Shadowfall

by Hollow Mashiro

Five years of peace have passed in Orre after the first Shadow Incident. However, Cipher, assumed defunct, regains its power and returns to attack Orre again. The original Snagger is nowhere to be found, so someone must adopt his job to save the region. And so the responsibility falls into the lap of a young boy named Michael... Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness novelization.

5. Chapter 4

It took Michael the better part of five hours traveling at top speed to reach the lab. He was glad he'd insisted that Apollo, Ursula, and Rose stay in their balls for the trip, as it had left him sweaty, gritty, and tired. He contemplated stopping to rest, as it was the hottest part of the day, but he could see the lab in the distance and wanted to keep going. The lab certainly looked abandoned on the outside, the buildings dusty and worn, and what once had been a high-tech fence, trashed.

Michael left his scooter hidden under an outcropping of rock near what looked like the entrance to the lab and locked it in place. If there was anyone around here, he didn't want his scooter to wander off. And if Krane was indeed here, a quick getaway might be needed. So the scooter was close, but hidden.

As Michael cautiously neared the lab, he saw, parked within the downed fence's perimeter, a large, bulky vehicle that looked suspiciously like what Krane's kidnappers had used. Maybe Krane was here, or maybe he'd been moved someplace else; Michael would have to explore the lab to make sure. Still, it was a sign that the kidnappers had been here, which was a promising start.

Michael was inching his way toward the front entrance, trying to get up the courage to approach the doors to see if they worked, when one of the doors opened just as he passed a broken gate in the fence.

Six men, all colorfully outfitted in armor of the same type as the thugs who had kidnapped Professor Krane, exited the right-hand building before Michael could think to hide. They lined up neatly, the red one first, then the blue one, then the brown one, then the yellow one, then the purple one, and finally the green one. But they apparently didn't notice him at first, and he took the opportunity to duck behind a defunct fence outpost. He peeked out from behind it, wondering at the act the six men were unknowingly putting on for him.

"We are sextuplets! We are! We are! We strike terror throughout the land! For we are the Hexagon Brothers! Sound off!" the first announced.

"One!" said the second in line.

"Two!" said the third.

"Three!" said the fourth.

"Four!" said the fifth.

"Five!" said the sixth.

"…Wait. Five? That's it? Five? Aren't we missing someone?" said the first, confused. Michael had to stifle his snickers. These men weren't terribly bright, were they? Even though they wore the same armor as Krane's kidnappers, they weren't nearly as intimidating.

"That's ridiculously impossible! Let me try this time. Count off!" said the sixth.

"One!" said the fifth.

"Two!" said the fourth.

"Three!" said the third.

"Four!" said the second.

"Five!" said the first.

"…See! What did I say again? There is someone missing!" Michael couldn't contain his snickers this time. "But anyway, enough. He'll return soon enough, I'm sure. What we need to do, brothers, is this: lock and load on this suspicious kid!" the red one said.

Drat! Michael had been spotted. His laughing hadn't been quiet enough. Oops. He stepped out from behind the fence post, now apprehensive. Getting jumped by all six would not be pleasant; he couldn't believe he'd been caught so quickly. At least now he knew that the lab wasn't quite as abandoned as everyone thought.

"Hey, you brat! This is no kiddy playground! We've been away a while, but this here real estate's belonged to Cipher for many a year!" said the first man.

What? Cipher? Are these guys really implying that they're Cipher? Michael thought, stunned. But Cipher was destroyed!

The red one kept talking. "If you don't quit scurrying about, we'll have to tell your mommy. If you don't want that to happen, then run along home!"

How old did they think he was, five? Michael scowled at the red one defiantly. He was fourteen, thank you very much!

The red one glared right back. "That look on your face… It says you're not about to listen and go home obediently. All right, then. I'll play with you to while away the time, if you want."

"Excuse me?" Michael said, incredulous. Fourteen. He was fourteen, dammit!

"If you're scared, go run on home to mommy," the red one sneered, tossing a Pokéball back and forth.

Enough was enough. Michael's temper snapped. Cipher or not, these guys were annoying, and he was dying to beat them in battle. "Standard Orre double battle?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Of course."

"Then it's up to you, Ursula and Rose!" Michael called, releasing the Teddiursa and the Poochyena.

"Go! Slugma and Houndour!" The two Fire-types appeared in a flash of light, ready to fight.

"Ursula, use Return on Houndour; Rose, Bite his Slugma!" Michael immediately called, eager to begin the battle. Then, there was the familiar and dreaded beep in his ear as the Aura Reader slid into place when it sensed a Shadow Pokémon in range. Michael blinked as a headache hit him full-force, already tired as he was from the journey to the lab. More importantly, though, was that Houndour was a Shadow Pokémon. The battle had just become a lot more serious. Michael swore to himself and was very glad he'd taken to keeping the Snag Machine with him at all times.

"Dodge them both, then counterattack with Ember and Shadow Blitz!" the red one commanded, but he was a split second too late.

Both attacks connected. The Houndour staggered, off-balance and reeling from the powerful attack (Return became more powerful the more attached a Pokémon was to its trainer, and Ursula was extremely attached to Michael for what he'd done to help and purify her), and the Slugma flinched. Rose, however, yelped and backed away from the Slugma, her mouth burned. Michael remembered belatedly that Slugma's ability was Flame Body, which causes it to burn those who touch it. But neither of the Pokémon he'd chosen had any ranged attacks, so he'd just have to deal with the chance of burns.

"Switch partners, then repeat your attacks!" Michael said.

"Dodge them! Try to trip them up!" the red one countered.

Rose gratefully bounded toward the Houndour. It took off running, Rose chasing after it. Slugma was too slow to do more than shoot an Ember at Ursula's feet; she gracefully leaped over the attack and skidded close to Slugma. Ursula hit the Slugma with a point-blank Return and fainted it; the attack was too quick to burn her. Meanwhile, Rose caught up with the Houndour, its stamina drained, and delivered a Bite to its flank. Because Houndour with part Dark-type, the attack didn't do much damage, and the Pokémon didn't faint.

"Shadow Blitz that Poochyena!" the red one called.

Houndour charged at Rose, who hadn't been able to retreat terribly far, its shadowy aura flaring brightly on the Aura Reader.

"Dodge it!" Michael said. "Ursula, pull back and wait!" Houndour looked like it was ailing enough that he could snag it, but another attack from Ursula would cause it to faint and be recalled. He'd practiced many catching wild Pokémon scenarios on the sim machine back at the HQ Lab and knew just what signs to look for in a Pokémon that was ready to be caught (or, in this case, snagged).

"You're going easy on me? You're going to regret that, little boy!" the red one snarled, insulted.

Rose successfully dodged the first Shadow Blitz, and then Michael was ready. He grabbed a Pokéball with the Snag Machine and waited for the ball to stop glowing before he threw it at Houndour, which was mid-charge for a second attack.

Despite all the practice with the sim machines, Michael's aim with his left arm was still bad. The ball flew straight over the Houndour's head before opening, a darkly glowing hand emerging from within and grabbing Houndour. Its body burst into light, merging with the hand, before it was sucked into the ball. The ball clicked closed and dropped to the ground, wobbling.

"What?!" the red one screeched.

Michael held his breath. Would his snag succeed? There were a few tense seconds of quiet while Michael and the Hexagon Brothers watched the ball.

The Pokéball went still.

Another second, and it was flying back to Michael, recalled by the Snag Machine. The other Hexagon Brothers began whispering to each other as the red one gaped.

"Hey! What happened to my Pokémon? You stole it, didn't you?" he said angrily. "How dare you play dirty, you brat! No one steals from the Hexagon Brothers, especially not Resix! Brothers! Ready?"

There was an answering roar from the rest of the Hexagon Brothers, ready to avenge Resix. Michael stepped back as he realized he may have made a mistake snagging the Houndour, if all the brothers were going to gang up on him.

"Prepare to face the full wrath of the Hexagon Brothers!" Resix announced before he was replaced by the blue-armored brother.

"My turn!" the blue one said. "I, Blusix, shall defeat you! Go, Horsea and Goldeen!"

Ursula, almost untouched from the previous battle, and Rose, despite nursing her burnt mouth, stepped up to the challenge. Michael suspiciously eyed the other brothers, but despite their anger, they seemed content to watch Michael battle one-on-one.

"Aren't you all going to attack me?" he asked warily.

"Oh, we'll all get a turn," the green one said nastily. "Don't worry. We found out the hard way that we hit each other when we attack sixfold, so we'll all nicely wait our turn. Don't think any of us will go easy on you!"

Makes sense, Michael thought, grateful that the brothers wouldn't attack him all at once and stuck to the Orre double battle tradition. Beating them all would be tough, but not impossible.

Thankfully, Michael could see on the Aura Reader that neither of Blusix's Pokémon were Shadow Pokémon, so he shut the Aura Reader off and hoped that none of the other brothers had Pokémon to steal. He was still somewhat uncomfortable with snagging, even if he saw the necessity of it. Houndour's Pokéball weighed heavily on his belt.

