"Faba?" Connie demanded. "You're serious?"

"I am only repeating what Altaria said," Seeker-Of-Endings explained, speaking so the humans in the room could understand him.

"And I trust my Altaria," Serena replied. "Furthermore, I do remember Faba used a Gengar, Crobat, and Malamar during his battle with us. Those three Pokemon aren't exactly common."

"I see your reasoning," said Theo. "But why wait for two days to tell us this? We could have done something about this."

Serena looked between her two fellow Gym Trainers. "He's got twelve Pokemon. His team took on all of ours combined plus Marcus's at Aether and we barely managed to scrape out a win. And that was without the Mega Gengar! It's not that I don't trust you - I know you're both strong Trainers - but I didn't want to handle this until my throat healed and I could help you."

"Now, though," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "we need to figure out a plan of action. This 'Essentia' is operating out of Kalos, we know that. What Pokemon Centers has she hit?"

"I did some research," Theo answered. "Camphrier, Santalune, Dendemille, Snowbelle, Lumiose, and most recently Laverre. She hasn't surfaced again since you foiled her theft here."

"Good," said Serena, with a vehemence that surprised even Seeker-Of-Endings.

"But there's no real rhyme or reason to the places she's hit," Theo continued. "The first four were concentrated in Southern Kalos, but Lumiose and Laverre broke that pattern. Four of the places are major cities with Gym Leaders, but Camphrier and Dendemille are smaller towns. And with access to that modified Escape Rope, there's no way to establish any sort of central hub she might be operating out of; she could have teleported to anywhere in Kalos."

"I think we're approaching this the wrong way," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "Essentia, at this point, is little more than a ghost. Faba, on the other hand, is the CEO of Aether Paradise. We know where to look for him."

"Your Absol's right," Connie remarked. "But we can't leave Laverre and go gallivanting off to Alola like this, especially not with all the chaos over here. The plague, Essentia, and last I heard Emma was still sick…Kalos needs some stability."

"Yeah," Theo agreed. "Not to mention this is our job. But if we can't go to Alola, how are we supposed to investigate Faba?"

Unexpectedly, a smile began to form on Serena's face. "Actually, I know some people in Alola that might be able to help…"

"Serena!" Tierno smiled. "Great to see you again! Is your Tangrowth doing better?"

"Hi, Tierno," said Serena. "Tangrowth's much better now. How are you and the others?"

Seeker-Of-Endings watched Tierno's face light up. He knew Serena always enjoyed talking with her old friends; even as their paths had diverged more and more, they'd always made sure to keep in touch. "Shauna's doing well in Hoenn," Tierno replied. "Apparently she finally managed to get her hands on a Feebas! Trevor's still pulling up new fossils every day, and, well, not much has changed with me. Kahili's off running one of her golf tournaments, so I'm pretty much sitting around and doing nothing right now."

"That's good." Serena sighed. "I'm afraid I need to ask a favor of you, Tierno. You remember Lusamine, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Tierno replied. "She's pretty infamous."

"I need to talk to her," said Serena. "But I don't exactly know how to get into contact with her. In hindsight, I really should've gotten Lillie's phone number when we were in Alola, but…"

"Don't worry about it," Tierno said with a grin. "You've come to the right person! Being the apprentice to one of Alola's Elite Four means I've got connections! So what do you want to talk to Lusamine about?"

"It's…complicated," Serena murmured. "We think Faba's connected in some way to a spate of recent robberies in Kalos. It's not concrete, but we just want to ask Lusamine about it. If anyone knows what's going on with Faba, she does."

Tierno's smile slipped downwards into a frown. "This sounds dangerous. Are you in danger?"

"Um…" Serena hesitated, much to Tierno's clear consternation. "I don't know," she said at last. "Please, Tierno, I just need to talk to Lusamine about this. Can you tell her?"

Tierno nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Keep out of trouble, Serena."

Serena returned the nod wordlessly. Tierno quickly hung up, leaving the screen dark. Serena heaved a sigh, then turned to look at Connie and Theo, who had moved to a point out of sight of the camera. "All right. With any luck, he won't take long."

"So what's the plan now?" Theo asked. "Because sitting and waiting doesn't sit right with me."

"Theo's right," said Connie. "We're Gym Trainers. It's our job to help protect Kalos. If there's anything I can do to stop Essentia from committing any more robberies, then I'm gonna do it."

"I think we're all of one mind in that regard," Seeker-Of-Endings commented. "But as of right now, I doubt there is much more we can do. The League has been made aware of Essentia's identity and threat level. Without any intelligence on where she is or where she will strike next, there is little we can do aside from watch and wait."

Serena nodded reluctantly and opened her mouth to speak again, but Theo cut her off. "Hold on. I've been thinking - we might actually have a bit of a lead on where Essentia could be operating out of."

"Really?" Connie asked.

Theo nodded. "Faba's the president of Aether," he said. "Not just Aether Paradise, the entire company. Including all of its cross-region outreach centers. Such as, for example, the Lumiose Aether Outreach Center." He glanced around the room. "It's the only Aether facility in all of Kalos. And if Essentia's affiliated with Faba, and by extension Aether…there's a pretty good chance she's operating out of there."

Connie frowned contemplatively. "It's not a bad theory," she admitted. "At the very least it's worth investigating."

Serena's mouth dropped open. "Are you saying we should break into a Pokemon sanctuary?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Theo pointed out.

"But," said Connie hastily, "I think there's a better way we can go about it. More sneaky, less…uh, what happened at Aether Paradise. And we don't even have to fight Essentia - we just need to find any sort of evidence that she is operating out of there, and then we can get out, call the police and the League, and get the whole thing taken care of."

"So this is the plan?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.

"Sounds good to me," said Theo; Connie backed her up with a nod, and so did Serena after a moment's hesitation.

"Very well." Seeker-Of-Endings stood. "Please excuse me for a moment."

The last notes of the Perish Song reached his ears, drawing Seeker-Of-Endings into the embrace of Oblivion. He hadn't wanted to meet Bringer-Of-Visions, but the leader of the Heralds needed to know about Seeker-Of-Endings' new mission and how it would likely affect his training of Finder-Of-Knowledge. And so, as Oblivion came into view around him, Seeker-Of-Endings spoke. "Bringer, my apologies for-"

He stopped short. For standing in front of him was not only Bringer-Of-Visions, but also Finder-Of-Knowledge; the two seemed to have just been in the middle of a discussion, for both of them were standing face-to-face, their heads turned towards Seeker-Of-Endings. Finder-Of-Knowledge's eyes were wide. "Oh, um, hi! Sorry, Seeker! Bringer-Of-Visions and I were-"

"We were just discussing recent events in Galar," Bringer-Of-Visions interrupted. "You have been watching too, correct?"

"I have," Seeker-Of-Endings replied, somewhat taken aback by the forcefulness of Bringer-Of-Visions' words. "Are you all right, Bringer?"

"Do I look all right?" Bringer-Of-Visions snarled. "Spirit dropped completely out of sight for hours last night! The traitor in the Heralds isn't any closer to being found! And with David dead, Betrayer-Of-Kin no longer has any distractions to take care of, meaning she's almost certainly on her way to Galar to kill Marcus right now!"

Seeker-Of-Endings glanced over at Finder-Of-Knowledge, who had taken several steps back, eyes round with shock as Bringer-Of-Visions ranted. Seeker-Of-Endings quickly stepped forwards. "Bringer, I apologize that I cannot do anything more. But this conduct is unbecoming-"

"Unbecoming?" Bringer-Of-Visions' eyes flashed red. "You dare to question me, Seeker-Of-Endings?"

