Chapter 6: Grand Tour


It was like stepping into an entirely different city; compared to the dull, gray grime of Virbank, Pokestar Studios was vibrant and gleaming. A grandiose movie theatre and an assortment of vendors lay on the east side, and on the west side sat the trailers, sets, studios, and warehouses. Crowds of people ran to and fro, some to catch a new movie, others to work on them. It was loud, it was chaotic, and most important to Alex it was awesome.

Lucario couldn't help but notice Alex practically bouncing in place. You seem rather…excited, he said.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Alex replied. "This is Pokestar Studios. Brycen Man, Full Metal Cop, Invaders, Big Monster; they were all made here!" He realized something that made him even more excited than before. "Oh, oh, what if we meet Sabrina? Or Brycen? Or Rena? Ooooh, I'd really like to meet Rena!"

Lucario tilted his head sideways. What's so special about her? he asked.

Alex briefly looked appalled before remembering who he was talking to. "I guess you wouldn't know, living in the wild and all that. Rena Kuro is an actress in one of my favorite movies ever, Samurai Suicuine, where she's this badass Ronin in Johto tasked by Suicuine to be her champion and fight against the chosen champions of Entei and Raikou." The more Alex gushed, the more enraptured he got. "They call her the 'Vixen of Virbank.' Almost every movie she's appeared in has been a smash hit, and even the ones that weren't still did pretty well. She's a really, really, really good actress."

Lucario snickered. You seem to be quite the fan. Are you sure there's not another reason you like her films so much?

Alex's face turned red. "Well…she's not hard to look at," he said lamely. Then he looked a mix between flustered and indignant. "But I swear, that has nothing to do with why I like her films! Honest!"

Lucario chuckled, but was preemptively interrupted by somebody screaming, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST IT!?"The sheer loudness of the yell made everyone nearby pause, and all eyes quickly looked to the older man with balding blonde hair and a magnificent moustache, dressed in purple, was chewing out a younger man with brown hair and olive green overalls.

"Uh oh. I think we took too long," Alex said, realizing it must have been Donny on the receiving end of the verbal lashing. He wasn't sure, but there was a good chance the shorter man was Mr. Stu Deeoh, owner of Pokestar Studios. Off to the side was Louie the Lucario, silently watching the commotion and looking guilty. "C'mon, I think we better give the script back before the poor guy gets fired or something."

They approached the group and Alex tried to talk to them, but couldn't be heard over Stu Deeoh's yelling. Alex shrugged helplessly and Lucario rolled his eyes. He pretended to clear his throat and projected into their minds, Excuse me gentlemen, but could we please have your attention?

Stu Deeoh immediately stopped and regarded the newcomers amicably. "Oh, I am so sorry. It's just that I'm afraid my employee here has made a spectacular mess of things. I'm usually not the yelling type, but this bulbous, pot-bellied buffoon has lost the script to our latest movie, and it's an absolute disaster!"

Alex reached into his backpack and pulled out the script "Do you mean this script?" he asked.

Stu Deeoh looked at him, then at the script, back to him, then back to the script. Suddenly, quicker than anyone that old and plump should be able to move, he scooped Alex into a hug and twirled across the ground. "Oh dahling, you found the script! Ohoho, this is magnificent, stupendous, amazingly spectacular! Oh, you have no idea—I could just kiss you right now!"

"Please don't," Alex squeaked.

Stu Deeoh released Alex and asked how they found it. Alex and Lucario explained everything that happened that morning, leaving out the part about their run-in with Colress. The owner of Pokestar Studios nodded along, and when they finished he turned to Donny and asked, "Why didn't you tell me you'd gotten a trainer to go hunt for the script?"

"Sir, I tried," Donny said dryly. "You kinda wouldn't listen to me." He turned to Alex and said, "So you caught that Purrloin, huh?"

Alex nodded with a proud grin. "Yep. This was the third time we ran into her across two different cities; I think she wanted to be captured."

