"Are you alright?" the man asked. "Did that creature hurt you?"

In response, Allison growled.

"Gothita, Psyshock!" she yelled.

Gothita raised her arms and balls of silver energy formed. They shot at Swellow, knocking it back into a tree with such force Allison heard the tree splinter.

"Who are you and why'd you attack Gastly?" Allison asked. "That's a cowardly move, using Hyper Beam on a low level Pokemon. You could of killed Gastly!"

The man frowned. "It attacked you."

"It was playing." Allison growled. "Stop trying to justify assault and answer my question before I kick your ass." Allison growled fiercely. "Who. Are. You."

Allison glared at the man, threatening him bodily harm with her eyes. She wasn't going to let him walk away from this with anything less than a broken limb.

"Okay. Let me start over. I am Bishop Joseph of the Passing Time." he anounced.

"Bishop? You?!"

He ignored her. "I am a representative of the Hallowed Church-"

"What?" Allison had no idea what a church had to do with anything. "What does this have to do with you attacking Gastly?"

Joseph groaned. "Look, it's Church protocol to introduce myself and tell miscreants what their transgression was before justice is served. I know it's a pain, but we all have rules to follow."

"Wha-?"

"Now if it were up to me," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I wouldn't be involved in all this attacking business. It would be much easier to just give out pamphlets, maybe go door to door- save the attacking for the true criminals. We aren't a petty villainous team like Plasma or Flare- we should have standards." He shrugged. "But I have orders, and you're valuable, as the apprentice of a celeberity. Purifying you would make quite the statement."

Allison had no idea what he meant by "purifying" her, what she did know was that no one was going to force her into anything. "I'm valuable? Aw, you're making me blush. You know what would be really sweet? Backing the fuck off. That would make my day."

The man snapped his fingers. "How about no."

"Fine. Then tell me what you want." Allison demanded, which she knew was a stupid thing to do when the person on the receiving end of her anger was a psycho who was way more powerful than her. She just didn't care. She had to keep him talking so help could arrive. She didn't have any Pokemon with left with full health except- no, not him. She couldn't use him.

Joseph shrugged. "Not much. Just release your Pokemon." he said it like another person would of said Could you lend me a dollar? Was he insane?

Allison crossed her arms. "I thought you weren't with those freaks from Unova."

Joseph smiled back "I'm not." he replied. "But your Pokemon are cursed. You must remove them before they taint your Anima."

"Anima?"

"Your essence." He said. "You must protect your essence at all costs and let no one take it from you."

Definitely insane.

"My mom had this conversation with me already. 'Don't trust any drink given to you by a boy you don't know, always carry pepper spray- "

He faced palmed, which would of been funny if Allison wasn't so pissed."That's your innocence." he said. "Your essence, or Anima, is your soul. Tainted Pokemon will corrupt it."

"There's nothing wrong with my Pokemon!" she argued. Well, maybe there was something wrong with Kirlia... But he was all she had. Allison tried to discretely pull a Pokeball from her bracelet with the same hand it was on, so it was less obvious. "And you're not touching them! So leave before I call the cops!"

Joseph raised his cane and pointed at her, and Allison remembered that his Pokeballs were kept on the cane. "You're out numbered and out ranked. Release your Impure Pokemon and then leave. Or..."

"Or what?'" Allison had it in her hand, but she wanted to wait until he was distracted to throw him out.

"Or you could join us. The Hallowed doctrine states that all sinners are welcome, as longer as they repent."

"Does that mean you get Gastly?" Allison asked.

"And your Gothita." he moved towards her.

"Oh hell no." Allison growled. She forgot her plan. She forgot that her Gothita wasn't at full health. No one threatened Gothita.

"Gothita, Feint Attack!"

Gothita rushed forward and feinted like she was going to jab Swellow on the left, then jabbed right. Swellow fell out of the sky.

"Return!" Joseph yelled. He returned Swellow, then threw a pokeball. "Diggersby, go! Mud shot!"

A ball of glowing mud formed between it's ears and shot at Gothita. Gothita ducked and rushed forward. "Feint attack!"

"Hammer Arm!" Loli feinted to the left, but Diggersby was expecting that. It hit Loli into the air with it's ear.

"Hyper beam!"

Allison screamed as the beam of pure white energy hit Gothita. Allison ran and caught her as she fell.

"Give me the Pokemon so I can finish them." Joseph intoned.

"No..." Allison held Gothita close to her chest and looked at her. She had scratches all over her lavender head, black at the top. Her body was black, with a white zigzag on it's midsection, only now it was covered in scratches and scars. The Pokemon was adorned with bows, two on either side of it's head and one on it's chest. When Allison was ten and she got Gothita, she made a bow that matched her. Now she still wore a bow on all her outfits. Today's bow was on her shoulder.

Gothita had picked it out.

"Miss, if you would just-"

"No." Allison growled, holding back tears. "You can't have Gothita. And I won't let a psychopath like you touch Gastly." Allison stepped forward defensively. "Gothita is one of my best friends and they're both living creatures. How could you do something like this to them? What religion is worth a life?"

Joseph smiled, and it was like Allison had broken a dam. His composure broke into pieces like a glass shattering on the floor.

Allison was reminded of Topher and Dino when they battled. They had the same look, like 'This is what I live for'. It was a look of absolute rapture. Only this look was less passion, and more obsession. Allison could tell right then he wasn't completely sane.

In other words, he was sufficiently distracted.

"Kirlia, Hypnosis!" Allison yelled as she released her strongest Pokemon.

A small white Pokemon with what appeared to be green hair and a white skirt appeared.

Diggersby charged, but Kirlia's red horns glowed and sudden it started to float.

Allison made a sound of annoyance.

"That's not what I- You know what, never mind. Whatever works." At least he attacked who he was supposed to. Allison thought.

"Ditto!" Joseph cried, throwing out Ditto, who promptly changed into a Kirlia. But she didn't have time to do anything else- attacking people was kinda hard when you had a face full of Diggersby.

Allison, who had ducked for cover, glared at Kirlia. "You could of hit me!" her Kirlia smirked, like it was thinking Too bad I didn't.

Allison stood up. "Return." she growled. She pointed his Pokeball at him and a beam of red light hit the little annoyance until he disappeared.

"You-" Joseph raised his staff in anger, and Allison darted forward and kicked him in the shin. He fell forward, and she grabbed the staff and darted away.

"Give that back!" he yelled. Joseph moved to charge Allison, but she raised a Pokeball. He froze in his tracks.

"Try me." she warned. "I have plenty of powerful Pokemon besides Kirlia." That was a bluff, but he didn't need to know that. "Now get on the ground."

Joseph started to comply, but then stopped. He turned his wild grey eyes at Allison and smirked.

"I have Powerful Pokemon too. Six of them." He motioned to his staff. Allison glanced at it and saw that there was only three Pokeballs on it.

Three Pokeballs on the staff, two already called out. That's five. Where was his sixth Pokemon-

While Allison wasn't staring at him, Joseph pushed her down.

Allison looked up and saw an Joseph pick a Pokeball up off the ground and let oot a pink and tan Pokemon. Crap.

"Finish her." Joseph commanded. Allison braced herself.

"Icy Wind!"

In a matter of seconds Joseph and Audino were frozen solid. Allison could see his surprised look in those creepy eyes.

"Guys!" Allison yelled. She hugged her friends.

Topher grinned and Dino hugged her back. "So, this makes me leader right?" he asked in her ear.

Allison pulled back and punched him in the chest.