"No, no, not at all!" Seeker-Of-Endings said quickly and urgently. "I'm just worried, that's all! Perhaps…perhaps you should seek the Master's guidance! Maybe he can help!"

For a second he thought Bringer-Of-Visions was going to launch herself at him. Then, all at once, she drew back, took a deep breath, and untensed almost completely. "You are right, Seeker," she said tiredly. "I apologize - my words were spoken in mindless anger, and did not match my true thoughts. You have been doing well thus far with your mentorship, Seeker. I shall take your advice under consideration."

Seeker-Of-Endings held in a massive sigh of relief, and instead simply said in a measured tone, "Thank you, Bringer. May the Master guide you."

Bringer-Of-Visions smiled thinly. "And you," she said, turning and beginning to walk away.

"Wait!" Seeker-Of-Endings called. "I didn't tell you-"

But she was gone before he could speak. He slumped, finally letting out his relieved sigh. A small voice sounded from the side. "Tell her what?"

Seeker-Of-Endings turned to look at Finder-Of-Knowledge; the younger Absol cocked her head. "It's all right," she said. "You can tell me, and I'll pass it on when she gets back."

Seeker-Of-Endings swiftly launched into an abbreviated explanation of the events of the past two days, namely Essentia, Faba, and the planned mission. By the time he finished, Finder-Of-Knowledge was staring open-mouthed at him. "Arceus…what kind of conspiracy are you plunging into?"

"Hopefully not one too tangled," Seeker-Of-Endings replied. "I just wanted to tell Bringer-Of-Visions because…well…I'm not sure how long this is going to last. With any luck, I'll be able to attend our practice tomorrow, but just in case I don't, I just thought I'd tell you so you wouldn't worry."

"But I am worried," Finder-Of-Knowledge remarked unexpectedly. "What…what if you don't come back?"

"I…" Seeker-Of-Endings hesitated. How am I supposed to reassure her when I'm nervous about this, too? "I know my Trainer and her friends," he said at last. "They're strong. They can handle this."

"Just…" Finder-Of-Knowledge looked up at Seeker-Of-Endings with glistening eyes. "Stay safe. Okay, Seeker?"

Seeker-Of-Endings nodded. "Don't worry, Finder," he said. "I'll come back."

"All right, let's run through the plan one more time," said Theo as the three stepped through the archway and into Lumiose City.

Connie nodded. "We know from research that this Aether facility specializes in helping Pokemon who are unable or unwilling to evolve," she said. "So we're going to walk in and ask them about my Zweilous."

"We're going to pretend to be interested in moving Zweilous into the local sanctuary," Serena continued. "And we're going to ask to check out the sanctuary to see if it's right for Zweilous."

"And once we're back there," Theo finished, "we'll be able to sneak off and take a quick look around. Search for any sign of Essentia's presence, and as soon as any of us finds it, we snap a picture, get out, and call the proper authorities."

"Right," said Connie. "Let's go."

As they set off, Zweilous glanced at Seeker-Of-Endings; the two of them were the only Pokemon that were staying out of their Pokeballs for this mission. "This feels so humiliating," he admitted.

"Don't worry, Zweilous," Seeker-Of-Endings replied. "It's not like Connie's actually giving you up."

Zweilous heaved a sigh. "I know. But this hits too close to home for my liking. Everywhere I go, everything I do, I'm reminded that I'm the weakest member of Connie's team. That I'm practically useless to her because I can't seem to evolve."

Seeker-Of-Endings shook his head. "You know Emma? Fairy-type Elite Four member? Currently sick?"

"Yeah," said Zweilous. "What about her?"

"She has an Espurr," Seeker-Of-Endings pointed out. "An Espurr that swallowed an Everstone and can't evolve."

"So?" Zweilous asked. "I know about Mimi. I've seen her. I've been living in this region for three years - you do realize that, right?"

"What I'm getting at," said Seeker-Of-Endings, "is that Espurr saved Marcus's life at Alola. So don't go around thinking you're useless just because you aren't evolving. You're plenty strong. Yes, evolution will make you stronger, but that doesn't make you weak right now."

Zweilous nodded silently, but inwardly he simply tossed the information aside. It was the same as ever - empty platitudes and useless comparisons. So what if an Espurr had done something cool? It didn't change the fact that Zweilous couldn't win a battle to save his life.

He tried to push those bitter thoughts away as he followed Connie and the other Gym Trainers through Lumiose City. But even as they approached the entrance to the Lumiose Aether Outreach Center, they still rankled in his mind, and he found himself pointedly looking at the floor as the group stepped through the doors and into the building.

Connie swiftly introduced herself to the man at the front desk, holding up Zweilous and claiming she was interested in looking at the sanctuary to see if it would be the right environment for Zweilous. She sold the story perfectly; the man didn't hesitate to turn on his intercom and ask for a 'Mr. Davis' to come down to the lobby. Not even two minutes later, a set of elevator doors on the right of the room slid open with a ding, revealing another man, this one dressed in the all-white uniform of an Aether Foundation employee.

"Hello!" said the employee. "My name is Mr. Davis, and I'm going to give you a tour of our Pokemon sanctuary! Please, follow me."

The jovial man quickly stepped through a glass door, with Connie, Serena, Theo, Zweilous, and Seeker-Of-Endings following close behind. The three Trainers shared quick smirks as they passed through the door and into the vast expanse of the sanctuary beyond.

The first stage of their plan had gone off without a hitch.

Or so they thought.

"What is this, Xerosic?"

"It's the live camera feed from the Aether Outreach Center in Lumiose City," said the portly, red-suited scientist. "Giovanni, I think you know as well as I do this can't be a coincidence! Especially after-"

"I am aware of the context," Giovanni replied, sitting back in his chair and reaching out to stroke his Persian's head. Persian let out a satisfied purr as he watched the screen alongside his Trainer; currently, half of it was showing the trio of Trainers and their Absol and Zweilous moving into the main sanctuary of the Lumiose Aether Outreach Center, while the other half was showing the head of the frustrated-looking Xerosic.

"They are blacklisted from all Aether sites after their actions in Aether Paradise, correct?" Giovanni asked. "Can you not simply have them thrown out?"

Xerosic huffed. "They're only here because they know something's up. That's the only explanation! Just throwing them out isn't going to solve the issue - they're sure to try and sneak back in!"

Giovanni grunted. "I suppose you're right. Yes, it would be better to simply solve the problem right now." He put a hand to his chin. "They are currently functioning as Gym Trainers in Laverre City, so getting rid of them is sadly impossible. Unless…ah."

"I'm sorry?" Xerosic asked.

Giovanni smiled. "Have them all captured. Obtain their Pokemon for redistribution - they are strong and will likely prove useful to us once they've been…convinced. Lure the girl with the Zweilous away from the other two - it will be easier to handle them separated than together. I will send one of my assets to wipe their memories, after which you will dump the Trainers in an alleyway on the opposite side of Lumiose."

"With all due respect," said Xerosic, "they have friends and relations who will suspect foul play. At the very least their Gym Leader will investigate when he returns."

"Even if he does follow their trail back to the Outreach Center," Giovanni replied, "he will find nothing. I know you likely want more testing, but I feel the Expansion Suit 3.0 has more than proven its capabilities. As soon as you've finished dealing with them, you will evacuate the building of all non-Aether personnel and equipment, especially the Expansion Suit and its occupant. I want the Lumiose Aether Outreach Center to not have a hair out of place by the time anyone else comes to investigate. Understood?"

"Yes, Giovanni," said Xerosic.

"Good." Giovanni inclined his head. "Dismissed."

Xerosic swiftly ended the video call. As the screen winked out, Giovanni glanced down at Persian. "I think it's time that Absol earned her keep. Persian, please fetch Betrayer-Of-Kin from her room. Tell her it's rather urgent."

