Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.


BGM: South Providence - Riding (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

Koraidon burst through the third area of the southern providence. The Wild Pokemon ducked and covered from the stampeding Paradox Pokemon while Cian clasped the horns on Koraidon's head.

"Alright, where are you…"

At that moment, a Zoroark leapt out of the bushes and landed in front of the duo.

"Whoa!/Agia!"

Koraidon screeched to a halt, mere inches from the Zoroark who didn't budge an inch.

"A Zoroark?" Cian wondered as he scanned it.

"Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokemon and the evolved form of Zorua. Stories say those who tried to catch Zoroark were trapped in an illusion and punished. Each has the ability to fool a large group of people simultaneously. They protect their lair with illusory scenery."

"Let's be careful of this one."

"Agia!"

Zoroark smirked before motioning her head to the left, then moved her fingers back as if she was saying to follow her.

"Are you wanting us to follow you?"

"Zoro!"

The two looked at each other and with a nod, they cautiously followed the Zoroark, Cian pulling out a Pokeball just in case if the Zoroark led them to a trap.

As they got closer, they would see Raifort trying to pull the stake out but to no avail.

"This thing is really in there…" Raifort grunted before turning her head. "Oh, hey sweetie. I see you brought Cian and his… really ancient looking Cyclizar?"

"Agias!"

"Ah, forgive me… I did not know your name was Agias." Raifort said.

"So this is the stake in question?" Cian asked.

"Yes. Legend says that there are eight purple stakes around this part of Paldea. I've discovered one of them, so the Ruinous Pokemon must be true." Raifort said. "Unfortunately, I could not get this stake out… curious, I thought my pure heart would pull this out. I'm a good person!"

Zoroark folded her arms, giving Raifort a deadpanned look.

"...Okay, most of the time, but nobody's perfect! I'm a complete girl scout."

Zoroark narrowed her eyes before shaking her head.

"Why are you doubting me? I turned over a new leaf!"

"Zoro Zor…" Zoroark rolled her eyes.

End BGM

I don't wanna know… I don't wanna know… Cian thought before he approached the stake.

BGM: Personality Quiz (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX)

His eyes were filled with wonder, intrigue and excitement.

After all, expeditions usually lead to fruitful findings.

He put his hand on the stake, where it felt cold and a bit malicious to the touch, almost as if it was made by witchcraft.

With a deep breath, he pulled the stake out of the ground almost effortlessly. Raifort's eyes widened in awe as he pulled the stake out completely. As he did, the ground shook for a few seconds before it stopped, but it was enough to scare away the wild Pokemon.

The stake vanished a few seconds later.

"A pure heart… I was right about you." Raifort smiled. "Perhaps I could extract that pure heart from yours and transfer it into mine…"

End BGM

"Huh?"

"Nothing! Nothing… I was just teasing!" Raifort waved it off while her Zoroark slugged her shoulder. "Ow…"

"Seven more, right?"

"Absolutely! Let us go find these stakes. Luckily for you, I was able to extract the scent off of the stake with a little bit of witchcra- er, I mean, I had Zoroark smell the scent. We should be able to find the others effortlessly!"

"...Ms. Raifort."

"Yes?"

"With all due respect, you are a weirdo."

Raifort smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment~"

"Zoro…" Zoroark facepalmed.


Meanwhile, with Alessandra and Co…

Ro-to-to-to-to!

BGM: Professor Sada/Turo (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Alessandra, this is Sada."

"Hey."

"We detect that Miraidon has regained more of its original power. While you're riding upon it, it will use its leg muscles to jump higher into the air."

"Sweet!"

"Though, this is a bit concerning. Did something happen to Koraidon?"

"No. He's with my brother. He's currently held up by school work at the academy. As far as I know, he's probably chatting with that history teacher. Before you ask, I do have something that will help Koraidon jump to his heart's content."

"Excellent. When you reunite with your brother, please give the item to Koraidon,"

"Will do."

"One more thing… this history teacher, Ms. Raifort…"

"What about her?"

"She is not who she says she is. Something about her is… extremely shady, to put it lightly. Be wary around her. There's something about her that rubs us both the wrong way."

"Oh…?" Alessandra raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

"Warn your brother if you can. Sada out."

End BGM

"So… to Zapapico?" Alessandra asked.

"Yeah." Kotoko nodded.

"Hey!" A voice called out as they turned to see Bowsette approaching.

"Oh hey Bowsette, what's up?" The fashionista asked.

"I forgot to ask you this last time, but… does Balto have any accessories?"

"Last I've seen him, he had a blue bandana around his neck."

Bowsette smiled. "Perfect. See ya around!" She ran off.

"See? Ye got more people lookin' out for the pup." Gloria smiled.

Alessandra smiled. "Yeah…"

Bowsette hid behind a rock wall and pulled out her phone. "Hey Kamek, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear. Ouch!"

"What's wrong?"

"These darn Chewtle are quite nippy… hey, that's my cloak! Shoo! Shoo!"

Bowsette giggled. "They like you~"

"They have a funny way of liking folk!"

"I just got an update about Balto."

"And?"

"He's wearing a blue bandana."

"That narrows it down, thank yo-... HEY, let go of my wand, you red fox thing! That's not a chew toy! HEY! GIVE IT BA-"

Beep beep beep!

Bowsette snickered. "He'll be fine."

"Everything alright?" Rei asked, holding an umbrella underneath her. "He sounded stressed."

"By the sound of it, he got pickpocketed by a Nickit."

"Oh dear…" Rei frowned before smiling. "I'm sure he'll be fine~"


Meanwhile, with RWBY and co…

BGM: Tagtree Thicket (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Wonder what all that thunderous noise was earlier…" Pit said.

"If I had to guess, Gloria probably Dynamaxed her Pokemon just to make a statement or something." Claude said.

"...The sad thing is, I can definitely see it."

"Knowing her, that's a possibility." Ruby giggled.

"So… this is where their next base is at." Yang said, staring at the Team Star flags on top.

"The Tagtree Thicket." Nagisa said. "I'm not sure what to expect here."

Masaru cracked his knuckles. "Well, let's not keep 'em waiting!"

With a nod, they all walked in, where they would see Venonat and Foongus wandering around, alongside a curious Grafaiai that was hanging around in a tree with a few Pineco.

"Ah, hello there." A voice said as they saw "Clive" approaching them. "I see you are doing well."

"Hey Clive." Yang greeted. "I see you're deep in it as well."

"Well, as I said before, I'm only curious as to why Team Star have been skipping school. There seems to be a reasoning for this…"

"True." Nagisa nodded as they walked further ahead until they reached the entrance to the base.

End BGM

"You don't understand! I want to see Don Atticus!"

BGM: Team Star Encounter (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

The Star Grunt groaned. "Look, kid… I've told you, Atticus is busy. Now why don't you run along and-"

"I said I want to meet Don Atticus. It's really important!"

"And I told you that Atticus is busy and doesn't want to be trifled with, now shoo!"

"I'm not budging!"

RWBY and Co looked at each other before they walked forward. "Hey!" Ruby casually waved.

"Hmm? Who are you-... wait, you're not those Team RWBY villains, are you!" The kid glared.

"...Huh, first time I've been called a villain." Pit said.

"Sorry, but villain doesn't really suit me." Weiss said.

"I could be one, but… nah." Blake waved it off.

"Ooooh boy… you guys came at the worst possible time." The Star Grunt groaned. "Everyone stayed up way too late last night playing video games, so everyone's sleeping in…"

"What were you playing?" Sun asked.

"Well, we were playing that new Tekken game, kicking butt and taking names… and then we came across this one individual who played as Reina and… rrrrgh, kept kicking our asses no matter what we threw at them. Dude thinks he was a hot shot too… went by the name of "UltimateGamingProdigy"."

"Ultimate Gaming, huh?" Yang wondered before they all snickered.

"Yeah, laugh it up! It's all fun and games until you lose thirty rounds in a row trying to at least get a hit on 'em! Then they had the audacity to leave us at three in the morning right when we requested a rematch."

"I probably could have taken this gamer on." The kid said. "Look, why don't I deal with them and you go wake everyone up."

"Alright… I'll do just that. Have fun." He took off running.

"Kids these days playing well into the night… it's absurd." Clive mumbled.

"I wonder how that match went." Ruby said.

End BGM


Last night…

"AAAAARRRGHHHH!" A Team Star Grunt groaned as he grabbed his headset. "Listen here, you punk ass Yungoos! You think you're a hotshot when you can win thirty to zero?! We'll kick your ass so hard that your winning will soon end!"

"Wow, talk about salty…"

"Oh yeah?! Well, we'll kick your butt online so hard that-"

"Pffft! This is online?"

On the other end…

Chiaki giggled. "I thought this was training mode~"

"WHAT?! YOU THINK THIS WAS TRAINING MODE, YOU WEASEL?! WHY I OUGHTA-"

"Thanks for the games! GG to all~!" Chiaki logged out and sighed, taking off her headset. "Well, that was fun… time to play some Mario Kart."


