Topaz and company have arrived in Highshire Town, home of the Pokemon Mansion, in order to track down Benedetto. With a renewed vigor and stronger camaraderie, they begin to search for his base. Unknowingly they are being tracked by two unknown individuals. What a mess.

~x1x~

Location: Highshire Town

Highshire Town, south of Hearthome, built around the esteemed Backlot family. I've never been here, but it appeared about as extravagant as I expected. The estates were plenty large so while it was a spacious town, it was not a populous one.

Rather than typical stores you would see anywhere else the streets were littered with designer fashion stores and high-end mini supermarkets. Typical uppity, expensive crap. I passed by a bakery and even a cursory glance was enough for me to recognize it as overpriced nonsense compared to the authenticity of my Alolan family's bakery.

The locas we saw sat at luxurious cafes drinking their lattes, walking their groomed Furfrou, or carrying their Snubbul in purses. Otherwise, besides a few foraging Starly, the lack of wild Pokemon was unnerving to me.

It's like they can smell elitism.

[Oh look, a Donut!] Cenza pointed in the distance and spied a Pikachu climbing up a tree to retrieve an apple.

[Where?] Donut burst out of the bag before realizing what she meant and promptly slumping back in feeling lied to. [Oh. It's just another Pikachu.]

"And of course you're disinterested," I lightly laughed.

The Pokemon Mansion (not to be confused with the one in Celadon City) is known for being the estate that guards the Gracidea Garden (formerly known as the Trophy Garden before they decided that was objectifying Pokemon and changed it), a small lush paradise where many Pokemon come to raise their young before heading off. Some of the most elusive Pokemon in the region reside here, well guarded against wandering trainers and poachers.

The Pichu line is a very rare species, typically appearing in one location in each region. In Sinnoh, they are predominantly located at the Gracidea Garden, but I've seen a couple around Sunyshore over the years. The family that guards it has made an agreement with the League to protect it as a Pokemon sanctuary, so now only trustworthy trainers with proper credentials can even think about entering.

It is also one of the first locations to have Porygon released into the wild as well as being a decent place to find the elusive Eevee. Apparently, Gracidea flowers grew there hence the name.

Suddenly I remembered something Volkner told me ages ago. "Hey Donut, your mother was caught at the Gracidea Garden. Maybe we'll see some of your relatives?"

[Mmmm, I think I'd rather stop and eat those gourmet donuts that bakery is selling.] Donut's eyes were firmly focused on donuts we did not have the time (or money, yeesh) to buy. [Anyway, ummm I dunno. I never met them, who knows if they were caught too?]

Zenara looked at us curiously. [Would they wanna? Cynthia'd make sure they can't if they didn't wanna be, right?]

[My mother was caught before Cynthia did her whole thing. She told me she went with Volkner because she saw Roland sapping electricity from a generator and she was curious. After getting a taste, she followed them out of the garden. If our relatives are anything like that, then they prolly did the same. As they should.]

"Oh? So being a glutton runs in the family?" I inquired.

Donut pouted. [We all have our vices. I have pastries, you have books. Yours is nerdy and boring though.]

I sputtered at his accusation, putting a hand on my chest in fake indignation. "Excuse me for seeking out more knowledge. Not all of us can only think about our next meal and nap"

We both laughed at my theatrics before continuing on. "Anyway, I doubt we'd see them around here anyway. Volkner got permission to enter deep into the garden which is where he found your mother, so the rest of them are probably still there."

[It is best they remain there for their safety.] Violet spoke mentally without looking up from her tablet. [The follies of mankind do not end with weeding out Benedetto.]

[Whatcha mean?] Donut asked.

Amethyst gave a smirk. [If Benedetto's holed up around here, then there's gotta be someone who hired him in Highshire. We can get rid of him well enough, but there'd still be whoever it is who thinks it's okay to hire a smuggler. So we need to get to the root of the problem.] She rolled her eyes. [Okay, a root of the problem. It's Highshire. I figure there's fifty of those roots. We just gotta find the one that has Benedetto's ugly mug carved into it.]

Cenza hid deeper within my bag. [Is Highshire full of bad humans?] Cenza glanced towards Amethyst for an answer.

