By the way, if anyone's wondering how the walk to Saffron City from Cerulean is taking two days when Masie managed to cover all of Diglett Cave in a single day, my explanation is…ummm…something something Pokémon magic something something. XD I just couldn't think of anything to do in Diglett Cave that could cover multiple days, so I just…fast-tracked it. But that's okay, right? A little inconsistency is fine in Pokémon…right?

"The Kanto Pokémon Daycare should be just a couple of minutes away," Mary-Sue told Jovi as they walked, her map open and spread in her hands.

It was early afternoon, and Saffron City's skyscrapers stretched up before them, welcoming them into the most developed, civilized place in Kanto, but Mary-Sue couldn't let go of the chance to help purify Shadow Pokémon.

"So?" she pressed her friend. "Are we gonna go there, or not?"

"I'm still not sure it's a good idea," Jovi replied. "Still…I was up for hours last night trying to come up with something I could say to the attendants, and…I guess there's a chance I can just pass Shadow Pokémon off as really aggressive, traumatized Pokémon?"

"It wouldn't be too far from the truth," Aaron remarked, coming up for air from his harmonica.

"Yeah…" Jovi sighed heavily. "I guess we might as well," she relented. "No harm in checking to see if it looks like they can really help."

"The more help, the better!" Mary-Sue chirped, and she folded up her map and tucked it away. "Maybe we can invite someone there to join Team Spirit?"

"Probably not wise," Jovi said. "I only told you guys because a Cipher goon sicced a Shadow Pokémon on you; anything less than that, and I have to find a way around it."

At the next crossroads, they turned west, down a slightly narrower path through the forest, as a sign marked it as the way to the Daycare. The area was so nice and green, the warm sunlight dampened by the canopy of trees…Mary-Sue thought it was the perfect place for Pokémon to grow in a safe, relaxed setting.

"Hey, do you think they have pools?" she asked suddenly. "Or ponds?"

"Huh?" Aaron and Jovi blinked at her.

"You know, for water-type Pokémon," Mary-Sue explained. "I was just thinking…this could've been a good place for Gyarados to learn to calm down, too."

"I'm sure they do," Jovi said slowly. "They'd have to be equipped to care for any Pokémon they're given, right?"

"Is there a Daycare in Orre, Jovi?" Aaron asked.

"Uh-huh," Jovi nodded. "It's in Agate Village, the same place where the Relic Stone is."

"Is it nice there?"

"It's one of the nicest places in Orre," Jovi answered, and her smile turned a little wistful. "The only real natural gem in the whole region…it's kind of amazing wild Pokémon disappeared from even there. The houses are all built under, around, and even in the giant trees, and rivers flow through it uninterrupted." Her smile dimmed. "I've only ever been there a couple of times, and not for very long…"

"Sounds like a good place for raising Pokémon," Mary-Sue remarked brightly, trying to lighten the older girl's mood. "Same as here."

"Hey."

A sudden, unknown voice drew everyone's attention, and they looked ahead to see a muscular man standing in the middle of the path, arms folded. They stopped short, Aaron lowering his harmonica abruptly.

"Sorry, kids," the man said, "the Daycare's closed for the day. You'd best head on to the next city on your journey."

"How come?" Mary-Sue asked.

"Just some grown-up business," the stranger replied, a bit condescendingly. "If you really need the Daycare's services, it'll be open tomorrow."

"Oh…Okay," Mary-Sue said slowly. "Um…thanks."

With a nod and a grunt, the strange man sent them on their way. Mary-Sue turned around, followed by Aaron, and then Jovi, as they walked past the Shadow Pokémon they were trying to purify and started walking the other way.

"Hey, wait a minute! You, with the blue hair!"

"Huh?" The trio turned to see the man pointing at Jovi.

"Aren't you that Team Spirit brat?" the man demanded, suddenly sounding angry. "You are, aren't you?!"

Mary-Sue looked at Jovi in confusion, but Jovi's face only hardened. "Who are you?" she asked in a low voice.

With a twirl and a flurry of fabric that was too fast for the eye to follow, the man's outfit suddenly transformed; he was now sporting plated white combat armor and a helmet with a black visor that covered everything above his mouth.

"Who would've thought I'd get to be the one to bag you?!" the Cipher peon grinned. "I'm gonna get a huge promotion for this!"