Even despite his bad mood, Zweilous could not help but be awed by the sheer beauty of the Aether sanctuary. It looked like some giant had torn a piece of land from the outside world and dropped it straight in here; a field of lush grass was spread out before Zweilous, broken up by the occasional tree and pile of rocks. A river ran through the enclosure, twisting and winding through the trees and rock piles. And all around the enclosure were Pokemon, sleeping and eating and doing all the things Pokemon would normally do in the wild. Even the metallic walkways and bridges for Trainers to walk upon, separated from the enclosure by metal railings, didn't seem like too much of an eyesore, nor did the large amount of white-uniformed employees moving around the various walkways and entering or exiting the numerous doors embedded in the sanctuary walls.

"Here you go!" Mr. Davis said cheerily as he opened a gate in the middle of the nearest railing, giving Zweilous a path to the enclosure. "He can try it out for as long as your tour lasts, and then you can decide if he wants to stay!"

"In here, Zweilous," Connie urged. As per the plan, to make their reason for being here more believable, he would actually be released into the enclosure to, as Mr. Davis said, 'try it out'. And so Zweilous hopped through the open gate and into the grass beyond.

Instantly, he could tell several of the nearby Pokemon were shying away from him, looking nervous and eyeing him warily. It should have made Zweilous feel bad, but instead he felt an unmistakable surge of pride course through him. Outside, he was the weakest member of Connie's team. In here, he was already one of the strongest.

I would never leave Connie…but this isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Trying to shove that treacherous thought out of his head, Zweilous began to walk up towards the nearest rock pile, keeping one of his two heads trained on Connie as she, Serena, Theo, and Seeker-Of-Endings continued to follow Mr. Davis along the walkway. His other head was focused on the group of four Pokemon currently sitting by the rock pile - a Nidorino, Helioptile, Swadloon, and Espurr, all watching him carefully.

"What's up?" the Helioptile asked as Zweilous neared. "You staying long?"

"Probably not," Zweilous replied, still maintaining his gaze on Connie with the head not facing the foursome.

Nidorino glanced over. "Is that your Trainer?"

Zweilous nodded. "She's just…getting the lay of the land."

"So how long have you been waiting to evolve?" Helioptile asked.

"Several years, at this point." Zweilous sighed. "I really don't understand why it's taking so long. Tyranitar evolved ages ago…"

Swadloon cleared her throat. "Being Unovan myself, I know a thing or two about Hydreigon. They're strong, but they do take a ridiculously long time to evolve. I remember Ghetsis had one, and everyone was terrified of him."

"He doesn't need to hear about Ghetsis," Espurr chided; her voice sounded surprisingly strained.

"Yeah, you're right," said Swadloon. "No one needs to hear about Ghetsis. All I'm trying to say, Zweilous, is that you shouldn't hate your Trainer for giving up on you. It sounds like she really tried her best before making that decision."

"Swadloon!" Nidorino growled. "I'm sorry, Zweilous. Swadloon means well, but she seems to accidentally insult someone every time she opens her mouth."

"It's okay," Zweilous replied, watching as Connie began to cross a bridge. "I'm used to it."

"Don't think like that." Helioptile smiled. "You're in good hands here. The four of us are the strongest in the enclosure - that means we basically run the place. And we'd love to welcome someone as powerful-looking as you into our ranks. Don't worry, we're not tyrants or anything. So…introductions, I guess?"

"Right," said Nidorino. "I'm Nidorino, this is Helioptile, you've met Swadloon, and that's Espurr. She's new, too, but quite frankly I think she's the strongest Pokemon in the place."

Espurr inclined her head.

"And…yeah, that's it." Nidorino looked somewhat embarrassed. "You probably already knew our names already, now that I think of it…you know what? I'll just give you the tour. Follow me."

Zweilous did so, casting a glance back at the other three as he went. Swadloon and Helioptile had already turned away and were speaking quietly to one another, while Espurr kept her gaze on Zweilous for a moment before turning and stepping out of sight.

Zweilous frowned as a sudden thought occurred. Wait…Zweilous took a step to the left, trying to locate the Espurr again. That's strange…just now, I could have sworn I recognized that Espurr. Who could-

And at that very moment, something grabbed him from behind.

"Six Pokeballs?" Seeker-Of-Endings murmured telepathically to Serena, eyeing the belt of Mr. Davis. "Didn't the workers at Aether Paradise only have three Pokemon each?"

"Yeah, I remember that too," Serena replied. "Be on your guard."

"As you can see," Mr. Davis was saying, "we at the Lumiose Aether Outreach Center pride ourselves on creating as lush and beautiful of an environment as we can. After all, it wouldn't do to have young, unevolved Pokemon living in, say, a metal box with a window."

"That's true," Serena replied. "It is beautiful."

Mr. Davis smiled. "I'm glad you think so!"

"So what kinds of Pokemon usually stay in this enclosure?" Connie asked.

"There are four main cases," Mr. Davis replied. "Pokemon who do not want to evolve; Pokemon who have come into contact with Everstones; Pokemon who require outside influence to trigger their evolutions; and Pokemon whose evolutions take an unreasonable amount of time or effort. I feel your Zweilous would fall into the latter category."

"And you only take unevolved Pokemon?" Theo asked.

Mr. Davis chuckled. "Of course not! We specialize in unevolved Pokemon, but that doesn't mean we turn away fully evolved Pokemon! That said, generally fully evolved Pokemon don't live here long-term, unlike unevolved Pokemon. Few Trainers part ways with a fully evolved Pokemon, and even fewer pass up the opportunity to adopt one should it be abandoned." Mr. Davis glanced out at the enclosure. "The cases I listed are the long-term residents - the ones fewer Trainers want."

Mr. Davis's head suddenly swiveled to the side. "Oh, excuse me for a second." Raising his voice, he called, "Can't you see I am in the middle of-"

"Just one moment." Seeker-Of-Endings tensed as a large group of Aether employees - ten in all - stepped into view. Mr. Davis quickly scrambled over to a man who was standing at the head of the new arrivals, and they began to speak swiftly to one another. Seeker-Of-Endings eyed the group of employees warily - such a large concentration didn't sit well with him.

Mr. Davis's expression changed to one of alarm, and he quickly began to move away. The group of ten employees turned and swiftly strode towards the trio of Gym Trainers. "You three!" the man leading the group called out.

"Um, yeah?" Theo asked. "What's going on?"

"You match the descriptions of three of the teenagers who assaulted our facility in Alola a few years ago," the man said harshly. Seeker-Of-Endings did not miss the fact that the employees were fanning out, beginning to surround the three Gym Trainers. "As such, you have been blacklisted from all Aether sites, and are thus trespassing. I'm going to have to ask you to come with us, and keep your hands where we can see them. No funny business."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Serena glanced from one employee to the next as they formed into a circle around the smaller group. "We weren't aware we were trespassing - the man at the front desk-"

"Save it," the man ordered. "Hands up, now, and come with us."

By now the Aether employees had them surrounded. Seeker-Of-Endings swept his head from side to side, searching for gaps in the circle, but the employees had formed a surprisingly sturdy-looking wall of bodies, and only one gap showed itself immediately; a fairly sizable one, just big enough for a person to slip through, right in front of Connie.

And as Seeker-Of-Endings stared at the gap, he saw through one of the employee's legs Zweilous being forcibly dragged out of sight.

In the moment that Seeker-Of-Endings could see Zweilous, he could have sworn he spotted several shadowy tendrils wrapped around the Dark/Dragon-type's mouths, necks, and torso, pulling him behind a kink in the path. And then he was gone; somehow, it didn't appear as if any of the surrounding Pokemon had noticed, for they were continuing their meanderings and chatting as if nothing had happened.

