Draco: Roll credits on the way the beach scene last chapter; the start of this chapter happens when you load your save file afterwards, with a pan over the ocean announcing "Episode XD". Until I say otherwise, everything from here on in was not in Colosseum. Despite the name, most of it actually wasn't even in XD. Characters and locations are existing characters and locations in Orre, but events are not. I'm anticipating this fricker to end with 30 chapters; we'll see how accurate that is.
In a Pokémon game, you are free to level grind... whenever, and for however long you want. Unless you're in the middle of the Pokémon League or a battle facility. (And if you're in a battle facility, you should have Pokémon being forced back down to Lv. 50 already.) In the Orre games, you should use those opportunities to grind for purification before the levels jump at the prime grinding spots like Duel Square. No one wants to try and purify a Lv. 25 Shadow Pokémon against a pack of 60s. This chapter starts with a #TimeSkip similar to that preceding the Delta Episode in ORAS, which gives me an excuse to have purified every Shadow Pokémon that has been Snagged without having Wes and Rui grinding for purification between, say, discovering the Shadow Pokémon Lab and raiding the Shadow Pokémon Lab.
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Chapter 20: Pursuing the Trail of a Friend
Three weeks have passed since the opening of Realgam Tower.
With Evice safely imprisoned, and Cipher inoperable, Wes and Rui had turned their efforts to purification. The trainers in the first few zones of Mt. Battle had proven very effective as the endeavour, and they'd scored a few Mega Stones off the prize counter in the process; Eagun had helped them fit said Mega Stones into accessories that kept them on their Pokémon a little more reliably than the Lucarionite that had been clipped to Lucario's fur. Nearly every Shadow Pokémon they had Snagged had been successfully eased out of the darkness, and purified in Agate Village.
They were currently in Gateon Port, sitting at an outdoor table in the Krabby Club and enjoying a meal together. Wes was looking out at the port somberly; after one too many distracted answers, Rui asked, "What's got you so down?"
"Them," Wes replied, beckoning towards the docks.
Rui turned, finding two young figures standing at the waterside. Two kids were standing there; a brown-haired boy wearing a yellow top and blue slacks, and a pink-haired girl wearing a white dress. "Who are they?"
"Gateon Port was my last job before I left Team Snagem," Wes explained. "That boy had an Eevee. It was the last Pokémon I ever Snagged that wasn't a Shadow."
"I see," Rui mused. "You want to get his Pokémon back to him?"
"Yeah," Wes confirmed. "And that Eevee might not be the only Shadow Pokémon left, either."
A ping from his PDA interrupted him mid-bite; he wiped his fingers clean on a napkin before drawing out the device, finding a message waiting for him - it was from Nett in the Under, and it had an attached file.
Hey, Wes, good news! I've finally decrypted the Snag List you acquired from Cipher! Please find it enclosed.
"Speaking of which," Wes mused, a smile rising on his face as he opened up the attached file.
"What are we missing?" Rui inquired.
"Pignite and Dewott," he observed, "those'll be the other two tricolors we missed in Phenac." He scrolled down the list past the ones he knew from his Snag List, finding only three items at the bottom. "A Froslass, a Gallade... and the Eevee." He narrowed his gaze. "That's odd."
Rui raised an eyebrow. "What's odd?"
Wes turned the PDA. "Look at the numbers."
Rui used her knuckles on the touchscreen, not wanting to smear it. SP047 was Froslass; SP048 was Gallade; and Eevee was SP050.
"There's a missing entry?" she observed.
"I didn't think they'd be careless like that," Wes admitted. "But... they did know about how purification works. Maybe they purified a Shadow Pokémon for the test and didn't recalibrate the list."
Rui gave a concerned hum. "Maybe."
She handed Wes his PDA back, and Wes started keying them into his Snag List... and his ringtone went off again. This was was from Duking.
We've got trouble in Pyrite! Two goons from Cipher have shown up, and it looks like they've got Shadow Pokémon! Come ASAP, bring the Snag Machine!
"Oh, sweet," Wes mused, "two more already." He got to his feet. "What do you reckon it's the other two tricolors?"
"No sucker bets," Rui retorted.
+x+x+x+
Rui was glad she'd refused the wager; they stepped into Pyrite to find Cipher Peons in red and blue customs standing in Duel Square. The usual crowd of trainers looked like they'd had a bad encounter, and as Wes stepped forward, the one in red smacked his partner's shoulder. "Hey, look who it is."
