Hey guys, welcome to Chapter 13 of Pokémon Society! I realize now that it's been 6 months since I've started this story, and you guys have been very supportive. Sending your OCs, giving possible ideas, and leaving positive reviews, and telling me about any mistakes. (Like that one time I put the Pokémon Society OCs in the Island of challenge story lol.) Obviously without your support, this story would not have been the way it is. This is why I think SYOC stories are a great thing to write, because you're not alone when making the stories. This is why I just want to thank the thousands of people (More like just under 2.5 thousand) who read this story. And the thirteen people who submitted their OCs, and left positive reviews and ideas. You all are great, thank you. And without further ado, let's begin the chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it.


No one's POV

Following the events of Oak Agency infiltrating the Gamma Team base, things were tense.

Almost thirty five percent of the members of the Gamma Team left the organization. The people who remained were distrustful of others.

People constantly fought and accused each other of being traitors. The mood in general was hostile and fearful.

No matter who they were, people were affected in every way. Kazuma lost lots of business and wasn't his usual jovial self. Jacob, a person known to always be kind and fair, became negative.

Marlow wasn't himself after learning his test subject escaped with its trainer. He became extremely angry and blamed everyone for their escape. He blamed Jacob for taking him on the shiny hunt, he blamed Devon along with everyone else for not appearing when they found the escapee, he blamed all the various grunts and higher ups for failing to stop them. But he mostly blamed himself for leaving everything unprotected.

Olivia seemed more sullen for whatever reason, Molly felt sullen that Olivia was sullen, and Gabrielle was distant and unresponsive.

The only people who seemed unaffected were Devon and Elaine. While Devon was annoyed everyone was mad at him, he knew that even if he wasn't going to abandon the Gamma Team, what he did was right. Elaine figured she played her part and was perfectly fine with everyone else failing.

At this time, Jacob had decided to gather everyone together in the meeting room to discuss what was going on.

Jacob was relieved to see that everyone from the mission branch was present, but the air was definitely negative.

"Okay everyone, I gathered everyone today to discuss what happened two weeks and three days ago. Anyone want to start?"

"Oh you're one to talk Jacob!" shouted Olivia. "You weren't even there!"

"Marlow and I were on a mission given to us directly from the executive branch for your information," said Jacob coldly.

"Well if there's anyone to blame it's Devon! He didn't even do anything except create a distraction!" shouted Olivia

"Well I'm sorry if I didn't realize they were Oak Agency members!"

"It's not like you did anything after you realized it! We could've used your help!" interjected Kazuma.

"Maggie surprised attacked me with her Gengar, I'm not the one to blame!"

"Excuses Excuses," said Molly.

"Oh don't even start! You lost to a girl with a half dead Altaria! With three Pokémon!"

"It was a mega Altaria, and my Gardevoir refused to battle!"

"I say it wasn't her fault," said Marlow suddenly. "Mega Pokémon like Altaria are indeed powerful, and she was at a major disadvantage. If there's anyone to blame other than Devon for losing my experiment, it would be Olivia! SHe lost to the same person twice!"

"Me? Oh oh of course it's my fault! At least I fought to the very end! Unlike someone who decided to stop fighting because her oh so precious older brother who works for the Oak Agency waltzed into the room!"

Gabrielle, who'd been silent the entire time, immediately snapped to attention.

"Like you would know how it feels like. You probably don't even care what happens to anyone! Your family could die and you wouldn't care because you're a necrophiliac!"

Olivia froze. She got up and left the room.

Gabrielle clearly didn't expect the reaction. Molly gave her a cold look and started leaving the room after Olivia.

"You clearly don't know anything about her."

And with that final statement, Molly left the room and shut the door.

Jacob sighed. "Well this certainly went well. I don't understand why we're all like this, weren't we all friends at one point?"

"Things change Jacob. Whether for good or bad," said Kazuma.

"Well why do things have to change! Why do we have to let this event come between us and create this? Hostility, negativity, distrust? I thought we were called the Gamma Team?"

"Then maybe we shouldn't be a team," said Gabrielle.

"If you believe that, then I have a few questions for all of you. Devon, when you do a Pokémon battle, do you only battle with one Pokémon and count on it to defeat the opposing team?

"No."

"Then you can't just go and try to do things by yourself! There's no I in team. And what about you Kazuma, with your coffee business? Did you just open shop and people started pouring in, or did others help promote buyers?

"I see what you're saying."

"Don't try that with me Jacob," said Marlow coldly. "I believed in teamwork one day. But I don't anymore."

Jacob wasn't deterred. "What your partner did was wrong, but you wouldn't be at the point you were without him."