Better she's with you instead of causing trouble here! Alex jumped at the unfamiliar mental voice and instinctively looked at Lucario, who shook his head and pointed to his counterpart. Louie waved and projected, Yeah, I can use telepathy too. Sorry, I didn't mean to spook you; I'm used to the humans here knowing about it and thought maybe you would too since you have your own Lucario.

Alex smiled awkwardly and assured Louie it was fine. Then, Alex's pokeball opened and Purrloin appeared in a flash of light. Stu Deeoh immediately hid the script behind his back.

She looked around and sniffed the air. "Huh, it looks like I'm back here again", she said to noticed the two Lucario beside her and flashed a toothy grin. "Hey boys, how's tricks?" Both Lucario simultaneously grunted and looked away. Alex bent down and picked up Purrloin, but she squirmed out of his grip and decided to climb on top of his head. He reached up to grab her, but a few scratches later decided to leave her be.

Stu Deeoh looked contemplative. "You know, Alex, dahling, I should really find a way to thank you properly for bringing the script back… Wait, I know! How about a tour of Pokestar Studios? I can show you around, let you meet some of the actors, treat you to dinner, and you can even spend the night in one of our trailers. What do you say?"

To his credit, Alex did look to Lucario before immediately accepting. However, one look at the mixture of bubbling, excited glee that was Alex, and Lucario knew there would be no turning this down. I'm fine with that, he said with a shrug. It beats sleeping in the woods or at the Pokemon Center at any rate.

"Then it's settled!" Stu Deeoh clasped his hands together. "Come along dahlings, and let me show you how we make the magic here at Pokestar Studios! Donny, Louie, you come too; you'll be better at explaining the more behind-the-scenes stuff than I will."

The small entourage spent the rest of the day touring all the different sets, editing departments, warehouses, and other relevant areas of Pokestar Studios. Alex was fascinated, Lucario was mildly curious, and Purrloin was decidedly indifferent. One of the places they stopped by was a sort of gymnasium near the guard house, where Donny explained this was where all the different stunt pokemon trained. Even though they didn't participate in real fights, they still had to be in tip-top shape and practice the flashy moves used onscreen. Louie proudly boasted he was one of the best stunt pokemon they had, and cited his roles in the Brycen Man series as proof.

Lucario listened to Louie's boasting with mild annoyance. Braggart, he projected while rolling his eyes.

Louie shrugged and flashed a cheeky grin, quite the feat for a canid. Hey, the truth's the truth. I can't help it if I'm awesome!

Alex ignored them and watched a Mandibuzz and a Sigilyph duke it out in the air. "They're really going at it. I didn't realize stunt pokemon had to put so much work into what they do."

Louie looked indignant. What, just because we're pokemon doesn't mean we don't have to act! It takes a lot of skill to look like you're beating the crap out of somebody without actually doing it. The Lucario grunted. And besides, you'd be surprised how well pokemon could play human roles. We could star in our own movies if you all just let us.

Alex shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just…well, I guess I thought the moves just came naturally, and I'd never considered pokemon wanting to act... "

Louie sighed. Don't worry about it, I get it. We jump out of tall grass and shoot fire and lightning, or throw things around with our minds, or summon rocks to throw at you. Listening to a Lucario wax poetic about acting; I shouldn't be surprised a trainer would be thrown for a loop.

Before Alex could respond, the doors on the other side of the gymnasium opened. A tall woman with long dark hair and teal-colored eyes stepped into the room. Her features were sleek and graceful, and her hair—dyed red at the tips—flowed down her shoulders into a ponytail at the base of her hips. She took a look around and noticed the group at the other end of the room.

Alex's eyes widened. "Is that…Rena Kuro?" he asked rhetorically, because he already knew it was. The Vixen of Virbank approached them, a warm, playful smile on her face. Alex, for lack of a better word, squeed and immediately ran up to her, knocking off Purrloin in the process. "OhmyArceusyou'reactuallyRenaKuroI'mlikeyourbiggestfaneverI'msoexcitedtomeetyouand—!"

Lucario jumped up and smacked Alex upside the head. Down boy, he projected sternly, and Alex sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and apologized.