"Cipher," Jovi hissed, hurriedly pulling out her Pokéballs and calling back her Shadow Pokémon. "What are you doing with the Daycare?!" she demanded of the armored grunt.

"None of your business, little girl," he smirked. "Her Highness has business there, that's all you need to know."

"Highness…?" Mary-Sue wondered out loud.

"Hey, you kids," the grunt added, addressing Mary-Sue and Aaron, "you might wanna scram before you get hurt. This doesn't involve you."

"No way!" Mary-Sue shouted, jumping forward. "We're members of Team Spirit, too! We won't let you get away with whatever you're doing at the Daycare!"

"Oh, Team Spirit's hiring kids now?" the man laughed. "Alright then, how about we go two on one? The two kids, versus my two Pokémon?"

"As the acting member of Team Spirit, I'm going to take part," Jovi insisted, stepping forward as well. Glancing over her friends quickly, she focused on Aaron and said, "Aaron, how about you battle beside me?"

"What about me?!" Mary-Sue exclaimed.

"Sorry Masie, but Aaron has three badges," Jovi pointed out. "I don't know how strong this guy is, I don't wanna take risks."

"Okay…" Mary-Sue grumbled, but she stepped back to let Aaron take his place beside the older girl.

"Pluplu, let's go!" Jovi called.

"Thwackey, we're counting on you!" Aaron added. As their Pokémon emerged, he asked Jovi, "Are you gonna be okay? Pluplu and Mimi are strongest working together."

"We can handle it," Jovi stated.

"Plusle plus!" Plusle agreed.

"Boldore, Unfezant, take 'em down!" proclaimed the peon, tossing his own capsules, and two Pokémon Mary-Sue had never heard of appeared: a chunky creature that seemed to be made of blue and red rocks, and a massive gray bird with a vibrant pink mask of sorts.

"Jovi," Aaron said urgently, "that Boldore-"

"I see it," Jovi assured him, the contraption she wore everywhere unfolding a lens in front of her left eye. "We can't let him call it back, so we can't knock it out entirely."

"Got it," Aaron nodded. "Thwackey, use Double Hit on that Unfezant!"

"Thunderbolt on Boldore, Pluplu!" Jovi commanded.

To Mary-Sue, it would have made more sense for Thwackey to use Branch Poke on the rock-type and Plusle to use Thunderbolt on the flying-type, but Jovi did just say they couldn't risk knocking Boldore out entirely. It was a risky ploy, especially with a flying-type against a grass-type like Thwackey, but Mary-Sue could see the logic.

"Counter with Wing Attack, Unfezant!" the peon called in response. "Boldore, use Shadow Guard!"

A black shroud surrounded Boldore, dispersing the Thunderbolt, while Unfezant dove at Thwackey with glowing wings. Despite swinging its sticks bravely, Thwackey took the hit hard.

"We'd better get that Unfezant out of the way," Jovi told Aaron. "I'll handle it, you try to weaken Boldore just a little."

They switched off, Plusle zapping the bird while Thwackey beat its sticks ineffectually against the lumpy rock. Unfezant took a Thunderbolt without slowing down, and Mary-Sue was glad Jovi had thought to invite the stronger trainer to the fight. When Boldore started conjuring black rocks to fling at its opponents, both Thwackey and Plusle had to run for their lives, barely avoiding the attack - only for Unfezant to land a hit on Plusle.

"Pluplu!" Jovi yelped. "Can you still fight?"

"Pl…us…" The electric rodent gritted its teeth, struggling, but it managed to get back up.

"Shock Wave on Unfezant!" Jovi called immediately.

"Thwackey, help Pluplu!" Aaron directed.

Switching tactics again, they focused all their strength on Unfezant and tried to mostly avoid Boldore. Incredibly, it actually worked, and before too long, Unfezant fell. The Cipher peon growled as he called his bird back to its capsule, but he didn't bring out any more Pokémon. Boldore hurled its strength around, but Plusle managed to get off a Thunderbolt on it before being knocked down for good.

"You did all you had to, Pluplu," Jovi told her partner, calling it back for a rest. "Now…" A blue Pokéball appeared in the mechanical gauntlet covering her left hand, light surrounding it as it expanded to its full size. "Go, Snag Ball!"

