Man, it's been like what? A year since I did a chapter on this story? This was only a side project, but I have some friends on Discord who really like this crossover. So sometimes, when they decided to keep asking about it, I update now and then. I do feel bad leaving it at a cliffhanger for so long and I promise this one won't have one. Just another fun story of kids using strange creatures to fight for their amusement.

Radio9: Mikoto might find out about it, but this story is mostly centered on her.

Umodin: And here's other hit deep into left field to be surprised about.

DNWorks : Poor, Shiage. He never gets a break.

Acpeters: Now that everything is set up, time to add some plot instead of random events. I try to make trainers fight creatively like the anime over just X move in the game.

Syqadelic: I have a lot of fun with Headbutt.

Super2019DP: This story is centered on Mikoto, but she might find out about what Touma's been up to.

G119: I'm secretly monitoring you.

TheOneDino: Really? I always struggle writing them because it's hard to describe attacks sometimes.

Cy Man: I understand where you are coming from. It's just it's easier for me if I keep things consistent. Otherwise half the characters will be first names in the narrative and other half by last. I'll mix them up and then it will leak into the dialogue. Index will appear at some point and I have her Pokémon selected already.

Someoneluck: Yep, this story is more wholesome than my other ones. Pokémon is pretty wholesome like that.

GodofRetards: Yep. It's why Touma has a Charmeleon right now.

Guest10032: I'm glad to hear that. The Toaru Universe is kind of hit or miss. You either like or it you don't. Some of my best friends who watch a lot of anime don't like it for some strange reason. There's a lot of good fanfics here too, even with a small community.

Thinking of the Pokémon for each trainer is half the fun. Okay, I'll be honest. Gunha was just me having fun with those moves. I also like how you predicted a lot of what's happening in this chapter. Don't want to say if people glance at this comment before reading, but you pegged some things perfectly. You'll have to wait and see for Index. She is planned for this. Touma's only allowed a 'temporary' dragon that vanishes after a fight. If you know what I mean. Glad some people are paying attention to my bio updates. Since I put it up, I get a lot less messages going: When's the next update?

I'm not writing Pokémon smut, but we can have some wholesome handholding.

Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.


"Grab a taxi!" Touma yelled, sprinting toward the street with Mikoto and Misaki. "We don't have much time." He held out his arm and it took about 20 seconds to flag one down. They piled in as the driver looked back at them.

"Where to?"

"East… Gate!" Misaki panted. "And please hurry!"

"Still have to obey the speed limit-…" The man's eyes widened at the bills Misaki shoved into his hand. "Express route it is."

"Let the others know," Touma whispered to Mikoto. "They can contact the police and meet up with us."

"R-Right." Mikoto's voice cracked.

Mikoto's hand was trembling as she dialed a familiar number. This was the first time she dealt with a Pokémon thief. Pickpockets, purses, those kinds of thieves were everywhere, but this was on a completely different level. Her companions had been kidnapped. She had heard of people stealing Pokémon, but it was one of those things she always expected to never happen to her. Her school and dorms were in a very influential part of Academy City, so there wasn't much crime and plenty of police presence. Kuroko took what felt like forever to answer, and Mikoto had to speak quietly to not alert the driver of their situation.

"Kuroko… no listen. Jolteon and Sylveon have been kidnapped. We're heading to the east gate out of the city. Let the police know and meet us there. I'll update you if anything new comes up."

"Wait… Onee-sama, what-…"

Kuroko's voice went from excited to deflated as Misaka explained the situation to her quickly.

"Hurry!" Mikoto hung up and gripped the taxi door as he made a sharp turn.

Money was quite the motivator for the driver as he seemed to be going all out. If they managed to catch up with the kidnappers, Mikoto was going to give him a huge tip to go along with all the money he already received.

Mikoto realized she was still shaking and tried to calm herself down. The thought of Jolteon being scared was something that was scaring Mikoto herself and she couldn't help but let intrusive thoughts in her mind.

A warm hand pressed down on her free hand.

"She's going to be fine." Touma whispered to her. "We'll save her."

"Thank you." Mikoto whispered, barely audible to even herself. Her throat was so dry.

Misaki was tracking Sylveon's location on her phone while the other two were quiet. Mikoto prayed that they wouldn't separate Jolteon and Sylveon for their sake but there was no way she could say that thought out loud. Hopefully, Kuroko could convince the police to send someone else to help. Stealing a Pokémon was a serious crime as they were literally friends and companions, not just pets.