Rena's smile widened; she seemed to enjoy the attention. "Well, that was certainly amusing," she cooed. "I'm flattered you like my films so much. Would you care for an autograph?"

Alex nodded and immediately dug through his backpack for something the actress could sign. Lucario's nose wrinkled and he started sniffing the air. Something wasn't right… Lucario closed his eyes and took in everything with aura-sight. What he saw made him gasp, but before he could react a mental voice loudly yelled at him, Don't say anything!

That was Louie, and when Lucario opened his eyes he saw the other pokemon glare at him with fierce red eyes. Except he didn't feel angry…was that fear? Lucario hesitantly assured the other jackal he'd keep quiet for now. Their silent back-and-forth was not unnoticed by Purrloin, who quizzically regarded the two pokemon.

Rena signed one of Alex's pokeballs ("To my adoring fan Alex, ~Rena") and turned to face the rest of the group. "Good afternoon Mr. Stu Deeoh. I trust things are going well today."

"Good afternoon yourself dahling," Stu Deeoh replied. "It was a little rough this morning, but this young man and his Lucario saved the day. I'm giving them a tour of Pokestar Studios and letting them spend the night in one of our trailers as a reward!"

Rena noticed for the first time the other Lucario standing in the room. "Oh, this isn't one of the other stunt pokemon?" she asked. Lucario felt a twinge of nervousness from her, but the expert actress showed no trace of it in her face or body language.

"Nah, I'm afraid not," Donny cut in. "Aren't ya' working on another movie? What brings ya' all the way over here?"

Rena smiled. "I just stopped by because I wanted to say hi to Louie, that's all."

Donny grinned as Rena walked over to the Lucario. "Ah, I shoulda' known," he said as Rena started to scratch Louie behind the ears. "He seems to really like ya', ya' know. I best be careful, otherwise he'll want to run off and we'd be down one of our best stunt 'mons."

The scratching got good to Louie. His tongue fell out, his left leg started twitching in place, and a satisfied moan escaped his throat. Alex snickered and Lucario crossed his arms and looked embarrassed. Rena smiled and said, "You don't give yourself enough credit Donny. He's always talking about how much he likes working with you. It would take more than little old me to tear you two apart." She withdrew her hand and addressed everyone in the room. "Well, I'd best be off. Alex, it was nice to meet you. Donny, Louie, Stu, always a pleasure."

Everyone said their goodbyes, and the tour resumed. Alex had the good fortune to run into Brycen (who prompted a similar, albeit more restrained response from the trainer as Rena did), but aside from that the rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Donny and Louie left to go work with the other stunt pokemon, and Stu Deeoh treated Alex, Lucario, and even Purrloin to dinner. Alex thought it was a bit much just for them returning a script, but Stu Deeoh would have none of that. Alex soon gave into pragmatism and ate his food with glee.

As the sun started to set, Stu Deeoh notified the guard house they'd be staying the night and escorted them to a spare trailer. The inside wasn't as glamorous as imagined—it was small, cramp, and a little dingy—but the bed was soft and comfortable, better than the lumpy beds at the Pokemon Center at least. Alex and Lucario thanked Stu Deeoh for his hospitality and the owner of Pokestar Studios bid them good night.

Alex immediately went for the couch and propped up his ankle. They'd done a lot of walking and running that day and it was sore and swollen. Lucario iced it for him with Ice Punch, and the three settled into the small living room. Alex let out a content sigh. "Oh, that feels so much better…" he said while rubbing his ankle. "Well Lucario, I don't know about you but I had fun today!"

Yeah, it was…pleasant, I guess. The mental voice sounded distracted, and the Aura pokemon didn't even look at Alex when he spoke.

Alex tilted his head curiously. "Hey Lucario, you okay? You didn't sound so sure of yourself just then."

The blue jackal hesitated and then looked at him. I noticed something today during the tour. I'm not sure about what I saw, but…if it is what I think it is, well...I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you.