The altered Great Ball hit Boldore and opened, a clawed hand made of light emerging and scooping the Shadow Pokémon into its confines. Gold and purple smoke came off it as it shook and thrashed on the ground for a minute, before it clicked, signaling a successful capture, and disappeared in a flash.

"Darn it," snarled the Cipher Peon, stepping back. "Gotta report this…!" He turned and ran down the path towards the Daycare.

"Stop!" Jovi shouted, sprinting after him. "Get back here!"

"Jovi, wait!" Mary-Sue exclaimed as she and Aaron hurried after her.

A minute later, the trees parted, revealing the Kanto Pokémon Daycare…and the half-dozen Cipher goons surrounding it. Two were rolling what looked like a giant wheeled crate that was almost overflowing with Pokémon eggs towards what looked like some sort of vehicle that was waiting at the edge of the Daycare clearing.

"Your Majesty!" The peon who'd just been defeated sprinted to a tall figure with pastel-pink hair who was facing away from the path, their body entirely hidden by a cloak of snowy-white feathers that came down to their feet.

"Sakif?" asked the figure in an imperious, female voice. "Why have you left your post?"

"That Team Spirit brat found us," the grunt panted, leaning with his hands on his knees.

"And one undertrained lackey gave you trouble?…Hm?" As the three heroes approached, the woman looked at them over her shoulder, then turned around with a flourish of her feathered cape.

Everyone stopped. She was scarily beautiful, like a delicate sculpture carved from unforgiving ice. Her hair, which must have been incredibly long, was split into two braids that wound into cones on either side of her head, but the way she carried herself, instead of horns, the hairdo looked more like a crown. Colorful jewels glittered in her hair, at her throat, and on her fingers; around her wrists and ankles were thick silver bangles. Her dress, clinging tightly to her hourglass-curve body, was as white as the feathers of her cape, so shiny it almost sparkled but otherwise unmarked, and must have been wonderfully cool in the summer heat - there were no sleeves to speak of, white straps simply tied the dress up behind the woman's neck, the neckline went down to her navel, and the tightness of the skirt would have made it difficult to walk if not for a slit to the side of her left leg that went up almost to her hip. Her imperious, violet eyes were framed perfectly by eyeshadow, her lips were painted a dark red, and when she took a step forward, she moved across the grass with an almost inhuman grace, despite her shiny white stiletto-heeled shoes.

With such an extravagant outfit, Mary-Sue couldn't help comparing the woman to her mother. Mrs. Jones wore outrageous outfits, too, but she wore outfits that were loud and colorful, designed to get as big a reaction out of crowds as possible; this woman, while no less excessive in her attire, was dressed up in a way that almost demanded silence, as though her outfit alone made it clear that she would not raise her voice under any circumstances, but everyone around her was expected to listen to her every word anyway.

"Are you lost, children?" she crooned, almost tenderly, and a shiver ran down Mary-Sue's spine.

"You're with Cipher," Jovi stated. "Which means you and I have business."

"Ah…so you are indeed the young lady sent by the Shadow Pokémon Rescue Team to track our movements here in Kanto." A smile quirked the woman's lips, and something about her tone was almost mocking. "Dear me, this won't do. I'm afraid I don't have time to indulge you today."

"Save it!" Jovi snapped, and she pointed at the crate. "What are you doing with those eggs?!"

"These?" Violet eyes cut over sharply to follow Jovi's finger. "Well, these eggs aren't going anywhere. No one wants them, so we'll happily take them."

"What do you mean?" Mary-Sue asked, stepping up beside Jovi. "What do you mean, no one wants them?! Where did they come from?!"

"Hmm?" The woman's expression changed only a little, but Mary-Sue suddenly felt very, very small, even for her age. "And who are you, child?"

Gulping hard, Mary-Sue mustered her courage and clenched her fists. "I'm Mary-Sue Jones, from Celadon City," she declared, "and I'm a proud member of Team Spirit!"