But Connie had noticed.

"Where is my Zweilous?" she snarled. "What did you do to him?"

"Your Pokemon will be returned to you," said the man. "Now please come with us."

"Screw that!" Connie spat. "I know what I saw - now where is he?"

Theo and Serena looked similarly fiery; it didn't seem that either of them had seen Zweilous disappear, but both of them were ready to back up their friend. "If you want us to come with you," Serena told the Aether personnel, "you'd better give our friend her Zweilous back."

"We won't ask again," another employee, a woman this time, stated. "Put your hands in the air and come with us now, or we'll have to force you."

"Get out of my way." Connie snarled, her eyes darting towards the gap in the wall of bodies.

"Connie-" Theo began, reaching out.

"That's it!" Another man stepped forwards aggressively, reaching for Connie's arm.

"Get out of my way!" Connie hurled herself forwards. The man who had been stepping towards her tried to grab her, but she ducked under his grasp, crouched, and vaulted over the railing in one smooth motion. The instant her boots hit the dirt of the enclosure, she was off, rushing in pursuit of whoever had taken Zweilous.

"After her!" the man yelled; two Aether employees turned and rushed after Connie, leaving the others to close in around Theo, Serena, and Seeker-Of-Endings. "As for you two, either come with us or we will be forced to incapacitate you. Hands in the air, now."

Seeker-Of-Endings glanced around nervously. He knew a trap when he saw one; that gap left in their lines had been far too fortuitous for Connie. Now there were eight Aether employees surrounding him, Serena, and Theo, all with half a dozen Pokeballs adorning their belts. Forty-eight Pokemon was definitely long odds for just two Trainers, and worse, even more Aether personnel could be seen moving towards the group from further away. And the employees clearly had no intention of allowing either Theo or Serena to escape them the way Connie had done; there was now a solid wall of bodies blocking the way in all directions.

We've played right into their hands. And I highly doubt they're planning to simply throw us out.

Serena swallowed, and then reached down to one of her Pokeballs. Instantly the Aether personnel all dropped their hands to their own. "Don't try it," a woman growled. "Or you're gonna be in a lot more trouble than you already are. Last chance - put your hands up!"

Serena wavered, her hand trembling. She and Theo were now standing back-to-back as the Aether employees closed in, with Seeker-Of-Endings crouched beside the two. A memory, a voice, slid into Seeker-Of-Endings' mind as his gaze flicked from one employee to the next.

Just…stay safe. Okay, Seeker?

Seeker-Of-Endings clenched his jaw and spoke telepathically into his Trainer's mind. "We can't surrender," he murmured. "Release Delphox - have her use Magic Room instantly. I'll give you the space."

"Okay," Serena whispered. "Theo, Delphox, get ready."

"What are you saying?" A particularly burly employee took a menacing step forwards, reaching out a hand towards Serena's belt. "Shut up and get your hands-"

Seeker-Of-Endings moved, and in the next moment the employee was missing three of his fingers.

The man screamed in horrified agony, staggering backwards and clutching his maimed hand. Seeker-Of-Endings let out a fearsome snarl, slashing his horn-blade in an arc to force the employees back. Instantly, several of the Aether personnel released Pokemon - a Slurpuff, a Ludicolo, a pair of Drifblim, a broad-shouldered Arcanine - but Serena was just as quick on the uptake. "Delphox, Magic Room!"

Even before Delphox had fully materialized, her voice boomed out into the room. "Antimagic Field!"

A surge of Psychic energy burst out from Delphox as she appeared fully, washing over the horde of Aether employees. Seeker-Of-Endings smirked as he saw them tapping more of their Pokeballs, attempting to release their teams. Magic Room was a powerful move that, effectively, utilized Psychic energy to interfere with and shut down all technology within a decently large radius. It wasn't all that useful in battle aside from interfering with the functions of some of the more complicated held items, but that was all right.

Because one thing it did do was shut down any and all Pokeballs in its radius.

"Run!" Serena cried, taking full advantage of the Aether employees' surprise to force her way between two of them and leap over the railing into the enclosure beyond. Theo followed near-instantly, breaking through the newly created gap in the Aether lines before the employees could recover. Seeker-Of-Endings glanced around swiftly at the five Aether Pokemon that the employees had managed to get out before the Magic Room had rendered their Pokeballs useless. He'd been hoping Delphox's Magic Room would prevent any enemy Pokemon from appearing, but five was a lot more workable of a number than forty-eight. "Delphox!" Seeker-Of-Endings cried. "Help me cover them!"

Delphox nodded, thrusting out her wand dramatically. "Blaze: Wall of Fire!"

Seeker-Of-Endings and Delphox dove through the gap after Serena and Theo; a second later, a massive cylindrical wall of Blaze - an overpowered Fire Spin - exploded into being just behind them. Screams arose as the five Aether Pokemon, who had been lunging after the escaping Trainers, found themselves abruptly engulfed in red-hot flames.

But even as Seeker-Of-Endings leaped clear, a loud snarling voice roared out from the center of the Fire Spin. "Flash Fire: Comet Charge!"

As Seeker-Of-Endings landed on the enclosure's dirt floor, he glanced back in time to see the entirety of Delphox's Fire Spin collapse in on itself, surging into the body of the Arcanine Seeker-Of-Endings had momentarily spotted earlier and leaving the other four Aether Pokemon charred but still clearly ready to fight. The Arcanine grinned, his body radiating flames, and then exploded into motion, bearing down swiftly on Seeker-Of-Endings with what was clearly a combination of Flare Blitz and Extreme Speed.

Of course. Out of all the Pokemon they could've gotten out before their Pokeballs went down, it just had to be an Arcanine with Flash Fire.

Seeker-Of-Endings whirled, flaring Oblivion across his horn as he met the Arcanine's charge with a swift slash. He would have vastly preferred to dodge such a strong attack, but he couldn't risk the Arcanine continuing on to, Arceus forbid, strike Theo or Serena. The Arcanine slammed headfirst into Seeker-Of-Endings' horn-blade with explosive force; augmented by all of the Blaze he'd absorbed, the Arcanine's charge sent Seeker-Of-Endings skidding backwards a good few feet. But he held, keeping his blade steady and digging his claws into the ground.

"You aren't getting away from us," the Arcanine growled. "Flash Fire: Searing Supernova!"

Seeker-Of-Endings understood the Arcanine's intent immediately: releasing all of his absorbed Blaze in a stupendously powerful Heat Wave, with Seeker-Of-Endings right at its center. There was no way he could get out of there in time. Oh, this is going to hurt…

"Shield!"

Seeker-Of-Endings had forgotten about Delphox; a Protect barrier sprang up around Seeker-Of-Endings just as the empowered Heat Wave erupted from the Arcanine's body in all directions. Seeker-Of-Endings couldn't help but flinch away, but Delphox's Protect was doing its job perfectly, holding back the Blaze that would have badly scorched him; the other four Aether Pokemon, who had been charging up behind the Arcanine, were forced to break away to avoid being struck by the backlash of the Arcanine's attack.

In the next moment, Delphox stepped forwards, twirling her wand. "Blaze: Delayed Blast Fireball."

The Blaze that was currently pressing against Delphox's Protect barrier abruptly exploded in the Arcanine's face. A loud yelp sounded as the Fire-type was flung bodily away, his sailing body narrowly missing one of the Aether Drifblim as it flew. Delphox sniffed. "To think a Flash Fire user could ever overcome a practitioner of Blaze," she mocked scornfully. "Come, Seeker, and quickly - my Magic Room won't last for much longer."