Alex blinked, as did Purrloin. "Well, you've definitely got me curious," the blonde boy said. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, leaning back into the couch, and said, "You know what, try me. What's this weird thing you noticed today?"

Before Lucario could say anything, there was a loud, frantic knock on the door. Lucario got up and opened it and was almost knocked aside as Louie ran into the trailer. The other Lucario quickly closed the door, locked it, and mentally asked Alex, Ok, what all has he told you!?

"Um, what?" Alex was bewildered, and became even more so when Louie seemed to take that as a good sign. Lucario barked something at him, which prompted Louie to reply in barks and growls of his own. Lucario asked a question, Louie reluctantly gave an answer and Lucario seemed shocked. Then Louie said something else, which prompted Purrloin to chime in. The two started arguing about something and occasionally Louie would point to Alex, to which Purrloin would reply sternly and insistently. When he had all he could stand, Alex yelled above them and said, "Okay, just what the actual hell is going on here!?"

Lucario started to speak, but Louie promptly put his paw over the other's mouth. Lucario rolled his eyes. I can use telepathy, idiot, he projected and promptly removed the offending paw from his muzzle. They're arguing over whether or not I should tell you about the thing I noticed today, which apparently I was right about. He says it's supposed to be a secret and he's worried you won't keep it.

Alex blinked. "Okaaaaay…this is getting a little weird now," he said. "Are we talking 'I wet the bed in fifth grade' secret, or 'mom I just killed a man' secret? Because I can keep the first one, but the second—"

Louie's loud sigh interrupted him. It doesn't really matter what I say, does it? he projected to everyone. You're going to tell him no matter what I do.

Lucario shrugged. If you really don't want me to, I won't say anything. I'm not sure he really wants to know anyway. But I agree with Purrloin; I think Alex can be trusted. Lucario looked embarrassed to admit it. Alex was touched by the kind words and smiled.

Louie slumped, defeated. Alright, if you really think so… follow me. I think it'd be easier to show you instead of telling you.

Alex quickly put his ankle brace back on and followed the two Lucario and his Purrloin. The sun was long gone, leaving nothing but the moon and a few street lamps to illuminate their path. They followed Louie down a long row of trailers before stopping at one in particular. The other Lucario knocked on the door, and after a startled yelp and some shuffling about the door opened to reveal Rena in a nightgown.

"Oh, hi Louie, I wasn't expecting you…" Rena then noticed Alex and Lucario and added, "Wait, what are those two doing with you?"

"Rena, the Lucario knows," Louie said. "Even if he doesn't tell his trainer, he can talk to other people. If we're going to ask them to keep your secret, I think we might as well show them."

For a moment, Rena couldn't decide on looking surprised, angry, upset, indignant, or frightened. The gamut of emotions the actress went through was rather impressive. She settled on annoyed resignation and sighed. "Okay, fine...come on in then…" She stepped aside to let the two Lucario, the Purrloin, and an exceptionally confused Alex into her trailer. She shut the door, locked it, closed the blinds, ran around the trailer and closed all the other blinds, and returned to her "guests". She didn't look nearly as confident or composed as she was earlier that day.

Rena squirmed nervously under the patient gaze of her audience. "Do…do I really have to do this?" she asked Louie. "I mean, he seems like a smart kid, maybe a little crazy, but I'm sure a verbal explanation would be more than enough to—"

Louie punched Rena in the arm as softly as he could. Before their eyes, the image of Rena Kuro shattered like a broken mirror, leaving something else in its place. It stood upright at about five feet tall. Its fur was black as midnight and its claws blood red. Bright teal eyes stared flabbergasted from a foxlike head, and a large mane of dark fur much like Rena's hair flowed from the top into a ponytail at the base of its hips, tied by a teal orb.

Moments ago stood Rena Kuro; in her place stood a flustered-looking Zoroark.

Alex's jaw dropped. "What."

The Zoroark promptly turned around and smacked Louie across the face as hard as she could. "You rotten son of a bitch—you know I hate it when you do that!"

You were taking too long, he replied. The Zoroark glared daggers at the Lucario, who huffed and said, Fine, I'm sorry. Won't happen again, promise!