"Is that so…?" A smile returned to the woman's face, wider this time, and she let out a soft, delicate laugh. "Why is it that my dear Ardos's greatest opposition should always come in the form of children?" she wondered aloud, almost to herself. Taking another step forward, her eyes suddenly speared Mary-Sue intensely. "Well, child, my name is Regina, and I'm an administrator for Cipher." Her head tilted, almost curiously. "These eggs we're taking were gathering dust in the Daycare's storage," she told the young redhead. "Sometimes, when trainers leave their Pokémon in the Daycare, eggs appear; most of the time, the trainers of the Pokémon holding the eggs take them, but sometimes they don't. Unwanted as they are, why shouldn't we take them?"

"What are you going to do to them?!" Mary-Sue demanded in response. "Turn them into Shadow Pokémon?"

Regina's smile widened. "Fresh young ones would make ideal candidates to transform into Shadow Pokémon," she said. "Of course, we'll need to experiment on them further to find a way for them to grow in power after the transition, but with this many eggs, we'll have plenty enough test subjects to make the alteration."

"No!" Mary-Sue shouted, taking another step forward. "I won't let you! You can't close the doors of the hearts of newborn babies!"

"If these eggs aren't taken in, they won't hatch," Regina pointed out. "These unborn babies will wait forever-"

"I'll take them!" Mary-Sue declared.

"Masie?" Jovi asked softly.

"All of them!" Mary-Sue asserted, gesturing violently. "I'll take all the eggs, and I'll make sure every one of them hatches and the Pokémon find good, happy homes!"

The Cipher Admin laughed, harder this time, enough for her bare shoulders to shake. "You are an amusing little one, aren't you?" she said in a sickeningly sweet tone, and she placed a hand on her cheek. "Well then, child…you talk boldly, but let us see if you can back your words with actions."

"Bring it on!" Mary-Sue snarled.

"Very well then…" Reaching behind her, into her enormous white-feathered cloak, Regina pulled a single Pokéball from a hidden pocket. "In the spirit of fairness, I will send out my weakest Pokémon, and it alone; you, meanwhile, may use every Pokémon you have to hand. If all your Pokémon combined can defeat my weakest one, I will let you have these eggs."

"Sounds good to me!" Mary-Sue stated.

"Hmm…" Smiling broader, the regal woman closed her eyes for a moment; then, her expression shifted into one of stormy wrath, and she opened her eyes again and threw her Pokéball backhanded. "I call on you, Sawk!"

"Saaaaaawk, Sawk Sawk!" proclaimed the Pokémon that emerged from the capsule, a humanoid creature with dark blue skin and wearing a karate gi.

"Is that a Shadow Pokémon, Aaron?" Mary-Sue asked.

No answer came from behind her.

"Aaron?" Mary-Sue turned around…and found her friend standing rigid and stiff as a board, his face as red as her hair, his light blue eyes almost bulging out of his head. Following his alarmed gaze, Mary-Sue realized he was staring at Regina, and she suddenly remembered how he'd reacted to seeing Gym Leader Misty in a swimsuit.

"It doesn't really matter," Jovi sighed, drawing the younger girl's attention. "If you have to defeat this Sawk entirely and it gets called back to its Pokéball, I can't snag it."

"Rrgh…fine then," Mary-Sue relented, and she plucked a ball from her backpack strap. "You're up first, Poliwag!"

"Poli poli!" the little water-type declared as it appeared.

"Is that the best you can do?" Regina asked, a pitying smile on her face. "It seems I was worried for nothing."

"Alright, listen, Poliwag," Mary-Sue told her partner grimly, "this is a strong Pokémon, and…you're probably not gonna be able to beat it on your own. But, this is gonna be a team effort, okay? Do the best you can, so Zubat and Budew will have less to do."

"Poli…?" Poliwag looked at her with wide eyes…then nodded and turned to Sawk. "Poliwag, wagwag!"

"That's the spirit!" Mary-Sue grinned. "Let's start with Bubble, get a feel for what this thing can do!"

"Wag!" Poliwag shouted, and it spat a glob of bubbles at Sawk.

"Shadow Hold," Regina said calmly.

Sawk didn't dodge the projectiles at all, just waved its hands; a bunch of dark, almost gooey-looking ribbons appeared from somewhere and flew at Poliwag, wrapping it in place tightly.

"Poliii!" it cried, struggling against the binds.

"Don't stop shooting while you're trying to get free!" Mary-Sue urged.

"Masie, it's a Shadow Pokémon," Jovi spoke up at the same time. "That's a shadow move. Be careful."