Back on Team Star's end…

"Did that hotshot log out?" A Star Grunt asked.

"AAARRRRGH! THE AUDACITY OF IT ALL! I DEMAND… I DEMAND… ugh, I'm too tired to be angry, I'm going to bed…"


Back with Chiaki…

"Hmm? Oh, the EVO trailer for Tekken 8 is up?" Chiaki wondered as she started to watch it. "I wonder who will be added.

Not even a minute later…

"HEIHACHI WA IKI TERU?!" (ALIVE?!)

Chiaki immediately pulled out her phone and started texting.

"Apologies for interrupting your beauty sleep but you gotta see this!"

"Ugh, it's three in the morning, this better be important…" - Futaba

"Hmhmhmhm~" Chiaki hummed, waiting for Futaba to react.

"HOLY SHIT, THE AMOUNT OF SCREAMS I HAD TO STIFLE AS TO NOT WAKE JADE UP"

Chiaki snickered. "Oh, I'm probably gonna get smacked in the head for that later…" She giggled. "Worth it~!"


Back in the present…

"Probably a lot of angry Star folk." Yang said.

"Yeah." Ruby giggled.

"If you guys are done, I'd like to fight you!" The kid said. "I am Youseff, and I will not allow you to raid this base!" He declared, calling out Gulpin and Shroodle.

"Gulpin!"

"Shrood!"

"Poison, huh?" Weiss wondered as she called out her Mamoswine.

"Mamoooo!"

"Earthquake."

"Uh oh…" Youseff whimpered as Tusky raised his foot and slammed it on the ground, creating a shockwave that instantly knocked out the two. "Awww…"

"Hmmm…" Nagisa had his arms folded. "Poison is weak to Ground and Psychic, right?"

"Yeah." Masaru nodded.

"And how many Ground and Psychics do we have?"

Jataro started to count on his fingers. "Let's see… Weiss has her Mamoswine, Blake has her Meowstic, Yang's got her Ursaluna, I have my Marowak… that should be about it."

"Hmm…" Nagisa folded his arms. "We do have coverage, but it's only just one Pokemon each. I suggest we help out when the boss shows up. You never know."

"Good idea." Dipper nodded.

"Excuse me… Youseff, was it?" Clive approached. "You seem to care about this Atticus, yes?"

"Yeah…"

"Come along, let's discuss matters privately." He said as he and the boy walked off nearby into the thicket where they both started to chat things over.

At that moment, Ruby's Rotom Scroll kicked on.

BGM: Cassiopeia (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Nice job taking out the gatekeeper. Now beyond those gate lie the Navi Squad, where their boss is named Atticus. Fun fact: Atticus is the one who designed the outfits."

"So he's a fashion designer?" Weiss asked.

"Pretty much. He's also a bit… eccentric. There's no telling what he will do when you face him head on. So be careful."

"Roger that!" Ruby nodded as Cassiopeia hung up.

End BGM

"We'll be your eyes in the sky!" Claude said as he, Pit, Dipper and Silver took off while Yang punched the gates open.

BGM: Team Star Base (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Ding dong~!" Yang smiled.

"Hey, you didn't ring the bell!" A Star grunt yelled.

Ding!

"Glad I remembered it." Meryl said as the Star Grunts sweatdropped before everyone called out their Pokemon to raid the base.

As they were raiding the base, Claude and the others spread out to help aid their friends… all the while Claude spotted Penny nearby as he pulled out his phone and called her up.

"Hello?"

"Soooo, Cassie! What's Giacomo and Mela to you?"

"They're… not important."

"Oh really? Then you sounded like you reminisce about those two quite a lot. Do you feel the same way about Atticus?"

"...Well-"

"Another thing. As the "supply unit" of the operation, you mentioned something about Team Star not being as bad as everyone thinks they are. That little nugget of info was enough for me to have this conversation with you right now."

"Why couldn't you have done it BEFORE the raid?"

"Not as fun~"

Penny let out a groan, facepalming.

Claude chuckled. "So, wanna tell me?"

"It's… complicated. I'd rather not say… I'll… explain it in due time."

"Fair enough! See you around, Cassie."

Penny looked at her phone with a deadpan expression. "My name's not Cassie!"


Down below…

"Hark! What business do you have, evil doers!"

End BGM

They all turned to see the Starmobile driving out of the big tent.

BGM: Team Star Boss Intro (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"It is I, the leader of the Navi Squad… Atticus! And what, pray tell, are you neanderthals doing here?"

"Hold on, time out!" Sun said. "Did you just say "hark" and "pray tell"? That's way too old school for someone like you!"

"Dost thou knowest of Shakespearian theatre? Nay? THEN SHUTTEST THE HELL-ETH UP!"

"Hell-eth?" Meryl sweatdropped.

"You are those scoundrels who dared to wilt Giacomo and Mela… 'tis unforgivable! Why, it's-"

"Okay, my little bro does theatre and there's no way he speaks like this." Ruby said.

"Hmph! Thou darest interrupt me? You have some nerve! …And your little brother might as very well be an amateur!"

"Hey…!" Ruby growled as Yang pulled Ruby back.

"I mean, he's not wrong… he's just starting out."

"I know, but the way he spoke in that tone…" Ruby glared at Atticus. "Rrrgh, it burns me up!"

"Trust me, I didn't like it either."

"Now, let me danceth on your defeat!"

"Danceth? Okay, he's not even trying anymore." Neptune said. "Go back to acting class!"

"The nerve of this naive…!" Atticus pulled out a Repeat Ball.

"Alright, everyone together now! This might get a bit wild!" Nagisa said as Weiss had Tusky out while Blake's Minette was riding on top of him as Jataro's Marowak was at the ready while Yang's Ursaluna roared.

"Have at thee!" Atticus declared, while up on the cliff, Penny let out a groan.

"I forgot how much of a dork you are…"

End BGM

BGM: Team Star Boss Battle (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

The Shakesperian Designer - Atticus

"Skuntank, set these afoul beasts away!" Atticus called out his first Pokemon.

"Taaaank!"

"Oh boy… um… Minette? How about you sit this one out, sweetie?" Blake suggested.

"Meow!"

"Icy Wind!" Weiss ordered.

"Mammooooo!" Tusky cried, unleashing Icy Wind on the Skuntank, which responded by spitting out Toxic from his tail, but Tusky moved out of the way in time.

"Royce, Taunt him!" Yang called out.

"Grapplo!" Her Grapploct cried, egging the Skuntank to come forward.

"Skun Tank Tank…!" Skuntank growled before unleashing Flamethrower on him and Tusky, but Minette put up a Light Screen to soften the blow.

"Mamo…!" Mamoswine grunted before shaking it off. "Mammo Mo."

"Stic." Minette smiled.

"Grapplo!" Grapploct egged Skuntank on again as it let out a growl and used Venoshock on Royce, but he jumped into the air, swinging his tentacles back and swung down with Superpower, hitting Skuntank head on.

"TAAAAAAAAAANK!" Skuntank cried as he fell in defeat after one blow.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Yang smiled, high fiving her Grapploct after he came back… and then both tried to pry each other off due to his suckers.

"Thanks, Yang. I was gonna use Earthquake on him but thought I'd soften him up first." Weiss said.

"No prob!" Yang smiled.

"Muk, you're up!" Atticus sent out his next Pokemon.

"Muuuuk!"

"Eugh!" Silver covered his nose as he was at the cliff. "I can smell that thing from here!"

"Is it normally this smelly?" Dipper wondered.

"I've smelt worse." Claude said.

"Ugh… can't… breathe through this…!" Pit complained. "Lady Palutena…!"

"Here ya go!" Palutena sent him an oxygen mask as he put it on him.

"Aaaaah, much better."

"You got some for us?" Dipper asked nicely as he and Silver received some as well. "Thank you!"

"Alright… I'm knocking this thing out before the stench kills us all!" Weiss said.

"I'll help you on that front!" Blake said.

"Sludge Wave!" Atticus ordered as Muk sent out a toxic sludge wave that was mostly absorbed by the Light Screen.

"Earthquake/Psychic!"

"Mammmoooo/Meoooooowwww!"

"Muuuuk!" Muk cried as the Earthquake struck him before he was finished off with the Psychic attack, prompting Atticus to recall Muk.

"Ah good, I can breathe again…" Ruby smiled.

"That was the foulest thing I've ever smelled…" Nagisa coughed a bit.

"Revavroom, let's go!" Atticus called out a regular Revavroom.

"We want to help you!" Masaru said. "Takibi, let's do this!"

"Torch!"

"Konerak!"

"Quax!" Nagisa's Quaxly got into position.

"Thanks guys." Weiss smiled.

"Big mistake with that Torchic. Bulldoze!"