Alex was still slack-jawed. "You're…a Zoroark…" he said lamely.

Said Zoroark faced him and slowly nodded. "I am."

A moment of silence. "Is Rena an actual human, or is she just somebody you made up?"

"Second one," she replied. "But my name actually is Rena."

"Huh..." Well, that made…certain thoughts and opinions of his favorite actress rather awkward. Brushing aside uncomfortable realizations, he asked, "So, um…what made you decide to pretend to be human anyway…?"

Rena let out a long, heavy sigh. "You might as well sit down; it's kind of a long story." Alex and Lucario did so, Purrloin hopped into Alex's lap, and Rena and Louie remained standing. "It all started when I was a little Zorua, traveling with my family across the Unova region. One day, we stopped in Nimbassa and spent a day exploring the city. I don't know if you've ever been, but Nimbassa is gorgeous; all the lights and color and signs and people—it's almost like a giant playground!" She closed her eyes and basked in the pleasant memory. "That night, we snuck into one of the Pokemon Musicals. I remember seeing all the different pokemon, dressed up and performing, and something just clicked. From that day, I knew I wanted to be a performer, have audiences cheering for me, crowds of adoring fans flocking to me, calling out my name—"

In case you can't tell, she's kind of a narcissist, Louie said playfully.

Rena looked annoyed. "Shut it dog breath. Anyway, I talked to my parents about it. They didn't really like the idea at first, but I was determined. After a while, they suggested if I really wanted to be a performer I should consider acting. It made sense—my species are natural masters of illusion. In a way, we're already 'born' actors to begin with. So, I started watching humans. I learned how they moved, how they ate, how they talk..."

"How do you do that anyway?" Alex cut in. "I can tell it's not telepathy, and your mouth moves when you speak."

Rena gave a toothy grin. "My 'illusions' aren't really such in the normal meaning of the word. They're kind of like constructs made of light—they're physically there, but they're fragile. One good hit from anything and the illusion shatters." She pointed to her throat with a clawed finger. "Using that, I can alter how air passes through my throat and mimic human speech. It took a lot of practice, but I eventually pulled it off."

Lucario nodded approvingly. Impressive, he projected.

"Thank you," Rena replied. "Once I perfected my disguise, I auditioned for a part in Samurai Suicuine. Mr. Stu Deeoh was so impressed that he gave me the leading part. After the film did well he kept asking me to come back for other roles, and…well, I guess the rest is history."

Alex nodded and contemplated the Zoroark's story. Then he pointed to Louie and asked "So, how'd he get wrapped up in this?"

Rena looked to Louie, who was all smiles. "The same way your Lucario found out I guess; he used his aura-thing to figure out I wasn't human." She smiled and pulled the shorter pokemon in with one arm. "I'm really glad he did though. After I told him my story, he agreed to keep it a secret and make sure nobody else found out, or if they did that they'd keep the secret too. I don't know where I'd be without him." She softly scratched his head with the other arm, and Louie's leg twitched again. Alex and Lucario shared a look.

Rena stopped and Louie became deathly serious. So now that you guys know, you'll keep her secret right? Please say yes, you have no idea how much this means to her!

The three looked at each other, then back to the two pokemon. All three smiled and Alex said "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us!"

Both pokemon breathed a sigh of relief, and Rena was first to speak. "Thank you. Like Louie said, this means a lot to me and I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem, really," Alex assured, "but did you really have to go through so much trouble? I mean, if you wanted to act so badly would Mr. Stu Deeoh really have cared if you were a Zoroark?"

"To be honest, I wasn't sure," Rena answered. "A pokemon that can talk and wants to act; even I have to admit it's a little strange."

Not to mention it's rare for a pokemon to have the starring role in a movie, Louie added. Sure, pokemon like me are used in movies as fighters or side characters, sometimes villains, but never the stars. I think it has something to do with humans empathizing more with other humans than with pokemon.

Rena agreed. "I didn't want to risk being turned down, so I invented a human persona to use. But now that I've gone with the deception this long…"

Lucario nodded. I understand. You're afraid of how the public will react and how it will affect your career.