She motioned her head to Violet, who simply spoke mentally. [They are humans with large sums of money who would rather hoard it than use it for a good purpose. It is the same as if a Pokemon were to hoard a berry tree for themselves. Except for humans, it is for greed rather than survival. At absolute best, they are disgustingly ignorant. What is far more common is that they know such money could be utilized to help progress the world towards one that treats Pokemon properly, and they choose to keep it for themselves. Because in their eyes, the world can burn so long as they remain away from the flames.]

I focused before I began speaking mentally with everyone else. [Must be why they chose to live next to the Great Marsh, but with easy access to Hearthome. Isolated, but close enough to luxury.]

[Exactly. They have segregated themselves from everyone else to secure their secrets.] Violet sighed. [Unfortunately, I have not fully implemented a subsurface sonar into my tablet, so I cannot simply search for the tunnel that leads towards the Great Marsh from aboveground. Which leaves us with either haphazardly searching the Underground, or violently interrogating the humans aboveground to weed out our target.]

I noted how Lou perked up at the mention of interrogation and decided to hold onto him a wee bit tighter.

Bad soldier bug, bad.

Cenza hesitantly peeked out and began looking around. [Ummm, none of the humans around here smell like any of the kidnappers. They all smell… fine. Their vibe is harmless. So I don't think this is the right area.]

Smell? Can she smell goodness since she's a fairy? I should look into that later.

Amethyst pointed towards the main town. [They'd be thataways. The garden is north of us, we're on the edge of the northern section of Highshire. The town's that way for the same reason there's a several mile gap between the Sanctuary and the rest of Pastoria. Humans aren't allowed to build anything within a certain range of any Pokemon sanctuary.]

[This town contrary to the large estates isn't really all that large or populated. If Cenza keeps uhhh, smelling the crowd, we should be able to find some bad apples connected to Benedetto,] I added.

This is a lot like a Manectric sniffing out a suspect. Exciting!

Zenara's eyes widened and she hopped in place a bit. [Oooh, wait wait wait, what do the bad humans smell like? Do they smell like bad apples? Can we sniff them out if they smell like those bitter herbs Roland keeps telling me I need to eat?]

[Bitter herbs? Hmm, well I don't like bitter things. The bad humans did kind of smell bitter though, like ganlon berries, yuck.] Cenza stuck out her tongue at the thought of one. [I've never really thought about it too much.]

Amethyst just smiled. [Just let us know if you smell that. Let's just hope it's not drowned out by bad cologne and perfume.]

[I'll do my best! No worries though! People's scents and good scents feel way different to sniff. I won't get confused!] Cenza announced proudly. She sniffed a bit more before pointing down the street. [I kinda smell something over there. It smells kinda weird.]

Lou snorted. [Onward then!]

~x2x~

We followed Cenza's nose till we reached a town plaza. Most of the people there were dressed in high-end suits or dresses, with prim and proper Pokemon standing by them. Cenza scrunched up her nose once we got close enough.

[All these humans… they all smell so… greedy,] She hid back into my bag. [Not as bad as the kidnapper, but close. Be careful.]

[If you don't mind me asking Cenza, why did you not inform us of this ability earlier?] Lou asked which I honestly had to agree with. Would've made looking around the resort easier.

She looked down ashamed. [Mes excuses. My nose wasn't working too well yet and I was tired.]

I patted her on the head and Lou voiced his own apologies before I turned back to the scene ahead of me.

So now instead of interrogating rude teenagers, we need to interrogate possibly criminal rich people. This can't get much worse can it?

At that moment, I heard some rich guy yelling. I turned to see a well-dressed man, with Voltorb fashioned cufflinks sitting at an ornate table with an iced tea next to him. He was looking angrily towards a Marill, who was clearly scared and backing away slowly. They looked to the approaching trio of Violet, Amethyst and Zenara (who was already sparking) worried.

A purplish glow surrounded her as she was picked up gently and put next to her and Zenara, the two conversing while Violet stared- no. Daggers doesn't do it justice. Stared a whole armory's worth of Aegislash at the man.

"I take it you enjoy the visage of Voltorb."