"Got it," Mary-Sue nodded, choosing not to ask what the point of Aaron's shadow aura vision even was if they could tell by the moves a Pokémon used whether it was a Shadow Pokémon or not.

"Shadow Blitz," the Cipher Admin directed.

Eyes gleaming with bloodlust, Sawk charged at Poliwag, which was still trying to wriggle its way out of its restraints. Seeing that it needed a few more moments, Mary-Sue cried out, "Use Hypnosis!"

"Poli…" Poliwag turned to the oncoming Pokémon and stared intensely; its eyes glowed, as did the swirl on its belly, which almost seemed to spin around and around.

The enemy Pokémon blinked and slowed down, its eyes closing as it began to doze off.

"Sawk!" Regina called sharply.

Instantly, the Pokémon snapped awake. "Sawawk!" it snarled, following through on its half-disrupted move.

But Poliwag had managed to squirm free, and it dove and rolled out of the way with so much force that it bounced as Sawk dove at it shoulder-first.

"Doubleslap, Poliwag!" Mary-Sue ordered; the way Regina had countered Hypnosis so easily had her a bit shaken, but after allowing herself one flinch, she'd refocused.

"Poooooli! Poli-poli-poli-poli-poli-poli-!" Leaping at Sawk, Poliwag turned and began whacking its tail back and forth across the back of Sawk's head. Hit after hit landed, but Sawk barely even seemed to notice as it got to its feet.

"Shadow Chop."

"Look out!" Mary-Sue yelped.

It was too late; before Poliwag could react, Sawk lashed out with a hand coated in dark energy and smacked it head-on, sending it flying. By the time Poliwag rolled to a stop, it was clearly out of energy.

"Poliwag, return," Mary-Sue ground out, trying not to cry at how easily her first Pokémon had fallen.

"Do you wish to continue?" Regina asked.

"You bet I do!" Mary-Sue snapped, despair burning away with a rush of anger. "Zubat…I'm sorry, I know it's the middle of the day and the sun's out, but I need your help!"

"Zuzu!" hissed her flying-type Pokémon as it emerged from its Pokéball.

"I'm really sorry," Mary-Sue repeated. "Can you deal with the sun for a little while? Poliwag's already gone down."

"Zuuu?" The eyeless Pokémon turned to face her for a minute, then back around to scan the surroundings and its opponent.

"It's a strong Shadow Pokémon," Mary-Sue explained. "If all three of you guys can take it down, we'll rescue a bunch of eggs. Please, can you handle this?"

"Bat bat!" Zubat declared. "Zuuuu, Zubat!"

"Alright!" Smiling with relief, Mary-Sue pumped a fist. "Now, use Gust!"

"Shadow Down, Sawk," Regina commanded.

A flurry of fluffy black particles appeared as Sawk swept its hands towards the flying-type Pokémon; a whipping wind was stirred up by Zubat's wings and flung at the opponent in turn, but the shadowy fluff wasn't blown away, though the Pokémon did take the hit. Instead, the black stuff gathered on Zubat's body, clinging to it like burrs.

"Zuuuuu!" it shrieked, flailing in the air to no avail. "Baaaaaat! Batbatbatbatbat!"

"It's okay, you'll get clean when the battle's over!" Mary-Sue assured it, half-pleading. "Focus for now!"

"Shadow Blitz."

"Go over its head!" Mary-Sue called.

"Zuu…!" Still unsteady, Zubat rose as Sawk leapt for it, barely twisting out of the way at the last moment.

"Now, Supersonic!" Mary-Sue added.

Zubat's gaping jaws opened further, and a piercing, ear-grating sound filled the arena. Sawk stumbled as it landed, wobbling in place, and Regina's painted lips quirked down into something that hinted at a snarl.

"Wing Attack!" Mary-Sue shouted.

Apparently adjusting to the shadowy stuff that clung to it, Zubat spread its wings wide as they began to glow, and it dove at the fighting-type Pokémon.

"Shadow Chop, Sawk!" The Cipher Admin's voice came out harsher than it had been before.

"S-Saw…aw…" Sawk mumbled; it slashed its hand, but missed Zubat wildly, and the eyeless Pokémon slammed into it with full force. The Shadow Pokémon staggered back a few steps, but didn't fall.