Rena and Louie agreed. Alex frowned and said, "You can't keep up the lie forever. What happens if someone else finds out your secret? Or if you get hit too hard somewhere and your illusion pops?"

Rena held up her hands helplessly. "If any of that ever does happen, then I guess I just deal with whatever comes next. Until then, I'd like to avoid it as long as I can." She shrugged and looked to Louie. "Maybe they'd keep me on as a stunt pokemon with Louie. My illusions ought to be useful for special effects. It wouldn't be as fun as acting, but at least I'd still be entertaining people..." She looked at her clock and noticed what time it was. "It's getting late though; maybe you should head back to your trailer?"

Alex nodded and stood up. Lucario and Purrloin followed suit. "Just so you know you're still one of my favorite actors" he said. "Finding out that you're a Zoroark was a bit of a, um...surprise, but I guess being able to fool everyone like that just shows how talented you are."

Rena thanked him with a smile and they all said their goodbyes. Alex, Lucario, and Purrloin left and started walking back to their trailer. It was a beautiful, cloudless night. The young trainer observed that there was a full moon in the sky. Figures; the weird stuff always happened during a full moon. A cool breeze blew across the complex and made the blonde-haired trainer shiver.

A random thought crossed Alex's mind and formed into a question. "Hey Lucario, what are wild pokemon like?"

The Aura pokemon stopped walking and regarded the human quizzically. What prompted that?

Alex shrugged. "I'm just curious all of the sudden. A wild Zoroark pretending to be a human so she can become an actress; it's not something I imagine a lot of wild pokemon normally want to do."

Lucario nodded. I see… Well, to start, wild pokemon have all sorts of different interests. Playing, talking, exploring, sparring, training...honestly, it just depended on the individual. Almost all of them are curious about humans.The aura pokemon chuckled. You'd be surprised how often they argued about what humans were like. A lot of them are scared of being captured and stay as far away as possible. Most of the pokemon you see near cities or routes are either unafraid, naturally curious, want to fight a trainer's pokemon as a test of strength, or are looking for a trainer of their own.

"Lucky for you two, I deemed you worthy" Purrloin meowed smugly. She tried to climb on top of Lucario's head, but unfortunately the blue jackal could handle her scratches better than Alex and flung her off. She settled for climbing back onto Alex instead, much to his chagrin.

The blonde trainer sighed and resigned himself to let the purple cat doze on his head. "It's kind of weird," he said. "The way you describe wild pokemon…they almost sound like people."

Lucario raised a brow. What did you think we were like? he asked.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I never thought pokemon were just animals or anything. Amy—my dad's Ampharos—was always smarter than most people realized and really good at getting her point across with expressions and movement." Alex folded his arms and thought for a moment. "It's just…I've always thought of pokemon as just being 'different' to humans; more wild and chaotic I guess. But Louie and Rena…they act like normal people."

It's true, it's not normal behavior for a pokemon, Lucario admitted. In my experience, wild pokemon are a bit more aggressive than pokemon raised or tamed by trainers. I guess in a way your species rubs off on us. He considered something for a moment and asked, Is that why you haven't tried to catch me; because I'm like Louie and Rena?

Alex mulled over the question. "That's part of it. At first it was mostly because you said didn't want to be, and I couldn't even if I wanted to. Then you told me you had a trainer, and it was because it wouldn't be right to take a pokemon that belonged to somebody else…" The trainer's words trailed off into thought for a moment before returning again. "Now though, after what you told me that night at the Pokemon Center, it just…feels wrong." Lucario tilted his head curiously and Alex struggled to find the right way to express his thoughts. "My dad always forced me into doing what he felt was best. 'Go get this job, it'll be a good experience for you.' 'No, don't do that, it's not something you can do.' I feel like if I tried to capture you now, I'd be restraining you like he did me. It…just doesn't seem right, and now I wouldn't do it unless you asked me to."

