitation."
"Alright, then."
Two of the Poké Balls vanished from the slots before him as he deposited Mienfoo and Slugma in the Storage System; Espeon, Umbreon, Skiploom, and Quagsire stayed where they were as he withdrew Flaaffy and Noctowl (being able to hinder an opponent with paralysis or sleep would make Snagging easier). He was just logging out of the storage system when someone dashed into the lobby, practically slamming into the counter as he asked, "Is registration still open?"
"I'm sorry," the receptionist pleaded, "the battle challenge has already started. You'll have to wait for the next one."
"Drat!" the would-be challenger cursed. "And here I was hoping to get one of those cool Pokémon..."
Wes and Rui exchanged glances. "What are you talking about?" Rui asked.
The challenger turned to them. "There's rumors going around Pyrite that if you win the battle challenge, they give you an awesome Pokémon primed for battle. Cail got a win, and he's been showing up anyone with the guts to mess with him."
"Cail?" Wes echoed. "That's the guy from the town entrance, isn't it?"
"I think so," Rui confirmed.
+x+x+x+
You are challenged by Chaser Cail!
"No holding back!" Wes proclaimed; Espeon and Umbreon both nodded, focusing on Cail's Timburr and Gothita. The self-proclaimed 'Gatekeeper of Pyrite' had responded to inquiries about his Pokémon with an insistence on battle; with Rui confirming that neither of his first two, at least, were Shadow Pokémon, Wes was prepared to go all-out.
Umbreon charged at Gothita, only for Timburr to move to intercept him; a hard Wake-Up Slap slammed into the Moonlight Pokémon's side, throwing him off-course as Gothita manifested a Psyshock around Espeon. The Sun Pokémon tanked the blow as best she could and aimed a Psybeam at Timburr; the impact stuckhim hard as Umbreon recovered from the blow and closed the gap, hitting Gothita with a firm Feint Attack.
Cail withdrew the quickly-fainting Timburr as Gothita tried to recover from the blow; another Psyshock was thrown Espeon's way as the Chaser sent out a Deerling to take its place. Umbreon promptly struck Gothita with a firm Assurance to finish her off before retreating; Deerling charged at Espeon, who barely had time to react before she was on the receiving end of a flying quadruped Jump Kick.
She managed to recover as Cail withdrew Gothita; his last Poké Ball came flying out, and Rui gasped in concern as a Herdier appeared. "Wes-!"
"Got it." Espeon and Umbreon quickly two-fronted Deerling with a Psybeam-Assurance combo before Wes yelled to them; "Hold Back, you two!"
"What's that about?" Cail demanded. "You think I'm gonna go easy on you just 'cause you're doing the same?"
Wes ignored him as his Eeveelutions charged the Herdier, who was very much showing signs of not holding back. Umbreon couldn't get into contact range before he found himself on the receiving end of a shadowy burst that was enough to knock him out; Espeon quickly slammed her forepaws into the Herdier's side before circling around. Withdrawing Umbreon, Wes switched out his Ball for Flaaffy's; Herdier apparently deemed the Wool Pokémon an easier target, and the two Shadow Pokémon charged one another in tandem.
Shadows burst around the impact from both sides; Wes decided not to take any more chances, and drew a Poké Ball in his left hand. The Snag Machine quickly converted it, and he hurled the Ball forward before the Herdier could be knocked out by Flaaffy's attacks; Cail screeched in terror as the Snag Ball opened up, making to catch his Pokémon.
Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!
"No!" Cail screeched, seeing the ball bounce back towards Wes; no sooner had he caught it than it vanished in his grip, the firmware acknowledging his full team of six and transporting a newly-caught Pokémon to the Storage System. "You-?!" The Chaser groaned. "That lying Miror! He told me that Shadow Pokémon was unbeatable!"
"Miror," Rui echoed. "That was his name - you know him? And... how do you know about Shadow Pokémon?"
"That's what he called them," Cail insisted. "Miror B. - he's the guy who's been running Pyrite for some time now. He's been distributing what he calls 'Shadow Pokémon' to Colosseum battle challenge winners. Said they were unbeatable!" He glared at Wes, who took a wary stance. "I don't know what you've got there that's letting you catch other people's Pokémon, but if a Pokémon can be hit hard enough to get caught, it can be hit hard enough to get knocked out."
Wes stepped forward. "And they just give them out if you win?" he asked. "Out in the open?"
"Not exactly," Cail explained. "Miror sends some guys to collect the challenge winners, and they'll take you to the Pyrite Building - the big one, pretty much straight on this side from the bridge across the gorge. That's where they give it to you."
+x+x+x+
At the top of said building, the very individual they were discussing was in the middle of a video call.
"I trust things are going according to plan, Miror."
"Oh, yes indeed, General Nascour," Miror confirmed to the man on the other end. "Our plan is coming along in a lovely, peachy-keen way. We've already broken Duking's spirit, and the Colosseum is ours to do with as we please. Venus' distributors have been bringing Shadow Pokémon to the challenge winners - and once they've given us the data we need, we can take 'em right back without too much fuss."
"Good," Nascour insisted. "Everything else is already in motion. Once you've collected enough data, we can begin the final phase."
Miror chuckled, rolling his arms. "Ooh, this is perkin' me up in all sorts of ways," he admitted. "I feel like dancing!"
"Save your victory dance until our plan succeeds," Nascour snarked. "I'm off."
The call ended, and Miror turned to his Peons. "Okay, then! Girls, I shall make my return to the cave. You stay here and make sure the lady is well-received when she arrives."
The Peons stood at attention. "Sir!"
"Let the music play!"
+x+x+x+
"Battle challenge winners at the Colosseum..."
Wes let his head fall back as he and Rui started north through town. "I went to Phenac hoping to enter the battle challenge at the Stadium there," he admitted. "Was hoping they'd give me a nice prize. Guess that's what they mean by being careful what you wish for."
"I don't think the last one will be done, yet," Rui asked. "Let's see if we can't get more information about this Miror guy."
"Something tells me the police won't have much to say," Wes observed.
Rui was clearly trying not to laugh as she agreed, "No, I guess they wouldn't. Why don't we-"
"Look out, look out, look out!"
The yell from ahead drew their attention - Wes yelped when he saw what seemed to be a giant gear rolling their way. He and Rui quickly leapt out of its path to find someone chasing after it - a younger figure in a jacket of greys, with brown hair in spikes going straight up. He managed to get at it from one side and change its trajectory, very narrowly preventing it from colliding with a building; Wes could hear Cail yelling, implying another close encounter.
After a long moment, the commotion quieted down, and Wes breathed a sigh. "I didn't hear him hit my bike," he observed.
"Neither did I," Rui agreed.
Wes' gaze fell; the gear had left noticeable marks in the ground. Curious, he made to follow the trail, finding it led to the base of a windmill that he had dismissed as scenery earlier. The door was wide open, and someone was leaning against it, looking winded.
"Hey," Wes asked, "you alright?"
The man turned to him. "Just a bruise," he insisted. "That Silva... He charged in here and threw me aside before making off with one of the gears. The Colosseum's gonna be without power!"
Rui sighed. "It couldn't be simple," she murmured, "could it?"
Draco: With Orre being based on Phoenix, and Unova being based on New York, the most natural-seeming new introductions for this pseudo-remake are Unovan Pokémon. And I love specifically looking for a Unovan Pokémon to fit a given niche because the original Unova Pokédex only contains Unovan Pokémon. It makes my job so easy.