"What a greeting," Wes snarked. "Were you trying to find me here, or is this just happy coincidence?"
"Coincidence, my behind," the blue one retorted. "Who told you we were here?"
"I don't think that's worth telling you," Rui mused. "Are you gonna leave nicely, or do we have to do this the hard way?"
The red one stepped forward. "Bring it on," he retorted. "We'll take you out, no trouble!"
You are challenged by Cipher Peon Rosso!
Wes stepped forward defensively as the Peon flung two Poké Balls forward; he smirked as he saw the Pignite was one of his vanguard, accompanied by a Meganium that looked much tougher, and Rui giggled on realizing that he'd made the mistake of sending out his Shadow Pokémon first against a Snagger. Wes' right hand fell to his belt, and he sent out Espeon and Umbreon; his left hand reached into his bag, drawing out a Quick Ball that he held out at the side to let his Snag Machine convert.
"Thanks for making it easy!"
He hurled the Quick Ball at Pignite; Rosso yelped in protest, realizing his error too late as the Snag Ball opened up to envelop the Fire Pig Pokémon, closing and dropping to the ground as Espeon and Umbreon proceeded to gang up on the Meganium.
Shake...
Wes started. "Wait," he asked, "that was a Shadow Pokémon, right?"
Shake...
"Yes," Rui assured him, "it was."
Shake...
"Oh, good," Wes sighed.
Click!
The Ball locked, bouncing back to him as Rui shook her head. "I thought I confirmed it for you," she apologized. "My bad."
Meganium was quickly knocked out from being on the receiving end, and Rosso withdrew her with a growl. "I can't believe I was that stupid," he muttered. "Come on, then!"
He threw out his last Poké Ball, sending out a Sharpedo; Wes quickly withdrew Espeon and Umbreon, sending out Hitmontop and Plusle. The Handstand Pokémon regarded the Water-type and quickly spun forward, bombarding him with Triple Kicks; as soon as he started to spin away, Plusle hit the poor Brutal Pokémon with an Electro Ball, finishing it off.
"I can't believe you were that stupid," the blue Peon reprimanded as Rosso withdrew his Pokémon. Stepping up to take his place, he yelled at Wes, "Don't think you're getting this one so easily!"
You are challenged by Cipher Peon Bluno!
A Breloom and Typhlosion were sent out; Wes withdrew Ampharos and Hitmontop, sending out Altaria and Octillery to take their places. Altaria quckly loosed a Flamethrower in Breloom's direction, fires washing over the Mushroom Pokémon as Octillery fired an Octazooka at Typhlosion; the single blows weren't enough, though, and a Seed Bomb came flying in Octillery's direction as Typhlosion loosed a Fire Blast at Altaria.
The Pokémon managed to tank the blows (Altaria moreso than Octillery) and redoubled their efforts, knocking out Bluno's Pokémon in short order; the Peon grumbled, withdrawing his Pokémon and sending out a Dewott to take his place.
"Yes," Rui confirmed as Wes withdrew his Pokémon, "this one's a Shadow."
Wes groaned, sending out Espeon and Umbreon. "Hold Back, you two!" he yelled, annoyed.
"What's the matter, Snagger?" Bluno taunted. "Out of your good Poké Balls?"
"No," Wes insisted, "but that's the thing." He reached into his Bag with both hands as Espeon tanked a Shadow Rush; she and Umbreon quickly retaliated, landing withheld blows that brought the Dewott to the edge of fainting. "Tactically, I know I should use an Ultra Ball," Wes observed, holding one out in his right hand. "But aesthetically, I caught the other two in Quick Balls and I don't want an odd one out."
Bluno and Rosso exchanged glances, their mouths exposed by their helmets baring their grins; Espeon and Umbreon did the same, both fighting back laughter. Rui was the first one to break the silence, breaking out in a fit of giggles that the Cipher Peons and the Eeveelutions both joined in on.
Wes laughed with them, holding out the Quick Ball in his left hand so his Snag Machine would convert it. "You know what, one Quick Ball," he insisted. "I'll throw one Quick Ball, and if it doesn't close, then forget it."