Lucario seemed confused. I appreciate the thought, but you do realize being a pokemon trainer means capturing pokemon and doing just that to them, right?

Alex shrugged helplessly. "I'd never really thought about it that way before. Like I said, you're different from most pokemon and it's kind of something I never realized until...well, just now I guess…" He reached above his head and started scratching Purrloin, eliciting a content purr from the purple cat. "I guess I'm lucky the first pokemon I caught wanted me to catch her. It's something I'll be thinking about for all the other pokemon I meet."

Lucario smiled. You know…you're not like all the other humans I've met, he said. Most humans are nice to pokemon, but you're the first I've met that seems to actually care about what we think. I…actually really appreciate that… He then noticed something out of the corner of his eye and turned to face it. Alex, who's that over there? he said with a paw pointed in the person's general direction.

Alex looked and saw a tall man with fiery red hair on the other side of the lot. He wore a black jacket, tan pants, black boots, a bright red shirt, and some sort of black…visor thing. He didn't look like any of the employees Alex met that day, and the fact it was so late at night seemed suspicious.

Lucario closed his eyes and examined the man with aura-sight. That man's aura feels very weird. It's just...unpleasant, and sinister. I don't think he's up to anything good.

Alex agreed. "He does seem kind of suspicious. I don't think he works here, and I have a feeling he's not a guest either. You'd think if he was here to steal something, he wouldn't be dressed in something that flashy..." His mind concocted a variety of different explanations , but none were reassuring. The man turned a corner and started walking through the rows of trailers, roughly heading in the direction they just came from. Something told them the man was headed towards Rena's trailer. "I think we should follow him and see what he does."

Lucario shook his head. Alex, we don't know who he is or what he's up to, and if he spots you we don't know how he'll react. Let me follow him while you go get the guards, I'm smaller and faster and less likely to be seen.

Alex considered that and agreed. Lucario silently took off after the man and Alex ran to the guard house. Purrloin, sensing her trainer's urgency, leapt from her perch and ran alongside him. The trailers were on the western-most portion of Pokestar Studios, so it took them several minutes to run all the way to the front entrance. As they approached a small building, two guards opened the door. They flinched when they saw Alex, but he was too frenzied to notice.

"Guards…strange man…headed towards trailer…Rena…please help…" Alex said between gasps for air. The two guards said nothing and just stared at him, and their inaction made him angry. When Alex caught his breath, he spoke to the guards more sternly. "Didn't you hear what I said? There's a strange guy I don't think works here running around and he's headed towards Rena Kuro's trailer. I know it doesn't sound like an emergency, but Lucario sensed he wants to do something really bad so please come with me and…and…"

Behind the guards, through the open door, and in the corner of the wall sat two unconscious men stripped of their clothing. His eyes widened. His heartbeat quickened into a frantic pounding. Every drop of blood turned to ice. The two guards—imposters—looked at each other and shared a wicked, knowing grin. They reached to their belts and pulled out a pokeball apiece. A Gengar and a Gliscor emerged in a flash of light.

Alex had only one response. "Oh shit."


Author's Note: Evil cliffhangers, away! Mwahaha!

Fun Fact: this is the first chapter of the fic that didn't have a fight scene at some point. Huh.

Fun fact the second: much like Alex and Lucario's conversation in chapter three, Alex's reaction to Rena was a bitch to write. Again, it ties into my poor habit of having characters overreact and having to reign myself in. I was originally going to do a "What Measure is a Pokemon?"-type of discussion between them, but decided I can't really justify the moral mess of capturing sentient creatures and making them fight each other. You can still see a little of it between Alex and Lucario during their post-Rena-reveal discussion, but it's toned down significantly from what was originally there.

My normal head-cannon while playing the games is that the pokemon world is really dangerous and that humanity is justified capturing and taming the super-smart, Jurassic-Park-Raptor-esque monstrosities that jump out of the tall grass pissing fire and crapping lightning. I think it fits well with the games, and treating the pokemon as something as smart as humans, but distinctly not human in behavior, I think makes the world a bit more palatable. At least for people like me that overthink this shit.