"Don't you even-"

"I suggest you listen to him Marlow, he's making a good point," interrupted Elaine suddenly. "However successful you may be in life because of your own work, others will have helped you get to the point you are. Anytime in life, you'll be working with others, it's an unavoidable fact in life. We humans were meant to work as a team. The only question is how you'll deal with it. You can choose to be uncooperative, or you can choose to make the team stronger."

"I agree," said Olivia, walking into the room with Molly. She'd clearly been crying, but she made an effort not to show that. She turned to Gabrielle.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"Me too, I didn't think beforehand about how my comment would affect you."

They smiled at each other and Jacob raised a questioning eyebrow at Elaine. Who simply repeated the gesture to him.

"You know what would really bring this team back together?" asked Kazuma.

Everyone looked towards him with mild interest. Devon slowly raised his hand.

"A Pokémon tournament? They're eight of us."

"That's what you'd do. What we really need is a mission. We all do well together on a mission together. Remember what happened last time we were on a mission?"

"Oh yeah, when you were seething at that Pokémon guessing game? Good times," said Jacob.

"That was rigged."

"No, you just don't have enough scientific knowledge about Pokémon like I do," said Marlow.

"That is exactly why it's rigged. You've probably memorized every Pokémon Pokédex number and what kind of Pokémon it is!"

"Actually, I have."

Kazuma made a helpless gesture and everyone laughed. A knock sounded at the door and Executive Stewart walked in. Jacob hurriedly moved aside from the leader's chair and sat in his own spot.

"I see making up was easy for everyone here. We're all friends now right?"

Everyone nodded without hesitation. In reality, they really couldn't hold a grudge against their team for long. They just needed a chance to get all their questions and grievances out.

"Well then, before I give you your mission. I'd like to touch on a few things about what happened two weeks ago. Don't worry, I won't go into anything too personal."

Nobody responded, so he shrugged and pulled out a few pictures. He slid a photo to the middle for everyone to see.

"I think we all know who this person is."

Kazuma leaned over and looked at the photo. "Yeah, isn't that dude the leader of Oak Alpha?"

"Precisely, what about this person?"

Kazuma shook his head and Elaine glanced at the picture.

"Joyce Wondaria, age twenty one, used to work as a lawyer and still does occasionally. Next?"

The executive branch leader gave her a look and she simply shrugged.

"I did research on many members of Oak Agency. Particularly the Alpha side of the Oak Agency."

Executive Stewart flipped through a few pictures. "Well then, what about this person?"

"Isn't that the person who was put on trial for murder? At like, age sixteen?" asked Jacob.

"Beats me, ask Olivia, she talked directly to the guy as if she knew him," said Gabrielle.

All heads in the room save for Molly's turned to stare at Olivia.

"I knew him from the Gamma Team rehab school for recruiting. Didn't like him at all, he was one of the few defects."

"Defect?" asked Marlow.

"Yeah, he refused to learn criminal material so he was therefore defective."

"I think you mean defiant. Because defective is not the term-"

"Shut up Marlow, they were all gears working for the machine known as the Gamma Team. If you think anything else you're crazy."

"But Olivia, you're crazy, and that's what I like about you," said Molly.

"Right, forgot," said Olivia with a dry tone.

Devon chuckled. "Looks like things are going back to normal. Crazy how we can suddenly start trusting each other after a motivational speech?"

Executive Stewart shrugged. "We humans are like that. Anyways, seeing as you all know some stuff about thine enemy, I have a mission for all of you."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face the executive branch member. He smiled and nodded once he saw everyone's attention was on him.

"As you may or may not have known, thanks to Elaine's efforts, we have now secured the Master Ball. However, we weren't able to get to phase two because of what happened. But now we can. As we most probably know, legendary Pokémon are powerful, but we have a plan to weaken one enough to use the Master Ball. We developed an injection for Pokémon called the Alpha Gene. It greatly enhances the Pokémon's strength and allows them to Dynamax or Gigantamax without a wishing star in energy zones. It also allows them to Gigantamax without the Gigantamax factor. We found in an experiment with two Toxtricity that it bolsters the strength of a Gigantamax Pokémon even more, especially one with the Gigantamax factor. What I need you all to do is divide into groups to capture or steal eight Pokémon. You could just all go by yourselves and each capture one. But teamwork makes the dream work."

"Actually, I'd prefer to work alone," said Elaine.

"Well that's fine for you, but the rest of us aren't professional thieves."

"Can we call grunts for assistance?" asked Kazuma.

"I don't see why not."

Kazuma and Jacob looked at each other and grinned.

"Well I know exactly who to pick. Don't you think so Jacob?"


Twenty minutes later

After some debating and planning. They had decided on the groups. Elaine, as she said before, would be going alone. Olivia and Molly would be going together, Devon, Gabrielle, and Marlow would be in one group, and Jacob and Kazuma would be going together.