He hurled the Snag Ball forward, and it enveloped on the Dewott an instant before his Shadow Rush connected with Umbreon; the Ball closed, and fell to the ground.
Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!
Bluno made a sound halfway between a scoff and a chuckle as the Ball bounced back towards Wes. "Have you ever wanted to punch someone, but couldn't because you were laughing too hard?" he mused. "I should be way madder about that Snag, but that's just too funny."
"Yeah, we'll let that one go," Rosso agreed. "See you around, Snagger!"
They took off out of Duel Square, and Umbreon and Espeon both turned to look at Wes, who tried (and failed) to glare at them. "Don't give me that look!" he insisted, "it would be driving me crazy!"
"Well, well," mused a voice from behind them. "Looks like you did us another favor." Wes and Rui turned around to find Duking standing there. "Drove them off, did you?"
"Looks like," Wes mused. "Got their Shadows, too."
"Glad to hear it," Duking insisted. "Can I interest you two in a night at the Super Grand, as thanks?"
Rui hummed. "Depends," she mused. "Are we gonna hear Evice yelling from the police station all night?"
Duking shook his head. "Evice isn't here," he assured them. "He's been transported to a secure facility elsewhere. I don't even think he's in Orre anymore."
"Then sure," Wes agreed, "we'll take you up on that."
+x+x+x+
The next morning, Rui was concerned when she woke up first.
Ever since the incident with Mirakle B, Wes had made a point of waking up before she did to make sure his Snag Machine was still there, which usually led to him waking her up. Rui knew it wasn't a matter of distrusting her; he was just paranoid about the fact that the Snag Machine had been taken while he was sleeping, and didn't want it to happen because of a less benevolent party. That said, she'd gotten used to him coming after her to shake her awake, and the realization that she'd woken up on her own power had her rising much more quickly than usual.
Concerned, she reached for her belt; ever since the events at Realgam, she'd taken to carrying Lucario's Poké Ball with her, being more comfortable with her oldest friend at her side. With the Ball in hand, she got to her feet, stepping out of her room (why did the Super Grand never have two-person rooms when they stopped in?) and making her way to Wes'.
There was no aura behind it; concerned, she opened the door.
Wes wasn't there - but his Bag was. As Rui stepped up, she found it slightly open; she sat down on the bed and picked it up, opening it wide.
The Snag Machine was sitting in there.
Rui blinked. "How long has he been doing this?" she murmured. "Or did he do it tonight just for once?" She found his Poké Ball belt sitting beneath it, finding two Balls missing. "Where are Espeon and Umbreon?"
She quickly clipped the pauldron to her right shoulder, wrapping the cord around and slipping her hand into the pad; then she hoisted the bag over her shoulder and got to her feet. "Okay, Wes. Where are you?"
After some deliberation, she stopped at the PC in Pyrite Colosseum; Wes had set them up for shared PC access, and reckoning there was no such thing as too careful, she withdrew Raikou, Entei, Suicune, and Ho-Oh... and the Metagross they'd Snagged from Nascour. Then she took off for the entrance of town, finding the self-proclaimed gatekeeper standing there.
"Hey," he greeted. "Rui, wasn't it?"
"Cail, right?" Rui returned. "Have you seen Wes?"
"Kind of," Cail admitted. "But you think I'm gonna tell you just like that?"
Rui was outraged. "Tell me you're not-!" She bit her retort back, glancing down at her Poké Ball belt. "...Okay, fine," she conceded, wanting to make sure she was up to the task of fighting full-time instead of directing Wes' Pokémon because he wasn't in condition to. "But make it quick."
"That's gonna depend on you!" Cail retorted.
You are challenged by Chaser Cail!
He seized a pair of Poké Balls off his belt, sending out a Conkeldurr and Gothitelle; Rui sent out Lucario and Metagross in return. Metagross immediately went for the biggest threat, charging at Conkeldurr with psychic power gathering around the X-shaped crest between its eyes; the Muscular Pokémon brought its pillars together for a Superpower, but the blow was insignificant compared to the Zen Headbutt he was on the receiving end of.
Gothitelle loosed a Psychic at Lucario, who tanked it well enough and retaliated with a Bone Rush; Cail had withdrawn Conkeldurr by the time the fifth blow landed, and sent out Sawbsuck to take his place. Lucario and Metagross moved away, and Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at Sawsbuck in mid-charge as Metagross flung a Meteor Mash into Gothitelle; the Astal Body Pokémon was knocked out, but Sawbsuck had more in him, continuing to hit Lucario with a ferocious Double-Edge.