Michael turned his full attention to the next battle as Blusix began ordering his Pokémon to attack. "Return and Bite!"

The difference in skill level was obvious as Ursula and Rose teamed up to first beat Horsea, then Goldeen. Michael was grateful he'd spent time training more than just Apollo during the previous month at the HQ Lab. His Pokémon were both faster and more agile than both of the Hexagon Brothers he'd faced so far, running rings around their Pokémon and attacks. The only problem was Rose's burn, which obviously pained her each time she landed a Bite on an opposing Pokémon. If he got the chance, he'd have to treat her with a burn heal before the burn damage could knock her out. He kept a close eye out for an opportunity, but none came.

Blusix returned his Goldeen, gnashed his teeth, and withdrew a third Pokéball. "Give 'im something to chew on, Spheal!" he bellowed. The Pokémon appeared in a flash. Michael's heart fell when he heard the telltale beeping from the Aura Reader and saw the purple aura around Spheal.

"Okay, Ursula, Return! Rose, fall back to me!" Ursula rushed the Spheal, claws glowing, while Rose ran back to Michael, who was fumbling with a burn heal he'd bought in Agate.

"Oh, no you don't! Shadow Wave, Spheal!" The Spheal's aura congealed in front of it before a thick black wave shot from its mouth. The wave hit Ursula head-on, and she tumbled back with a cry. It caught Rose from behind, sending her skidding into Michael's legs with a pained yelp, almost knocking him over.

Is it just me, or are Shadow Moves super effective on regular Pokémon? Michael thought unhappily as his Pokémon shakily picked themselves up. The move's power didn't seem to match up with how strong its effect was, but if Shadow Moves were super effective on regular Pokémon, he was in trouble.

"Ha! How do you like that, brat!" Blusix crowed. "Feel the wrath of the Hexagon Brothers!"

"Ursula, try again!" Michael called as he quickly stooped to spritz the burn heal into Rose's mouth. He couldn't afford to take his eyes off this battle for long.

"Shadow Wave again!" Blusix said, but it was too late. Ursula's Return collided with the Spheal and sent it rolling away, squealing.

"Again!" Michael commanded as he sent Rose back into the fray, burn healed by the miraculous spray. "Now Bite, Rose!" He grabbed another Pokéball from his bag and held it tightly with the Snag Machine, altering the ball.

"Dodge them!" But Spheal was too slow to roll out of the way, and both attacks connected. It rolled to the side, moaning and almost incoherent, and Michael was right there with a Pokéball ready, glad he'd taken the time to practice on the sim machine to know exactly when to best catch a Pokémon. He threw the ball just as the Spheal had finished recovering and was about to use Shadow Wave again.

His aim was still off. The ball bounced on the ground before it hit the Spheal squarely in the nose. It opened, snatching the Spheal and dragging it inside the ball. Blusix wailed when he saw that Michael was trying to steal his Pokémon, too.

The Pokéball shook once, twice, thrice, then stilled.

Blusix's wail became shriller. "Nooooo! My Spheal!"

Even while the Snag Machine was recalling the ball to Michael, another one of the brothers was stepping up and shoving Blusix to the side. "I, Greesix, will end your playtime with my sixfold power!" he proclaimed, bringing out two Pokéballs. "Oddish and Cacnea, I choose you!" The two Pokémon appeared on the battleground, ready to fight.

"Are you two okay?" Michael asked Ursula and Rose, both of whom were flagging. But they perked back up at his question. "Okay, then. Let's go with Poison Fang and Return! Rose, you've got the Cacnea; Ursula, you've got the Oddish!"

"Stun Spore and Pin Missile!"

Michael's Pokémon outsped both of Greesix's. To his surprise, both Pokémon immediately fainted from the attacks. Greesix sent out another two Pokémon, a Shroomish and a Lotad, both of which looked small. So he's got a lot of Pokémon, but none of them are very strong, Michael surmised as he ordered his Pokémon to attack again. Like with the last pair, both Pokémon quickly fainted. Greesix scowled and sent out his final pair, a Pineco and a Seedot. The Aura Reader beeped warningly in Michael's ear as a shadowy corona appeared around Seedot.

Do all of these guys have Shadow Pokémon? Michael wondered as he altered his attack plan. "Focus on Pineco first! Poison Fang and Metal Claw!" Pineco withstood the first attack but not the second, leaving Seedot alone on the field.

"If you're trying to steal this Pokémon like my brothers', I won't let you! I'll finish you off before you have the chance! Seedot, Shadow Wave!" Greesix proclaimed, pointing at Michael theatrically. Seedot's aura flared before a wave of purplish-black energy was released straight at Ursula and Rose.

"Jump over it!" Michael countered. Ursula jumped as high as she could, but the wave still brushed her toes and sent her sprawling. Rose couldn't muster the energy to jump at all and was hit head-on. She skidded back before moaning and fainting, exhausted and battered. Michael shivered as the wave passed through him; unlike Spheal's Shadow Wave, when his Pokémon had taken the hit in front of him, the crest of energy passed through his legs. It wasn't strong enough to move him, but it sent chills skittering up and down his spine.

"Ha! One more to go!" Greesix crowed.

"Ursula! Return!" Michael barked, fingering Apollo's Pokéball. He wanted to send out the Espeon for this battle, but he needed to conserve Apollo's energy for the final three Hexagon Brothers, who were alternately cheering for Greesix and insulting Michael.

Ursula rammed into the Seedot, which was knocked over. As it struggled to its feet, Michael threw a Snag Ball, which he'd created a few seconds prior. Seedot wasn't a particularly difficult Pokémon to catch in the wild, and Michael hoped the same principle applied with snagging. Greesix shouted in alarm, having not noticed the Snag Ball until it was too late. Silence fell as Michael and the brothers watched in trepidation as the third Snag Ball of the encounter wobbled… then stilled.

That was lucky, Michael thought as the ball was recalled by the Snag Machine. He attached it to his belt, next to Spheal's Pokéball.

Greesix howled as he turned away from Michael, arms pinwheeling, before he flopped face-first onto the desert sands, melodramatically sobbing. His brothers all crowded around him to comfort him except for the brown clad one, who stepped up to the area they were using as an impromptu arena.

"Go, Browsix!" Resix called. "Show that punk why you don't mess with the Hexagon Brothers!"

Michael was starting to notice a pattern with the brothers' names. He almost wanted to beat his head against something with how silly the names were, for all that they described the brothers perfectly. He sincerely hoped the names were just nicknames they'd given themselves.

"If at first you don't succeed, try and try again!" Browsix shouted, releasing a Hoothoot and a Baltoy.

I thought the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results? Apollo quipped to Michael as he was released, aware of what had happened the first three battles. Michael stifled a chuckle (not too hard, considering his headache had spiked with the last three Shadow Pokémon). He eyed the Baltoy through the Aura Reader, which he'd left activated throughout the battles. He was getting tired of seeing shadowy auras on the screen, as it meant his headache wouldn't go away and was indicative of another abused Pokémon.

"He had another Pokémon?" Browsix wondered, eyeing the lanky Espeon.

"Okay, Apollo, Confusion and Ursula, Return on Hoothoot!" Ursula leapt forward and collided with the Hoothoot moments after it had staggered from the devastating Confusion attack. The Hoothoot didn't stand a chance and fainted.

But that gave Browsix time to retaliate. "Shadow Blitz that Teddiursa!" Ursula was directly in the path of the attack and would have been hard-pressed to dodge the attack had she been fresh. As it was, the attack struck her fully, and she bounced back toward Michael with a cry. Amazingly, she tried to get to her feet once more for her trainer before she keeled over, unable to battle.

"Great job, Ursula," Michael praised as he returned the Teddiursa to her ball. He fingered Houndour's Pokéball, contemplating sending it into the battle to back up Apollo, but he didn't want to send out Houndour when its previous owner was standing right there. Pokémon tended to obey whoever held their ball (with some exceptions for weak trainers), but Michael didn't know how loyal Shadow Pokémon were and wanted to establish his command somewhere where Resix couldn't undermine him. With all the training he's done, and if the brothers continue to be so weak, Apollo should be able to take the last two out by himself, he reasoned, withdrawing his hand from the ball. "Confusion again, Apollo!" he said out loud. If he remembered his Pokémon types and type match-ups correctly, the move wouldn't be very effective on the Baltoy, but he was aiming to capture Baltoy, not faint it.

Apollo hurled a hunk of bewildering psychic energy toward the Baltoy, which was too slow to dodge. It began wobbling on the tip of its body and its eyes became unfocused. The attack had caused it to become confused! Michael wondered if it would accidentally hurt itself in its confusion. Even if it didn't, he still had a brief window to act again safely.

"Shadow Blitz!"