However, Jacob and Kazuma had decided to add another person to the group. They waited in Kazuma's coffee corner, and smiled as someone approached them.

"Henry, how are you?" asked Kazuma, approaching his friend and clapping his hand.

"I've been surviving. What about you two?" he asked, shaking Jacob's hand.

"We've been doing fine. We have a mission to capture or steal a bunch of Gigantamax Pokemon," said Kazuma. "You in?"

"Of course! Where we heading?"

"Not sure yet. But I know for sure how we're heading. I've waited six months for this. Follow me."

Kazuma led them through a few hallways and went up some stairs. Henry raised an eyebrow as Kazuma headed to their destination.

"Doesn't this lead to the helicopter bay?" asked Henry.

"Yes it does, but don't worry, I'm not asking you to fly."

Jacob's face became pale as he realized what Kazuma was implying. He froze in place and refused to move.

"No, you can't do that!"

"Have a heart Jacob. Besides, I've been training for six months now, ever since we got back from the mission on that island. To be a qualified private pilot, you need two to four months of training. And the Gamma Team can for some reason give legal certificates! Come on!"

He grabbed Jacob's arm and pulled him the rest of the way. They reached the helicopter bay and went to the helicopter manager.

"I'd like to borrow a helicopter. Direct mission from the executive leader," said Kazuma.

"Passes?" asked the manager in a bored tone.

Ever since the infiltration, all members were given cards that could be scanned. When scanned, the reader would list out any missions uploaded to that card.

Jacob and Kazuma gave the manager their cards. Henry didn't get a pass, grunts had to be under the authority of higher members in order to leave for a mission. The man scanned them and gave a nod of approval and handed them back.

"Your mission expires in eight hours, good luck. Your helicopter is heli A-14"

They all got into the helicopter and took their seats. Jacob tightened his seatbelt and prayed to Arceus as Kazuma started the helicopter. The roof above them opened as Kazuma slowly made the helicopter rise.

"See Jacob, this isn't so bad," said Henry.

"It'll only get worse," muttered Jacob.

Kazuma easily cleared the Gamma base and increased the throttle. He rose up higher into the air, causing the city below them to become smaller and smaller.

"Everyone have their helmets on?" asked Kazuma.

They both nodded. Kazuma smiled and pushed the throttle even more.

"Hey Henry, can you do a barrel roll?"

"Of course I can, can you?"

Jacob's eyes widened as he realized what they were playing at.

"Why don't I just show you?"

Kazuma pushed the throttle to max and flipped the helicopter with a wild turn. He continued doing this, causing the helicopter to spin multiple times.

"What did I ever do to yoooooooooooou!"


"What are they doing?" asked Gabrielle as she, Marlow, and Devon stared at the flipping helicopter through a window.

They'd heard the helicopter and went to see if it was an Oak Agency helicopter. But they had seen Kazuma inside the helicopter with a pair of binoculars. Now, they saw Kazuma showing off with his helicopter skills.

"Classic Lord Kazuma behavior," said Devon. We're wasting time, let's go."

Marlow shrugged and walked off with Devon. Gabrielle stared at the helicopter a bit more before turning around and following.

They walked to the garage and were met with a guard standing there.

"Passes?"

Gabrielle, Devon, and Marlow turned in their passes. The guard scanned them and handed the passes back.

"You've got eight hours."

He opened the door and let them all through. But Gabrielle couldn't help but notice the guard giving her a suspicious look.

Devon noticed the look as well. "Back off buddy! She's done nothing wrong. People do their own actions, not the actions of others."

The guard raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry but-"

"No buts about it!"

With that he pulled Gabrielle through the door and shut the guard out.

"Sorry about him," said Devon.

"It's not your fault," said Gabrielle meekly.

"Well it isn't yours either. That grunt should mind his own business. Let's just focus on the mission."

They all went to the car and got it. But Gabrielle couldn't focus on the mission. She noted how Marlow didn't say anything about what happened. Indicating that he felt the same way as the guard, but didn't voice his thoughts out of respect.

Devon eased the car out of its parking spot and drove it down the tunnel. In less than two minutes of driving, they reached the first checkpoint.

"Passes?"

The checkpoint system was a system that was designed to prevent people from sneaking into the tunnel. At every base or safe house, there was a gate that would check your passes. If everything checked out, you'd be admitted through. If it doesn't they'll call security and capture you.

They all turned in their passes. After a few moments, their passes were handed back and the gate opened.

"I'm starting to hate all these security checks," muttered Devon as they drove past the gate.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Where should we go to find Gigantamax Pokémon?" asked Gabrielle.