The Season Pokémon came off worse for it than Lucario did; a retaliatory Metal Claw was enough to knock him out as Cail sent out a Cincinno to take Gothitelle's place. A Hammer Arm from Metagross and an Aura Sphere from Lucario were enough to knock her out as well, leaving Cail defeated.
"Dang," Cail admitted, withdrawing his Pokémon, "I don't know why I thought you'd be easier than Wes would."
"Speaking of which," Rui accused, withdrawing Metagross and Lucario as well.
"I know, I know," Cail insisted. "Just wanted to make sure you'd be able to handle it."
Rui stepped forward. "Handle what?"
Cail sighed. "They took him this morning," he insisted. "A bunch of jumpsuit goons. I saw them marching Wes out of town. He looked unconscious. They took him on a truck - but they didn't touch his bike. And he didn't have any Pokémon on him."
"Did they take him while he was asleep?" Rui wondered. "His Poké Balls were in his bag, and so was the Snag Machine." She moved her right arm in indication. "But... where are Espeon and Umbreon?" She shook her head. "Any idea where they took him?"
"They were leaving when I got here," Cail insisted, "I wasn't in condition to go after them. But I think they said something about the Eclo Canyon - it's east of the Outskirt Stand."
"Eclo Canyon," Rui echoed. "Good to know. But first I've gotta find his Pokémon."
+x+x+x+
Espeon was in Duking's house, and had Wes' PDA with her; Silva reported that she'd showed up in the early hours of the morning. Chief Sherles had a similar report about Umbreon, who was camped under the table in the interrogation room; he had Wes' bike keys on him.
"Okay, you two," Rui assured, delivering them back to Duking's place. "I'm going after Wes, I'll be right back."
"You sure you don't want to take them with you?" Duking asked.
"I don't think I can throw like Wes can," Rui insisted. "And I'm more concerned about finding him than Snagging any Shadow Pokémon."
Duking nodded. "Fair enough. Best of luck."
Rui quickly dashed out to the bike, mounting it and turning the keys. After a moment, she remembered how she'd met Wes, and sent out Lucario, who gave her a curious look.
"You wanna ride in the sidecar?" she invited.
Lucario gave a confused growl.
"Come on," Rui insisted, "it's fun. Wes used to have Espeon and Umbreon in there."
Draco: Oh, I just totally fricked up my "this would be [close enough to] the dialogue [for the NPCs] in the pseudo-remake" policy. But I couldn't stop laughing when I realized there would be no reason for Bluno to send out his Shadow on point after they remember that Wes is a Snagger, and I had to make use of that. I'm so sorry, guys.
So, there were Cipher Admin rematches in Realgam Tower. If you missed Snagging the legendary Shadow Pokémon the first time, and you missed them in Realgam, you do not get the chance to Snag them again... from those opponents. Miror B. will now join his Peons in their random appearances at the regulated Colosseums, being the last fighter in a battle challenge, carrying a random missed Shadow Pokémon that was carried by a Cipher Admin or a Cipher Promote, as well as Gonzap's Skarmory, Nascour's Metagross, and Evice's Tyranitar. His Peons still carry any other Shadow Pokémon, and all of them get the Trainer class of "Wanderer".
Since we're dodging the #ContinuitySnarl of the infinite rematches, Realgam Tower is hosting a proper battle challenge post-Evice. I feel like it should have an increased probability of the Wanderers' battle challenge just because that was a former Cipher location.
Again, none of that's gonna come up in this story, because we've got a perfect Snag record. But just the semantics.
Also, this would be the last reason why I would prohibit trading [non-Snagged Pokémon] until after the story is done. When Wes vanishes, the team you had at that moment gets shunted into the PC; Rui starts off in Pyrite with just Lucario, Espeon and Umbreon are hiding elsewhere in Pyrite.
No, Rui would not be prohibited from Snagging Shadow Pokémon while there's another Pokémon on the field, and yes, she could take Espeon and Umbreon with her if she wanted. But I'm enjoying writing the story. If for whatever reason you wanted to have Rui be the OT Snagger instead of Wes, this is where that becomes an option.