Seeker-Of-Endings turned and scrambled after Serena and Theo, with Delphox running right alongside him. A few shouts of alarm rose up behind them, mingled anger and fear; twisting, he realized to his horror that the Arcanine's unfocused Heat Wave had done more than backfire on him and his allies. Several nearby trees and bushes were now ablaze; the Aether Ludicolo was spraying Water energy at the fire, but it clearly wasn't enough to control the blaze. The unevolved Pokemon that had once been simply relaxing in their enclosure were now running in a panic, heading for the river in an effort to get away from the fire and the battle; the various Aether personnel were fleeing the fire as well, some of them desperately tapping their Pokeballs.

They're trying to send out more Water-types to support the Ludicolo, Seeker-Of-Endings realized. But they can't because of Delphox's Magic Room.

He shook his head - he couldn't concentrate on that right now. Instead, Seeker-Of-Endings turned back towards Theo and Serena, who were heading towards one of the enclosure's multiple rock piles. Serena dove behind it, Theo just behind her; Seeker-Of-Endings and Delphox slipped in alongside them, narrowly avoiding a pair of Shadow Balls from the angry-looking pair of Aether Drifblim.

"Did you have to shut off my Pokeballs as well?" Theo asked.

"Sorry!" Serena cried. "Magic Room isn't exactly picky - it got mine too. Hence why I don't use it too often. So…did you see where Connie went?"

Seeker-Of-Endings looked around; indeed, Connie was nowhere to be seen. What Seeker-Of-Endings did see were Aether personnel rushing in from all directions, several of whom were releasing their teams as they headed towards Serena and Theo. Serena let out a swift curse. "They must've been outside the area of the Magic Room! Delphox, drop it - we need our teams now!"

Delphox swished her wand; at once, Theo and Serena's teams sprang out of their Pokeballs, ready for battle. Seeing targets, the incoming Aether Pokemon began unleashing blasts of energy at the newly released teams, who promptly responded in kind. As pandemonium descended upon the sanctuary, Seeker-Of-Endings took a quick glance around the side of the rock pile Serena and Theo were hiding behind.

The Aether personnel over there were finally releasing their Pokemon, but it had become obvious that the fire had grown too powerful to be controlled. It flickered hungrily across the earth, setting grass and trees and bushes alike on fire as it swept through the landscape. Several Aether Water-types were trying and failing to hold back the blaze, while the rest charged Theo and Serena's position, roaring loud battle cries over the sound of the flames.

Serena had seen them as well; she looked around wildly, taking in the veritable army of Trainers and Pokemon bearing down on her and Theo, and cried out, "Seeker, get us out of here!"

Theo's eyes widened. "What about Connie?"

"There's no way we can reach her now, even if we did know where she was!" Serena cried. "I don't want to leave her, Theo, but we have no choice! Now, Seeker!"

Seeker-Of-Endings took a deep breath, and began his Perish Song.

As the melody emanated from his throat, Seeker-Of-Endings saw the nearby Aether employees react with clear alarm. "Stop him!" came from multiple throats; Serena and Theo's teams at once moved to protect Seeker-Of-Endings, forming a solid wall in front of him. Another barrage of attacks bounced off Cacturne's Spiky Shield and Altaria's Cotton Guard; Jolteon, Sylveon, Delphox, and Meowstic swiftly unleashed a retaliatory bombardment that sent three enemy Pokemon flying and forced the rest to take cover. The fire was now raging, flames consuming the grass and trees, incinerating the once beautiful sanctuary in an unending inferno.

A Hawlucha attempted to swoop down from above; Mightyena jumped into the air and slammed into it, a Play Rough coursing around her body as she bodily tackled the Hawlucha away. A Dugtrio burst up from underground, but Crawdaunt deflected his charge with a Protect barrier around one claw, and a second later Weavile leaped in from the side to carve into its body with a barrage of Ice Punches. Seeker-Of-Endings saw the Arcanine that had started the fire in the first place - apparently he'd been strong enough to survive Delphox's explosive blast - hurtling towards him from the side, using his blistering speed to evade a cluster of vines from Tangrowth. But Umbreon raised a Protect that momentarily frustrated him, allowing Malamar to surge forwards and charge into the Arcanine's flank with a Night Slash that knocked the Fire-type away.

And through it all, through the hungry crackling of flames, through the explosions and crashes as blasts of energy crisscrossed the sanctuary, through the shouts and cries as Trainers yelled out orders and Pokemon called out attacks, Seeker-Of-Endings sang his Song.

As it reached a crescendo, Seeker-Of-Endings saw a towering colossus of an Ursaring bulldoze through Altaria through sheer strength and lunge for him with an enraged bellow. But before the Aether Ursaring could reach him, Seeker-Of-Endings hit the last note of his Perish Song, and an echoing roar of frustration was the last thing he heard as he, alongside Serena, Theo, and their teams, were swept out of Aether and into Oblivion.

Connie burst through the door without breaking her stride, even though it must have hurt. For she'd seen what Tyranitar had seen only five seconds ago; Zweilous's terrified face through the glass window in the center-top portion of the door, for just a second before the rippling black tendrils had dragged him out of sight again.

Tyranitar's heart was pounding in his chest, even though he wasn't doing any of the running. Connie had been pursuing Zweilous through several hallways now; every time she rounded a bend or opened a door, there he was for only a moment before the tentacles yanked him out of sight again. It seemed as if she was getting closer, but at the same time, Tyranitar could tell she was running out of breath; her steps were becoming unsteady, her breathing ragged.

Yet Tyranitar knew she wouldn't stop. Not a single member of her team would stop in this situation. Not when a teammate of theirs was in danger.

Connie darted around another corner. Again Zweilous was visible, eyes wide and struggling against the tendrils, for a couple moments before they dragged him through another door. "Get off him!" Connie yelled down the corridor, putting on a sudden burst of speed; she'd hurtled down the hallway in only four seconds, and with a quick turn of her shoulder she'd rammed her way through the door.

And into an empty room.

Connie raced into the center of the room, and then stopped dead as she realized that the only visible door was the one she'd come in through. Her eyes swiftly darted around the room; it was unlit and empty, the walls shrouded in darkness.

Connie took a deep breath. Then, in one fluid motion, she ran one hand down her belt, releasing all five of her remaining Pokemon at once. As Tyranitar, Skuntank, Shiftry, Scrafty, and Thievul materialized around Connie, the Trainer spoke into the darkness. "Cut the theatrics. Where's Zweilous?"

A low chuckle came from the surrounding darkness in answer; footsteps sounded as four Trainers emerged from the shadows. "I'm afraid you won't be seeing your Zweilous again," one of them said. "A pseudo-Legendary like that is far too valuable to just give up. Then again…his well-being is about to be the least of your worries."

Tyranitar's eyes went wide as he stared at the newcomers. They were wearing black uniforms with dark gray belts, gloves, and boots that left only their faces visible, and their leering faces made it clear that they did not have any good intentions for Connie. But Tyranitar's eyes were locked on one thing and one thing only.

The bright red R emblazoned on the center of their uniforms' torsos.

Tyranitar knew of Team Rocket. Everyone knew of Team Rocket. They were the group that every so-called 'Team' yearned to imitate; their power, their success, and how they had wormed their way into practically every facet of Kanto and even some of Johto, all had inspired countless imitators that had threatened practically every region in the UPW, and many beyond.

Team Rocket was supposed to be gone, stomped into the ground by Red's crusade. Yet those distinctive uniforms told an entirely different story. Tyranitar knew that, whether out of pride, fear, or twisted respect, no criminal group had ever dared to wear the uniforms of Team Rocket, no matter how closely they patterned themselves after the organization. These, then, could only be true Rocket Grunts.