"Well, there is a major Pokémon genetics research center nearby," said Marlow. "But Elaine is already headed there. Honestly, I think the best place to find Pokémon with the Gigantmax factor would be smaller research labs. I study mega forms, but I also have adequate scientific knowledge about Pokémon forms in general. I can modify my genetic scanner to identify Pokémon with the Gigantamax factor. This is one of the few ways to identify them."

"Okay, is there any way to check what labs study Gigantamax Pokémon?" asked Devon.

"I'm a scientist, I have my ways," said Marlow, bringing out his computer. "Give me a moment."

"A scientific moment is equal to a large quantity of time," muttered Gabrielle.

"Indeed it is."


Oliva and Molly were driving downtown, with Molly at the wheel. Olivia was sitting in the back with her attire completely changed.

She wore a pink, green, and black crop top, her fingernails painted with the same color scheme. Her lavender hair was tied up in two pigtails. She wore ripped jeans and had a baseball bat next to her.

Molly was dressed in similar attire, only her color scheme was blue and green.

The reason for this was because most people in the place they were going were dressed like this. They were going to a rough neighborhood in the outskirts of Voyanna city to meet an "old friend."

In reality, the person was going to get beaten up and end up with his Pokémon stolen. The person they were meeting had ditched the Gamma Team training school after he'd been caught stealing by the cops.

"Honestly, I think we look so cute together!" squealed Molly. "We should take pictures of ourselves together and post it on social media. We'll make so many people jealous!"

"No! This is for mission purposes only! We're not even in a relationship."

"Not in that way sweetheart. But I love you so much and I always want to be like you because you're so amazing and crazy and-"

"I'm going to stop you right there before you turn my brain into wax. And don't call me sweetheart!"

Molly frowned for a second but her bright smile immediately came back.

"That's fine. I'll just call you Olivia. That is who you are anyways!"

Olivia sighed. "Just remember Molly. When we meet him, we have to be intimidating. We're going to be making actual threats with the means to carry them out, so don't say stuff like 'if you don't cooperate, I'll beat up your girlfriend or something.' Especially if we don't know whether or not he has one."

"You got Olivia. I was wondering, where are we going to go once we steal his Garbador?"

"Still figuring that one out. For now, we'll focus on this part."

Molly nodded and continued driving. They drove for a few more minutes before pulling into a neighborhood.

The place had similar houses, all of them pretty run down and painted weird colors. Olivia's prediction had been correct, almost all the girls were dressed just like them.

Molly pulled in front of a house. They got out of the car, Olivia grabbing her bat and twirling it around. She gave a sinister grin at Molly as they approached the building.

"Are you ready?"

Molly pulled out her own bat from the trunk and gave her a nasty smile.

"Always."

Olivia gripped her bat and swung it at the door. The bat was lined with wood, but had a metal core. The door vibrated and wood splintered. Two more hits and the door splintered as the door's hinges snapped.

"Ethan Rivera! I'm coming for you!" shouted Oliva before laughing maniacally.

There was no response from inside the house. Olivia knew he was simply trying to hide.

"Okay Molly my dear, search every inch of this house until you find him."

Three minutes later

Like all houses in the neighborhood, the house was small. They'd found him in no time.

Molly dragged the struggling man down the stairs and stopped right in front of Olivia. She let him go, the man fell to the ground and scrambled up to his knees.

"Now, for the first order of business, I must tell you not to run away. Doing so would result in great pain," said Olivia, a sickening smile forming on her face.

"What do you want with me?" aske Ethan, his eyes watering.

"SImple, you went to the rehab Gamma training school. But you chickened out on us."

"I'll rejoin! I'll dedicate myself to it! Please don't hurt me!"

"You were always a coward. It's too late for mercy. First, I'll break your legs, then take your Pokémon."


Elaine peered around the corner of a whitewashed wall. She was in the Voyanna City Pokémon Genetic Research Center. Or the VCP GRC, which Elaine thought was a strange and convoluted acronym.

There were two scientists around the corner, holding coffee and discussing how great the year has been.

"Man, by the time our research is finished, we'll all be millionaires!" exclaimed one scientist.

"I know right, first, there was the rediscovery of Hisiuan forms on that island off the coast of Sinnoh. Then the rediscovery of the Alpha factor in some Pokémon!"

"Oh yeah! Doesn't it increase the Pokémon's size by at least fifteen to thirty percent?"

"Yep, sometimes large or smaller. The size difference used to be passed off as abnormally large Pokémon."

This made Elaine think of her Honedge. Stiele was very large, he could possibly have the Alpha factor in him. But how could the Alpha factor even reach the Calzei Region? Did it have to do with all the Pokémon transports the region had been doing?

"Hey, have you heard the rumors about a strange Pokémon wandering the seas?" asked one scientist.

"Of course, some say it's a new Pokémon. But scientific research has deduced it as a regional variant of Lanturn. And based on its size and strength, it could be a kind of Noble Pokémon!"