"Confusion again!" Michael watched in astonishment as the Baltoy turned around and attacked Browsix, shadowy aura flaring in a fully-fledged Shadow Blitz. The man went down with a gurgle and a groan. Michael hoped the armor he wore would protect Browsix from the worst of the attack, because it had looked vicious. He hadn't meant for the Shadow Pokémon to attack the trainer when he'd confused Baltoy!

The second Confusion hit, and the Baltoy bounced off of Browsix's prone form, wobbling more wildly and looking as though it would fall over. Michael wasted no time in throwing his fourth Snag Ball and was exceedingly grateful that he'd bought so many Pokéballs at the Pokémart in Agate.

Like with the first three Snag Balls, the fourth sailed through the air, missed its target, opened midair, produced a shadowy hand that snatched the Baltoy, and fell to the ground wobbling. To his relief, Michael saw Browsix climbing to his feet, supported by his brothers. The man seemed to be okay but was staring at the shaking, then motionless Snag Ball in dismay.

A light flickered on the Snag Machine before Baltoy's ball was recalled to Michael, who deftly caught it (much more easily than he'd caught Ursula's ball after her snag, at any rate; he had the sims to thank for the improvement). He eyed the ball in confusion for a few moments – he'd used up all six Pokéball clips on his belt; where was he going to put Baltoy's? – before the ball abruptly vanished from his hand.

Michael knew of the six Pokémon only rule (which decreed that trainers could only carry up to six Pokémon in their party beyond the confines of a registered Pokémon laboratory), but had never seen it enforced. People in Orre just didn't get ahold of that many Pokémon; Greesix was a strange exception. Four tended to be the maximum number of Pokémon people had; three, two, and one Pokémon were much more common. The HQ Lab did offer a service, like other Pokémon labs, to look after caught Pokémon that couldn't fit into a trainer's party, but as far as Michael knew, no one utilized it, until now. He knew that the Pokéball was being teleported to the HQ Lab by a series of relays in space (which his P*DA exchanged information with), where it would wait, safe and sound, until Michael called to switch his Pokémon at a Pokémon Center or outpost or he returned to the Lab.

"Okay, that does it! Yellosix will take you out, you brat!" the brother in yellow armor proclaimed, taking Browsix's place. "Electrike and Chinchou, I choose you!"

"Okay, Apollo, you know what to do. Confusion on one, then the other, and don't let their attacks hit you!"

"You're such a pest! Electrike, Chinchou, Thundershock together!" Apollo's attack got to the Electrike before it could launch its attack – being trained to be a fast Pokémon did have its perks – but Chinchou's Thundershock hit Apollo squarely, causing him to cry out in pain as electricity coursed through his body. When the Thundershock subsided, Apollo wasted no time in taking care of the Chinchou, though he was trembling.

"Ugh!" Yellosix backed up a step. "How can you be this strong?" He took out a final Pokéball, eyeing it carefully, before he shrugged his shoulders and called on a Mareep, which the Aura Reader identified as Shadow, to finish the battle. "This special Pokémon will set you straight, though!"

How do they not realize I'm going for their Shadow Pokémon? Michael wondered as he commanded Apollo to use Bite instead of Confusion. Are they really that unobservant?

Gack! Michael! Apollo sputtered after using Bite on Mareep. The attack had damaged the Mareep, but Michael had forgotten about Mareep's ability: Static, which allowed it to occasionally paralyze a foe that made contact with it. Apollo staggered, trembling as paralysis took hold.

"Sorry, Apollo!" Michael said, abashed and worried. He knew he could snag Mareep now – he was charging a Pokéball just for that reason – but there was one last brother to fight, the one in purple. The brothers' armor appeared to be colored based on which Pokémon type they used in battle. What type was purple? Psychic? Poison? If Purplsix (Michael guessed at the name) had Psychic-types, he was going to be in for a bad time.

Michael threw the Snag Ball, his worries about the next battle causing his aim to be even worse. The hand still scooped up Mareep and the ball clicked closed. Michael watched it wobble, confident from his previous snags that he'd successfully complete this one too.

A crackle of electricity ran over the surface of the ball before it burst open and shattered, Mareep reappearing in a burst of light. Michael jumped; he really wasn't expecting the snag to fail. It was a lot like a failed capture in the wild, except that there was a trainer dancing excitedly behind Mareep, guffawing at his failed attempt. Michael's heart pounded faster and he flushed; he felt uncertain and humiliated. He'd never failed a snag before. What would happen to the Pokémon if he couldn't snag it?

Chin up. He's not recalling the Pokémon, is he? You've got another chance! Apollo soothed. Michael felt horrible, headache notwithstanding. Here he was, feeling sorry for himself for failing a snag while Apollo was still on the battlefield, paralyzed.

Okay, another try, Michael thought, determined. He loaded another ball into the Snag Machine and waited for it to charge. Meanwhile, Apollo did his best to dodge the Shadow Blitz that Mareep attacked with. He was only partially successful, as the attack merely clipped his flank. When the second Snag Ball was ready, Michael threw it at Mareep, fully focused on the snag this time.

"Again?!" Yellosix yelped.

The ball shook… once… twice… thrice… and stilled. Michael let out a sigh of relief as the ball flew back to him, then vanished to the HQ Lab.

"But… you failed! You're not supposed to be able to try again!" Yellosix yelled. "Purpsix, go crush his last Pokémon! You're our last hope!" (Michael had been close with the name of the purple one…)

Purpsix took Yellosix's place. "The time for mercy has long past!" he declared. "Go! Grimer! Koffing!"

Michael sighed in relief. If Purpsix's Pokémon were all Poison-types, Apollo stood a chance of winning, even though he was paralyzed, because of the type advantage of Psychic over Poison. Apollo flicked his tail like a cat stalking its prey, apparently thinking along the same lines.

"Confusion, Apollo! First Grimer, then Koffing!" he commanded nasally as he covered his nose. The smell of the two Poison-types was really starting to bother him.

"Sludge!" Purpsix countered. Grimer fainted instantly from the super-effective Confusion, while Koffing took advantage of the opening while Apollo was focused on the Grimer to spit a wad of gross purple sludge at Apollo. The attack hit and spattered all over Apollo, who cried out and stumbled. Apollo shivered as the paralysis took hold, rendering him incapable of following up and attacking Koffing.

Purpsix, meanwhile, sent out a Tentacool to replace the Grimer. "Poison Sting and Poison Gas!" he commanded.

Michael straightened in alarm. If Koffing's Poison Gas attack hit, Apollo would be poisoned as well as paralyzed, which would be disastrous. "Dodge it!" he said, going on the defensive. Apollo managed to overcome the paralysis and jump back, away from the noxious purple Poison Gas and hail of Poison Sting. "Now counter with Confusion!" Apollo hurled a hunk of psychic energy at the Koffing, which took the hit and fell to the ground, out cold.

"Ugh. For a little kid, you sure are tenacious!" Purpsix grumbled. "Go! Gulpin!"

Michael winced as Gulpin was identified as a Shadow Pokémon by the Aura Reader. Didn't he ever get a break from stealing? "Target Tentacool first!" he ordered. One less Pokémon on the field would make it that much easier to snag Gulpin. This time, Apollo was able to fight the paralysis and attack Tentacool before it could strike with Poison Sting again and fainted it in one hit.

"Okay, Apollo, one more Pokémon to go! Keep it up!" Michael called encouragingly at the same time Purpsix said, "Shadow Blitz, Gulpin! Let's end this!"

Michael could tell that if Apollo got hit by that attack, he wouldn't be getting back up to fight. "Dodge it!" he called desperately, hoping against hope that the paralysis wouldn't kick in and render Apollo immobile for a few seconds. He was taking a huge gamble on the quality of his Pokémon.

Apollo did not disappoint. He leapt straight up, letting the charging Gulpin pass harmlessly beneath him, then rammed into Gulpin from behind in a Tackle attack, sending it sprawling toward Michael.

"You're the best, Apollo!" Michael said as he threw another Snag Ball at the Gulpin, which had been turning around to face Apollo again and hadn't seen the threat coming from the trainer. Because Gulpin was so close, this time Michael's aim was spot on, for once. The ball bounced off its rubbery hide, hovered in the air for a second, then disgorged the familiar hand that would snatch the Pokémon. The ball quivered in place for a heart-stopping ten seconds before it stilled and flew back to Michael.

Purpsix cowered away from him as the ball disappeared. "Ack! He beat all of us!"

A quiet murmur spread between the Hexagon Brothers. "What do we do now?" "That brat plays rough!" "With just three Pokémon… Just how strong is he?"

Seeing no more opposition, Michael stepped forward and scooped up Apollo, who had slumped to the dusty ground, exhausted from the battles and the paralysis. None of his Pokémon were fresh anymore. While it rankled, as he'd made the trip all the way to the middle of nowhere, perhaps it was for the best if he returned to Agate. If a six-battle beatdown that he'd barely managed to win was how they welcomed people at this lab, Michael didn't even want to imagine what he'd be greeted with inside the lab.