Which meant this rabbit hole had suddenly gotten a lot deeper.

Tyranitar shook his head. No time to ponder the implications of this - first, we have to find Zweilous and get out of this place. He took a quick glance around as all four of the Rocket Grunts released full teams of six Pokemon, forming a motley mixture with seemingly no common theme. For some reason, only four of the twenty-four enemies - a Primeape, Arbok, Honchkrow, and Granbull - were fully evolved. But the twenty unevolved Pokemon were all wearing odd-looking collars, and their eyes were wild and unfocused; it was clear something was off about them, and Tyranitar couldn't help but feel nervous.

There was no way hardened members of Team Rocket would just throw unevolved Pokemon at a problem without a plan in mind.

"Better surrender, little girl," one of the Rocket Grunts sneered. "You're outnumbered nearly five to one."

"Not gonna happen," Connie retorted. "Tyranitar, Sandstorm!"

And just like that, every Pokemon in the room exploded into motion.

"Sand Stream!" Tyranitar bellowed as, around him, his teammates and the horde of Rocket Pokemon sprang for each other. The familiar Sandstorm erupted from his body, whirling outwards in all directions; Tyranitar swiftly exerted his near-perfect control over it, willing it to stray away from his teammates so as not to sting them with the flying particles of sand and flinging it towards the greatest concentrations of charging Rocket Pokemon.

The Primeape had clearly chosen him as its target, for it was hurtling straight at him, a shadowy version of itself rising from its body as it ran. "Vital Spirit!" the Primeape roared. "Spectral Pummel!"

Vital Spirit - allows the user to summon a shadowy clone of themselves to fight for them. Tyranitar grimaced - Vital Spirit was quite the potent Ability, especially in the hands of a Fighting-type. He would have to maintain concentration on both the Primeape and its spirit at the same time, or else he'd be taking far too many hits from the Fighting-type.

The spirit was rushing towards Tyranitar now, spectral fists drawn back. Tyranitar relaxed, allowing himself to flow into the sand. "Sand Stream: Dissolution!" he snarled, this time allowing himself to relax and disperse into the Sandstorm. He was still nowhere near as proficient with this facet of his Ability as an experienced user of Sand Rush, but he was quite capable of the technique regardless.

His non-solid body phased straight through the spirit's flying fists; Tyranitar relished the look of shock on the Primeape's face as he reformed directly in front of it. "Storm Claws!"

Irritatingly, Primeape was clearly capably trained, for its reaction was near-instantaneous. Tyranitar's Storm Claws were met by a Fighting energy-clad fist strong enough to hold back his attack. The Primeape grunted ferociously, straining against Tyranitar's claws. "Behind you, Tyranitar!" Connie cried; Tyranitar hastily dissolved again just in time for the Primeape's Vital Spirit to fly back through where he'd just been standing.

Tyranitar grunted irritably as he reformed. His Sandstorm was still whirling, but Primeape seemed to be shrugging it off, and his Vital Spirit was entirely unaffected. Furthermore, a few of the unevolved Pokemon had made it through the swirling sands; a Spewpa, Skiddo, and Croagunk were all rushing him now, inhuman snarls escaping their mouths as they charged, seemingly paying no heed to the sand that bit at them.

"Storm Quake!" Tyranitar growled, twisting one foot on the ground to unleash a powerful Earthquake at his four opponents before they could reach him.

The Spewpa and Skiddo were resistant to the attack due to their typings, but Tyranitar expected his Earthquake to at least knock the unevolved Pokemon back if not outright bring them down. To his shock, though, not only did they keep rushing him, but even the Croagunk simply stumbled and continued on. Before Tyranitar could react, the enemies were on him; a Horn Leech and a Headbutt struck him from the Skiddo and Spewpa respectively, while the Croagunk and the Primeape's Vital Spirit charged in behind them. Tyranitar hastily dissolved into sand again before the Fighting-type attacks could strike him.

In spite of his size and bulk, he'd felt the Spewpa's Headbutt, and the Skiddo's Horn Leech had been outright painful. What in Distortion is up with these Pokemon? Tyranitar quickly glanced around; he hadn't been paying too much attention to the rest of the fight, but now he saw that his teammates were in similar trouble. Shiftry was backpedaling as she tried to fend off both the Arbok and several unevolved Bug-types, Thievul was handily dodging attacks from both the Honchkrow and the unevolved Pokemon assailing him but couldn't seem to find an opening to deal any damage back, and Skuntank was barely keeping a large mass of unevolved Pokemon away with Poison Gas and a barrage of Flamethrowers.

Worst off, though, was Scrafty; as he tried to Poison Jab the enemy Granbull, a tiny Fletchling lunged in from the side and landed a Peck strong enough to send Scrafty staggering. The Granbull took full advantage of the stumble, lunging forwards with a snarl of "Roseate Fist!" and landing a powerful Play Rough to bowl Scrafty over.

Tyranitar rematerialized, reaching out a hand towards Scrafty. "Rock Storm!" The Granbull was forced to back off from the downed Scrafty, snarling "Rapid-Fire Fist!" as he did so; his paws came up whirling with a Close Combat, allowing him to punch the rocks that came at him out of the air. The Fletchling wasn't so lucky; a flying rock slammed into the Flying-type, sending it sailing into the opposite wall. Somehow, it bounced off and promptly streaked back towards the battle, still ready to fight despite an attack that should have felled it.

Connie let out a sudden loud curse. "They've got Eviolites! Everyone, pull back!"

Eviolites. Everything clicked into place in Tyranitar's mind. Eviolites had been developed by a well-meaning Unovan researcher as a method of giving unevolved Pokemon a way to 'even the playing field', so to speak. It functioned as, essentially, an outside energy reservoir; an unevolved Pokemon given an Eviolite was instantly infused with an excess amount of energy, enabling them to take and deal a lot more damage than usual.

While the discovery had initially been hailed, it hadn't taken long for Trainers to realize that the product had been rushed out without proper testing. While unevolved Pokemon with Eviolites were more powerful, their smaller, weaker bodies were incapable of properly handling the sheer amount of energy being pumped into them. Reports of Eviolite-using Pokemon sustaining major injuries during battles were not uncommon, and some were even crippled for life, the strain on their muscles rendering them unfit to battle. Furthermore, inexperienced Trainers started trying to use Eviolites on freshly-caught Pokemon in order to more easily beat the first few Gyms in the Unovan Gym Challenge, which caused chaos in the Unova League and resulted in the injuries of multiple Gym Pokemon from sustaining hard hits they were unprepared to take.

The last straw had been the theft of a massive shipment of Eviolites by Team Plasma and their subsequent assault on a large Unovan daycare, giving them easy access to several hundred unevolved Pokemon capable of going toe-to-toe with Ace Trainers. The UPW had swiftly passed a law banning Eviolites; anyone who was caught using Eviolites on their Pokemon was immediately barred from competing in any Gym Challenges for a year, and their reputation would be inevitably tarnished. Of course, this had not stopped criminals everywhere from continuing to make use of Eviolites, making them that much harder to stop. And indeed, now that Tyranitar was looking, he could see the purple teardrop-shaped devices attached to several of the collars the unevolved Pokemon were wearing, glowing with energy as they empowered their holders.

So that's what's going on here. No wonder these Pokemon took my Earthquake so well and hit me so hard if they're all juiced up on Eviolites!

"Overwhelm them!" one of the Rocket Grunts commanded. "Don't let them retreat!"