Elaine's heart leaped. She remembered the huge Pokémon she'd seen when she tried to steal the blue orb. She knew it was looking for the Blue Orb.

"Oh yeah, have you had a chance to study the Rapidash bones yet?"

"Rapidash bones?"

"You haven't heard? People dug up a bunch of Rapidash bones, the Rapidash had to be an Alpha of the old, cause the bones were huge! The Pokémon is said to have stood at twelve feet!"

"Amazing! I'll check it out when I can. Our coffee breaks almost over, let's go."

The two scientists left in the opposite direction of Elaine. Elaine had already known where they'd go, so she was comfortable where she was. She looked at the time on her phone and sighed.

"Reconnaissance over. I have a tour to catch."

Ten minutes later

Elaine was in the bathroom of a nearby bathroom. She'd already dyed her hair blonde, but she needed to change her appearance even more.

She put on fake contacts to change her eye color to a bright green. She stepped into a stall and then changed her clothing.

Rather than the stealth suit she was wearing before. She was now wearing a business suit and a simple bracelet. She put on some false glasses and high heels and walked out of the bathroom.

No one in the gas station questioned her on her change of appearance, or even gave her a look. She went to her car, a common Royota and stepped in.

Next to her was a computer bag. She opened it and pulled out a wallet. Inside the wallet were a few credit cards and a driver's license. All items were real and were regularly used by one of her friends.

"Ah, Christina Lee. The perfect example of a successful Calzei Region woman."

The reason Elaine was so prepared was because she'd been informed about this mission over a week ago. While she was in the mission branch, she was pretty much a special operative. Executive Stewart put her on the mission branch simply because he didn't want to create an entire new unit with one person.

Because of Elaine's status, she enjoyed a few privileges. She was informed about future missions before they were assigned, and she also didn't need a pass to move in and out of the base. She got whatever supplies she needed, and had access to unrestricted Gamma cars.

She started the car and drove to the VCP GRC. She got out, went into the building, and went through the long and annoying process of submitting her papers and proving her identity before going on her private tour.

She waited in the reception area for a few minutes before a man came up to her. He was wearing a white lab coat over a plaid shirt. He wore Khaki pants and had a badge at his hip that was attached to his belt. That badge was what Elaine needed.

"Hello! You must Christina," said the man as he approached her. He held out his hand. "I'm Harry Byrd, director of the VCP GRC."

Elaine stood up and shook his hand. "You're right, nice to meet you. I believe I'm going to have my tour now?"

"Yup, follow me."

He led her past the reception area and into a cafeteria.

"This, as you can probably tell, is the cafeteria. In this building, we divide places into floors, also known as levels. First level contains the reception area and the cafeteria, second level contains the offices and meeting rooms, third level contains the public archives, fourth level contains the private archives, fifth level contains the Pokémon we study, and the last level contains the scientific material like fossils and other things. We also have a basement for storage, but that and levels four to six are restricted."

"That's a shame, I would have found all the scientific knowledge interesting."

"I bet you would, you have a Masters in Pokémon Genetics right?"

Elaine nodded. Of course, she actually didn't. But Christina did.

"I got a PhD, but I'm still learning new and interesting things all the time. Did you know that contrary to popular belief, Charmander's strength isn't judged by how bright the flame on its tail is, but rather, the flame's brightness is controlled by how much energy the Charmander has. The reason for this is because the fire on its tail is lit by heat it creates, and stays lit because of a special oil on its tail. So a Charmander could have no fire on its tail and be perfectly fine. But the reason they always have theirs lit is because it shows other Pokémon that they're extremely strong, especially if their tail is really bright."

"I've heard of that before, a lot of scientists argue whether or not it's true. I find myself on your side," said Elaine.

Elaine had in fact, heard of it. She'd spent the last week memorizing many science facts and opinions just to make herself look credible. Like she always said, when it comes to a serious heist, you can never be too careful.

"Indeed. Anyways, back to the tour. The first level is where scientists are admitted and where they can take breaks. The reception area is mainly for guests who are here for tours, inspections, and other things. The cafeteria has free food for employees and paid food for guests."

"So I would have to pay."

"Precisely, but the cafeteria isn't a restaurant. You have to be an approved guest in order to buy food, so you can't just walk in and buy."

"So the food buying options are just for people with tours? It can't be a good source of revenue, unless you have tours often."

Harry laughed. "You would be surprised how many people bring their children to work. We've been seriously considering adding a child play area to level one."

Elaine chuckled. "Now I can imagine it."

They continued through the building. With Harry giving short summaries at each level.