Out of nowhere, the taxi began to slow down.

"Why are you stopping?!" Mikoto demanded. "We're almost there!"

The driver motioned his arm to the windshield, which made everyone look forward at all the cars in front of them.

"Traffic jam, nothing I can do." The driver replied with a shrug.

"Ugh! We have to go on foot!" Mikoto told the others. There was no way they were going to sit around and do nothing. "We're wasting time."

"Can you guide us?" Touma asked Misaki.

"Let's hurry." Her response came as she pushed open the door.

"Sorry for troubling you, take this." Mikoto called back over her shoulder, tossing more money into the cab.

"Kids these days," the driver sighed, shaking his head. "Could've gone to jail pulling a stunt like that. At least they tipped well."

Now on foot, Mikoto and the others could take short cuts to avoid the main roads. Mikoto and Touma were having no trouble keeping pace and they were closing in on the tracker. This saved them a lot of time, but it had one main drawback.

Misaki.

"Keep going!" Touma encouraged. "We're almost there."

"I'm… trying!" Misaki panted, forcing her legs to keep moving.

"Just give us the tracer so we can catch them!" Mikoto demanded.

"We're almost there and… there's no way… I'm going to leave Sylveon."

Misaki's stubbornness actually surprised Mikoto a bit. After hearing those words come out of her mouth there was no way they would be able to convince Misaki to back down. Mikoto didn't blame her in the slightest. If someone told her to stay back while they went to save her friends, she might have slapped them. Both girls would do everything in their power to save their beloved Pokémon.

Her respect for Misaki had increased ever so slightly.

"They're outside the city!" Misaki informed them. "But they… stopped... just up ahead."

"Let's go." Touma declared, dashing on ahead of them.

They slipped into an alleyway between two buildings and came out into a large parking lot. It was completely empty and Misaki pointed straight ahead. On the other side of the asphalt, there was a row of thick trees. Mikoto darted up ahead and was the first to get through. Behind the trees was a poorly maintained road that was barely visible from their current position. This time, the area wasn't empty. There was a van and, surprisingly, a helicopter. A couple of people were transferring cages from the van to the helicopter.

Jolteon and Sylveon were passed out in two of them.

"Give us back our Pokémon!" Mikoto yelled, running forward.

"Shit!" One of the guys yelled in surprise. "We have company!"

"Stop them then!" Shiage ordered, his blonde hair visible under his black hat and his face covered by a mask so no one would be able to identify him. "We need to get them out of here." He grabbed a Pokeball on his hip and threw it. "Dunsparce let's go!"

"You too, Houndour!" The girl and boy next to him yelled, also throwing their own Pokeballs.

The Dunsparce that appeared from the red light was a serpentine, and somewhat insectoid, Pokémon with a primarily yellow body, blue underside, and blue-and-cream-striped back. Its head was round with a wide mouth extending under its jowls and curving up toward the middle of its face. Its chin was blue with two rounded prongs. The round and rimmed blue eyes were kept closed, revealing its cream-colored eyelids. On Dunsparce's upper back were two tiny white wings and its body ended in a drill-like tail.

Houndour was a canine Pokémon with short, black fur, red underbelly, and muzzle. Their ears and tail were both short and pointed. Two fangs protruded from their upper jaw, and their triangular noses were black. There were white bands on its ankles and rib-like ridges on its back. A simplistic, stylized skull was on their foreheads with the eye orbits creating eyebrow patterning above their actual eyes. It also has circular, red paw pads on each of its three-toed paws.

Mikoto already had her Pokédex in one hand, while gripping at the Pokeball with the other.

"Dunsparce, the Land Snake Pokémon. When discovered, Dunsparce uses its tail to burrow into the earth and evade capture."

There was a pause in the Pokédex as Mikoto aimed it from Dunsparce to Houndour.

"Houndour, the Dark Pokémon. Houndour travel in packs and communicate through barks in order to surround their prey."

A normal type and a dark and fire type. Pikachu's too tired from the tournament and Magnemite is weak against fire due to it being a steel type. Shinx still isn't ready for these kinds of battles.That only leaves

"Chinchou! Help me save them!"

"Chinchou!" The Pokémon said as its antenna twitched once it appeared.