"Revaaaaa!" Revavroom slammed into the ground to create a large shockwave that shook the ground, kicking up dirt toward everyone, but Yang's Grapploct punched away the boulders, Minette used Psychic on a few of them while Primrose caught one with her rose hands and tossed them away while Torchic and Quaxly kicked them away.

"Atta girl, Primrose!" Ruby smiled.

"Rade!" Her Roserade smiled.

"Tooorchiiiiiic!" Takibi unleashed Flamethrower as Konerak used Aqua Jet, slamming into the Revavroom.

"Vroooom…!" Revavroom grunted as it used Iron Head to slam into Konerak, sending him back a bit.

"Quax…!" The Quaxly shook it off as Revavroom used Bulldoze again, striking Takibi head on but he was pushed back a few feet, shaking it off with a smirk.

"Reva?!" Revavroom said in surprise.

"Torchic Tor?"

"Quax!"

Both of them got into a stance. "TOOOOOORCHIIIIIIIIIIC/QUAAAAAAAX!" Both of them unleashed a Flamethrower and Water Gun… right as both started to glow.

"Whoa, hello!" Masaru exclaimed.

"Oh my…" Nagisa breathed in surprise.

"REVAAAAA!" Revavroom grunted as he was pushed back from both, feeling a bit weakened as both stopped glowing.

"Cooombusken!"

"Quaxweelll!"

"Atta boy!" Masaru smiled.

"Nice." Nagisa smirked.

"The evolution… it's so beautiful! So poetic! …'Tis unfortunate that is on your side! Revavroom, Bulldoze!"

"Both of you jump!" Nagisa ordered as they both jumped into the air right as a shockwave went past them and slammed into Revavroom.

"REVAAAAA!" Revavroom cried as it collapsed.

"Thanks for that jump!" Weiss smiled as Tusky snorted proudly.

"Hmph, I still have my trump card! Onward, Yon Starmobile!"

"Reva!" The Starmobile cried as it rolled up.

With a smirk, Takibi ran forward and gave a good solid Double Kick to the Revavroom's face, which in turn, caused a lot of Toxic Spikes to shoot out.

"Haha! Thou hast activated my trap card! Toxic Spikes are all scattered around thee!"

"This is bad…" Masaru groaned.

"Combusk…" Takibi frowned as the Revavroom slammed into him. "Keeeen!" He cried as he fell on top of a few Toxic Spikes. "Combus…!"

"Takibi!" Masaru called out.

"Oooh, this isn't good!" Jataro said. "Callen, Bonemerang!"

"Maro… wak!" His Marowak threw his bone toward the Revavroom where it was a direct hit, but it scattered more spikes, one where it landed on top of the bone just by sheer unluckiness, poisoning the bone as it returned to Marowak. "Maro…" Callen fell on one knee.

"Oh no…" Jataro grimaced.

"What is all the noise?" A voice asked as they turned to see a familiar mage walk through. "Can't a girl paint in Paldea in peace?"

"Carmen! …Wait, Carmen? What are you doing here?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, I acquired a new skill so I thought I might paint with these cute Grafaiai… unfortunately, this music makes it really hard to concentrate."

"What… are you wearing?" Yang asked.

"Oh, you like it? I call it "Pictomancy". Allow me to give you a demonstration!" She turned toward Atticus. "Hey, Shakespeare. You want to see what real art can do?"

"Real art? As if my clothing isn't designed to perfection? Thou dost not even have a Pokemon!"

"Oh, I don't need one~ Allow me to show off to your… living vehicle?" Carmen tilted her head before shrugging.

"Show me what thou can do. I do not feel comfortable running over a fellow human!"

"Oh, thanks for the win~"

Paint swirled around Carmen as she happily swung her paintbrush around, summoning a paint broom as it proceeded to brush away the Toxic Spikes before a paint circle surrounded the Starmobile as a paint explosion shot up into the air.

"REVAAAAA!"

"Nnngh!" Atticus growled as he looked up toward the sky to see the paint forming into shooting stars and slamming down onto Revavroom.

"Vrooooooom!"

"Be still, Revavroom! The vile woman hast used a paintable Swift on us! It shall not harm us much!"

Carmen swung her paintbrush, splattering paint everywhere as it formed into a giant mallet as it swung up into the air and slammed down on the hood of the Starmobile.

"REVA!"

"...That, on the other hand, will harm us immensely!"

"Hmhmhmhm~" Carmen hummed as more paint swirled around her as she summoned a Moogle.

"Kupo!" The Moogle cried… before firing a massive laser into Revavroom.

"REVAAAAAAA!"

"Hang in there, it is merely a paintable Hyper Beam! …Assuming it is a Hyper Beam! Argh, and I'm not vile enough to harm this maiden!"

Penny, meanwhile, was rubbing her eyes, making sure she wasn't seeing things. "Paint… used as magic? Now I've seen everything!"

"And for the grand finale~!" Carmen swung into the air as Atticus looked up to see a giant paint meteor coming down.

"It is a paintable Draco Meteor! Brace for impact!" He exclaimed as it slammed into the Starmobile, which sealed the deal on the big Revavroom, causing it to collapse.

End BGM

Atticus fell on his knees, covered in paint. "My friends, forgive me… I… my artistry is but purely amateurish!"

"That was so cool~!" Ruby's eyes sparkled.

"Indeed… that was just but a taste of Pictomancy." Carmen smiled.


About a year and a half ago…

BGM: Team Star Flashback (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

An unmasked Atticus frowned. "Forgive me. It took a goodly time to procure the required materials."

"Whooooooooa, sick! These boots are insaaaaaane!" Mela exclaimed.

"Ah, yes. The move Flame Charge was my muse for those particular pieces."

"This outfit is everything I imagined it would be. Thank you so much!" Eri gushed.

"I merely wished to create a costume worthy of the great Infernal Eri. If it aligns with your vision, then I am content."

"Seems our outfit upgrades are all wrapped up, then! Thanks a ton, Atticus." Giacomo smiled. "With you two lookin' like absolute beasts, anyone who crosses us will be sweatin' bullets!"

"You're so good at these sorts of crafty things, Atticus." Ortega complimented. "Those people bullying you 'cause you geek out over old-fashioned stuff are out of their minds."

"The way of the ninja is rough and fraught with thorns. I neither expect nor desire sympathy from the unrefined rabble."

"Oooh, someone's gettin' fired up~ Watch out, world… our Atticus has FIGHTIN' words!" Mela smirked.

"Yeah, don't listen to the haters, Atticus. I think you're really cool!" Eri smiled sweetly… as much as she could with her facepaint.

"All right, gang. Let's move on to the next step." Giacomo said. "It's time to put our backs into our battle training so we're all prepped for Operation Star! We gotta be stronger than everyone else in the team… that's what bein' a boss means!"

"Indeed it does." Atticus agreed. "Henceforth, I will devote myself heart and soul to honing my battle skills."


Back in the present…

End BGM

"For the sake of the team, I would give my very heart and soul… but I cannot defy the rules…"

"Hmm…" Carmen rubbed her chin. "Ya know, you remind me of my friend Urianger. He talks like you do."

"...I take comfort in knowing that someone speaks the language of the arts like I do."

Atticus pulled out the Poison badge. "This belongeth to the one who felled Mela and Giacomo. Who is this Weiss?"

"That would be me." Weiss raised her hand where Atticus tossed it to her, where she easily caught it.

"And take this. This TM is Gunk Shot." He threw it to Weiss but Ruby snagged it instead.

"Let's see… should I give this to Primrose or Fleur…"

BGM: Emotion (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Don Atticus!" A voice called out as Youseff approached with Clive.

"M-My compadre…!" Atticus exclaimed in surprise.

"It seems like this young fella has been dying to speak with you face to face." Clive explained.

"I have something I want to say!"

"What dost thou want to say?" Atticus asked.

"I want to help you! If you don't start going to class again, you'll be expelled from the academy, right? When the other kids at school and I were getting bullied real bad, you and the rest of Team Star saved us! Thanks to that operation you carried out, we were able to go to school again! If you get expelled for being the good guys, that'd be the worst thing ever!"

"Forgive me…"

"Haven't you heard anything from the big boss…?"

"Nay, we've heard not a whisper since that fateful day… Without the big boss, Team Star cannot carry on. And without the team, the bright and merry student life we seek lies beyond our reach! We've no choice but to defend our bases till the big boss returns to us!"

"You evidently trust this big boss of yours a great deal. Who exactly are they?" Clive asked.

"In truth, not one of us has met them in the flesh. By their own word, they are a recluse. As with the rest of us, 'twould seem bullying was to blame."

"That's awful…" Youssef frowned.

"Though their name and face be unknown to us, they are nonetheless our precious comrade. Our only choice is to maintain our vigils from the bases, awaiting the day of their return."

"So that's why you don't go to school… but… but still! Don't ever think that Team Star is all that you have, Don Atticus! You've got a lifelong compadre in me… and don't you forget it!"