Apollo gave him a questioning nudge, and Michael quietly revealed his conclusion. Apollo struggled in his arms. But we just got here! he protested. You've got some healing supplies, haven't you? We can deal with whatever's in the lab.

"That's foolhardy, Apollo!" Michael replied. "We're hardly in any shape to go carousing through that lab, if there are more like the Hexagon Brothers inside."

We won, didn't we? If you get rid of this paralysis, I can definitely keep going, Apollo stubbornly said. You want to find Professor Krane, don't you?

"We could wind up in the same position as the professor is if we explore this lab as we are now."

But maybe he's here! Use your healing items and then see how the three of us are feeling.

Michael sighed; Apollo could be so stubborn. He rubbed his forehead to soothe the headache Apollo's speech caused him compounded with the headache from the Aura Reader, then surreptitiously eyed the Hexagon Brothers. They had huddled in a circle, whispering to each other and paying Michael no attention.

Michael felt it was safe to release Ursula and Rose. They immediately fell on their faces when Michael released them from their Pokéballs. He exchanged a pointed look with Apollo before he started digging around in his bag for the Super Potions and Paralyze Heal he'd brought with them. He spritzed one Super Potion on each of his Pokémon, plus the Paralyze Heal for Apollo.

While he healed his Pokémon, Michael wondered why the Hexagon Brothers' Pokémon hadn't been difficult to catch. Perhaps part of it was that the Pokémon were trained to stay and fight instead of fleeing, as they could do in the wild. Another part could have been that all their Shadow Pokémon, from what he saw, had seemed to be young and not quite yet experienced with being captured. Why were they closing the hearts of such young Pokémon? It was cruel!

After finishing his ministrations, Apollo looked perky and ready to go again. Ursula and Rose still looked exhausted, but they were standing upright. Super Potions weren't really meant to completely heal fainted Pokémon, and it showed.

"Hey! Kid!" Resix said. Michael hadn't seen him approaching but immediately stood once he noticed Resix. The man eyed Michael for a couple of seconds before he said angrily, "Guess your mommy didn't teach you manners, huh? Well, here's a make-up lesson!" Resix pulled back his fist and decked Michael in the face before he or his Pokémon could do anything to intervene. Michael stumbled backwards, his jaw throbbing painfully and his vision spinning. He heard all three of his Pokémon growling.

"That's for stealing our special Pokémon for us! But you're just a kid, so we'll let you off easy with just a warning. If you want to go inside, feel free. Just know that there are more guards on the inside you'll have to beat if you want to play here!" Resix said. Michael heard him retreating.

Michael rubbed his jaw ruefully. He was lucky his jaw hadn't broken. The throbbing did nothing to help his headache, and all Michael wanted to do was lay down and take a nap. Between the lengthy trip, the stress of six battles back-to-back, and his head hurting, Michael's willpower was sapped.

Apollo brushed up against his leg comfortingly. Come on, he said softly to not aggravate Michael's headache. Let's go inside that building and get out of the sun. Michael followed Apollo's gaze to the left entrance.

Great idea, Michael thought to himself, laboriously turning to the left entrance and making his way toward it. The Hexagon Brothers were even nice enough to let us go inside.

The left building, Michael found out, was a storage area. Crates full of Pokémon goods were piled high along the walls. Near the back, there were some crates that appeared to be covering something, but Michael was in no mood to go digging. He plopped onto the floor, grateful that he was out of the scorching sun and in somewhere air conditioned. He lay his aching jaw on the cool tile.

It hurt to speak, but Michael had something to say to his Pokémon. "I'm sorry I pushed you guys so hard out there. It must have been rough."

Ursula shook her head. "Teddiursa!"

It's your job to push us and our job to give it our all, Apollo said firmly. I'm sorry Resix hit you.

"Nah. I should've seen it coming. I was lucky with my first snags. I should be prepared for retaliation when I steal someone's Pokémon," Michael sighed, still uneasy that he was technically breaking the law with the Snag Machine.

Michael stood after a few minutes, feeling much better than when he'd entered the storage area. His headache had diminished and his jaw didn't feel quite so tender anymore. He returned Ursula and Rose to their balls and turned to head out, but Apollo stopped him.

Say, Michael, you know there's no one in here to supervise and we're probably on Cipher property anyway…

"So anything we take was probably stolen to begin with," Michael finished. "Good point." He turned back toward the crates and began rummaging around in them, hoping that the Hexagon Brothers wouldn't wonder what he was up to.

Most of the supplies were Pokéfood or laboratory equipment, but Michael did find some things of use. He found an entire crate of Super Potions, and he grabbed as many as would fit in his bag to replenish his depleted supply. In a crate at ground level near the entrance, Michael found one Great Ball and one Revive, which he was giddy about. Then, in a crate stacked near the top of a pile that Michael had to climb precariously to, he found an actual Leaf Stone. He held it gingerly, afraid it would spontaneously combust. These were super rare; how had maybe-Cipher gotten ahold of one?

Well, we can't let them keep it, Apollo pointed out. Michael nodded and pocketed the Leaf Stone. Maybe someone at the HQ Lab would have a use for it.

Just as Michael was getting ready to go back outside, he received an email from his mother.

"Hi, Michael. I'm checking up on you because I'm worried. Shadow Pokémon have appeared in the Lab's holding area; what are you doing? Please let me know you're safe."

Michael quickly opened a blank email and guiltily told his mother that he was fine. He didn't tell her where he was; she'd either order him to return or fret incessantly. He could handle himself. Email sent, Michael returned outside, ready to explore whatever the right entrance led to.

The Hexagon Brothers were positioned in a circle and at it again. Amused, despite knowing how tough they all were together, Michael watched their comedic routine.

"Sound off!" Resix called.

"One!" said Blusix.

"Two!" said Browsix.

"Three!" said Yellosix.

"Four!" said Purpsix.

"Five!" said Greesix.

"Six!" said Resix.

"Seven!" said Blusix.

"Eight! …Wait. Eight? Now there's too many of us!" said Browsix.

"Hmm! Brothers, beware! There may be spies among us!" Resix pointed out.

Then the moment was ruined when Browsix noticed him. "Hey, look. It's that kid again!" All six brothers turned to stare at Michael, but after some grumbling, they returned to their huddle.

Happy that they were ignoring him and rubbing his sore jaw, Michael and Apollo entered the right-hand building, ready to explore and find the professor.

Inside the lab was sparkling clean. Dust? What dust? Cipher's old lab was obviously well-kept. How the authorities had missed this in their searches, Michael had no idea. There were two doorways, one that led deeper into the lab and the other that led to the lab's unmanned security booth. But Michael's attention was caught by the Healing Machine by the door leading deeper into the lab. He'd seen Nurse Heather use them before, and he'd used one once by himself under supervision at the lab. They would restore Pokémon's energy.

Michael carefully examined this Healing Machine. It looked like any other Healing Machine, each button and light in its proper place. Satisfied that the Healing Machine seemed to be in good shape and that it wasn't something nefarious disguised as a Healing Machine, he unclipped all his Pokéballs from his belt save Apollo's and slotted them into the machine. Now, if he was remembering correctly, first he had to turn this knob, then toggle that switch, then push a button…

The machine slots glowed as the machine started up. Michael watched the displays as the machine analyzed each Pokémon within its ball and specially tailored the healing experience for the maximum benefit of each Pokémon. Ursula and Rose needed healing most badly, for all that they'd been healed previously. It took about a minute for the machine to finish. It dinged to let Michael know it was safe to pick up his Pokéballs again.

Michael eyed the shrunken Pokéballs containing the Houndour, Spheal, and Seedot he'd snagged. The Hexagon Brothers outside had been tough, and he had a feeling he'd need the power of the Shadow Pokémon to get through the lab. It was strange, having a full party of six, when in Orre having three or four Pokémon was an accomplishment. There was a corner near the Snag Machine that would be perfect for meeting his new Pokémon, so Michael released the Houndour and knelt down so he could see it better. Apollo, knowing the drill, stepped up to Michael's side, ready to diffuse tension.

Michael could immediately tell that Houndour was of a different stock than Ursula, Rose, and Marie had been. Instead of fiery anger, the Houndour was emotionless and cold, ready to obey orders. Michael hesitantly introduced himself and Apollo and told Houndour that he was its trainer now. Houndour cocked its head to the side, confused by the explanation. Michael realized with unease that it had already accepted his command. Just how badly were Shadow Pokémon treated, to not have any emotions or qualms about following the direction of someone new? Michael unhappily returned the pliant Houndour to its Pokéball and released the Spheal.

Spheal acted in the same way as Houndour did: with calm expectance and readiness. Michael was beginning to realize how well the label of emotionless fighting machine fit for these Shadow Pokémon. How was he supposed to use these Pokémon in battle with good conscience?

Awful as it is, we need their power, Apollo said, correctly guessing the source of his trainer's distaste.

Finally, he released the Seedot. This Pokémon reacted in the manner Michael was used to: rage because of the switch in routine. Thankfully, Apollo was able to calm the Seedot before it attempted to Shadow Blitz Michael. One Michael could get close enough, he stroked the Seedot's hard shell soothingly and was rewarded with a tentative nuzzle.