"Flamethrower!" The girl yelled to her Houndour.

"Water Gun!" Mikoto countered.

Flames erupted from Houndour's mouth while water shot out of Chinchou's. Steam began to erupt when the fire and water began to collide. Chinchou's water began to overpower the flames as it is super effective against it and began to get closer to the Houndour. The Houndour roared in pain as the beam of water hit it directly, knocking it back.

Out of Mikoto's vision, Shiage ran closer to Dunsparce and began to order it around.

"Rollout!" Shiage ordered.

"Look out!" Mikoto yelled out, unfortunately, she said it too late.

A yellow and blue blur crashed into Chinchou, sending it flying back. Dunsparce had curled up into a wheel shape and was spinning at high speeds around the field between them. Mikoto grimaced. Rollout was an incredible move that was devastating if not taken care of quickly. The longer the Dunsparce was rolling, the more damage it would do to Chinchou. It needed to be stopped immediately.

"I got this! Headbutt!"

Mikoto couldn't stop a grin forming on her face as she stepped to the side to let Rampardos pass at Touma's words.

"Rampaaaard!" Rampardos roared, running forward with its head lowered.

The Pokémon thieves had no idea how strong Touma's Rampardos was. That dinosaur loved to Headbutt. It was the Head Butt Pokémon after all. The Dunsparce picked up speed with its Rollout and left a shallow rut in the ground as it went forward, sending up dirt in the air behind it from its speed. Rampardos met the attack with its head straight on. There was a loud smack as both Pokémon came into contact.

Dunsparce was sent flying.

"What the hell?!" Shiage shouted. "These trainers are actually pretty damn decent!"

"Of course we are, now give us back our Pokémon!" Mikoto shouted as Chinchou bounced forward again.

"What were you thinking stealing Pokémon?!" Touma demanded, standing beside her.

"Who... are you guys?" Misaki asked, panting heavily as she finally caught up. Her red Vulpix, Flare, was beside her to protect its master.

"We're Team ITEM," Shiage told her. "That's all you need to know. Though, if I give you these Eeveelutions back, my ass is on the line. And because I want to keep my ass, take this, Mudslap!"

"Flamethrower!" The boy and girl behind him shouted in unison.

Chunks of dirt flew forward as Dunsparce slapped the ground with its tail as the Houndour's spat out jets of flames from their mouths.

"Spark!" Mikoto ordered.

"Ice Beam!" Touma shouted.

The ice and electricity collided with the fire and dirt which exploded on impact creating a large dust cloud.

"I can't see anything!" Mikoto cried, using an arm to cover her eyes. "Where did they go?"

"Charmeleon!" Touma said, summoning another Pokémon. "Go with Rampardos and stop them from taking Jolteon and Sylveon!"

"Char." Charmeleon agreed and ran into the cloud with Rampardos.

"You go too!" Mikoto told Chinchou. "We can't let those thieves escape."

"Wait here!" Touma called over his shoulder to Misaki. "It's too dangerous."

Mikoto knew Misaki wanted to object, but she really couldn't. The only battles Misaki had participated in were with Sylveon. Flare and Snowy, her Vulpixes were new to fighting. If she fought professional thieves, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Mikoto gritted her teeth.

I don't like it, but it's true. It's like that with Shinx too. We can't just put them at risk.

Before she could really get her thoughts together the dust cloud began to clear and a noise began to echo across the road.

Chuff, chuff, chuff!

The sound got louder and faster as a couple of seconds passed. It wasn't the most common of sounds, but one Mikoto recognized instantly.

"The helicopter is taking off!" She screamed to the others. "Stop them!"

There was a flash of flames as Charmeleon fired a Flamethrower, but one of the Houndour's intercepted the attack with its own fire. Rampardos tried to hit the helicopter, but the helicopter had lifted up just in time. Chinchou shot electricity up to disable the vehicle but was unsuccessful as it bounced off the outer hull. Touma was staring up as Shiage hung off the side. He began to laugh and wave at them.

"Cya, wouldn't want to be ya!"

"Get back here!" Mikoto roared, anger and fear imbedded in her voice as she and the others chased after them. Every second the helicopter rose higher and further out of range.

It was at that moment, Jolteon and Sylveon woke up in their cages.

"Jolt Jolteon!"

"Sylveon Syl Sylveon!"

Mikoto could see the two Pokémon through the open door behind the kidnapper.