"My compadre… I owe you a great debt."

"Hmm…" Clive hummed. "It seems we're one step closer to the truth behind Team Star's truancy… and the bullying at the academy. But more importantly… I can't believe I had no idea about these issues the students are struggling with… they have friendships they hold dear and reasons for acting as they do. I just couldn't see it. It's shameful how oblivious I have been…"

"Haaaah…" Atticus folded his arms. "I believed Team Star to be the one and only treasure in my life… methinks I have been mistaken."

"Treasure…" Weiss whispered, feeling a burning sensation in her chest once more, this time more intense that she could not simply ignore it. She clutched her chest tightly.

"...Sis?" Meryl looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

Weiss took a deep breath, forming a more genuine smile. "I couldn't be happier."

Meryl looked at her in surprise before smiling, pulling her into a hug.

End BGM

"So, mind telling me what you guys have been up to?" Carmen asked as they started to walk away.

"Well, it's a long story. You see-"

"Ro-to-to-to-to!"

Ruby pulled out her Rotom Scroll.

"I see that even Navi Squad's days are numbered as well. Good job." Cassiopeia said. "Oh… Atticus too…"

"You feeling okay?" Ruby asked as Silver teleported the quad over to them.

"Yes. Anyway, I believe now it is time to let you know what our ultimate goal is. It is to defeat the mastermind after dealing with all five. The one that they call the big boss."

"What's this big boss like?" Blake asked.

"Who can say for sure? They control the five squads from the shadows. That's all anyone can say. If we can defeat this person and get them to declare the team disbanded, that'll be it for Team Star. Since they never set up a proper base, we can assume that they're not one for the spotlight, but once the squads are out of action, the big boss will have to finally take center stage."

"Fair enough."

"Now, to transfer the LP over to you and to Alessandra… my supply unit will be with you shortly like always. Until then."

Cassiopeia hung up.

"Hey…" Penny approached the group. "That sounded like a serious phone call… and I see you have a new face in your operation. Anyway, I-"

Suddenly, Nagisa's Pokeball opened up as Oller came out.

"Arcto!"

"I wasn't talking to you, doofu-... no! Don't get any closer… no!"

"Arctooooo~!" Oller smiled and licked Penny's face.

"BLAAAAAGH! I need major disinfectant and a hot washcloth! Gaaah!"


One hot wash cloth later…

"That was the coldest tongue of all time…" Penny groaned.

"He just does that to people he likes." Nagisa said.

"What did I do to deserve to be liked by a freak of nature…" Penny muttered under her breath.

"Arcto~" Oller smiled.

"A-anyway… the mastermind that Cassiopeia mentioned… they mentioned the big boss to me too." Penny explained. "Team Star's founder… the person who's caused all kinds of misery at the academy… if we don't take 'em down, I'll lose what I treasure most in the world…"

"What kind of treasure~?" Claude asked with a friendly smirk.

"Um… uh…" Penny stammered. You can be so insufferable sometimes! She thought. "I… uh… forget what I said! Here's your reward." She handed over the materials. "Anyway, um… see you guys around…" She said, before giving Nagisa a side glance that caused her to blush a deep red. "Don't… lose to them." She took off running.

"She really needs to lie down. That can't be healthy to run around with a high fever." Nagisa said.

"Oooooh my go-..." Masaru grabbed Nagisa on the shoulders. "SHE HAS A CRUSH ON YOU, YOU BAKA!"

"We just met! There's no possible way to have a crush on someone you just met!"

"Sometimes it's possible!"

"Has this been going on for a while?" Carmen whispered.

"Yeah." Ruby nodded.

Carmen giggled. "Oh boy…"

"Hmmm…" Nagisa rubbed his chin before pulling out some black half-rim glasses, putting them on his face. "D.A.N.I.E.L."

"Uh… who's Daniel?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

"Greetings, everyone. I am D.A.N.I.E.L."

"Wah!" Ruby yelped, as everyone had a similar reaction. "The glasses just talked!"

"I am a youth caregiver and a digital companion for Nagisa Pollendina, created by Dr. Pietro Pollendina."

Yang blinked. "...A youth… caregiver."

"Yes."

Yang sighed, scratching her head. "Glasses are now babysitters… the future is so weird…"

"Technically…" Nagisa pulled out his scroll. "I'm hearing him from my glasses. The rest of you are hearing him from my scroll."

"...My point still stands, dude!"

"My name stands for "Digital Advisor Notable in Expository Learning", but you may either simply call me "Daniel" or just "Dan" for short."

"Oooooh, so this is what you were talking about…" Masaru said. "Nice of you to finally introduce us, by the way…"

Nagisa sweatdropped. "I wanted to introduce you earlier, but after the whole thing with that giant grizzly bear trying to destroy Inkopolis, it… completely slipped my mind."

"So why didn't you introduce us to him when we were hanging around in our office? Or when Dipper and Mabel came by? Or Silver? Or maybe Pacifica? Or FLAN?"

"...Because, I, uh…" Nagisa sheepishly looked away. "Didn't… think about it?"

Masaru sighed. "What am I gonna do with you, you knucklehead…"

"So, what's the deal with this… app? I'm assuming it's an app." Blake said.

"Dad created him for me so I can keep track on my mental health and so I don't overdo anything… considering, ya know, I had an IV strapped to me when I was working myself to death on my deadbeat demons?"

"Yeah, I can definitely see that." Silver nodded.

"That would help immensely, to be honest." Dipper said.

"I still can't get over the fact that the glasses are basically a babysitter!" Sun said. "Seriously…"

"I mean, we're all caught up with inventing things. Dad, Aunt Miu, the mechanics… heck, even Penny and-..." He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and swallowed. "...SAPR… would pitch in with things too."

Masaru immediately put an arm over his shoulder. "It'll be okay, dude… let it out…"

"SAPR? What happened to her?" Carmen asked as Weiss whispered in her ear. "Ooooh…" She grimaced. "My condolences."

"Daniel's voice sounds so familiar to me…" Jataro said. "He kinda reminds me of a certain English Lakituber who was famous for his Minecraft gameplays…"

"Hmm…" Pit rubbed his chin. "Hey Lady Palutena, could I get some glasses like that?"

"Why? So you could replace me with AI?"

"What?! N-No! I would never replace you with-"

Palutena giggled. "I'm just kidding~"

"Phew…"

"Besides, why would you want to wear glasses? Do you really want people like Pittoo and Viridi calling you dorkier?"

"Well… uh…"

"How about Phosphora?"

"Um…"

"Or even Hades?"

"Okay okay! I won't wear glasses…"

"Oh come on~" Ruby put an arm around her boyfriend. "We all know Pit's a dork… but he'll even be a cuter dork with glasses~!"

"Ooooh…" Pit sulked. "You're not helping, Rubes…"

Ruby giggled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Anyway… Daniel, see what you can pull up about Penny."

"You want to learn more about her so you could be less dense around her?"

"Mmmph!" Nagisa blushed. "Not you too…"

"I will see what I can find regarding this Penny character. In the meantime, you ought to go get some lunch. The closest restaurant is in Zapapico."

"Alright… let's go."

They started to walk off when the same Grafaiai that watched them made its way over to them.

"Hmm?" Jataro turned his head to see the Grafaiai. "Oh, hey, you're a cute one."

"I think it wants to come with us." Weiss said as Ruby scanned the Grafaiai out of curiosity.

"Grafaiai, the Toxic Monkey Pokemon and the evolved form of Shroodle. The color of the poisonous saliva depends on what the Pokémon eats. Grafaiai covers its fingers in its saliva and draws patterns on trees in forests. Each Grafaiai paints its own individual pattern, and it will paint that same pattern over and over again throughout its life."

"Interesting!" Ruby said as the Grafaiai jumped up into Jataro's shoulder.

"I guess you want to come, huh?" Jataro asked as the Grafaiai nodded. "Okay! I think I'll call you… Julien."

They headed off to Zapapico, all the while everyone brought Carmen up to speed after Eggman's invasion.


In Zapapico…

BGM: Artazone & Zapapico (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Not much to go off of, is it?" Alessandra asked as they wandered around town.

"Oh, but it's a cute lil' pit stop." Kotoko smiled.

"Hmm…" Flandre glanced over to see Carmine curiously looking at her. "What ya lookin' at me for?"

"I'm… trying to figure you out." Carmine said. "Based on these crystalized wings… are you… some kind of demon?"

"Oh, for the love of…" Flandre groaned as she turned around and gave Carmine a hard cold stare that made her flinch. "Vampire! VAM. PI. RE. Get it right!"

Carmine sweatdropped. "Right, my mistake…" Touchy… She thought. "...Wait a sec, if you're a vampire, why aren't you writhing in pain from the sun?"

"Oh, uh… because… I'm a special vampire?"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"You have to forgive her, she… gets a bit touchy when people think she's a demon." Kokoro said.