Once it had calmed and accepted his authority, Michael returned Seedot to its Pokéball. "Ready, Apollo?" he asked.

Absolutely, Apollo replied. Hide me and let's go. Michael returned Apollo to his Pokéball and then crossed the threshold.

There was a rustle from above, and then suddenly, there was someone in front of him. Michael jumped back with a shout, startled. Had this person jumped down from the ceiling?!

"Hey! You're not supposed to be in here!" said the woman, looming over him.

"Ergh," Michael replied intelligently, still reeling from the ambush. Then his brain kicked into gear. "I'm, uh, here for bring your kid to work day?"

The woman stared at him for what seemed like forever. Michael couldn't tell what she was thinking behind her visor and sweated.

"Well, I wasn't told about it, but okay. Who's your parent? Maybe I can help take you to them," she said.

"Um… they work in the R&D department…?" R&D departments were common in labs, weren't they?

"Okay. Down the elevator and to your left. Come join Cipher when you're older. We've got some great benefits."

So this is Cipher! Why are they still functioning? Michael thought. And I can't believe that worked…

The woman nodded at him before running over to a ladder on the wall and climbing it. Michael watched disbelievingly as she melted into the shadows above the hanging lights, hiding out of sight.

That's not disconcerting… he thought. Will all the guards be hiding in the rafters? He approached the elevator, unsettled.

The first level down was the only one he could access without an ID card. Michael exited the elevator and cautiously looked around. He was alone, thankfully. His flimsy excuse wouldn't hold up forever. He was in a branching hallway with a transparent door straight ahead. Michael tried the door and found it locked from the other side. Since he was trying to find Professor Krane, not the R&D department, he chose the right hallway to follow.

The hallway led to an open locker room. There was someone in this room; Michael could hear him grumbling to himself. He peered around the corner and saw that the scientist's back was turned, so Michael crept closer, hoping to hear some news about Krane.

"Ugh… XD001's failure is going to send our plans right off the rails…" the man sighed.

XD001? Michael wondered. What's that?

"I wish we'd finish up with this research and get out from this dank underground warren," the man grouched. Michael's luck ran out then, as the scientist turned around. "Ack! Who are you?! Where'd you get in from?!"

"Oh, uh, it's bring your kid to work day—"

"We don't do that here! You're an intruder! What are the Hexagon Brothers doing upstairs? Never mind, I'll do their job for them!" the scientist snarled. "Go, my Pokémon! Drive him out!"

Michael sent out Apollo and Houndour to defend himself and prepared for battle.

The battle was over quickly. The scientist's Pokémon weren't terribly strong in comparison to Apollo and a Shadow Pokémon, and the man himself was obviously more of a thinker than a fighter.

After the battle, the scientist said, "Well, I'll just have to manhandle you out the hard way, then!" He stepped toward Michael, intending to force him to leave, but Houndour stepped in between the two, growling. It looked ready to pounce. Michael gripped Houndour's Pokéball tightly. If it attacked the man, Michael would be able to recall it right away.

"Hey, your Houndour… This is bad news! I've got to alert Lovrina about this security breach!" He dashed past Michael before he or his Pokémon could react.

"Oh no," he whispered. He had a feeling he didn't want to run into this Lovrina person, for all that the peons were easily defeated. His time here was rapidly running out. He had to find Krane, or a clue to his whereabouts, quickly. He recalled Houndour, but left Apollo out for an extra set of eyes.

He and Apollo found an elevator in the locker room. Wherever it led to, Michael couldn't access it, as he needed some kind of keycard. Otherwise, the room was a dead end.

"Crap, all that and we run into a locked elevator," Michael sighed. "Well, they were going to notice us eventually, but I'd still rather not run into whoever is in charge this place. Let's go! If we keep moving, they'll have a harder time finding us. Let's see if there's anything in the R&D department."

Michael and Apollo followed the hallway down to another tube elevator. This one was actually unlocked, so they took it down to another room. This room was dark and full of complex machinery Michael could only guess the function of. Some kind of foul stench mixed with ozone permeated the air. Apollo almost sneezed, but contained it when they saw another scientist working at a computer console. This one was also talking to himself.

"When are they finally going to get that guy to spill the beans about that purification research?" he complained. "He might be the authority on purification, but if he won't talk, our work's not going anywhere."

Michael gasped. "Professor Krane is here!" …Oops.

"Agh! What are you doing there?" the man exclaimed.

Maybe the excuse would still work… "It's bring your kid to work day?"

"Oh, okay. All I want to do is work on my research. Don't disturb me, please!" The scientist turned back to his computer console, muttering to himself.

At least it still works somewhat, Apollo said. Let's get all the mileage we can out of it.

Michael wove his way through the machines, Apollo on his heels. He wondered why he wasn't seeing more of the personnel. He shivered as he remembered the ambush from above. He looked up, but the ceiling was cloaked in shadows.

Then, after winding through rows and rows of machines, Michael finally spotted a staircase leading up. He could access more of the lab through here. He eagerly started forward when—

Look out! Apollo shouted. Michael stumbled backwards. Another Cipher agent landed right where Michael had been standing. Had Michael not moved, he would have been pinned to the ground, winded under the bulk of the agent.

"You know, I heard you, and Cipher doesn't have a bring your kid to work day," the agent said.

"Well, maybe they should have one," Michael said snidely while grabbing Houndour's Pokéball in preparation for battle.

"Too bad for you, kid, for wandering in here! My Shadow Pokémon will take you out!"

This Cipher agent wasn't nearly as difficult to beat as even one of the Hexagon Brothers. Were the guards of this place simply for show? None of them were good battlers. Michael didn't have any trouble snagging the Spinarak the agent had, either.

After the Cipher agent retreated, stung from the loss, Michael and Apollo climbed the stairs to the next level. There was an open door with a keypad and an open area with some water features.

This must be the lounge, Michael thought.

Apollo's ears pricked. Hey, do you hear that? he said. Come over here. Apollo trotted to one of the walls and pressed his ear against it. It's Professor Krane! Michael hurried over to join the Espeon. The voices were clear through the wall.

The first thing he heard was a sickeningly feminine voice. "…rane. When will you tell me about your purification study? I do so want to know! That will let me power up my XD001. I made it myself! Don't you think that would be fabulous?"

"You've got to be joking! I would never cooperate with people like you!" Michael stiffened and exchanged a glance with Apollo when he heard Professor Krane. It was great to get confirmation that the professor was here!

The young woman spoke again. "Oh, but why? I so don't get it! Why would you refuse an offer so wonderful as this?"

"I don't care how often you repeat yourself," Krane snorted. "I have no intention of helping your Shadow Pokémon plan. Artificially slamming shut the hearts of Pokémon… It's inexcusable. Put a stop to it immediately!"

"Oh, you! You are so mean and close-minded! You won't even try to understand how marvelous it is to help my XD001! Naps!"

"Yes'm! Sister Lovrina!" Naps said. Michael recognized that voice as the individual who'd had Ursula! He was here, too?

"This is all so your fault! Professor Krane is oh so cross because you were so rude when you invited him here!" Lovrina huffed.

"You can't be serious. Listen to the man already! He's been saying all along that he won't help our Shadow Pokémon plan…" Naps said.

"I can't hear you!" Lovrina sing-songed. "The plan is perfect! …XD001's condition was off by just a little tiny bit."

"Being off by just a little tiny bit is enough to make it drop a ship? And would you look at the uproar…"

"Naps! It's so all your fault what happened, every tiny little bit! So… you so do something about it!" Lovrina snapped.

There was a silence for a moment before Michael heard a new voice, that of one of the scientist he'd beaten in the locker room. "Lovrina! Big news! There's some kid running around the lab like he owns the place! He beat me and I couldn't get past his Pokémon – he had Resix's Shadow Houndour, for some reason – so he's still loose in the lab!"

"Ooh! This is so not what I had in mind for today!" Lovrina growled. "Naps! I'll deal with this brat; you keep working on Professor Krane!" She paused for a second. "I so didn't want to resort to this, but I'm getting impatient. Get that information the hard way, if necessary!" Michael heard retreating footsteps and knew he had to keep moving to find Professor Krane in the maze of the lab, but he wanted to hear Krane's voice for a little longer. He could afford that much time.

"Naps, was it? You have my sympathy. What a nightmare it must be to have someone like her as your boss," Krane said, always trying to be the peacekeeper.

"You put a lid on it! When it comes right down to it, it's so all your fault. Come on, help us with XD001!" Naps cajoled.

"First, we need to talk. I'll teach you why it's such a bad mistake to create Shadow Pokémon," Krane replied.

"I told you to shut it!" Naps roared. Then there was the sound of metal hitting flesh, a bang, and pained coughing. "You like that? Well, there's more where that came from if you don't tell us about purification!" Apollo growled and Michael hissed. Krane had been punched! By a man in full-body armor, no less. They had to get Krane out of here fast. They heard more sounds of impacts and pain before Michael couldn't stand to listen anymore. He ripped himself away from the wall.