"We'll save you!" Misaki called up to them. "Don't worry!"

"Try to break out!" Mikoto shouted. "We'll catch you!"

Jolteon shot electricity at its cage while Sylveon discharged Disarming Voice, but the cages refused to budge. They were obviously designed to hold rambunctious Pokémon. Shiage laughed and shook his head before pulling himself back inside so they could take off at full speed.

"NOOOO!" Mikoto yelled in desperation.

"We have to catch up to them," Touma growled. "Can your Magnemite-…"

A roar of anger caused them to turn around.

Charmeleon's eyes glinted with rage as it shot a jet of flames at the helicopter. It was way too far away and the fire fell short, which only seemed to enrage the reptile Pokémon. Fire seemed to glow in its eyes as it roared even louder than before.

Then it started to glow.

White light washed over Charmeleon as it grew taller and bigger. It was almost blinding to look at, but everyone couldn't take their eyes off of it. When the light faded, another Pokémon stood in its place.

It was a draconic, bipedal Pokémon. Instead of red, the skin was primarily orange with a cream underside from the chest to the tip of its tail. It had a long neck, small blue eyes, and two horn-like structures protruding from the back of its rectangular head. Fangs were visible in the upper jaw when its mouth was closed. Two large wings with bluish-green undersides sprouted from its back, and a horn-like appendage jutted out from the third joint of each wing. Its arms were short and skinny compared to its robust belly, and each limb had three white claws. It had stocky legs with cream-colored soles on each of its plantigrade feet. The tip of its long, tapering tail burned with a sizable flame.

Mikoto and Misaki couldn't help but gasp. Touma on the other hand didn't hesitate to seize the opportunity that had arisen.

"Save them."

Those two words were all it took for the evolved form of Charmeleon to beat its wings and take off into the air. Mikoto was dumbstruck by the sudden evolution. Although she already knew what that Pokémon it was, she couldn't help but raise her Pokédex at the new Pokémon that was in front of her.

"Charizard, the Flame Pokémon. When competing in intense battles, Charizard's flame becomes more intense as well. Its powerful flame can melt absolutely anything."

"It… evolved…" Mikoto gasped, watching Charizard catch up to the helicopter.

"Yeah… he wants to save them too," Touma said. "He evolved, even though he never wanted to."

"What?!" Mikoto and Misaki gasped.

It all made sense now. Touma's Charmeleon was so strong because it kept itself from evolving. Due to it not evolving when it could've, it was much stronger than other Charmeleons. Mikoto had no idea how long Charmeleon had kept itself from evolving, but based on what she saw in the tournament, they must have been in numerous battles together.


The thieves in the helicopter noticed the flying monster behind them and realized just how screwed they were.

"Can't this hunk of junk go any faster?" Shiage yelled at the pilot.

"It's an older model! I'm pushing it to its limits already!"

"We've got a Charizard on our tail!"

The helicopter shook as the Pokémon in question slammed against the side.

"We're in trouble!" The girl next to Shiage yelled as a roar came from right outside.

An ear-splitting screeching sound threatened their sanity as glowing green claws sunk into the door. The metal was being peeled back and they could see the furious eyes of the attacker on the other side. Jolteon and Sylveon were calling out to the Charizard. They were sitting ducks in the helicopter and Shiage had to make a decision. No one would like it, but he didn't want to die. Getting caught and thrown in jail was almost as bad.

"Eject the cargo!"

"What?" The other guy who had helped him gaped at him. "You know what will happen to us when she finds out we lost two Eeveelutions?"

"I'd prefer taking my chances with her than with this Charizard!" Shiage yelled over the screeching of metal. "Eject them now!"

None of them were happy with the decision. All the work they put forth to steal those Pokémon was in vain now, but it would be the distraction they needed to escape. The Charizard was trying to save those Eeveelutions, so it would be forced to disengage to save them. It would give them the time they needed to pick up speed and get out of there safely. Charizard wasn't the fastest flyer out there, so once they got going, it wouldn't be able to catch up.

The door on the other side of the helicopter opposite of Charizard opened up.

"Good luck." Shiage told them. "For your sake, I hope that monster catches you."

Shiage kicked both cages and Jolteon and Sylveon began to plummet to the ground.


Mikoto's perceived the event as if it was happening in slow motion.