"I can tell…" Carmine scratched her head while staring at her ocelot ears. "Ya know, Ren told me about the Faunus in your world… but I never imagined it'd be so cute up close."

Kokoro giggled. "Wanna touch 'em?"

"Are you… okay with that?"

Kokoro smiled. "Of course, just please be gentle."

With a nod, Carmine gently scratched Kokoro's ears, causing her to close her eyes and nearly let out a purr. Carmine giggled and continued to gently rub her ears.

"So, Flandre… do you, uh… drink human blood?" Carmine asked nervously.

"Honestly, I did try it once and… blegh." She grimaced. "Human blood can be so fatty and you never know where it's been."

Carmine's eye twitched a bit. I don't know whether to be relieved or annoyed that she called my blood "dirty"...

"That's why I substitute it with either a fine cup of red wine or tomato juice." She glanced to the side. "Ooooor maybe either Near Blood or Blood Beaters. You can't tell the difference between 'em, ya know?"

"Red wine?" Carmine wondered, pulling away from Kokoro's ears and giving the vampire a once over. "Hmm, for a vampire who looks to be about twelve to fourteen years old… I don't think you should be drinking that kind of stuff."

"...Huh?" Flandre looked at her in offense.

"Believe me, blondie. Even with your wings, a lot of people would mistake you for a middle schooler because of your, uh… near-prepubescent looks. More or less a minor."

Flandre twitched a little bit in annoyance. "Okay, one: I am NOT a middle schooler. And two… I am FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE YEARS OLD. I just unfortunately stopped growing at this height!"

Carmine put her hands up in defense. "Ooookay, take it easy… I… didn't know you were that old." She said, side glancing at Kotoko who was nodding at Carmine in confirmation. Seriously?! She's telling the truth?!

Flandre nodded. "Well, now you know." She said as Nemona was about to open her mouth. "And no, I don't say shit like "Bleh, bleh, bleh". Only Count Dracula does that."

"Ooookay, that answers everything I needed to know."

"Ya know…" Mabel spoke up. "I've heard recently that Dracula is absolutely miserable lately."

"Come to think of it, I've heard from Kyoko who's heard from Death that Dracula is a lot moodier lately…" Kotoko said. "I wonder what's wrong…"


Meanwhile, at Castlevania…

"Mmmmph…" Dracula grumbled, drinking wine while rubbing his temples.

"Is everything okay in there, my darling?"

"I just… need some time to myself… "dear"..." Dracula clenched his wine glass as hard as he can.

"Okay~ I'll just continue tormenting Jacques then~!"

"Tell me you have found a way to get rid of that pathetic excuse of a "wife"..." Dracula said, finishing his drink.

"Unfortunately, no matter what we do, she keeps coming back. That little scavenger hunt we sent her on was a better idea in our heads. I'm not sure how she found a make believe object so quickly." Death said.

SHATTER!

"I despise this woman with a passion…" Dracula growled, pulling the glass out of his hand. "There has to be a way to get rid of her! I'm half tempted to hang around the Belmonts just to get a day of peace from that woman!"


Back with them…

"Maybe he's been smelling a lot of garlic lately." Mabel shrugged.

"Who knows." Kotoko shrugged.

"Four hundred and ninety five years old and she looks like that?" Alessandra wondered. "Man, poor girl probably can't catch a break."

"Eh, what can ye do." Gloria shrugged as they went into a sandwich shop to have lunch, followed by screams due to Mahiru's Gravios being in there.

"Hmm?" Mahiru turned her head to see the news forecast on a TV.

"In other news, Gym Leader Katy known for her delicious sweets, has been defeated in a Pokemon Battle. Here is what she had to say."

"At first I thought one of the Kimono Girls from Johto came for a visit, then she did the gym challenge and next thing I know, I was facing her head on. To my surprise, she was able to knock down my beloved Pokemon, even without a Tera Orb."

Mahiru chuckled, smirking. "So that's what you're up to."

"Someone just defeated Ms. Katy?" Kokoro wondered as she had overheard. "Oh my…"


Several sandwiches made later…

Everyone walked outside and sat down at the tables, with the trainers calling out their Pokemon to give 'em sandwiches as well.

"Heeeeey!" A voice called out as they saw Ruby and her squad walking over to them.

"Hey lass!" Gloria waved them over. "So what's new on yer end?"

"Oh, we just took out another boss of Team Star and… we have no idea where the other one is at. We haven't gotten info from Cassiopeia yet."

"That would explain the text message." Alessandra said.

"Wait a sec… Carmen?" Nora wondered.

"Yo." Carmen greeted.

"Wait, JNPR's back?" Yang asked, having noticed that they were in the far back.

"Glad to see you all in one piece." Erza said.

"Hold that thought, let us get lunch first!" Ruby said as they went into the sandwich shop.


One mingling later…

"Hmm?" Victor noticed the Grafaiai on Jataro's shoulders. "Oh, you got a Grafaiai?"

"Yeah, he followed us here and took a shining to me. I named him Julien."

Victor smiled. "Nice name."

Julien turned to look at Victor, narrowing his eyes.

"Nice to… meet you…"

End BGM

A small smirk formed in the Grafaiai's mouth.

Victor's eyes widened. "...You gotta be… there's no way…"

Julien smirked, pulling his eye socket down and blew a raspberry.

"OF ALL THE… YOU!"

"Grafaiai ai ai!" The Grafaiai laughed, jumping off of Jataro and taunting him as he took off running.

"You get back here!" Victor chased after him.

"Huh? What's up with Vic-cy?" Alessandra wondered.

"Odd, I've never seen the lad so riled up like that." Gloria tilted her head.

After a few minutes of running around, the Grafaiai hopped up on a bench and watched Victor fall on his knees, panting.

Gloria approached him. "Ye okay, bro? I've never seen ye so worked up over some Pokemon before."

"Hah… hah… Gloria… you know… how I told you… that a Grafaiai destroyed my phone… and why I couldn't… hah… hah… check in?"

"Aye?"

"That's him!"

Gloria's eyes widened, turning toward the mischievous lemur. "WOT." She growled.

"Fai Ai Ai Ai Ai~!" Julien laughed before flinching, realizing Gloria angrily approached him.

BGM: Drunken Pipe Bomb (Team Fortress 2) (Start at 1:01)

"SO YE WERE THE ONE WHO MADE ME BRO GHOST US FOR SO FOCKIN' LONG, EH? YE THINK IT'S SO DAMN FUNNY MAKING SOMEONE THINK SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO THEIR FAMILY?! DO YE?!"

"Oh, haven't heard the bagpipes in the background for a long time." Alessandra said.

"Ooooh, scottish fury~!" Perrin immediately brought out her camera to take pictures.

"Oh… goodness gracious…" Carmine grimaced.

Gloria immediately called out her Primeape. "PRIMEAPE, RAGE FIST THIS FOCKIN' ARSEHOLE!"

"Faaaaaaaai!" Julien cried as he ran away.

"PRIMEAAAAAAAAAAPE!" Primeape unleashed his fury as he and Gloria chased after the Grafaiai.

"Aaaand there they go…" Marnie said.

"Should we, uh… stop this…?" Silver wondered.

"And have her anger be directed at us? No thank you." Kotoko said.


A few minutes of fruitless efforts later…

End BGM

"Fai ai ai~" Julien smiled once he realized Rage Fist didn't do anything to him.

"Ape… Ape…! Prime… hah… hah… Prime…!" Primeape said exhaustively as Gloria was on her knees.

"How come… hah… this damn move… won't… connect…"

"Based on what I've been seeing…" Sonia said as she walked over. "Rage Fist has a particularly ghostly aura around it, so I'm willing to bet Rage Fist is a Ghost type move and well, Grafaiai is a Normal Type."

"Wot?! Rage Fist isn't Fightin'?!"

"A Ghost Type move on a Primeape… that's interesting…" Bede said.

"That doesn't make sense…" Hop folded his arms.

"Hmmm…" Marnie folded her arms. "Ghost type move on a Primeape… how peculiar."

"Fai ai ai~!" Julien cried smugly.

"...I'm not out of options." Gloria said as she pulled out her Sandaconda. "NOT BY A FOCKIN' LONG SHOT."

"Ssssaaaaaand!"

"Grafai…" The Grafaiai turned pale before quickly running around as Gloria "pulled the trigger" on her Sandaconda.

"She's using… a Sandconda as a shotgun…" Carmine sweatdropped. "Why the hell is she…?"

"Do you want her to use an actual shotgun?" Ruby asked.

Carmine paled at the thought. "Uuuh… yeah, no… a Sandaconda shotgun's fine, I suppose."

Weiss sat down in front of Pyrrha. "You look a lot better." She said.

Pyrrha smiled. "I could say the same for you."

Weiss's eyes widened. "You… you just…"

"Mhm~"

Weiss grinned and immediately hugged Pyrrha. "Oh Pyrrha! I'm so happy for you!"