He straightened his shirt before smiling self-importantly. "Yes, they are quite-"

"Interesting how you choose to waste your funds to have a human recreate an orb that looks distinctly like a Pokeball in direct response to humans using them so much. Tell me, has the slightest signal bounced between all two neurons within your cranial cavity that perhaps that money should go towards helping the affected Pokemon and not satiating your own desires?"

He looked genuinely taken aback. "Now, listen-"

"Oh I have done more than enough listening," she interrupted. "I am well aware that you care more for the visage of Pokemon than caring for them as actual beings, as evidenced by how you shouted at a Marill simply for asking for help. You are a weak, cowardly mongrel not fit to walk the same earth as the Pokemon you decry."

The gardener who was trimming the topiary in the background looked on absently before he went back to trimming.

He obviously isn't paid enough to interject.

She didn't even give him time enough to respond before she glanced to a couple who were now looking at her. "And you." She turned, her eyes boring holes through them. "You walk past this place several times a day, and yet you say nothing. Either you are simply too foolish to understand what is happening in front of you, or you are complicit in such activities."

The rest of us simply watched as she continued to berate any who got close.

What is even happening? Should I be helping?

Lou was eating ALL of this up. I could faintly hear him chant 'Violence, violence, violence' in my head. Cenza continued sniffing before she pointed to someone else. [Violet, the person with the Snubbull in her handbag smells even worse.]

Zenara was looking at this whole scene wide eyed and with a huge grin on her face as Violet turned to the person Cenza pointed out, and if she'd looked hateful before? She looked livid now. The woman actually took a step back, half expecting a portal to the Distortion World to open up beneath her and suck her through. And I couldn't blame her, really.

"As for you. Are you simply one of the humans most inept at anything resembling common sense, or do I presume correctly. You do not have the Snubbull with you in a Pokeball, not because you actually care for their well being. No, you have them in a handbag because you wish to tout about what you see as a trophy to those around you." She crossed her arms as her gaze darkened like thunderclouds looming.

"Because as it is plain for all to see, quite possibly any natural habitat on Regiearth would be more hospitable to them than your sorry establishment. Calling you a toxic individual would be an insult to Muk the world over, as at least they do something important with their lives rather than simply lounging about like a self-important human."

Snubbull actually looked enlightened by Violet's words before they scrambled out of the bag, scattering the innards all over the ground and made their way over to Marill and the rest of us. The woman who was just flamed looked like she had just been assaulted as she took a step back in genuine fear. Her eyes were a cry for help.

Violet's bad side is scarier than the Mankey that threatened to rip us apart.

I tried to get Violet's attention, but she was already verbally assaulting some poor bastard who coughed at the wrong time. Everyone in the plaza had begun staring at us and I swear I could hear someone laughing in the background, although I don't know who. Cenza meanwhile was sniffing the air before she nearly launched herself out of the bag.

[Violet! That man in the back! The one who is trying to leave! He smells like a kidnapper, like Benedetto!]

She turned to face him, clearing her throat in a way that rumbled like oncoming thunder causing the man to turn around in fear.

"Precisely when did you decide that leaving would be acceptable? Unless, perhaps, you have something to hide. You are afraid. Not only have you complied with the disgusting actions of this town, you have decided that you are more. You have decided that simply amassing wealth that could be far better used anywhere else is not enough. No, you have decided you need to deal in lives. No. You see your own wants, your own selfish desires as far more important. Tell me I am wrong. Look me in the eye and tell me you are not a shining example of what makes humanity so foul."

The man fell to the ground and began scrambling back in fear. It was as though out of sheer anger her voice parted the crowd and caused him to be sent scrambling on the ground. All he could do was stammer, sputtering out unintelligible gibberish. I noted he was a portly, older man; he couldn't outrun us if he tried.

His face became a bright tomato red out of sheer anxiety at being incapable of looking into her eyes, but what I was truly paying attention to was his two hands reaching for his belt. I whispered to Lou orders and with perfect aim he shot a String Shot at our target, confining him to the ground and his hands away from his Pokeballs.