The door to the helicopter opened as Charizard was tearing into the hull from the other side. She could see the blond thief looking down before kicking the two cages holding Jolteon and Sylveon out into the air. The two Pokémon cried out as it looked like they were falling to their inevitable death. Mikoto's heart stopped as she stared in wide-eyed horror. She couldn't even scream as any words she could think of stayed stuck in her throat.

It wasn't like yelling would have done much over the sound of a helicopter and tearing metal. However, Charizard did notice the other side opening. When it realized Jolteon and Sylveon were ejected, it roared and pushed off the helicopter to save them. It dove downwards at full speeds as the two caged Pokémon cried out for help. The cages were nearly twenty feet above the ground when Charizard's clawed fingers wrapped around the bars of the cage and pulled it upwards. Charizard looked majestic as it was flying parallel to the ground.

"Jolteon! Jolteon!"

"Veon, Sylveon!"

Both of the Pokémon were shouting in joy.

Charizard huffed and looked over its shoulder. The maneuver had assured the escape of Team ITEM which frustrated Charizard as it released a small snort of annoyance. Charizard then flew down to meet with its trainer and the others.

"Jolteon!" Mikoto cried out, freeing her Pokémon from the cage. "You're safe! I'm so sorry! I should have been paying more attention." She wrapped Jolteon in a hug with tears flowing down her face. The spikey needles of its fur didn't even bother her at that moment.

"Jolt!" Jolteon assured her reassuringly, licking her cheek before snuggling up next to her. Chinchou bounced over and touched Jolteon's head with the yellow orb on its feelers and a small electrical shock was exchanged. It was their way of saying they were happy to see each other too.

"I'll never let you out of my sight again!" Misaki was in a similar state as Mikoto. She freed Sylveon and then collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted and taking deep breaths. "I almost lost you!" She was tearing up too.

"Syl…" Sylveon wrapped its ribbons around Misaki's arms and cuddled against her chest.

"Vul?" Flare said, sitting next to them and tapping Sylveon.

"Sylveon." The fairy Pokémon responded.

Sylveon gave a smile to Flare, which cheered the Vulpix up tremendously.

After snuggling a bit with Jolteon, Mikoto stood up and walked over to Charizard and Touma. Touma seemed to be telling it something, but stopped when she reached them.

"Thank you, Charizard. For saving my friend."

Mikoto gave a deep bow. She couldn't even begin to think of how to repay him.

Charizard grunted and looked away.

"He's embarrassed." Touma chuckled, which caused the flaming tail to smack him in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Mikoto couldn't help herself and she burst out laughing.

In the distance, she heard some police sirens. The helicopter take-off must have alerted the authorities of their location as Mikoto never relayed any information back to Kuroko. Misaka was just glad that Jolteon was back with her and was safe.


"I can't believe they disqualified you after everything that happened!" Kuroko fumed that evening, as she, Mikoto, Kazari, and Ruiko were sitting in the park talking while it was still light out.

"They didn't really have much of a choice," Kazari pointed out. "In a tournament like that one, you can't delay matches due to a strict time schedule. Since Misaka-san and Kamijou-san didn't show up, they were disqualified so the next match could begin. Too many rounds had passed when they were being questioned by the police. It wasn't like they could just put their team back in."

"Honestly, I'm kind of glad about that." Mikoto sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Really? Why?" Kuroko was astonished at the response.

"After everything that happened…" Mikoto trailed off and looked at Shinx playing with Kazari's Chikorita and Ruiko's Popplio. "I don't think I would've been ready to compete in the later rounds of the tournament."

"That's understandable," Kazari agreed. "It was a traumatic experience for you and Jolteon. We hear about Pokémon thieves, but they're so rare. You don't expect them to take your Pokémon. Even if you had competed, you wouldn't have performed as well as you did at the start."

"You really should just get some rest," Ruiko added. "Take it easy for the next couple of days."

"I can't," Mikoto replied, shaking her head. "I realized when facing those thugs that if I don't have Pikachu and Jolteon with me I would lose every battle. My other Pokémon have limited battling experience. Magnemite has some, but I really need to work with Chinchou and Shinx."

"That's fine, but don't go running around the city chasing rumors," Kuroko told her and then glared at Ruiko, who looked away and whistled innocently. "Next time you're in trouble though, let me know. Kadabra could have teleported onto the helicopter and saved everyone without issue."