"And these are the public archives. They contain scientific knowledge that has been released and is available to the public. Feel free to explore the digital archives and the physical archives for an hour, or hangout in the cafeteria. This is actually one of the largest scientific libraries in Voyanna City. The largest is in the Calzei region is the Barius City Public Library of Science and Technology."

"I'm aware of that. I think I'm going to stay here. Is there any place to keep my computer case?"

"You can keep it in one of the empty offices. I'll be waiting here, I have my own browsing to be done."

Elaine nodded. She said thank you and casually placed her hand next to her pocket as she walked past him.

In reality, she was going to pickpocket him. She needed his ID card to get to the fifth floor.

As she brushed past him, she lightly unclipped his badge. She quickly grabbed it before it fell and continued to walk. Harry being none the wiser.

She walked to the bathroom after safely stowing the ID card in her computer bag. She went into one of the stalls and sat on the floor. She opened her bag and took out the ID, a computer, and an ID copying machine.

She smiled as she gazed at the glorious piece of machinery. This Gamma Team tech revolutionized crime. She plugged the machine into her computer and opened the top hatch. She put the ID in it and closed the lid.

On her computer, a program opened. She selected a few design settings and took a few other things from her bag.

She removed a sheet of plastic and a special, reflective paint cartridge. She fed the plastic into the machine through a thin slot in the back and put the paint cartridge inside on a slot in the side.

She pressed the print button and waited. The machine scanned the card and started laser printing and applying paint to the sheet. It cut the sheet out and applied the reflective paint to the top layer. It superheated the card to dry the paint and apply the right shine. It scanned the barcode on Harry's ID and then scanned the barcode on the replica of Harry's ID. The copying machine screen lit up with a green check, signifying that barcodes were exactly identical.

She smiled to herself and pulled out both cards. She stowed the replica in her pocket, easily identifying it by the heat it radiates. She stowed Harry's card in her other pocket and packed everything up.

She walked out of the bathroom and headed back to the public archives. Fortunately, Harry was still there, browsing intenly through a book. She creeped up behind him with the clip ready and then clipped to his back.

"Hello Harry! I was wondering, could you give me a tour of the archives? They're pretty confusing."

Harry leaped up in surprise. "Ah! Don't sneak up on me like that. But I'll gladly give you a tour."

Elaine smiled, inwardly and outwardly. All she had to do was wait for her tour to end and she'll be good. At least, as long as nothing went wrong.


Kazuma landed the helicopter outside one of the biggest Pokécare centers ever. Pokécare.

Kazuma remembered this facility. It was almost a year since Kazuma and Jacob broke out of prison and went to this very place to get their Pokémon back from the government.

Kazuma had realized as they flew over the facility that the land Pokécare owned was very large. The reception building was small, but Pokécare had a huge field to house all the Pokémon they were caring for. They had huge storages for food, bedding, and other resources they would need. Artificial ponds, lakes, streams, caves, forests, and other habitats dotted the fields, making sure the Pokémon were comfortable.

Kazuma, Henry, and a very sick Jacob got out of the helicopter. They gave Jacob a time to recover before walking up to the reception building.

Kazuma opened the door slightly before giving it a powerful kick. The door banged open, revealing the shocked faces of four people.

There was a woman at the back that Kazuma immediately recognized. The other three people were clearly trainers getting their Pokémon back.

"We have business here. Business you lowlifes shouldn't get involved in. Scram!" order Kazuma in a Noivernman like voice.

A girl who couldn't be older than eighteen gave him a sinister look.

"Quoting Noivernman cause you think you're cool huh? If I wasn't an Oak Agency member, I'd say you were a low level thug." the girl flashed a badge. "But I know you're part of the Gamma Team! Thugs don't use helicopters! Let's get them guys! Go, Girafarig!"

"Go, Sandy!" shouted one of the men.

"Out, Burt!" shouted the other. Who seemed to be an identical twin to the first man.

A Girafarig, a Marowak, and an Alolan Marowak appeared in flashes of light. Glaring at Kazuma and his friends.

Kazuma figured they were okay. The Oak Agency members didn't seem like they were high ranking.

"Alright! Go, Heracross!"

"No more Dragapult? Fine then. Go, Swampert!"

"Out, Mary!"

All three Pokémon faced the opposing team. They were about to start fighting when the woman at the desk spoke up.

"Can you please take it outside? I don't want this place to get destroyed."

Each side looked at each other and shrugged. They gathered their Pokémon and stepped outside.

"Alright, now the battle truly begins! Girafarig, use Psychic!"

All three of their Pokémon scrambled away to dodge the Psychic waves. Henry's Heracross rushing forward with his horn.

"Bonemerang!" shouted both twins at the same time.

"Mary, use an Aqua Jet!"

Jacob's Azumarill rushed at the closest Pokémon, the Alolan Marowak, and slammed her body into it. The Pokémon's attack was thrown off and slammed into the building, while the other Bonemerang hit Henry's Heracross.