"Come on, Apollo," he said angrily. "Let's go rescue the professor."

Michael tried to proceed but he was almost immediately ambushed by another Cipher agent, who swooped down from the ceiling to land right in front of Michael. "Rescuing the professor? Uh-uh, not gonna happen!"

This time, Michael called on Spheal and Seedot to battle this agent's Pokémon, leaving Apollo on the sidelines. Michael was becoming more and more convinced that Shadow Moves were super effective against regular Pokémon when the Shadow Waves from both his Pokémon sent the agent's Pokémon crashing through the room. The agent gritted her teeth and sent out a Shadow Numel to counter Michael's Shadow Pokémon. The Shadow Waves and Shadow Blitzes now hardly did any damage to the opposing Shadow Pokémon, so Michael figured that Shadow Moves were super effective against regular Pokémon and not very effective against other Shadow Pokémon. It was useful information.

Finally, Michael felt comfortable attempting to snag the Numel. It took two tries, the first of which had the agent surprised enough that Michael could safely charge and throw another Snag Ball without interference.

The agent fled after her Numel was snagged. "I'm not paid enough to deal with snaggers!" she wailed.

After she was gone, Michael said uncomfortably, "I think I'm becoming far too comfortable with stealing other people's Pokémon, Shadow or not." He eyed his left, gloved hand, feeling like he was becoming a criminal.

Hey, Apollo said, You're not nearly as bad as these guys. You're saving these Pokémon, remember?

"Yeah. Thanks, Apollo." Michael rubbed his head, but the reassurance was more than worth the headache.

The pair ran down a long hallway to another elevator. How many elevators does this place have? Apollo complained as they got on the elevator.

"A lot, apparently," Michael said dryly when they got off on a different floor to find another elevator right next to the one they'd disembarked. "Shall we?" This tube elevator went to the same floor as Professor Krane was being held but only led to a closed conference room.

Michael and Apollo boarded the elevator again. "Well, that was a waste of time." They got off the elevator and followed the hallway to a fork. "Now, right or left…?"

"…and it is so all your fault I have to deal with this! You are so going to—"

It's Lovrina! Apollo hissed. She was coming from around a bend to the left, so Michael and Apollo rushed to the right and hurried through an entrance leading to a laboratory. Michael looked around, only taking in that it was empty and that they were caught in a dead end.

"Hide!" he whispered, then squeezed himself between a filing cabinet and the wall on the far side of the room. Apollo squished himself between Michael's head and the wall, refusing to be recalled. They heard footsteps approaching the room and were focused on listening for Lovrina.

But then the smell hit.

Michael gagged. It smelled like blood and feces and noxious chemicals all wrapped into one. How had he not noticed it immediately? It was horrible! Apollo buried his head in Michael's shirt to help filter the stench.

Where are we? Michael wondered unhappily, holding his nose with one hand and breathing through his mouth. It helped a little bit.

"—is that brat? He is so going to be sorry when we catch him!" Michael reflexively shoved himself further back into his hiding space. He and Apollo held their breaths as they heard footsteps approaching.

"Ugh! This is so annoying!" Lovrina complained. Michael didn't dare peek his head out to see where she was. He heard her touring the room, chattering all the while. Her footsteps approached and receded numerous times as she searched the room. Michael thought his heart might burst from his chest.

And then it got worse. Something slimy and gooey dripped from the ceiling into Michael's lap. The substance seeped through his pants quickly; it was cold and gross and reeked of blood and Michael wanted it gone right now. He felt like something was creeping up and down his spine. But he couldn't move, or else he'd be discovered. His stomach lurched as he felt some of it drip into his hair, and he barely stopped himself from throwing up. He focused on the warmth of Apollo on his back and hoped the Espeon was spared whatever was dripping on him.

Then someone appeared in his field of vision. All he really noticed beyond the hammering in his chest was that she was short and that her hair, long enough to brush her knees, was a shocking color of pink and tied up in pigtails. All she had to do was turn around, and she'd see Michael.

Then, miracles upon miracles, something shattered. The girl's head instantly snapped toward the noise. She stomped her foot. "You clumsy oaf! Watch where you're going! You are so cleaning that up before we go anywhere!"

"Yes, Lovrina, ma'am!" Lovrina stomped back out of Michael's field of view, grumbling under her breath about incompetent assistants. Michael and Apollo waited for an excruciating minute while the scientist cleaned up whatever he'd knocked over.

Lovrina snapped. "I am so wasting my time here. The brat's not in here; let's go."

"But I'm not—"

"I so don't care right now. Get moving!"

And, just like that, they were gone.

Michael slumped, tension he hadn't noticed draining from his shoulders. He squeezed back into the open, Apollo clinging to him. Once he'd left his hiding space, he looked down to see what had dripped on him. It was some kind of congealed liquid, such a dark red it was almost black. Michael grimaced and swiped a hand through his hair. It was gooey and clumped on his hand. He took a tentative sniff and was almost overpowered by the scent of blood and chemicals. He wiped his hand on his pants and shuddered. He looked up where he had been hiding, but, like with the other rooms, the ceiling was shadowed and out of sight.

Apollo's claws tightened in his shirt. Michael, he said, subdued.

Michael finally took in the room he'd hidden in. His eyes widened. He was in a laboratory; that much was for certain. But he'd never been in a laboratory so revolting.

All along one wall, there were tanks of fluid. Floating motionless in the tanks were Pokémon of all shapes, sizes, and colors. More than half of them sported some sort of incision or untreated wound. A few had tell-tale Y incision marks on their chests; one Pokémon was pinned open for all the world to see its insides. The lab tables were similarly horrific, with bloody parts of Pokémon floating in containers or out on the lab tables, scalpels still dripping with blood. Someone had been in the middle of an experiment before Michael had barged in and had left their tools scattered about. The floor was sprinkled with dried blood and fresh chemicals from where the scientist had spilled a beaker.

Mesmerized with horror, Michael stepped closer to the tanks. He pressed his fingers against a tank containing a stitched-up Furret. The Furret suddenly came alive, squirming and yowling. Michael jumped back, startled. It threw itself against the side of the tank, trying to claw Michael to shreds. A set of stitches came undone in its struggles, and a fresh cloud of blood floated into the tank. Michael could only watch, horrified, as the poor Furret's struggles weakened as it lost strength.

Michael stumbled over to a chair, legs suddenly weak. He'd been stuck in a Pokémon experimentation lab and he hadn't even noticed until Lovrina was gone?! It did explain the smell and the sticky substance. Someone's bloody experiment had, somehow, found its way onto the ceiling to drip onto Michael. Were they trying to get rid of it? Did they have a contest of who could throw organs the farthest? Michael shuddered and tried to ignore the residue sticking to his clothes and hair. He felt like he needed to take a long, scalding shower to burn the remnants of this place from himself. He groped for Apollo, who was still clinging to his shoulders, frozen with horror. He held the Espeon close, trying to banish the memory of the dissected Pokémon from his mind.

He finally understood the true horrors of what Cipher was doing to refine the Shadowfication process. He wished he didn't.

After a few minutes, Michael forced himself to stand. He needed to keep going. As awful as he felt, every second he wasted meant that Krane was still suffering at the hands of Cipher. He needed to be rescued from this awful place. Still holding Apollo in his arms, he exited the room.

Michael followed the left fork from where he'd been waylaid by Lovrina and found yet another fork in the path. This lab was extensive. He found another tube elevator along one fork and decided to get off the floor with the horrible room. He was discharged into another long hallway.

Along the way, Michael was ambushed and challenged by yet another Cipher agent, this one with a Shadow Carvanha. Michael was off his game during the entire battle, still shaken by the horrific laboratory he'd been forced to hide in. He managed to win thanks to the strength of the Shadow Pokémon he'd snagged and because his opponent underestimated him as a weak child, but neither Spheal nor Seedot were in any condition to battle any longer.

Michael continued searching through the lab, trying to find a way to Professor Krane or maybe a key card to access that locked elevator he'd run into. He searched many rooms, some of which were labs and some of which held empty cages for Pokémon. Thankfully, none of them were quite as horrific as the room Michael had hidden in. He also ran across numerous scientists, all of whom bought his story that he was the kid of someone working at the lab, for which Michael was grateful. Maybe the mess in his hair and on his clothes helped his cover story?

Eventually, Michael found his way to another conference room, this one bigger than the last. He cautiously opened the door and found two scientists inside, chatting.

"Whew, I never thought that Cipher's big man would deign to show up here in person," one said. "I saw him in real flesh and blood, and he's menacing! The sight of him gave me shivers!"

"Master Greevil's supposedly making a personal tour of all of Cipher's facilities," said the other. Michael tucked away the name Greevil for later reference. "I think he wants to confirm that everything is fine so he can proceed with his plans without ending up with a fiasco like last time." He was referencing the previous Shadow Incident, with Wes and Rui.