"If I knew they had a helicopter you would've been the first person to know." Mikoto sighed, leaning back on the park bench.

"They didn't find the thieves, did they?" Kazari asked.

"I heard the helicopter was too far gone to track," Mikoto muttered annoyed. "Charizard should have cut a fuel line or something to slow them down."

"That might've blown up the plane…" Ruiko said quietly.

"What did you say?" Kazari asked, looking directly at Ruiko.

"Oh, nothing! I just that it was so cool that Charmeleon evolved to save Jolteon and Sylveon!" Ruiko gushed, trying to recover from the horrible thought she had. "You hear about Pokémon evolving in dangerous circumstances and not just after battles, but it's really rare. Charizards are really powerful so it would've been amazing to see it."

"It was…" Mikoto agreed absentmindedly. "Hey, do any of you know anyone who purposely chooses not to evolve their Pokémon? Like normal evolution and not just using stones."

"There's a couple who really like cute early forms of Pokémon," Kazari said, thinking with a finger on her cheek. "Then there are some Pokémon who don't want to evolve on their own. They like themselves as is. Usually though, for people trying to win Pokémon leagues, evolving your Pokémon makes them stronger."

"What brings this on?" Kuroko asked. "Are you thinking of evolving Pikachu?"

"No, not unless she wants to." Mikoto was adamant about this. "Touma mentioned Charmeleon didn't want to evolve so I was just wondering. I realized why he was so powerful though. If he could evolve into a Charizard for a long time, but chose not to, its level would be way above others. When I asked, I was just told Charmeleon didn't want to, but nothing more than that."

"Everyone has their own reason for things," Kazari said with a shrug. "Whatever it was, he decided that saving your friends were more important. That's really noble."

"Yeah…"

Mikoto had to admit that. Charmeleon, well Charizard now, was amazing just like his trainer. It didn't want to evolve but did so to save Jolteon. That was a true hero in her book and she would forever be grateful.

Although Charizard evolving was something that was incredible, it had one major downside.

Jolteon and Sylveon, who already liked Charmeleon, were now even more infatuated with him.

After the interrogation with the police, which had felt like forever, Mikoto and the others had been allowed to leave. She wished she could have given more information on the thieves. Team ITEM turned out to be a gang that was operating in this region. They were known to steal Pokémon on contract, so someone wanted Eevee and Eevee evolutions for some reason. That meant Mikoto and Misaki would have to be on alert for a while. Although it would be rare to be targeted twice, that didn't mean they could let their guard down.

Charizard was sleeping during all this and was trying very hard to ignore the two Pokémon cuddling under his wings. Mikoto really wanted to have Jolteon rest in its Pokeball, but it refused to leave Charizard's side. The reason for it was quite obvious. Getting saved by someone could make you idolized them, let alone the fact Jolteon liked its savior already. Sylveon was the same way and the two Pokémon seemed to have put aside their differences for now after their experience.

Kuroko hadn't been as big of a headache as she could have been. When she found out Mikoto was okay, she of course gave her a huge hug and kept asking her if she was actually ok. Mikoto was sure Kuroko would try to use this as an excuse to cop a feel at some point. She felt bad about thinking that so she decided to give Kuroko the benefit of the doubt.

She was still going to sleep with one eye open that night.

"Let's move to something else?" Ruiko suggested. "How did it feel competing in front of everyone?"

"Nerve-wracking at first," Mikoto sighed, glad to be talking about something fun instead of thinking of the experience that happened earlier. "Weirdly enough, it was only the first round. Once I got into the battle, I sort of tuned out the audience. In the second and third round, I only felt nervous the moment I stepped out but it quickly faded."

"I don't think I would ever be able to step in front of such a large crowd." Kazari admitted.

"I could," Kuroko puffed out her chest. "If you ever need another partner for a two on two, I'll be your partner, Onee-sama."

"Sure, Kuroko." Mikoto smiled at her. "I promise to ask you first."

It was the least she could do with her best friend. Kuroko was talented too after all.

"How about we celebrate now?" Ruiko asked. "You went undefeated in the tournament."

"That's… I mean… technically Saten-san is correct," Kazari admitted.

Everyone shared a laugh and Mikoto felt a lot better as they talked about the battles she and Touma took part in.


Deep in a laboratory under Academy City, away from prying eyes, several men in lab coats were shifting through data and observing monitors. The automatic door opened and an older scientist walked in. He immediately gathered the attention of everyone there.