"Get in the air, use Gust again!" Mary-Sue said, finding her rhythm with Zubat's movements.

"Shadow Hold!" Regina declared imperiously.

"Sawaw…" Rather than obey, Sawk shook its head, trying to clear its mind; in the time it took to do that, Gust landed, sending it back a few more steps. Then, Sawk took a steady stance, its eyes clear again.

"I said, Shadow Hold," Regina repeated.

"Sawk!" The blue creature waved a hand, slimy black ribbons shooting forth to wrap around Zubat.

"Get as high as you can!" Mary-Sue shouted.

There was no dodging the move, but Zubat obeyed, and it was high above everyone's heads by the time the bindings wrapped around it. To Mary-Sue's relief, she'd guessed right - Shadow Hold bound a Pokémon in place wherever they were, Zubat didn't need to put effort into staying airborne.

Regina's lip curled again, ever-so-slightly. "One little bat should not give you such trouble, Sawk," she stated, her tone cold as ice. "Jump for it and use Shadow Chop."

Roaring with fury, Sawk launched itself into the air, jumping remarkably high for an earthbound Pokémon.

"Use Gust, try to knock it down!" Mary-Sue called desperately.

Still wriggling in its binds, Zubat flailed its wings, and a cutting wind blasted the oncoming Shadow Pokémon. The blue creature snarled with pain, but still managed to reach its target and swing the side of its palm. As it made contact, the ribbons parted, and the black fluff seemed to gather at the point of impact; Zubat screamed as it fell to the ground with tremendous force, slamming into the grass hard enough to make Mary-Sue yelp. It did not rise.

"R-Return," Mary-Sue managed, calling the poor, dazed creature back to its capsule.

"Is that all?" Regina asked her.

Eyeing the last viable Pokéball on her backpack strap, Mary-Sue gritted her teeth. "No," she replied, "I have one more. Budew, it's all up to you!"

"Dewew! Dew? Dew!" the newly-emerged little bud yelped when it saw Sawk looming over it.

"Stay strong, Budew," Mary-Sue told her first partner. "I know this is scary, but Poliwag and Zubat are already out, you're the last one standing…and if we lose, Cipher will walk away with a bunch of Pokémon eggs. A bunch of babies are counting on us, Budew, you have to pull through here!"

"Budewew," it whimpered.

It's not looking good, Mary-Sue admitted to herself. Zubat got some good hits in, but it wasn't enough to weaken Sawk to a state Budew can handle… "Remember how you handled Onix!" she begged the grass-type. "That was a powerful Shadow Pokémon, too, and you took it down all on your own! You can do this, Budew!"

"Oh?" Regina murmured, so softly that Mary-Sue almost didn't hear her.

"Deeeeew…Dew dew!" Budew squeaked, seemingly making up its mind, and it tensed all of its little body to stare down its hulking opponent.

"Then let's go!" Mary-Sue nodded at it. "Get ready to move!"

"Shadow Blitz," Regina declared.

Mary-Sue waited a beat, judging Sawk's movement, then called, "To the side, you can't get under it!"

Quick as a Buneary, Budew darted away, and Sawk dove through empty air, hitting the ground with its shoulder. As Budew skidded to a stop to turn and face the monster, Mary-Sue thought fast. The most ideal tactic would probably have been to try to get Sawk with Poison Point, but she didn't like the odds of Budew surviving even a single blow; there was nothing for it but to attack directly.

"Absorb!" she directed Budew.

"Dewew, dew!" the baby Pokémon called; as Sawk got back to its feet, Budew's little bud glowed and opened, sucking green light from the fighting-type Pokémon, which barely grunted in response.

Not good, Mary-Sue thought; it's definitely getting tired, but Budew has a lot of work left to do. Maybe if we can get a chance to use Growth…

"Shadow Down!" More fluffy black particles filled the air.

"Don't bother running," Mary-Sue told Budew; "try to get off another Absorb, but don't commit - run if it comes for you!"

But Budew hesitated, squealing as the sticky black stuff covered its body.

"You need to trust me!" Mary-Sue begged. "I won't let you get hurt, Budew, I promise! Now run!"

"Shadow Chop."