"Vital Spirit: Ghostly Strike!" Primeape's snarl alerted Tyranitar, and he dematerialized into sand a second before Primeape's Vital Spirit lunged straight through where he'd been standing with fist outstretched. The Skiddo, Spewpa, and Croagunk charged forth in its wake, once more bearing down on Tyranitar. Tyranitar twisted, reforming for just long enough to launch another Earthquake that sent all three unevolved Pokemon flying and forced Primeape to back off, before dissipating again and twisting to see if any of his teammates needed help.

Instantly he saw Thievul darting away from the enemy Honchkrow, using Run Away to evade the Honchkrow's strike. "Wrathful Snarl!" he growled as he hurled himself at the enemy Granbull; the Fairy-type hadn't been expecting the attack, and despite his type resistance he was sent reeling by the wave of noise. Thievul skidded to a halt next to Scrafty. "Come on, up you get," the Dark-type ordered.

In the meantime, Shiftry had managed to backpedal next to Skuntank. "Quick, Poison Gas my way!" she cried.

"On it!" Skuntank replied. "Aftermath: Tail Spray!"

Aftermath was Skuntank's Ability; it gave Skuntank a massive reserve of poisonous gas secreted inside his own body. When it had first been discovered, it had simply given Skuntank more poison to draw on for his moves. Now, he'd found quite a few other uses for it, but the extra poison was still plenty useful, as evidenced by his quick release of a cloud of it towards Shiftry.

Shiftry swiftly reached out for the cloud. "Pickpocket: Catch and Return!"

Skuntank's Poison Gas flowed into Shiftry's outstretched arm like water soaking into a sponge; in the next moment, Shiftry twisted and flung the gas outwards in an arc at the horde of enemies bearing down on her. Despite their Eviolites and their seeming lack of care towards their own health, the unevolved Pokemon were forced to cease their charges, hacking and coughing as the Poison Gas flowed down their throats. The Arbok Shiftry had been fighting, though, was entirely unaffected; he charged through, eyes gleaming wickedly. "Intimidate: Paralyzing Glare!"

Shiftry froze in place. Tyranitar understood the Arbok's tactic immediately; Intimidate mixed with Glare could momentarily paralyze practically any opponent. But Skuntank was by no means idle; even as the Arbok lunged for the immobilized Shiftry, the Poison/Dark-type flung himself in front of his teammate, Fire energy washing over his tail. "Aftermath: Explosive Spray!"

That was another feature of the gas generated by Aftermath; it was highly volatile. And, with plenty of time to train up the Ability, Skuntank had long since learned that all it took to detonate it was a simple Flamethrower. The Poison Gas that the Arbok had been lunging straight through abruptly exploded; the Arbok was sent flying backwards with a screech of pain, and Shiftry and Skuntank swiftly retreated as Scrafty and Thievul did likewise.

"Rock Storm!" Tyranitar reached out, flinging out a massive barrage of Rock energy in all directions to cover his teammates' retreat. Several of the unevolved Pokemon were struck by rocks and sent flying, but once again they quickly rebounded, their Eviolites propelling them onwards even in spite of their gruesome-looking injuries.

Tyranitar, Scrafty, Shiftry, Skuntank, and Thievul quickly retreated into a tight circle around Connie, putting themselves between her and the enemy Pokemon. All watched as the enemies gathered themselves and began charging them from all around, not an ounce of mercy in any one of their expressions.

Connie let out a quiet huff as she took in the horde of Pokemon bearing down on her team. "Shiftry, I need you to get rid of those Eviolites."

Shiftry hissed in frustration. "I can, but I need an opening first."

Skuntank grimaced. "I can get us an opening."

Tyranitar understood immediately. "Skuntank-"

"Don't tell me not to do this," Skuntank retorted. "You know Gas Grenade's the best option we've got."

Tyranitar reluctantly nodded. "All right. Shiftry, get ready."

Shiftry grunted, crouching in preparation.

Tyranitar reached out and grasped Skuntank around the middle, drawing upon as much strength as he could muster to pick the Poison/Dark-type up off the ground. He bent his knees, calling upon the Fighting energy stored within his body. "Storm Toss!" he bellowed as he threw Skuntank up into the air.

Almost immediately, Tyranitar called upon the Sandstorm around the group to harden into a hemispherical barrier. Skuntank sailed past the sand a second before it hardened, creating a shield between him and the rest of the team. As he sailed into the air, the Rocket Grunts paled, realizing what was about to happen. "Get down!" emanated from four mouths; the Arbok, Primeape, Granbull, and Honchkrow all twisted and dove away from Skuntank. The unevolved horde pressed on, unceasing in their mindless assault.

Skuntank squeezed his eyes shut. "Aftermath…GAS GRENADE!"

Aftermath, at its core, was meant to be a sacrificial Ability, as evidenced by the name. It took a lot of control to properly keep the gas generated by Aftermath within the body; when Skuntank had first gained the Ability, it had taken weeks for him to stop leaking gas out of himself at every moment. When a Pokemon with Aftermath fell in battle, they would thus lose control over their gaseous reserves, causing it to all erupt from the Pokemon's body at once. It was almost inevitable that any Pokemon even close to the felled user of Aftermath would be struck by the burst of poisonous and highly volatile gas.

All of this meant that when a Pokemon with Aftermath used Explosion, knocking themselves out and thus spontaneously releasing and igniting all of their gaseous reserves on top of the natural power of the move…

…well, the results packed quite the punch.

Even Tyranitar's hastily-formed hemispherical Protect buckled under the force as Skuntank exploded. The entire army of unevolved Pokemon was thrown bodily to the ground, and even the Grunts and their four evolved Pokemon were sent staggering by the wave of force emanating from the Explosion. In the next moment, Tyranitar dropped the barrier; Connie reached up with Pokeball in hand and recalled the unconscious Skuntank. "Shiftry, now!"

Shiftry hurled herself forwards, propelled by Quick Attack. "Pickpocket: Item Theft!"

It was only thanks to their Eviolites that the morass of unevolved Pokemon were even still stirring. But even as they tried to rise, mindlessly forcing their bodies to push past the damage they'd been dealt, Shiftry fell upon them like a furious whirlwind. She moved so fast she was a blur, her hands darting out and snatching the Eviolites right off the downed Pokemon.

And without the energy granted to them by their Eviolites, the unevolved Pokemon fell unconscious near-instantly as all the pain they'd been shielded from struck them at once. Before the Grunts and their four evolved Pokemon could recover from Skuntank's sacrificial Explosion, Shiftry had finished; the Grunts stared with shocked eyes as Shiftry dropped twenty Eviolites to the floor, leaving twenty unconscious Pokemon on the ground behind her.

"…uh-oh," one of the Grunts muttered.

Connie smirked. "Finish them."

Scrafty, Thievul, and Tyranitar hurled themselves forwards to join Shiftry. The Primeape, Arbok, Granbull, and Honchkrow rose to meet them, but without the numbers advantage the Grunt Pokemon were no match. Tyranitar simply dodged the Primeape's Vital Spirit and struck back with a focused Earthquake, sending the Primeape stumbling away. The Arbok attempted to use Glare on Shiftry again, but the Grass/Dark-type swiftly reached out and unleashed a powerful Hurricane, catching the Arbok and sending it flying before it could do anything. Scrafty dodged a Play Rough from the Granbull and headbutted it in the chin with a strong Iron Head, sending it reeling. And Thievul effortlessly dove under the Honchkrow's swinging claws and flung it away with his own Play Rough, then pounced on the reeling Dark/Flying-type with claws and teeth lashing.

The trap had failed; there was finally light at the end of the tunnel. And then everything went wrong.

The first sign was a loud tearing noise; Tyranitar spun in time to see a portal of pure Distortion opening up in midair right behind Connie. Two scarlet eyes opened in the portal, and a toothy maw grinned as a haunting voice spoke out into the room. "Shadow Tag: Distortional Entanglement!"