Then they noticed him. "What?! Who are you?! You suspicious intruder!"

"It's bring your kid to work day—"

"Like hell it is! How long were you there?! You might be just a kid, but we can't let you walk out!"

Michael battled this scientist; like the last scientist he'd battled, the man was a thinker rather than a fighter, taking care to coordinate his moves but slow to react to changes in the battle. He also had a Shadow Shroomish, which Michael snagged without too many difficulties.

"You're that snagger everyone's talking about! How did I not recognize that thing on your arm?" the man cried as his Shroomish was whisked away to the HQ Lab.

Then he composed himself. "Did you maybe come to rescue Krane?" he asked. "Don't bother trying. You don't know how scary Lovrina – she's in charge here – can be. She looks cute and all, but she'd nothing short of terrifying. Get out of here while you still can. It's for your own good!" Michael warily eyed the other scientist, but he seemed disinclined to battle. Michael, having noticed something on the table, picked up a plastic card. It was an ID card to access a forbidden area of the lab.

This could be useful, Michael thought as he pocketed the ID card.

Michael exited the room through another door and found himself back near the entrance of the lab. He'd taken a huge, winding circle of the lab. He decided to take a quick stop upwards to the healing machine upstairs, as his entire party was exhausted. Technically, trainers and health care professionals weren't supposed to use such machines very often, as they could be detrimental to the health of Pokémon in the long run, but Michael could see no other choice. He needed his defenses high and ready in case he ran into any more opposition in the lab.

Michael returned downstairs, ignoring the other levels of the lab he could now access since he'd explored them all, and went to the elevator that had been locked to him before to try the ID card he'd gotten from the scientist. The ID reader flashed green, and the elevator opened.

Michael found himself in an empty office with a stairwell. He heard voices from up the stairwell.

"Y-you understand, don't you? It's wr-wrong to turn o-ordinary Pokémon into sh-Shadow Pokémon."

Professor Krane was upstairs! Michael rushed up the stairs to find Krane and Naps in a standoff. Krane was doubled over, while Naps was towering over him, armored fists spotted with blood.

Michael saw red. "Apollo, Spheal, go!"

"Whoa! You… Aren't you that kid I saw at the Pokémon HQ Lab that time?" Naps said before calling out his own Pokémon, a Slakoth and a Rhyhorn.

Krane was astonished. "M-Michael? Is it r-really you, Michael?!" he panted.

"I've come for Professor Krane," Michael growled. "Stand aside."

"Are you trying to tell me that you came here by your lonesome to rescue Professor Krane?" Naps asked disbelievingly. "I'd say that's incredible, but I'm a member of Cipher. I can't very well let you folks go now, can I? And kid… You snagged my Teddiursa from me that time! I'll give you this. You've got guts to come here alone. But I'll fix you so good you'll never get out again!"

"You wish! Apollo, Confusion on Slakoth! Spheal, Water Gun on Rhyhorn!"

"Scratch and Tackle that Espeon!"

"Double teaming Apollo? Apollo, dodge! Spheal, that leaves them wide open for you!" Apollo used Confusion on the Slakoth while Rhyhorn charged. Just after Apollo finished his attack, he gracefully leapt to the side, allowing Rhyhorn to sail past him. Spheal took advantage of the opening, firing a powerful Water Gun at Rhyhorn. The attack hit its flank dead-on, sending it sailing into the wall, knocked out.

"What was that about fixing me good?" Michael taunted as Naps returned his Rhyhorn. With a scowl, Naps sent out a Murkrow. Meanwhile, Slakoth finished loafing around and hit Apollo with a Scratch.

"Spheal, Shadow Wave! Apollo, return!" Michael called, knowing the Espeon had a type disadvantage to Murkrow.

"Running with your tail between your legs, huh? Well, chew on this: Pursuit!" Naps said. Before Michael could return Apollo to his Pokéball, the Murkrow hit Apollo with the Dark-type move, doubly effective since Apollo was switching out. Apollo's cry of pain echoed in the room as he was returned, his body turning into red light that was reabsorbed by the Pokéball.

He'll be okay, Michael reassured himself as he sent out Rose. "Poison Fang that Murkrow, Rose! Follow up behind Spheal's Shadow Wave!"

Spheal used Shadow Wave on Slakoth and Murkrow, fainting the former and sending the latter reeling. While the Murkrow was recovering, Rose jumped up to Poison Fang it. Murkrow screeched in pain as it was poisoned by the attack.

Naps returned his Slakoth and sent out a Beldum. "Take Down and Pursuit that Shadow Spheal!"

"Roll away!" Michael ordered. Spheal started to roll away from the attacks, but it wasn't fast enough or experienced enough to use its shape to its advantage. Both attacks connected, one after the other, sending Spheal spinning away, knocked out.

"Good job, Spheal," Michael said, returning the Pokémon. "Go! Houndour! Use Ember on that Beldum! And Rose! Bite!"

"Take Down and Pursuit!" Murkrow rose in the air in preparation for another attack, but then it fell to the ground, out cold from the poison. Naps grit his teeth and returned the Pokémon. Though Beldum was his toughest Pokémon, between Rose and Houndour wearing it down, it wouldn't last very long.

Beldum attacked Rose with a Take Down, and she was sent flying away, yelping. When she landed, she bared her teeth and growled at the Beldum. Suddenly, Rose was glowing a bright white.

Michael gasped. "With how tough the battle's been…"

"…it's not t-terribly surprising she's evolving," Krane finished.

Rose's small form grew larger, into the powerful, lithe form of a Mightyena. She growled, her voice lower than it had been as a Poochyena, and she attacked Beldum with a powerful Bite. Combined with a follow-up Ember from Houndour, the Beldum fainted.

Naps returned his Pokémon and started toward Michael, intent on physical harm. Snarls from Rose and the Houndour convinced him otherwise, and he fled toward the stairwell instead.

But then Naps stopped and turned. "Professor Krane, you folks don't have the foggiest notion about how big and scary Cipher is. It's not smart to resist. You can go on about the poor abused Pokémon and all, but you should think about your own selves. That's my advice." He disappeared down the stairwell.

"Michael! Did you really come here by yourself?" Krane asked clearly, having gotten his breath back during the battle.

"Yes."

"That's amazing! And so was your battle! …What happened to you? Is that blood?!"

"It's not mine, so it's not important. We need to leave."

"Understandable. It's dangerous here. We'd better get out right away instead of chatting," Krane said.

As he and Michael ran for the exit, Krane continued, "My worst fears turned out to be true about Cipher. They weren't wiped out. This is just one of their bases. But the details can wait."

They were almost there. They nearly made it out of the lab unscathed. But just as they were about to reach the final elevator, two figures disembarked. Michael recognized the scientist he'd fought earlier and the girl as Lovrina from when he'd hidden in the lab.

Shit, we ran into the boss! Michael lamented as he pushed a suddenly quiet Krane behind him.

"Oh! Hey, you! You sneaked Krane out?!" the tattletale scientist yelped, then pointed at Michael. "Lovrina! This child here, he's the intruder!"

Lovrina held up a hand. "Oh, wait! Wait! I so have not heard about anyone leaving anywhere! Professor Krane is so going to be very busy, oh so very busy! So, please be a nice boy and don't disturb us," she said sweetly, batting her lashes.

"We're going back to the HQ Lab. Stand aside, please," Michael said.

"Going back? Seriously! You are so joking! This so happens to be where Professor Krane works from now on," she tittered. "After all, we so need him to keep working on his studies. He so is the key to our plan. XD001… The ultimate Shadow Pokémon that can never be purified!"

"Stop that nonsense! Do you seriously think that I would help you do something so horrible?" Krane snapped.

Lovrina stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips. "Oh… That Naps! He so must have made a boo-boo again! I so have to punish him lots!" she growled. Michael tensed as she turned her attention to him and her voice became sweet. "Little boy, maybe you can convince Professor Krane. You should so tell him to study our XD001. You see, our plan is to make Shadow Pokémon that can never ever be purified. XD001 is only our first prototype. So, when we work out the problems, we can make combat units with XD-series Pokémon. Wouldn't that be just peachy? But we so need the professor's cooperation for our plan. So please, sweetie, can you please ask him nicely to help?"

"Of course not!" Michael replied, aghast by the plan and worried that Lovrina was confident enough to say so much. She wasn't going to let them leave. He settled into a fighting stance and sent out Houndour and Rose in preparation for the inevitable conflict.

"Oh, how nasty! You silly boy! You so won't help me with XD001 either? Oh, you'll be sorry now! But you will understand! A little hurt is so persuasive!" Lovrina laughed gratingly. "My Pokémon will so rip you to shreds! Get him, Luvdisc and Beautifly!"

"Use Ember and Bite on Beautifly!" Michael commanded, starting the battle aggressively.