"Attention!" He shouted and everyone began to gather around "The Director is here." There was murmuring among the scientists as they eyed the door. However, it was not a human that entered through that door, but a Pokémon.

The Pokémon was black and shadow-like. It had a small head with a white fog-like ghostly plume billowing from it, covering one of its bright blue eyes, with the portion on its face resembling hair. It also had a red spiky growth around its neck. Skinny arms and long black tatters hung from its shoulders, ending in black, claw-like hands. It had an hourglass-like figure and appeared to be wearing an old, black tattered cloak.

"The Director's Darkrai." One person in the back whispered. "First time seeing it."

The Darkrai eyed all of them one by one before it held up a tablet. It stretched one of its fingers and touched the power button which revealed a face on the screen. It was a man, but could hardly be described as a typical one. He looked like an adult, yet also a child; like a man, yet also a woman; like a saint, yet also a criminal. His hair was long and white and he too eyed each man standing before him.

The man's name was Aleister Crowley, the Director of Academy City.

"How are things progressing, Gensei?" The weird masculine yet feminine, old but young, voice of Aleister was heard through the tablet.

A man of advanced age stepped forward, about average height, but with a slight hunch. His eyes appeared to be almost closed and there was a birthmark on his right temple. He had a grin on his face that looked sinister.

"It seems your idea bore fruit," Gensei stated. "Every battle was monitored to determine which trainers showed potential. Please understand, we do not have full details yet. The phenomenon will not occur unless they are pushed to their absolute limit."

"I understand this," Aleister replied, his tone not changing but a sense of annoyance was conveyed. "Narrowing down the subjects is required. Monitoring every trainer is impossible at this time with our limited resources. I hope all of you were focused on the assigned task at hand. Were there any that stood out?"

"Yes, there were a couple, and we're collecting their data to forward to you," Gensei replied, pulling out a small cloth and patting his forehead. "I do have some news that may not be to your liking though."

For a moment, there was a faint scowl on the director's face.

"Explain."

"There was one team that seemed to have potential," Gensei explained quickly, looking a little nervous. "However, they were disqualified after failing to show up which means their data is incomplete. Even though we were only able to monitor them for a short time, they seem to have the greatest potential of any team there. We have all the other teams too of course. Just in case, because even some of the teams that were defeated showed potential, so we included them."

"I heard an incident occurred," Aleister confirmed. "There are some groups I need to deal with it seems. Send me their information. I am in need of trainers who are able to Battle Bond. Until then, we will keep expanding our tournaments until we find suitable test subjects. Complete the job I've assigned to you or I will find someone who will."

"Yes, Director."

The Darkrai turned off the tablet, turned around, and floated out the door. Once it was gone, Gensei turned to the others.

"You heard him, all of your necks are on the line."

Everyone scrambled to get back to work as Gensei sighed and rubbed his back.

"Battle Bond, huh? That's one way to surpass one's limit. It's a pity there will be sacrifices, but it's all in the name of science."


"I'm so sorry we couldn't arrive in time to see at least one match, Mikoto."

"It's fine," Mikoto reassured her mother on the phone. She laid in bed while Kuroko was in the bathroom getting ready herself. "There will be other tournaments and you did see my earlier matches."

"Not live though!" Mikoto's mother replied over the line. "Your sisters and I really wanted to cheer you on in person."

"I appreciate it, but because of what happened…" Mikoto trailed off.

"Yes…" Her mother was silent for a moment. "I'm worried about leaving you alone in Academy City all by yourself. If thieves are that common…"

"They aren't!" Mikoto protested, sitting up instantly. "This was a super rare occurrence and the police were quick to get involved!"

"I'm just worried for you." Mikoto's mom's voice was soft. "I know Academy City has good security, but it's a mother's job to worry about her children. Let me be overprotective for a little bit while you're still young."

"Ugh." Mikoto rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "Are you still arriving tomorrow?"

"10 A.M., if the schedule is correct, which we both know won't be." They both shared a laugh. "Since it's Sunday and you aren't taking part in the tournament, are you free to show us around for the day? We have a hotel booked we need to check in at, but after that, we should be good for the rest of the day."

"Yeah, is it okay if my roommate joins us though?" Mikoto asked. "I promised I would introduce her to my sisters."