Squeaking with fright, Budew ran, Sawk charging after it with darkness-infused slashes of its hand. Painfully aware that Budew could only keep this up for so long, Mary-Sue still hesitated to call for attacks, waiting only for when Sawk put a little too much into a missed blow. Absorbing strength from the towering Pokémon didn't rid Budew of the shadow particles that were clumped on its little body, but at least the particles didn't seem to be slowing it down.

"Enough," Regina finally barked. "Shadow Hold!"

No! "Budew, please look out!" Mary-Sue cried.

It was pointless; the gooey black ribbons chased the little bud as it ran, before catching it and binding it in place.

"End this, Sawk. Shadow Blitz!"

Budew couldn't move, couldn't break free in time as Sawk bore down on it.

"Dewew! Dewew!"

There was no time to escape.

"Dew, dew…!"

The blow would crush it soon.

"No! Budeeew!" Mary-Sue screamed, her heart in her voice.

"Deeeeew!" her Pokèmon cried at the same time, and just as Sawk was about to slam into it, its little bud opened again, blasting a cloud of yellow-gold dust into the Shadow Pokémon's face.

"Sawwwk?" the Shadow Pokémon grunted as the powder engulfed it; it stumbled, its shoulder only glancing off of Budew as it tumbled to the ground.

"Dew!" yelped the grass-type as the black fluff congregated at the point of impact, and both the fluff and the ribbons dispersed as it was sent tumbling.

"Budew?!" Mary-Sue asked. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"

"D-Dew…!" Panting and shaking, the little bud managed to push itself up onto its little stub-legs - it was still in the fight, but just barely.

"Sawk-k-k-k-k…" choked the Shadow Pokémon; when Mary-Sue looked at it, it was jerking and shuddering, as though it couldn't quite control its own body.

"That was…Stun Spore," Mary-Sue said softly. "A new move. Way to go, Budew!" she cheered the battered baby.

"Dew," it said weakly.

"Alright…we have time now, so first, use Growth!" Mary-Sue commanded.

"Dew…?"

"I know it hurts, but you need to power up," Mary-Sue told it. "Trust me!"

"Deeeeew…" Straining its battered body, Budew squeezed its eyes shut and began to glow, some of its tightly-wrapped leaves unfurling and lengthening.

"Get up, Sawk!" Regina ordered.

"S-Sawww…" The blue creature was struggling to obey.

"Use Shadow Hold!"

"S-Sawaw…aww…"

"Alright, use Absorb!" Mary-Sue told Budew. "Now that you're powered up, it'll make you feel a lot better!"

"Deeeew!" Readily, almost relieved, Budew opened its glowing bud; green light gathered around Sawk and exploded off of it, flying into the opening for Budew to take in.

"Do something!" Regina thundered. "You do not lose battles, Sawk!"

"K-k-k…"

"Keep using Absorb, before it can rally!" Mary-Sue called, her heart racing as Sawk managed to get to its feet.

Once again, Budew sucked green light out of Sawk, and it cried out, though it didn't fall back down.

"Use Shadow Hold, and then Shadow Blitz," Regina stated coldly. "You will not be bested by a tiny sprout like this!"

"It's not just Budew!" Mary-Sue told Regina, even as the Shadow Pokémon managed to conjure more sticky black ribbons. "It's our whole team, all four of us working together!" Turning to her partner, she called, "Use Absorb one more time, Budew, give it everything you've got!"

"Dewew!"

Bound in place, Budew braced itself; though it was still staggering, Sawk was charging at it as best it could through the paralysis. With one final cry, Budew opened its bud, and a big burst of light came off of Sawk…which stumbled, tripped, and fell to the ground, sliding just shy of reaching its tiny opponent.

"Is…that it?" Mary-Sue whispered. "Did we win?"

Sawk raised a hand feebly…then collapsed again, and the bindings on Budew dispersed.

Everyone gasped, and Mary-Sue couldn't do anything but stare for a minute. Then, she let out a whooping cheer and leapt into the air.

"Alright!" she crowed. "You did it, Budew! I knew you could do it!"

"Dew?" Budew blinked at its fallen opponent…then turned and dashed towards Mary-Sue. "Deeeeeeeeeeew!" it wailed, lunging to bury its face in the side of her boot. "Dew! Dew! Dew! Dew! Dew!"

"You did good, Budew," Mary-Sue told the crying baby, bending down and gently lifting it in her hands. "That was amazing. I'm so proud of you."