"Pona Pon Pon~!" Ogerpon smiled as Weiss looked down at Ogerpon. "Ponya Pon-rah!"

"Who's this?"

"Ogerpon."

"Oger… pon?" Weiss wondered. "Tell me all about this cutie."

"Excuse me, you two with the Charcadet!" A lady's voice called out as Alessandra and Masaru turned to the lady. "Would you two like to evolve them?"

"Oh, sure! Is there an evolution stone for them?" Alessandra asked.

"Actually, no. You see, I need some specific Pokemon to create special armor for the Charcadet. I will need ten Bronzor for Auspicious Armor, and ten Sinistea for Malicious Armor."

Alessandra and Masaru looked at each other.

"Okay…? That's specific as hell." Masaru said.

"Could be worse. I heard that's a bullshit way to evolve Galarian Yamask in Galar's wild area." Alessandra said.

"How so?" Masaru asked as Alessandra whispered. "...WHAT? That's ridiculous!"

"That's what I said! Doesn't make getting a Runerigus worth it!"

"So what do you say? Find ten Bronzor and Sinistea and bring them back to me."

Alessandra smiled. "Alright, we'll do it. Let's go, Wisp!"

"Charca!"

Both took off running.

"Let's not get too far behind, Touya!"

"Charc!"

Both of them took off running as well… right as Gloria returned, giving a Full Restore on her Sandaconda and a Full Restore and a Revival on the KO'd Grafaiai.

"Fai Ai…" Grafaiai groaned.

"I would be upset, but… I think ya had that coming." Jataro said, picking up the Grafaiai. "No more melting phones, okay?"

"Fai ai…"

Gloria put her Sandaconda away and rubbed her Primeape's head. "Don'tae worry, ye did yer best."

"Prime." Primeape smiled as Gloria turned to her brother.

"Feelin' a bit better after that?"

"Mmm… kinda. I'm still keeping an eye on that thing."

"I don't blame ye." Gloria walked over to Ruby. "So, Rubes. Tell me the lay of the land so far on yer adventures."

"Oh, well-"


A few minutes of snatching Sinistea and Bronzor later…

"Here we are!" Alessandra approached with several Sinistea behind her as Masaru had the same amount of Bronzor with him.

"Excellent! Now let's make some armor for the two." The woman said as she went right to work with the Sinister and Bronzor, where a few minutes pass as two armors were made. "Here we are! Auspicous and Malicious armor."

Wisp and Touya looked at both armors out of curiosity before they both picked up their pieces of armor.

"Oh, you look adorable in that armor, Wisp!" Alessandra gushed.

"Charca Char." Wisp blushed.

"Yeah, you look cool in it, Touya!"

"Charca!" Touya nodded… before they both started to glow brightly.

"Oooh, what do we got!" Alessandra grinned excitedly.

"Armaaa!"

"Ceruuuuu!"

"Wow!" Masaru said.

"Whoa…" Alessandra breathed, aiming her Pokedex at Wisp to scan him.

"Ceruledge, the Fire Blades Pokemon and the evolved form of Charcadet. The fiery blades on its arms burn fiercely with the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal. An old set of armor steeped in grudges caused this Pokémon's evolution. Ceruledge cuts its enemies to pieces without mercy."

"Wisp… you look amazing." Alessandra smiled.

"Ledge." Wisp nodded, both of them hugging as Alessandra then scanned the other.

"Armarogue, the Fire Warrior Pokemon and the evolved form of Charcadet. Armarouge evolved through the use of a set of armor that belonged to a distinguished warrior. This Pokémon is incredibly loyal. This Pokémon clads itself in armor that has been fortified by psychic and fire energy, and it shoots blazing fireballs."

"Armarogue… now that's a good name for ya, Touya!"

"Arma." The Armarogue nodded, fist bumping Masaru.

"Hmm…" Hop rubbed his chin, looking at Wisp in intrigue before grinning. "Hehehe~" He grinned as he walked over to Alessandra. "Hey Aless!"

"Hmm? Need something, Hoppy?"

"I was wondering if we could duke it out with your newly evolved Ceruledge."

"Really? Right now?" Alessandra asked.

"Yeah!" Hop nodded. "Come on, it'll be great to get your mind off things!"

"Alright, name the spot."

"Right here in the heart of Zapapico!" Hop smiled.

"You're on, Hoppy." Alessandra smirked.

"Has she beaten Bede yet?" Ruby whispered to Gloria.

"Aye." Gloria whispered back.

"Nice."

"Alright, let's get this going!" Hop grinned as a few locals walked by.

"Hey, is that the Fashionista?"

"Yeah, it is! It looks like she's about to have a Pokemon battle."

"Who is that? I don't know who that is."

"Is that Leon's brother who lost to Gloria in the semi-finals?"

"He has a name, you know! His name's Hop. Not just "Leon's Brother". He worked hard!"

More Zapapicans moved in to watch the fight about to begin between the two.

"Well, look at that… a crowd's gathering to watch the fight!" Sun said between bites.

"A crowd, huh?" Gloria rubbed her chin deep in thought. "Hmmm…"

Hop grinned. "You ready, Aless?"

"Ready!" Alessandra smirked.

"Alright, because here we go!"

BGM: Battle! Hop (Pokemon Sword and Shield)

Gloria's Rival - Hop

"Let's go, Dubwool!"

"Rio, let's rock!"

"Baaaaa/Quaaax!"

Both trainers gave each other a friendly smirk before they looked at their Pokemon.

"Cotton Guard, then use Double Edge!"

"Hit it with an Aqua Cutter!"

"Baaaa!" Dubwool cried as he wrapped himself up in cotton to raise his defenses before charging ahead right as Rio ran ahead as Dubwool slammed into Rio right as he jumped up and used Aqua Cutter, both moves clashing but Dubwool's Double Edge won out and sent him flying.

"Quaaaax!" Rio cried before he backflipped and landed on the ground. He then used Focus Energy before unleashing Water Pulse on Dubwool, but he jumped out of the way and charged at him with a Headbutt, but Rio jumped out of the way and used Low Kick to knock the Dubwool back.

"Baaa!" Dubwool glared before hitting the Quaxwell with a Double Kick, but Rio jumped back and used Aqua Cutter, critically hitting the Pokemon as it went down for the count. "Baaa…"

"Not bad!" Hop smirked as he recalled his Dubwool and called out Corviknight.

"Kniiiight!"

Alessandra recalled Rio and turned to Wisp. "Wisp, let's test your new abilities out."

"Ledge!" Wisp stepped forward, sharpening his blades and stared intently at the Corviknight.

"Now we're talking. Show me the might of that Ceruledge! Steel Wing!"

Corviknight let out a caw and flew toward Ceruledge who ran toward the Corviknight. The latter's wings glowed while Ceruledge's blade arms turned shadowy as Wisp immediately swung down and clashed against Corviknight's wings, both of them glaring into each other's eyes until Wisp parried him and used Shadow Claw to send the Corviknight back.

Corviknight shook it off and immediately used Drill Peck on him but Wisp took the blow by crossing his blades before his blades turned red hot and unleashed Incinerate to knock Corviknight away. "Corv…!" Corviknight grunted as he looked up to see Wisp jumping over and unleashed Incinerate again, but Corviknight flew back in time.

"Atta boy! Now use Steel Wing again!"

"Coooor-"

SMACK!

Pause BGM

Suddenly, a boulder slammed into the Corviknight, immediately knocking him out.

"Huh?!" Everyone wondered as they turned to see a Tinkaton in the distance waving outside of Zapapico before skipping off.

"NORA!" Everyone but Alessandra yelled.

"It wasn't my Tinkaton this time, I swear!" Nora defended as her Tinkaton was happily eating a sandwich.

"...Oh. Well that stinks." Hop said as he turned back to Alessandra before they both shrugged.

Resume BGM

Hop then recalled Corviknight, then called out his Pincurchin.

"Pin Pin!"

"You want to keep going, bud?"

"Ceru!"

"Alright. Incinerate!"

"Bubble Beam!"

"Bubb-... uh oh."

Wisp launched himself toward Pincurchin as it let out a Bubble Beam, where Wisp blocked with his blades as it managed to cool off the Incinerate. Wisp narrowed his eyes before it turned ghostly and used Shadow Claw instead.

"Cuuurch…!" Pincurchin cried as he was knocked away.

"Zing Zap!"

"Curch Pin Pin… PIIIIIIN-"

Wisp swiftly slashed through Pincurchin with Incinerate before he could strike with Zing Zap.

"Curchiiiin…" Pincurchin groaned in defeat.

"Rest easy now!" Hop recalled the Pincurchin.

"Are they normally that slow?" Alessandra asked.

"Ahehehe~... yeeeah…" Hop scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it!" Alessandra smiled, giving him a wink that made him blush.

"Alright, Snorlax! Let's go!" He called him out.

"Laaaaax!"