Several people in the crowd backed up at the sight of a Pokemon actually 'attacking' someone and several began reaching for their bags and purses, likely to call the local police.

[We got who we need, let's move him elsewhere before police arrive,] I spoke into Violet's mind.

[In a moment. Until necessary, I am going to make certain as many humans have their fragile worldviews shattered as possible.] She began walking towards the man, who was now squirming in fear and attempting to get away.

I watched several more people reach for their phones and begin speaking, pointing at us, likely describing what we all look like.

This was fun, but the show's over. As strangely entertaining as this all is, we can't spend all day doing this.

[Violet, they'll get their due some other day. They don't matter, the mission does. Remember our priorities.]

She stopped, sighing. [Fine. Though I will hold you to your word about the League being good at rooting out corruption.] She took out her tablet and tapped a button on it. In a flash, a large pulse of electricity shot outwards in a sphere. The street lights flickered, even though it was daytime and the people in the square were now looking at their phones confused. [Amethyst, would you please?]

['course,] she chuckled, [though it would've been fun to watch them lose their shit even more.]

And then the same vertigo from before struck as we warped, ending up in a dark alley with the portly man. After I recovered my senses I shook my head and looked up from the ground.

[An EMP? Really?]

She shrugged. [It will leave any devices that track teleportation inert within the radius. Not to mention that it is a distraction. Without a call about specifically what happened, any private police will investigate that area first. Which gives more time for the teleportation residue to dissipate, and thus makes us harder to track.]

Zenara groaned. [But what about beating up bad guys! They were all bad guys, we could take 'em!]

Violet glanced to my bag, where Cenza was. [Usually, I would be more than happy to assist in dragging out all the selfish humans. However, we have Pokemon to save. Perhaps later we can come back and rain hell.]

[Yes, later.] I sighed before turning back to the man squirming in the String Shot. When we made eye contact he tried to scream for help and then Lou filled his mouth with a wad of web once again. Luckily not over his nose, but he did not enjoy all of that. "Yeesh. We need you to talk, so it'd be great if you didn't scream the whole time. Unless you like web balls in your mouth?"

[I can spit much worse than web,] Lou threatened glaring at the man who shirked in fear at the little bug. Donut hopped out of my bag and stood next to Amethyst, they began attending to the Marill and Snubbull from earlier.

"You can try and hide it, but we know you're one of Benedetto's contacts," I informed the man who went wide eyed before searching his pockets for his license and name. "Duran eh? So Duran, you carry a scent so foul fairies can find it. Tell us where to find Benedetto and we won't… uhhh."

Violet simply gave me a look before glaring back to the man, who immediately started giving muffled screams. "Or else you will have no one to hide behind. I have far more ways to make you remember what you have done than simply forcing you to be aware of it." She pulled out her tablet again. "Perhaps a demonstration?"

"As you can see, my comrade here has no issue doing… whatever she plans on doing to you and worse. But if you agree to talk, maybe we'll be nice-r?"

Duran stared at the tablet as though a laser would come out before nodding slowly in my direction. At that I decided to cautiously remove the webbing from his face, causing him to gag before looking at the two of us.

"So? Speak. What route do you have to Benedetto? We know someone in this town has it, so if it's not you." I gestured to a growling Lou. "You'll tell us who."

"Y-You kids shouldn't get involved with Benedetto. I dunno what he did to you, but you're b-better off forgetting about it," The portly man stammered.

All I could was sigh as Lou leaned in closer, snapping his pincers. Meanwhile, Violet just raised an eyebrow. "At which point did we allow you to dodge the question?" She tapped a button, and her tablet began to whir ominously.

I decided to try again. "Rather than worry about the future, I believe your present seems to be in a great deal of danger. Let's try again. What route do you have to Benedetto?"

He gulped in fear of the dangerously ominous sound emerging from Violet's tablet before speaking. "There's… an underground passageway leading to Benedetto's rendezvous point. It's where he unloads the Pokemon he gets from other regions while he's in Sinnoh. Then he begins dispersing them to whoever requests them…"

I rubbed my chin. "Why base himself so close to Highshire?"