Mega Gengar. Crap.

Distortion erupted from under all four of Connie's Pokemon; tendrils of ghostly energy wrapped themselves around Tyranitar's limbs and body, pinning them in place. The rest of Connie's team were all stricken with the same entrapment. Recognition flared in Tyranitar's mind - these were the same tendrils that had been dragging Zweilous. I knew it - this entire thing was one big trap! Tyranitar at once drew upon his reserves of Dark energy, readying himself to throw off the tendrils ensnaring him.

But before he could, out of Mega Gengar's portal/body burst Essentia, streaking straight towards Connie, a long blade extended out of her right arm. The Trainer had no time to react; before she could do more than twitch, Essentia's left arm was wrapped around her torso, while the other arm was positioned so that the blade attached to it was right at Connie's throat. Essentia spoke, her voice cutting through all the noise in the room. "Stand down or she dies."

Connie let out a growl and tried to twist, but Essentia's hold was far too strong. "Let me go, you damn-" she began, but her voice died in her throat as Essentia brought the blade close enough to touch her neck. The Trainer stiffened as self-preservation kicked in, recognizing that she wouldn't be able to escape without help. Tyranitar glanced over to his teammates; he could see all of them watching the blade warily. Shiftry would be calculating how fast she could use Pickpocket on it; Thievul would be ascertaining how fast he could escape and get to Essentia using Run Away; Scrafty would be wondering if he could maybe confuse Essentia with Swagger and stop her from slashing Connie's throat for long enough that he could tear his way out of Mega Gengar's hold.

Essentia shifted again. The blade cut just deep enough into Connie's neck that a drop of bright red blood began to trickle down from the point of contact. Connie, despite attempting to maintain a defiant facade, was clearly terrified, breathing heavily and unable to keep her eyes off the blade threatening to end her life. "I said stand down," Essentia ordered.

Tyranitar snarled in fury, but he'd already figured out what his teammates were only now realizing. There was no way to get out of this without risking Connie's death. And not a single one of them would ever let that happen.

As one, they all ceased straining against the shadowy tendrils holding them in place. Essentia's head turned towards the Rocket Grunts. "Take her Pokeballs and recall them," she ordered. "Seals on. Don't take any chances."

Tyranitar glared ferociously at Essentia and the Mega Gengar behind her, but knew he could do no more as the Rocket Grunts approached his Trainer and began to divest her of her Pokeballs with evil smirks resplendent on their faces.

Lumiose City may have been a shining pinnacle of beauty and marvelous technology, but even the most beautiful cities had dingy, near-empty back alleys. And it was in one of those back alleys that an Oblivion-formed portal appeared, disgorging Serena, Theo, and Seeker-Of-Endings before shutting again.

The two Trainers instantly collapsed, sitting down heavily heedless of how dirty the ground beneath them was. "I didn't know your Absol could teleport," Theo gasped out. "I was wondering how Perish Song could get us away from Aether - that's a neat trick."

"It's not exactly teleportation," Seeker-Of-Endings informed him. "Think of Oblivion as a parallel dimension - we simply walked from Aether to a point where, in the real world, we would be unseen."

"How'd you know that?" Theo asked.

"Future Sight."

"Ah." Theo leaned his head against the brick wall behind him. "Serena, your Absol is ridiculous. Have I mentioned that?"

"He is," Serena admitted. Seeker hid a chuckle. If they think I'm ridiculous, they should see what Bringer-Of-Visions is capable of. Actually, that's a terrible idea. I hope they never meet Bringer-Of-Visions.

"So how do we get back in?" Theo asked.

"Get back in?" Serena shook her head. "With the fire and all the Aether employees running around? There's no way we can get back in there. Not now, at least. We have to pull back, regroup, and come up with a new plan."

"Pull back?" Theo glared at Serena. "Connie's still in there! She could be injured, or-"

"I know!" Serena yelled. "Theo, I want to go back and help her, but we can't! We don't know where in the building she is, and there's at least fifty Aether employees standing between her and us!"

Theo twisted and slammed his hand into the brick wall hard enough to leave a spot of blood behind. "Theo!" Serena exclaimed.

"This is all my fault!" Theo snarled. "I should never have proposed this stupid plan in the first place! I-"

"Theo, stop!" Weavile grabbed his hand before he could punch the wall again. "Please, don't hurt yourself!"

Mightyena quickly positioned herself between Theo and the wall, while Cacturne and Crawdaunt grasped the hem of Theo's shirt and attempted to drag him away from the bricks. Theo looked sorrowfully at each of them. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to worry you. I'm just so…so…Arceus, I screwed up."

Mightyena stepped forwards, her tongue lolling from her mouth; Theo reached out his hand, allowing the Dark-type to begin licking the blood from his knuckles. Serena slid over to him. "Theo, don't blame yourself," she urged. "There was no way we could've known we were walking into a trap. And I know it hurts, but we can't dwell on that, because you're right. Connie is still in there. And I'm not going to rest until she's safe and sound with us. So let's get up, get somewhere safe, and start thinking of a plan."

"Serena?"

A new voice broke into the conversation; every head snapped to the left at the same time, and all only untensed upon seeing who the voice belonged to. "Calem?" Serena asked.

Calem stepped deeper into the alleyway, his Alakazam and Chesnaught on either side of him. "What are you doing here? I heard there was a disturbance at the Aether Outreach Center and came over in case anyone was injured - dear Arceus, you look terrible!"

"Good to see you too, Calem," said Serena. "Listen-"

Calem held up a hand. "Later. I was actually gonna look for you - you'd better come with me to Sycamore's place."

Serena glanced over at Theo, who nodded. "Safe as anywhere," the boy murmured.

"Safe?" Calem asked, then shrugged. "Never mind. Can you recall your Pokemon so Alakazam has an easier time teleporting?"

Nodding, Serena and Theo recalled all of their Pokemon, even Seeker-Of-Endings. Satisfied, Calem turned to the Psychic-type hovering beside him. "Alakazam?"

"Right away," said Alakazam, extending his twin spoons to either side. The world twisted around Seeker-Of-Endings, and in the next moment, the group was standing in Professor Sycamore's lab, in an area Seeker-Of-Endings, peering out of his Pokeball, recognized as just outside the Professor's office, right in front of the door that led into said office.

"Come on," said Calem, striding hurriedly towards the door. Serena and Theo exchanged a glance before following. Calem threw the door open. "Professor! I found them!"

Seeker-Of-Endings hadn't been sure what to expect to see in the room. But he certainly wasn't expecting what he did see. Though, in hindsight, it was a lot less surprising than it had seemed at the time.

Four very comfortable-looking chairs were arranged around a table; upon the table was a hastily assembled-looking platter piled high with cheese, crackers, and various pastries. Professor Sycamore was sitting in one of the chairs; the other three were occupied by none other than Lusamine, Lillie, and Gladion, the latter two of whom seemed to be competing for how many pastries they could scarf down.

All heads turned towards the entryway as Calem led Serena and Theo into the room. Gladion half-smiled and Lillie's eyes lit up with excitement, but Lusamine moved before either of them. She was out of her chair and stepping across the room to meet the newcomers before Gladion or Lillie could even rise.

"Hello, Serena," said Lusamine. "I heard you wanted to talk."

And once again, I have fallen back into my old habit of going completely overboard with the length of random chapters.

Not to mention my other old habit of sprinkling cliffhangers into every other chapter. And just before a two-week break, too...

Anyway, as always, please drop a review if you have the time, and I'll see you in four weeks for the start of the next arc, otherwise known as the "Rivals Arc"!