"Ceru!" Wisp got ready to go as he charged forward.

"Earthquake!"

"Earthquake?!" Alessandra said in surprise as Snorlax punched the ground as Wisp didn't react in time, getting knocked back by the Earthquake.

"Leeedge…!" Wisp cried as he could barely stand after that blow.

"Wisp, come back!" Alessandra requested as Wisp hobbled over to her. "Take a good rest, bud." She smiled before calling out Tut.

"Flittle Flit!"

"Alright, use Agility!"

"Fliiiiiiittllllle!" Tut quickly moved around as the Snorlax watched the Flittle move about before using Psybeam. Snorlax tanked it before jumping in and Crunching down on Tut, but the Flittle moved away in time and used Disarming Voice.

"Lax…" Snorlax swung down with Hammer Arm, but Tut swiftly moved out of the way to avoid the Hammer Arm and then let out a Disarming Voice. "Snor…!"

"Flittle Fliiiiiitt!" Tut unleashed Psybeam as Snorlax tanked it as he jumped into the air and used Heavy Slam, belly flopping on Tut.

"Tut!" Alessandra called out.

"Yeesh… a bit overkill, don't ya think?" Hop scratched his head when suddenly a pink aura surrounded Snorlax and pushed him away as Tut got back up, having used Confusion to push him away. Battered, bruised, and a bit annoyed that he was under Snorlax's belly, but he was still raring to go.

"Phew…" Alessandra sighed in relief as Snorlax got up and launched himself over to Tut, trying to Crunch down but Tut shot a Psybeam into his mouth.

"Snooooor!" Snorlax cried as he was pushed back. He licked his lips after having a mouthful of Psybeam.

He thought that was tasty? Alessandra thought… before Snorlax fell on his back.

"Huh?" Hop wondered as he walked over to him, seeing that he was KO'd. "Uh… okay!" He shrugged as he pulled Snorlax back.

Hop grabbed his next Pokeball. "Cramorant, let's-"

"GRIIIIEEEEELD!"

Suddenly Zamazenta came out of his Pokeball.

Pause BGM

"Zamazenta?" Hop blinked. "What's gotten into you?"

Zamazenta said nothing as he walked in place and stood in front of Alessandra. "Wait, you want to fight her, mate?"

Zamazenta nodded.

"Um… I… I'm not sure if I'm ready to face a Legendary-"

"Griiiieeeeeeld!"

"He is saying that you have gotten stronger and are capable of facing a Legendary head on." A voice said as they looked up to see Mewtwo standing on a roof with his arms folded. "He believes in you."

"Is that a Mewtwo?" A local wondered.

"Wow! He looks imposing!"

"He's too skinny… he needs to eat more." An old lady said.

"Well… if you believe in me, then I guess I got what it takes!" Alessandra said.

"Ceru." Wisp walked up, ready to go another round, slightly turning his head and nodding at Alessandra.

"Alright." Alessandra used a Super Potion on Wisp to heal him back up. "Tut, come back!"

"Flit!" Tut nodded as he came back as Wisp got in a stance.

Resume BGM

Zamazenta let out a howl, getting in a stance as well and snarling as Wisp's blades caught ablaze.

Both Pokemon lunged as Zamazenta Crunched down on Wisp, but he blocked with his fiery blades and countered with Incinerate, pushing Zamazenta away as he kicked back his paw and used Behemoth Bash as Wisp swung down, being pushed back by the beast as he was launched into the air, but Wisp backflipped and landed perfectly on the ground, digging his blades into the ground to make him stop sliding.

Zamazenta's fangs turned pink as he lunged, snapping down with Psychic Fangs but Wisp responded with Shadow Claw, pushing Zamazenta back who swiftly responded with Crunch, striking Wisp as he let out a cry and was knocked back.

"Ceru… Ledge Ledge Ceru!" Wisp dug his blades into the ground. "CEEERUUUUUUU!"

Zamazenta lunged toward Wisp, but a ring of fire wrapped underneath Zamazenta as a pillar of fire shot up from underneath him. "Griiiieeeeld!"

"Bloody hell, your Ceruledge just learned Lava Plume on the spot!" Hop exclaimed, and when the smoke cleared, Zamazenta was flat on his stomach in defeat.

"...Holy shit, I did it…" Alessandra said in shock.

Zamazenta slowly got back up and nodded in approval toward Alessandra before hobbling over back to Hop. "Rest easy, bud…" He said, rubbing his head as Zamazenta sat on the ground next to him.

End BGM

Hop pulled out his last Pokeball with a grin. "You've definitely improved… and it's only been several days since we reunited!"

"I'm a fast learner." Alessandra smirked. "Still can't believe it took me this long to actually be a trainer."

"Well, everyone starts differently!" Hop grinned, tossing the ball into the air.

"Now show me that Cramorant of yours, Hoppy!"

Hop smirked. "Who said anything about Cramorant?" He asked as he tossed the Pokeball in the air, calling out Rillaboom instead.

"Rillaaaaaa!"

"Your own Rillaboom." Alessandra smiled.

BGM: Battle Vs Neo Galar Champion (Pokemon Masters EX)

"Hehehe~" Hop smirked, aiming his Pokeball at Rillaboom. "Did you really think it'd be a simple fight with Rillaboom!" He chuckled, pulling him back in as the Pokeball turned giant and pink. "You guys in the crowd might wanna clear the area!" He yelled as he turned around and threw it behind him, almost falling as he did so.

"RILLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Rillaboom cried as he Gigantamaxed.

"That's the biggest drum set I've seen!" Alessandra exclaimed before her heart raced once more, excitement washing over her. "You ready, Wisp?"

"Ceru!"

"Then let's cancel his concert!"

"G-MAX DRUM SOLO!" Hop yelled.

Rillaboom beat the gigantic drums as a massive root came out and shot toward Ceruledge, but he jumped to the side and started to run up the root.

"Rilla!" Rillaboom kept unleashing G-Max Drum Solo, attempting to knock Ceruledge off of them as one straight up went to stab him, but Wisp quickly parried it away and ran up the root, quickly slashing/parrying the roots away before he climbed up on the drumset.

With a growl, Rillaboom swung his drumsticks down to try and crush Wisp, but he jumped to the side as the sheer shockwave from the drum was enough to make Wisp fly into the air, but he landed on top of a cymbal.

Rillaboom struck the cymbal, but Wisp dodged as the strike from the cymbal made him launch toward the ape, his blades catching ablaze as Rillaboom tried to swing at him with the drumsticks, but Wisp parried him, leaving him wide open.

"CEEERUUUUUUUUU!" Wisp slashed through him with Incinerate.

"RILLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Rillaboom cried as the G-Max form exploded behind Wisp as he landed on the ground behind him as Rillaboom shrunk back down in defeat.

End BGM

"Hahahaha! Now that was awesome!" Hop laughed as the crowd cheered.

"Hop! Hop! Hop! Hop! Hop! Hop!" The crowd cheered.

"Huh? But I was the one who-"

"Don't you see, Hoppy? They're cheering for the both of us for that fight. That was a hell of a good showing!"

Hop chuckled, scratching his cheek. "But I didn't even make a name for myself… I lost in the semi-finals to Gloria…"

"I don't think they care~" Alessandra giggled as the crowd picked up Hop and tossed him in the air.

"Wh-whoa! Whoa! Hahahaha! I'm… I'm definitely not used to this!" Hop laughed.

Gloria giggled, watching this in amusement. "Ye've come so far… the both of ye."

"Awww… he's come a long way…" Sonia smiled.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake.

"H-huh…?! Whoa, what the heck is going on…?!" Alessandra wondered. "Are we having an earthquake?!"

"SCRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIBEEEEE!"

BGM: Danger! There's Trouble! - Version 4 (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX)

Suddenly the sky got dark as a massive purple beam shot up into the sky as Mewtwo turned to look at it, his eyes narrowing. "Something's not right…"

"What in the world…?" Zinnia wondered as her phone vibrated. She pulled it out to see it was from Cian.

"NEED HELP NOW!"

Zinnia immediately called out Rayquaza, hopping on his back. "Let's go, Ray Ray! Follow that purple light!"

Rayquaza roared as he flew off as Mewtwo ran off.

"Ponya Pon Poooon!" Ogerpon suddenly cried as she took off running.

"Ogerpon, wait!" Ren called out as he chased after her as Gloria immediately transformed into her Latias form and flew off.

Alessandra clenched her fists, calling out Miraidon and hopped on his back. "Let's go check that out!"

"Agia!"

"I'll go too!" Weiss blurted out as she immediately called out Calyrex and Glastrier. "Do you guys see that?"

"I do!" Calyrex nodded, hopping on Glastrier. "Hop on!"

Weiss climbed on Glastrier, wrapping her arms around Calyrex.

"Yah!" Calyrex flicked the reins as Glastrier took off.

"Weiss, wait!" Meryl exclaimed as she whistled, where the Phoenix came flying in as she hopped onto his back and flew off.