"Water Gun and Silver Wind!" Lovrina countered. She laughed when her attacks impacted first, sending both Houndour and Rose skidding. But the tables soon turned as Houndour fired an Ember attack at Beautifly and the newly evolved Rose followed up with a Bite. Beautifly shook off both attacks and used Silver Wind on Rose again. This time, Rose couldn't get up from the attack, already damaged as she was from the previous battle, and she fainted. Michael recalled her and sent out Seedot.

"Shadow Wave and Howl!" Michael said. Seedot shot off a Shadow Wave, powerful enough that it knocked out the Beautifly, and Houndour used Howl to boost its morale and attack stat. "Now Shadow Blitz!" Houndour charged at Luvdisc, its shadowy aura flaring.

But Lovrina was ready. "Water Gun!" she called as she sent out her third Pokémon, a Roselia. Before Houndour could get to Luvdisc, it was hit with a second Water Gun, rendering it unable to battle anymore as it slumped over with a tired moan. Michael recalled Houndour and then nodded to Apollo, who was eagerly but patiently waiting his turn by Michael's side.

"Confusion and another Shadow Wave on that Luvdisc!" Michael said.

"Magical Leaf and Attract!" Lovrina said.

Uh oh. If Attract manages to infatuate one of my Pokémon, they'll be unable to attack the Luvdisc! Michael thought. He needn't have worried, though. Seedot used its Shadow Wave before Luvdisc could use Attract on it, and Apollo was unaffected by the other Pokémon's advances. Seedot cried out at the same time as its attack hit Luvdisc, upset that it had attacked before it had fallen in love. It went into Reverse Mode, its emotions in turmoil even as Apollo used Confusion on its love.

"Seedot!" Michael called before the Pokémon did something detrimental, like hurt itself or attack Apollo in its anguish. It didn't help that Roselia was continually firing Magical Leaf attacks at Seedot. Unable to take the emotional and physical strain, Seedot fainted.

"It's probably better this way," Michael said, upset that Lovrina had pushed the Shadow Pokémon to such extremes. "Go, Ursula! Finish off Luvdisc with Return!" Ursula all but flew from her ball and fell upon the Luvdisc with a vengeance. "Now, Apollo, Confusion on Roselia!" Both attacks connected at the same time, sending both of Lovrina's Pokémon flying. Roselia struggled to its feet, then slumped, unable to take the strain of the super-effective Psychic attack. Luvdisc just laid on the ground, out cold.

Lovrina stomped angrily and recalled both Pokémon. "Ooh! They're useless! I knew I should've brought my A-team!"

A-team?! Michael wondered. He was having enough trouble with her as it was! And she wasn't even using her best Pokémon?

"Fine! We'll just have to do this the hard way!" Lovrina huffed. "Go, Delcatty! Tear them apart!" The Pokémon was sent out, and Michael heard the uncomfortably familiar beeping of the Aura Reader in his ear.

"Be careful!" he called. "This one's a Shadow Pokémon!" Apollo and Ursula stiffened at the warning. Shadow Pokémon, as they'd learned when fighting the Pokémon of this lab, were incredibly volatile and difficult to combat.

"Shadow Rush that Teddiursa!" Lovrina ordered. The Delcatty rushed forward, its aura thickening to the point where the Pokémon was almost completely smothered in shadowy flames.

"Metal Claw and Confusion!" Michael called. Can't afford to go easy on this one…

The Confusion hit before the Delcatty could reach Ursula, but it hardly seemed to even register the attack. Ursula swung metal-hard claws as it approached, but Delcatty wove around the attack and slammed into Ursula, knocking her to the ground. Delcatty pinned Ursula to the ground, hissing.

"Excellent!" Lovrina laughed. "Now finish the job!"

Before Michael or Apollo could react, Delcatty was tearing into Ursula, its claws lethally sharp and digging deeper with every pass. Ursula screamed as she was ripped open. Blood spattered on the lab's tiles.

"Stop it! Confusion!" Michael cried. Apollo hit Delcatty with its hardest Confusion attack, but once again, the Delcatty just shrugged off the attack, as if it didn't even register the damage the Confusion had caused, and continued mauling Ursula, adding teeth to the mix to target Ursula's ears and eyes.

"Tackle attack!" Michael called in desperation. Apollo charged the Shadow Delcatty and slammed into it, knocking it off the shredded Ursula. Michael wasted no time in setting Ursula's Pokéball to stasis mode – where a badly injured Pokémon in the ball would be held in limbo, unaware of the outside world – and recalling her with a beam of blue light.

Lovrina cackled. "That's so more like it! Delcatty, do the same thing to that Espeon!"

"NO!" Michael cried. He did the only thing he could do to prevent Apollo from suffering the same fate as Ursula: he grabbed a ball from his bag, slotted it into the Snag Machine's glove, and threw it at the Delcatty as soon as it was ready.

Delcatty was captured by the glowing hand mid-charge at Apollo. Michael dimly noted that he'd thrown the Great Ball he'd taken from Cipher's storage facility. The ball shook… and shook… and shook… and stilled.

Lovrina screamed. "Ooh, you nasty boy! You'll so regret snagging my Pokémon!"

"You should so regret attacking Ursula like you did!" Michael roared in response, shaking from adrenaline and anger.

Lovrina huffed and crossed her arms. "Whatever. I so hate to say this! But little boy, I can't beat you right now. Master Greevil will be so cross with me, but… But that's okay. I'll let you owe me this one time. You are so lucky our boss just left. Otherwise you'd know the true meaning of pain!" Lovrina snarled, no longer trying to be cute. "Let's go, Tekot!" She strode towards the elevator. Halfway there, she turned back toward Michael and smirked. "You know, I am so not good at letting people owe me. I think I'll take my payment now!" She whipped her hand from behind her. Michael barely had time to register the gun before she fired.

Michael went down hard, a searing pain in his side. He heard Krane shout and Apollo snarl. Then there was the bang of someone meeting the wall and a gasp from Lovrina. Michael clutched at his side, heart hammering, and looked up. Would Lovrina shoot at him again?

She was picking herself up from where she'd somehow crumpled against the wall. The gun was out of her hands and on the floor, out of everyone's reach. Lovrina was pale, but she looked amused by something. Without saying a word, she boarded the elevator.

"L-Lovrina!" Tekot cried, hurrying to join her. Michael saw something fall out of his lab coat as he ran.

"Michael!" Krane kneeled beside him, wincing. Krane's ribs were giving him some trouble from the beating he'd taken. "Let me see." Michael peeled bloody fingers away from his side. He glanced down and saw a bloody tear in his shirt and a thin, deep scrape. He hissed as Krane prodded the wound. Meanwhile, Apollo hovered near him, looking lost and scared.

"I think it's just a graze," Krane concluded. Michael breathed a sigh of relief. "Still, we need to get to a hospital. Can you stand?"

"I think so," Michael said before he struggled to his feet, his wound throbbing bitterly.

"Okay, then. I'll just grab this…" Krane picked up whatever the scientist had dropped. "A flashdrive! This may be something important. We'll take it back and analyze it. Come on."

The three boarded the elevator and returned to the main floor. Outside, the sun was setting and the Hexagon Brothers were gone. Michael's return to his scooter took longer than his departure to the lab; he limped the whole way. Once he unlocked the scooter, he let Krane take the controls up front, recalled a strangely silent Apollo, and climbed onto the back of the scooter. By now, his side was soaked with blood, but the bleeding seemed to be slowing.

Krane was driving well into the night before the pair made it back to Agate Village. There was a commotion as they approached the gates, the residents recognizing the kidnapped Professor Krane. Michael hurried as fast as his side would allow to the Pokémon Center, Krane on his heels. He gave Ursula's Pokéball to the resident Nurse Heather.

"Please look at Ursula first. She's in worse shape," Michael pleaded when the nurse attempted to tend to his wound. Nurse Heather frowned and checked the Teddiursa's condition with a machine. Eyes widening as she took in how dire Ursula's condition was, she nodded to Michael and ordered an assistant to give both Michael and Krane thorough check-overs while she worked on Ursula.

Michael heard Krane calling the HQ Lab while his wound was being bandaged and his jaw, still sore from Resix's punch, iced. Afterwards, he was directed to a human-sized bed and told to get some rest. And while he wanted to wait until he heard news on Ursula and talk with the oddly quiet Apollo, he found himself drifting to an exhausted sleep.

---

A/N:

I promise, it will get much more difficult for Michael before he's able to beat Cipher! Especially the snags, those will get much tougher as time passes. The lab was just filled with baby Pokémon, and this early in the game, it's hard to lose. (Except to Lovrina if you don't have Mareep in your party. Ugh, she was hard to beat with the Pokémon in Michael's party for the lab.)

Ugh, writing the battles with the Hexagon Brothers took a while. I was thinking out only writing out one battle, but then one became two, and two became three, and three became six. I hope each of them came out unique. Six battles in a row is tough! I don't think I'll be doing it again, not even in the colosseum battles.

Thanks to my reviewers and new favs/follows! You all are the best!

Please leave a review on the way out.

-HM