"That's fine, I'd be glad to see Shirai-san again too."

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetie."

Mikoto hung up and fell back down on her bed. Her mother actually debated taking her away from Academy City. Mikoto didn't even want to think of that being a possibility. Tomorrow needed to be a perfect day and that meant making sure her roommate was on her best behavior. Her eyes traveled to the bathroom door as it opened and Kuroko came out wearing her pajamas.

"The shower is free if you need it." Kuroko told her. "That was your mom, right?"

"Yeah, we were just going over plans for tomorrow." Mikoto confirmed.

"And I finally get to meet your sisters?" Kuroko asked and Mikoto nodded. "You've told me a little bit about them, but to finally meet your twin…" She looked up and drooled a little.

"Kyoka and I are very different people," Mikoto warned. "Just because we look alike, doesn't mean we're the same person. Also, my younger sister is coming, so do not make things weird. She may be coming to Tokiwadai in the future and the last thing we need is for you to make her reconsider."

"And how would I make her reconsider?" Kuroko asked innocently.

"I'm serious, Kuroko." Mikoto said firmly. "No groping, no trying to get my mom to approve of any weird relationship, nothing. She's already worried about the kidnapping incident and considered for a moment to take me home."

Kuroko's mouth dropped.

"She wouldn't do that… right?"

"No, I talked her out of it, but if things go wrong, she might actually force me to leave." Mikoto looked directly at Kuroko. "You're my best friend and I don't want you to change, but please don't do anything embarrassing."

She didn't like guilt tripping her friend, but it had to be done.

"I promise!" Kuroko declared, raising her hand. "I haven't seen your mom in ages, but it will be my first time meeting your sisters." She paused. "Is your older sister going to come?"

"Unfortunately." Misaka replied with a look of disgust.

Mikoto's relationship with her older sister was strained to say the least. Toxic did not begin to describe that girl. She constantly insulted Mikoto, got her into trouble back home, and lied all the time. Their parents had been working with her on her attitude and she's improved a bit, but she still had a long way to go. It didn't help that she was really smart and a talented trainer. Outside of her personality, she was an outstanding student.

That talent was really annoying. She got offers from Pokémon schools all over the world and was on a fast pace to become a top trainer.

There may be a little bit of jealousy there.

"She's going to antagonize you," Mikoto warned Kuroko. "Don't let her get a rise out of you."

"I can't believe all the stories you've told me about her," Kuroko mumbled. "She shouldn't be praised at all."

"It's not like we can do anything about it." Mikoto shrugged. "Look at the current champion, Accelerator. He's a jerk and people still love him."

"No idea why," Kuroko groaned. "When you become champion, you should show everyone how a real champion should act."

"That would be nice." Mikoto agreed, looking over in the corner of the room. Pikachu was curled up in its bed, sleeping peacefully after the long day it had. "It's still a long way off, but I'm positive I can do it. All I need to do is stick to my convictions."

"And I'll be there to support you the entire time." Kuroko promised, wrapping her arms around Mikoto.

"Thank you." She returned the hug and the two of them stood there. "Honestly, I am looking forward to seeing my family. It's been so long and I have so much to show and tell them. I can't wait for them to see all my new Pokémon."

"And how strong they are," Kuroko agreed. "You can even get payback by challenging your sister."

The thought never occurred to Misaka to challenge her older sister to a battle. Mikoto looked at Kuroko and gave her a smile.

"I do like the sound of that." Mikoto smirked, imagining her older sister finally losing to her. "I like the sound of that a lot."


Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. Thanks to Wishez from Discord for being a beta this time.

Rampardos: Fun Fact, guys. Charmeleon yelled, 'My Waifus!' before evolving.

Charizard: I will kill you.

Shinx: How did you know? You weren't there.

Rampardos: He had a lot of emotions behind it. Charizard pretends to not care, but he loves us all.

Charizard: I will roast you alive.

Pikachu: He does seem to always work with us. Though, Jolteon always wants to talk about him, so it gets annoying.

Lucario: It seems as if they have reached an understanding. Jolteon and Sylveon are currently being hidden by Charizard's wings.

Shinx: But… isn't Charizard too big to mate with them?

Ditto: Oh my sweet summer child. Come with me and let me teach you about the Skittys and the Wailords.

Shinx: NOOOOOOOoooooooo….

Lucario: You would think he would learn by now.