Meanwhile, at the epicenter…

"Yes! There it is! The Wooden Tablets of Resentment has revealed itself to us!" Raifort exclaimed excitedly as Cian slowly backed away, staring Wo-Chien in the eyes.

"What the hell have I brought upon this land…" Cian said, his eyes widened as Wo-Chien let out a loud cry.

"Yes! I want to learn everything about you!" Raifort opened her arms. "Release your power unto this world!" She exclaimed.

"SCRIIIIIIBE!" Wo-Chien cried, unleashing Ruination that destroyed the foliage around them, which in turn was enough to make several Wild Pokemon flee… but some were unlucky and fell to the ground severely weakened.

"That's it! Show me your power!" Raifort pulled out an Ultra Ball, "For you will be MINE!" She threw an Ultra Ball at it.

"Ms. Raifort, NO!" Cian yelled as Wo-Chien narrowed his eyes, summoning two vines and catching the Ultra Ball, splitting it apart and throwing it away behind him.

"Scribe…"

"Incredible… you managed to split an Ultra Ball perfectly in two… your power is legendary indeed!"

Wo-Chien's vines pointed toward Cian and lunged toward the boy, his eyes widening… until Mewtwo teleported in front of him and blocked the attack with a psychic shield.

"Huh?" Cian wondered.

"Are you alright?" Mewtwo asked.

"A.. M-Mewtwo?"

"Incredible! The dark power has attracted a Mewtwo! This day is getting quite exciting!" Raifort declared.

Zinnia landed on the ground with Rayquaza glaring at the Wo-Chien. "Are you okay?" Zinnia asked.

"Y-yeah… I was just… pulling some stakes out of the ground with Ms. Raifort and… that thing just showed up!"

"That grass slug? What the hell is it?" Zinnia wondered as Cian caught his bearings and scanned the Wo-Chien.

"Wo-Chien, the Ruinous Pokemon. The grudge of a person punished for writing the king's evil deeds upon wooden tablets has clad itself in dead leaves to become a Pokémon. It drains the life-force from vegetation, causing nearby forests to instantly wither and fields to turn barren."

"Grass/Dark…" Cian whispered, looking at the typing. "It seems Mewtwo's power will be ineffective here."

"I am not out of options." Mewtwo charged up a Shadow Ball, aiming at Wo-Chien. "You awakened it from its seal, so you will need to fight alongside."

"R-Right." Cian nodded, calling out his Salandit.

"Agiiiiaaaaa!"

Alessandra drove off of a cliff and landed on the ground, sliding a few feet before stopping as she got off. "What the hell am I looking at?"

"It seems as if we got a Legendary on our hands!" Gloria said, landing on the ground and calling out Golbat, then Ogerpon came into the scene alongside Calyrex who leapt off of the cliff.

"The vegetation here has already succumbed? This Pokemon is quite dangerous indeed." Calyrex said as Weiss called out her Weavile.

Raifort smiled. "Do not worry, I will help-"

"YOU sit this one out!" Mewtwo shot. "I have questions for your reckless behavior."

End BGM

BGM: Treasures of Ruin Battle Theme (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

The Wooden Tablets of Resentment - Wo-Chien

Wo-Chien let out a cry and unleashed Leaf Storm on the group as Mewtwo swiftly manipulated the leaves with his psychic powers to go through all of them as Mo'o jumped in and used Poison Fang on Wo-Chien as Golblat flew in and used Air Slash on the Pokemon.

Wo-Chien growled, using Ruination to send the Salandit away and used its fines to grab a hold of Golbat and slammed it into the ground. With a growl, Golbat chomped down on the vines with Leech Life, causing Wo-Chien to writhe and pull away from it, then used Ruination to send Golbat away.

"Ceruuuu!" Wisp lunged forward, his blades fiery hot as he used Incinerate but Wo-Chien blocked with his own vines and used Giga Drain. "Ledge…!"

"Wait, did Wisp evolve?" Cian asked.

"Yup!" Alessandra nodded as Wo-Chien used Ruination again to knock Wisp away and then used Dark Pulse, but Rayquaza used Hyper Beam to push it back.

"Poni Ponio Pon Pon Ponia!"

"Huh? What the hell do you mean this thing is innocent?" Gloria asked as Mewtwo shifted his eyes toward Ogerpon.

"Ponya Poni Pon Pon Pona!"

"A hex witch did this to them?" Mewtwo wondered as Calyrex used Glacial Spear to strike against Wo-Chien as Razor threw Ice Shards at him, which was enough for Wo-Chien's Dark Pulse to depower as Rayquaza pushed ahead and slammed into Wo-Chien.

"Scriiiiibe…!" Wo-Chien grunted as Mo'o swooped in with Incinerate, hitting him head on.

"Perfect! He's weakened!" Raifort pulled out another Ultra Ball. "Now to capture him!" She threw the ball… only for Mewtwo to telekinetically catch it and sent it back to her, smacking her in the face. "Oooof!"

"What did I tell you about sitting this one out?"

Zinnia pulled out an Ultra Ball and tossed it to Cian. "Use this! You deserve it more than she does!"

"Right." Cian nodded. "Just gotta wait at the right time…" He said as Wo-Chien used Giga Drain on Golbat, who responded by using Leech Life to take his health back as Wisp used Lava Plume.

"SCRIIIIIIIIBE!" Wo-Chien cried as Mo'o used Poison Fang again.

"Here goes nothing!" Cian threw the Ultra Ball at Wo-Chien, smacking him in the head as the Ultra Ball pulled him in as it dropped to the ground.

One shake.

Two shakes.

…Wo-Chien broke out as it let out a growl, picking up the Ultra Ball and threw it at them, but Ogerpon swooped in, using her Ivy Cudgel as a bat and swung it, striking the Ultra Ball and sending it back faster and smacking it in Wo-Chien's face.

"Scriiiibe…!" Wo-Chien groaned in a daze as the Ultra Ball pulled it back in.

One shake.

Two shakes.

Three shakes.

Click!

End BGM

"Pona."

Cian smiled. "Thanks… uh… whoever you are."

"Pona Pon!"

Cian chuckled. "Pona-Pon." He said as he picked up the Ultra Ball.

"Well done, Cian. Now there are three more treasures to fi-" Raifort flinched as Mewtwo gave her a sharp glare. "Mmmph!"

"Start talking."


Meanwhile, at the Mushroom Kingdom…

"Oh my, these pictures Ruby sent to you and Luigi are incredible!" Peach said, looking at a few pictures.

"Yeah. By the way, I'd say we ought to do-a something special for the paisana, don't you think?"

"Of course~!" Peach smiled. "She's more loved than what she realizes. I'll bake the biggest cake for her imaginable."

"Alright! I'll leave you to it!"

"Mhm! See you, Mario!" Peach smiled as she hung up. "Alright, biggest surprise party coming up." She turned toward her Alcremie. "Let's do this, Strawberry!"

"Alcrem!"

Peach immediately went right to work.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Peach let out an exasperated sigh. "He definitely has a knack for this." She said. "Alright, let me go pack and-"

BANG BANG BANG!

"Huh?"

"WHAT THE?! OW! OOOF! GAAAAH!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"What on earth…?" Peach wondered as she put her ear to the door… and heard heavy footsteps coming toward the kitchen. She immediately paled as she quickly hid behind the counter, pulling out the frying pan.

She didn't know what to expect, but she was ready to go down swinging. She also grabbed her Alcremie just in case.

The door slowly creaked open as Peach slowly turned around, frying pan in hand as she slowly crawled to the side of the counter, slowly peeking her head out but no one was at the door. She narrowed her eyes, ready to give whoever it was the biggest migraine of the century.

She had no idea… that the infiltrator was actually right behind her, starting to lean in close to her ear.

"Boo."

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Peach shrieked as she immediately turned around and started swinging, only for the frying pan to be caught by none other than Samus.

"Nice cast iron."

"Sa-Samus?!" Peach said in surprise. "Wh-what…? Thanks for the heart attack!"

Samus chuckled. "Where's the fun in announcing "It's just me"?" She said, casually reaching for a cupcake and taking a bite while patting the Alcremie in the head.

"Alcream~!"

"So… wait, what did you-"

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood… saw Bowser invading and thought "Why not. Give Mario a little break."

"Oh… okay."

"But enough about the King of Minor Inconveniences. I actually came for you. Bowser was just a minor obstacle.

"Came for me…? For what?"

Samus put her cupcake down, folding her arms. "We need to talk."


Shout out to Cody for suggesting to use Carmen after that new update with the Pictomancy job!

Ibuki: Ooooh, Mewtwo ain't happy!

Deadpool: Hehehe, this should be fun!

Also, apparently we got a Museum Direct shortly? Not the first time Nintendo's ever done a weird Direct before. First the Theme Park Direct, then the movie directs... so I guess the next logical step was to make a Museum Direct!