"Swampert, use Earthquake!"

The ground rocked as Mary and the opposing Pokémon slipped and stumbled. Chunks of rock and earth burst free from the ground as Swampert slammed his fist into the ground.

"Heracross, use Megahorn!"

Heracross rushed forward, his wings moving fast. He slammed into the off-balance Girafarig. The Pokémon fainted immediately, giving the rest of Henry's friends more confidence.

"All right, let's finish this up! Swampert, use Liquidation!"

"Mary, Aqua Jet!"

The two Pokémon charged at the opposing Marowaks, but the twin trainers just stood there, smug smiles on their faces.

"You can't get us that easily," said one of the twins.

"Sandy, use Swords Dance!"

"Burt, use Shadow Bone!"

Sandy powered himself with swords that whirled around him. Burt struck both ends of his bone on his head, lighting them up.

Mary came to Burt first. He dodged the Aqua Jet, but didn't attack. Mary flipped around and rushed at him again.

"Sandy, use Bonemerang!"

The bone rushed at Mary and hit her in the side. She stumbled backwards and dodged the bone when it returned to the Marowak.

"Mary, get behind Heracross and use Belly Drum!"

Henry understood the command. "Heracross, cover Mary, use Close Combat!"

Henry's Heracross reached the two Marowaks and attacked alongside Kazuma's Swampert.

"Burt, use Flare Blitz!"

"Sandy, use Bone Club!"

Both Marowaks switched targets. Heracross flinched in surprise as Burt rushed at him in a fiery blaze.

Swampert's fist and Sandy's bone connected. Both Pokémon struggling to overpower the other.

"Mary, Aqua Jet!"

Right before Burt fully slammed into Heracross. Mary came rushing forward like a torrent of water. She slammed into Burt and sent him flying, the fire surrounding him extinguished as he tumbled on the ground.

"Again! Use Aqua Jet!"

Sandy didn't stand a chance. As he tried to dodge Mary's attack, Swampert hit him with Liquidation. He barely recovered when Henry's Heracross rammed into him with Megahorn.

Burt stumbled backwards. He heard a noise to his side, but didn't get to register it before Mary slammed into him.

All three Oak Agency members looked in shock. The girl reached to the side of her belt, but Kazuma stopped her with a cruel smile.

"I wouldn't."

She stopped short of pulling out her pokéball. But then she seemed to realize something.

"I don't need to beat you to arrest you. So the three of you are under arrest for robbery!"

Kazuma gave a laugh. "Jacob, do something with them. Me and Henry need to have a talk with an old friend."


Devon, Gabrielle, and Marlow stood outside the Floatzel District Dynamax Research Lab in Barius City. Discussing their plan. Well, it was mostly Devon and Marlow.

"You guys better hurry up, we only have four more hours for our mission before we're labeled for apprehension."

"We're trying! The drive to Barius City took a long time!" argued Devon.

"Well who decided to go to a lab all the way here anyways? It's their fault."

"I didn't see you offering any ideas!" shouted Marlow.

"Everyone calm down before we're noticed!" hissed Devon.

They all stopped bickering. Devon wished he could have been with Kazuma's groups. He was more or less a stranger to Marlow and Gabrielle thought he was bigheaded.

"Back to what I was saying. We're nowhere near Elaine's level of stealth. We can't just grab some lab coats and expect to blend either. We should just storm in and take the Pokémon by force. This lab isn't that big, I'd estimate at least fifteen scientists and five guards. Most people have two Pokémon, and the scientists could even have one. As soon as we step in, we'll be spotted."

"But you see Devon. This is Barius City, no one will ask questions if I just come in unannounced looking for work. No one will be asking questions considering my expertise," said Marlow.

"He does have a point. Remember that one detective, Inspector Green? He didn't even have a degree in crime when he signed up. He just signed up, did a year of school, and got started. He said so in his autobiography," stated Gabrielle.

"That was back then. This guy's like sixty or something. Crime has increased and people are more paranoid. If we move quickly, the police may not come fast enough," argued Devon.

Gabrielle and Marlow shrugged, not having any better ideas. Gabrielle turned to the locked entrance and pointed at it.

"How are you going to get through that?" she asked.


Two guards sat on the front desk, ignoring the monitor showing security footage as they talked over donuts and coffee.

"Did you hear what's going on in Voyanna City?"

"Yeah, the Gamma Team's gone quiet. Happening around here too. It'll only be a matter of time before the Gamma Team leaves Barius alone as well."

"Agreed, if only Inspec-"

The heavy steel doors were blasted open, sending shards of steel and wood flying across the room.