"The Great Marsh is one of the best places to hide, as even trainers aren't exactly jumping at the bit to wallow in waist deep freezing bog. That's only part of it though…" His voice trailed off. Hesitation seemed to stop him. I turned to Violet.

She pressed another button, and the symbol on the back of her tablet shone harshly. Then the clicking of various mechanisms could be heard as an even, feminine voice spoke. "Disintegration ray online. T-minus thirty seconds to full charge."

What the fuck!?

"Okay okay I'll spill everything! Turn it off!" He begged.

She simply raised an eyebrow. "You have proven more difficult than required. It stays on until you elaborate."

"Fine fine, I'll tell you! Benedetto only came back to Sinnoh with his biggest batch of Kalos Pokemon because he wants to amass enough money and favor to join some syndicate in Highshire!" He rattled off quickly.

Syndicate? What? Like the Ribbon Syndicate?

"I don't know all the details. I've got money for sure, but Benedetto already sniffed out my dirty laundry. I work for him because I have to and because he wants my connections. He wants to be the new Hunter J, to join the big boy table of international criminal activity. This syndicate is apparently his way in, but I swear to Darkrai I don't know anything else about it!"

I processed the information before mental speaking. [It sounds like he's more ambitious than we thought. It's not just money he wants, he wants power. Recognition.]

Violet continued to glare at the man. [Indeed, as is the case for many humans. However, he has danced around one vital piece of information.] Her eyes narrowed. "Answer this correctly and you will leave alive. Where is the tunnel that connects to Benedetto's base? Be precise."

He shivered at her words before speaking. "We rent a small storage facility that's out of town and offroad a little bit. We dug a tunnel in the Underground to create a consistent path to the rendezvous point and the city. There's a steel hatch covering up the hole, but you can just dig around it and follow it to Benedetto's base."

While that was all useful I had another question. "What types of cages is he using to store all the Pokemon? How does he transport them without Pokeballs?"

Duran squirmed before answering."The old fashioned way, they sedate the Pokemon and transport them via trucks. The Pokemon in the cages are constantly guarded and kept in high quality cells, not easily broken by attacks from the interior. Benedetto shelled out some cash to attach teleportation devices to the cages so he can warp them between the rendezvous point and his submarine."

"Submarine? I see…"

Makes sense. Depending on the size of the submarine I could see how he could transport all these Pokemon from region to region without getting caught. I've heard Hunter J has some sort of elite airship. This must be of similar stock.

"There's a catch though. In order to warp all those Pokemon, it needs time to initialize otherwise it'll get… messy. So even if he wanted them back on the submarine, it'd take a bit. I dunno how long, by the way! If he catches wind of you kids running hell through one of his bases, he's leaving the region with all the Pokemon he can take and I don't think he's coming back!"

"Hmmm." There was a lot to take into account here. This secret syndicate, Benedetto's true ambitions, warping cages and an elite submarine. "Good thing we won't let him leave then. Tell us the address of the warehouse."

He rattled off the details and Violet input the information into her tablet. She clicked a button and the whirring stopped, along with the light blinking out. The man sighed in relief before Violet grabbed him by the collar and suddenly he looked even more terrified.

"You may believe that we would be better off avoiding Benedetto. I am going to require you to use that feeble mind of yours. Imagine for a moment that I cut out your tongue, and we warp you to Unova's wilds. The only ones around are Pokemon who you cannot communicate with past gestures. You do not know where you are, you have no way home, no one is coming for you. Look me dead in the eye. Tell me that preventing that for superior beings is something we should not do. That we should laze about and promote such activities as you have." She let him go and the silk snapped back into position, slamming him back into the pavement.

[Lou.] I nodded to him and while the man was reeling from the pain of colliding into the ground, Lou promptly knocked him out. I reached into his pockets once again to take his phone.

"Whatever dirty laundry he has on his phone is now ours. Can't wait to expose his ass," I said, smiling slyly. "Now we're another step closer."

Amethyst nodded. [We're close. All we have to do now is get going and Violet can fire her 'disintegration ray' at all the Benedetto goons.]

I squinted at them both suspiciously. "That's… not actually a thing, is it?"