"Dew!" it sobbed, stretching for the capsules on her backpack strap. "Dew! Dew! Dew!"

"Yes, okay, you can go back in your ball, you've definitely earned it," Mary-Sue smiled. "Return."

Squeaking one last time, Budew eagerly reached for the red beam that dissolved it and sucked it back into the confines of its Pokéball.

Beyond them, Regina slowly walked over to her fallen Pokémon, wordlessly calling it back to its Pokéball as Mary-Sue looked up at her. She stared at the capsule in her hand for a long minute, and when she spoke, her voice was completely flat.

"This," she said, "while my weakest Pokémon, was, far more importantly, a gift from my dear Ardos. It was one of the last unassigned Pokémon he had when he came to Kalos from Unova, and he entrusted it to me when he made me an administrator for Cipher, along with my legion. It was a badge of his trust in me, that I would help lead him to victory. And you…" Her imperious violet eyes turned up and locked onto Mary-Sue, cold enough to turn the warm summer sunlight into a bitter winter wind. "You toppled it, using only three undertrained, rookie Pokémon."

Gritting her teeth and balling her fists, Mary-Sue wrestled back the part of her that wanted to run away crying, instead boldly meeting the tall woman's eyes. "Y-Yeah?" she responded. "Y-You got a problem with that?!"

Regina blinked slowly, her eyes drifting back to the Pokéball she held. "I understand now what he meant," she said softly.

Then, she turned sharply and started walking away.

"Hey!" Mary-Sue called after her. "We had a deal!"

"So we did," the Cipher Admin stated, not turning back; instead, she gestured to her minions and said, "Unhand the eggs. Ardos will understand."

"But ma'am-"

"Now."

All the peons flinched, and Mary-Sue counted herself lucky that she couldn't see the regal woman's expression. "Yes ma'am!" they chimed in unison, saluting sharply, and the wheeled crate of eggs was left behind as they marched over to their strange transport.

"As promised," Regina said, now looking over her shoulder at Mary-Sue, "these eggs are yours now, all forty-seven of them. What will you do with them, I wonder…?" Her pace stopped for a moment, and though she didn't turn around, her gaze sharpened. "Mary-Sue Jones," she said softly. "I will remember you."

Mary-Sue barely managed to suppress her shiver until Regina had fully turned away to climb aboard the vehicle her underlings had loaded onto. Though the thing had no wheels, it started up with a shrill whine, and as Mary-Sue watched, it floated up into the air, just barely clearing the treetops, and zoomed away.

A tremendous sigh of relief burst from Mary-Sue's mouth as she slumped over. That was too close.

"Way to go, Masie!" came Jovi's voice, and Mary-Sue looked over her shoulder to see her friend at her side. "That was really impressive work!"

"Thanks," Mary-Sue said tiredly.

"I'm glad you could rescue the eggs," Jovi told her slowly. Then her smile dropped, and she added, "But, um…what are you going to do with all of them?"

"Don't worry about that," Mary-Sue told the older girl, straightening back up to jog over to the crate. "I have an idea. You just…see if you can help Aaron." She shot a meaningful glance at the blushing boy who still had not moved, not even after Cipher's vehicle had vanished from sight.

While Jovi nodded with a soft chuckle and hurried over to coax Aaron out of his daze, Mary-Sue hopped up to grab the edges of the crate and peer over the top to look inside. Eggs of all colors, each one the size of her head, were heaped together carelessly.

"Wow," she mumbled, "that is a lot of eggs." She dropped back down and took a breath. "But, that's okay," she told herself out loud as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her map to consult the number she'd written on it.

As confidently as she could, the young redhead walked up to the front door of the daycare and knocked. After a long, heavy pause, the door opened slowly, revealing a woman with long, brown hair.

"Hi there!" Mary-Sue said to the lady brightly. "Can I use your phone, please?"

For the record, no, Regina is NOT Rose's girlfriend Reggie from Free Together - I don't like reusing names, but I really couldn't give this character any other name, so I just kinda had to cut my losses on that one carelessly-named side character from the previous series. Cipher Admin Regina IS a reference, though, just to a completely different Anime - and ten points to anyone who can guess what the reference is! I don't think I made it TOO obvious…