The guards ducked as the steel shards knocked over coffee and broke glass. They got up and pulled out their guns. Then stopped as they took in the giant Rhyperior facing them down.

"Alright, it's a Pokémon battle you want? Go, Venusaur!"

"Out, Gorebyss and Huntail!"

The three Pokémon faced down the intruders. Devon noted with an annoyed look that they all had a double weakness advantage over his Rhyperior.

"All right then! Return Rhyperior! Go, Dragapult!"

"Out, Sketch!"

"Go, Lucas!"

Devon's Dragapult, Marlow's Mimikyu, and Gabrielle's Lucario faced the opposing team. Lucario moved in front of Gabrielle protectively.

"Gorebyss, use Ice Beam! Huntail, Ice Fang" shouted one of the guards.

"Dragapult, Phantom Force!"

Devon's Dragapult sank into the ground, leaving his two attackers baffled. Sketch used this as an opportunity to use Astonish as Lucas used Swords Dance.

"Let me show you how it's done. Venusaur, use Giga Drain!"

"Dodge it and use Mimic!" shouted Marlow.

Right as Sketch dodged the attack, the Huntail came whipping towards him and used Aqua Tail, the move sending Sketch flying. Dragapult rose from the ground and attacked the Venusaur.

"Gorebyss, use Psychic!"

"Sketch, use Mimic!"

"Lucas, Aura Sphere!"

Sketch moved towards the Gorebyss and copied its move in a beam of light. Lucas dodged the psychic waves that were directed to him and shot a ball of energy that slammed into the Gorebyss.

"Huntail, use Ice Fang!"

"Dodge it and use Dragon Darts!" shouted Devon.

His Dragpult easily dodged the Huntail's attack and fired to Dreepys from his head, striking the Huntail twice. While that was going on, Sketch was facing off the Venusaur.

"Sketch, use Psychic!"

Sketch emitted Psychic waves that enveloped the Pokémon and threw it over. It painfully got to its feet and used Giga Drain.

"Use Trick Room!"

Sketch created a small square around him and the Venusaur. The Giga Drain attack considerably slowed as Sketch raced behind the Venusaur.

"Psychic!"

Sketch leaped into the air, a dangerous red glint flashed in its eyeholes as it unleashed the full power of Psychic.

Black tendrils shot out from under Sketch, much to Marlow's surprise, and snagged the Venusaur. It shrieked in pain as Psychic waves were delivered directly into its body.

Marlow knew what Sketch was doing was something to worry about, but he knew that as long as it one him the battle, it was fine. The Venusaur shuddered in pain and crumpled to the ground.

"Sketch, use Mimic!"

Sketch mimicked Giga Drain from the now fainted Venusaur and immediately went after the other two Pokémon. They had no time to react before Sketch shot out tendrils and drained them with his move.

Gabrielle and Devon looked at Sketch in shock. Marlow waved a hand dismissively and returned Sketch.

Only, Sketch didn't not go back to his pokéball. Instead, he stayed there and shuttered.

"What the-"

Marlow didn't have time to speak when five tendrils shot out from Sketch and targeted all four human occupants in the room except for Marlow. Everyone screamed and dove down. Lucas immediately stepped forward and used Flash Canon while standing in front of Gabrielle to protect her.

The move was absorbed by Sketch, who simply shot another tendril that wrapped around Lucas.

"That's it!" shouted Marlow.

He threw his lock ball at Sketch. The ball sucked him up and landed. The ball shook, and shook. It kept shaking with none of the bars lighting up. Everyone waited for a few tense minutes, before the bars slowly started lighting up. All the bar fully lit up, and everyone sighed.

"No time to explain. We still have armed guards here," said Marlow.

"You are exactly right," said one, pulling out his gun. "Put your hands up-"

Lucas snarled and sent an Aura Sphere spinning at the man. The man didn't notice it in time and fell to the ground, unconscious.

The other man dropped his gun and ran as Lucas fired another sphere at him. Satisfied both guards were gone, he let himself be drawn back into his pokéball.

"This is what I don't like about Barius City," said Gabrielle. "Every guard or police officer is free to point a gun at your head."


Everyone was gathered in the meeting room except for Gabrielle, Devo, and Marlow. Executive Stewart stared at his watch impatiently.

"Alright, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give the order-"

"Wait, we're here!" shouted Devon suddenly as he ran into the room.

Executive Stewart sighed. "I figured that would happen. Anyways, you all have your Gigantamax Pokémon I presume?"

Everyone nodded. Elaine looked strangely pleased, but maybe that was because of the six pokeballs laid out in front of her.

"In that case. Exactly one week from here, we catch Groudon."


And there we have it. As you guys might expect from the way I ended this Chapter, the next Chapter is going to be long. How long? More than 10k words. How long will it take? Why don't you wait and see. See you guys next chapter!