Violet shook her head, putting away her tablet. "Not even remotely. I simply increased the fan speed, made the blazon glow, played stock tinkering noises and used text to speech." She motioned towards the now unconscious man. "However, he did not know that."

[Resourceful use of your abilities, Violet! Your interrogation skills are an example to us all!] Lou congratulated Violet.

She bowed to him immediately. "I do not believe it was all that, but I thank you for the praise." She looked to him directly. "I could make such a ray, but I do not make weapons. As was clear, the threat of a fake weapon can be more real than any actual weapon."

"They do say we fear the unknown most of all," I pondered. "Anyway, how close is the warehouse to us?"

"Barely even a hike. Amethyst, would you like to be held on the way? So you do not expend energy you do not need to."

She just laughed. [Weird way to ask if you want a hug, but sure!] She levitated herself up into Violet's arms, Zenara bouncing beside her.

"Where did Marill and Snubbull go? Actually where is Donut?" I had noticed all three had vanished ever since we had begun interrogation.

[Ah, good you all finished up,] Donut announced, sauntering in on all fours. [I escorted Marill back to her parents. They welcomed Snubbull into their family with open arms. Another happy ending thanks to moi.] Donut made his way back to my shoulder before squeezing into my bag.

"Now you're speaking French? I laughed before scratching his chin and stepping over our victim. We were being oddly casual since we were leaving an unconscious man in the middle of an alley, but… for some reason I wasn't concerned. We were about to tackle a dangerous smuggler in his own headquarters. What are the posh police compared to that?

~One Hour Later~

It was a longer walk than expected. Just as Duran said, we had to leave town and navigate through some bog to reach the warehouse. On the surface it didn't really look that interesting, a bit rundown, but otherwise average.

"Can you sense anyone inside, Amethyst?" I asked. Donut and Lou have their own unique sensory abilities, but few could compare to a psychic's.

She shook her head. [Nope. They're probably all at the base trying to get outta here as fast as they can. Which means we gotta be faster.]

Violet paused a moment and looked to Zenara. "I am sorry that it has taken this long, but if you see a human from this point on? Feel free to attack."

Zenara just looked at her and me. [Cuz we're only gonna find bad guys from now on, right?]

"Remember the goons who attacked us on Route 214? We'll be seeing more of them. Please attack on sight," I seconded.

Tired of getting ambushed. I bet Volkner doesn't get ambushed.

[Finally! Zenara, it is our time to fight side by side and eliminate all who stand in our way!] Lou announced.

She squealed in delight and saluted with her tail again. [Let's go kick bad guy butt Lou Lou!]

I smiled at their cute little exchange before walking towards the warehouse's side door. I tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "Huh. It's locked. Lou?"

[Lou smash?]

"Lou smash."

Lou hopped out of my arms, readied his pincers and charged straight through the door sending it flying into the warehouse. We all entered casually as we began looking around. Nothing particular conspicuous, just a warehouse with some crates and tools. In the center of the warehouse floor there was a steel hatch.

It's screaming secret tunnel.

"This must be what he was talking about, definitely looks plenty big enough to fit a truck. There should be some mechanism to open it, but… Lou can always just dig a path for us."

Amethyst grinned, stepping forwards. [No need. I've been looking forward to wrecking some of Benedetto's stuff.] Her ears unfurled, a harsh purple light surrounding the hatch before there was a horrible grinding sound. The hatch was crushed and mangled into a tiny ball of scrap metal, dropping down once she was done with it and leaving a heavy thud on impact. She just gestured towards the now open hole. [One hatch door closer to wrecking his shit.]

Okaaaaaaay, the Pokedex wasn't kidding about Meowstic's ability to grind down ten ton trucks.

Where she tossed the scrap metal left a twelve inch trench that kept going down. I peered down the hole to find an incline leading to a path filled with lamps. We began making our way down the tunnel when I remembered something important.

"Oh yeah, uh, I forgot to mention earlier, but in the warehouse by the resort. We found a Key Stone and this device called a Snag Machine in one of the crates. The grunts seemed adamant on getting them back to Benedetto, so I think they're important to him. You know about Snag Machines?" I asked Violet.

Her face wrinkled up in disgust at the mention of it. "I am familiar."

"So you know they come from Orre. Sounds like Benedetto has been there recently. I wonder if he's trying to sell this to whatever syndicate he's trying to join," I pondered the possibility.

He's a man fueled by greed, not just money, but power. He worked for the most skilled Pokemon hunter in the world and has now moved on. He's not a man to settle for being a part of the best, he wants to be the best. What can this syndicate do for him that he risks everything he has coming here? It has to be more than simply accessing better clients. Does he want to capture legendaries for more money?

"I highly doubt it," she spat out. "He would likely rather hold onto it. After the initial distribution of them in Orre, Pokeball code was extensively updated to reinforce them against such devices. The last functioning portable one was stolen some time ago and yet he holds another. Is it fully functional?"

"According to the code it works well enough, albeit it's not perfect. I looked into them a bit more and apparently most Snag Machines were these huge hulking machines that took awhile to work, but this one is portable and judging by the internal data it should be nigh immediate," I rambled off recollecting the data I had gathered last night.

I also found out that most of them were destroyed after some more research, making this even rarer. Apparently, a renegade had already done so, whoever they are doesn't seem to want attention.

She grimaced, her eyes narrowing in thought. "I will look into it myself later. However, for now? It provides perfect leverage. Him losing such a device would not only disqualify him from entering the syndicate he so desperately wants to join, but draw the ire of humans the world over."

A small smile crossed her face. "The thought is amusing, but even so I doubt he will willingly leave the region without it. Especially knowing it has not fallen into the hands of the League proper."

I nodded in agreement. "You're right. With it we have leverage… I guess the Key Stone must've been extra cargo he was able to acquire during his last foray into Kalos. None of us can use it, but it's better than him having it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say none of us can use it? Do you not trust in your bond with your partners?"

I was genuinely offended. "No no, of course I do. We just don't have a mega stone."

Amethyst grinned, but Violet simply shook her head. "That is not what I meant. Key Stones appear to have more uses than Mega Evolution."

[Oh you mean that whole empowerment thing?] Donut piped in. [You mentioned that a little bit yesterday, right Zio?]

"A bit, yes, the information on it is limited though. Most mega trainers keep the details of their power secret, though I do believe there's a professor studying it."

"That may be the case," Violet continued, "however from what I have been able to gather, the bond between a human and Pokemon can manifest abilities neither could produce alone."

She rolled her eyes. "I doubt the validity of those claims, considering how it is the Pokemon doing the work, but nonetheless. Rangers make use of this phenomenon via Stylers, and a natural ore such as a Key Stone would likely produce similar results. Only more potent, as it is not human-made."

"So the rangers utilize it too? I didn't know that… we have a ranger base close to where I live and I see them around from time to time. I've even seen them use their capture stylers which was pretty cool, but I haven't looked as deeply as I've wanted into them. The tech is also a trade secret."

Her eyes lit up ever so slightly at the mention of a Ranger base. "They are far more in tune with the wants and needs of Pokemon than any trainer region can claim to be. With the slight exception of Sinnoh, due to them having now worked closely with Rangers for a number of years."

Donut looked at Violet curiously. [Wait? But the rangers are human. You actually like them?]

"A rare breed of human that actually understands their place in the world and treats Pokemon with the respect they deserve. I despise humans, but I am not blind to the actions of a sadly small minority to leave them to the lives they so richly deserve."

Amethyst laughed a bit. [I like to call it her 'human until proven person' philosophy. Rangers, Nurse Joys, Cynthia, they've shown they actually care about Pokemon. So they fall in the people category.]

Lou nodded in agreement. [I see no issue with having higher standards. They all have admirable qualities worthy of respect.]

[So… these are the good humans? Nurse Joy did smell very nice,] Cenza chimed in. [That doesn't sound like a lot though…]

"Your instincts do not lie." Her eyes narrowed. "Far fewer than humans would have you believe are worth the air they breathe. Most are blind and do not care to listen to the woes of Pokemon." She turned her gaze to me. "By listening, you already prove yourself more willing to accept the faults of the world humans have mangled into the state it is today than most of humanity."

My expression grew serious. "I intend on making a difference, some way, somehow. My team and I have been training tirelessly to become a gym trainer at Sunyshore Gym, the strongest in the region. I believe in Cynthia and Volkner, but I don't want to depend on them for everything. Donut, Lou and I can and will help too. It's partially why I put so much faith in the League. I believe in what they do."

Also Volkner is my uncle. Ignore that crazy bias please.

When she looked at me I swear it felt less ambivalent than before. "Perhaps. Actions speak louder than words in this instance, and you have before you a prime opportunity to show that you are not all talk."

Rather than get annoyed, I simply smirked. That was Violet's version of 'prove your worth', I knew that very well from Lou. "I'm not one for talking anyway. Plus, I think we're all a bit too deep to turn back now."

Donut flicked his ears. [Good because we should all pipe down, I think I see the exit.]

We all immediately stopped talking when we came across a large metal door with a pin system in the corner. Near the ceiling there were some cameras as well. In the distance I could make out the sound of flowing water implying there was an underground river as well, likely due to the fact we are underneath a swamp.

"So, what's the course of action?" I whispered.

Amethyst just gave Violet a grin, who nodded. She took a few moments to type away on her tablet before she stood up and walked over. "Follow."

I raised an eyebrow, but followed regardless. Once we got over to the door, with no sound of alarms going off, she took out a small cord vaguely patterned like a Drapion's tail and connected her tablet to the pin entry pad. She got to work while Amethyst smiled.

[We've done this kinda thing before. Violet makes the cameras loop the past couple minutes of footage, so whoever's watching them doesn't think anything's up. Meanwhile she gets an access point, gets aaaaaall their info, and then we walk through the place while I mess up all the bad guys.]

I wonder how many times they've done this before… why have they needed to do this before?

Zenara's eyes lit up. [So when the door opens, it's time to fight?] Amethyst nodded, which got a mental [Yesssssss] from Zenara.

[Finally! More violence! I crave a proper challenge for once, everyone we have come across has been inept weaklings,] Lou cheered before hopping out of my arms. [How will I ever test my strength if no one can measure up? I must know if I am worthy of combating injustice.]

Donut rolled his eyes and leaped out of my bag. Cenza hid deeper, in expectation for what's to come.

"We're ready when you are," I told her.

She nodded. "Let us begin." She pressed a button and the doors whirred to life, opening automatically.

Inside there was a grunt shouting orders looking away at the moment. "Finally, took you long enough. You got those Mankey with you? The boss isn't-" he stopped as he turned around. "What the hell-"

[FIGHTING TIME!]

~Chapter 16 Fin~

Author's Note

Oopsie, who put that cliffhanger here?

~x~

Question: Do you like the use of telepathy in Pokemon fanfics?

~x~

Trainer: Topaz Heart

Deck: Fool, Devil.

Team: Donut (Pikachu), Lou (Charjabug).

Other: Cenza (Dedenne).

x

Donut (Pikachu/M)

Equip: Eviolite.

Moves: Thunderbolt, Discharge,Iron Tail, Brick Break, Quick Attack, Rollout, Tickle, Charge, Nuzzle, Thunder Wave, Flash.

Ability: Static Chance to paralyze opponent upon physical contact.

Tactics: Maneuver (Creates a thunder wave barrier to sense attacks), Enhanced Tickle (Enhances his tickles with electricity to hit the nerves of sturdier opponents), Spin Dash (Rollout+Iron Tail), Battery Bolt (Combo: Lou's Battery + Donut's Thunderbolt).

x

Lou (Charjabug/M)

Moves: X-scissor, Spark/Wild Charge, Acrobatics, Mud Shot, Iron Defense, Screech, Dig, String Shot, Spiderweb.

Ability: Battery Boosts allies' special attack moves.

Tactics: Mud Pit (Digs a hole underneath the opponent and traps them in a pit of mud), Mud Spin (Digs into the ground and begins throwing mud all over around himself), Grapple Bug (Uses string shot to reel in himself or the opponent), Web Sling (String Shot+Acrobatics).

Allies

Trainer: Violet

Team: Amethyst (Meowstic), Zenara (Mareep).