On the cusp of the beginning of their journey, the squad make their way out of the city gates.
"Wow… Looking at the field like this, it's so huge!" Skal said. "I don't know where we can even start."
"The obvious thing to do is to start catching Pokémon." Gloria said. "If you wanna start off on the right foot in any region, you gotta build a good team."
"And another thing to consider is the different Pokémon Types as well." John said. "The Pokémon types your opponents have could put your Pokémon at an advantage or disadvantage depending on your Pokémon's types."
"That sounds pretty obvious. But she's right. We'll need to assemble the best team we can." Sherry said.
"Well, what're we looking for?" Peacock asked.
"Let's see… According to the map, the closest Gyms are either in Cortondo or Artazon. So, we'll probably need a Fire or Poison type." Mystle said.
"Hey, here's an idea." Ridley said. "Why not catch a Shroodle like that Team Star Grunt sent against Drakus?"
"That sounds like a great idea! They seem pretty common around here. We can probably catch one easily." Arthi said, as the group set off to catch a Shroodle.
Lucille nodded firmly. "I'm certain of it."
As the squad searched the forest, there seemed to be something stored in a locker, as well as another old VHS recorder and a blue tape.
"Wonder what we can find in here."
Lucy inserted the blue tape into the recorder and hit 'Play', showing a commercial that Elliot Ludwig himself recorded.
"There's nothing I love more than seeing a child smile but as they get older their love for our toys hasn't been as productive as it used to be. I've come to an understanding that trends fade and tastes evolve. The kids are growing up and they want something new...something different. That's why I am honored to announce the new member of the Playtime Co. family for all ages."
The commercial then showed a small yellow robot about the size of a human child with light blue eyes. Lucille also noticed that its hands were red and blue, similar to the Grab-Packs she saw some of the employees use from time to time.
"Ladies and gentlemen... Meet Pal-Pack! A lovable heroic robot with the same abilities as our patented Grab Packs! May he bring happiness and smiles to all!"
Suddenly, as if the tape had flipped a hidden switch, the storage container swung open, steam hissing out as whatever was preserved inside was let out. Lucille and Angelo's eyes widened when they saw what was inside.
"Is that...Pal-Pack?"
The little robot was motionless, his lights off as he flopped out and landed with a CLANK. Drakus and Jerika quickly moved to set him upright and looked him over.
"He looks like he's in mint condition. Must not have made it onto the market, huh?"
"I had heard about Pal-Pack being in production but I don't think he was ever released before the factory closed down..." Lucille muttered.
"Don't worry, I know how to switch it on...works with Norin sometimes." Jerika said, before she slapped the robot in the face, causing him to reboot.
"Hey, moron bot. Hello? You alive?" She asked, snapping her fingers.
Suddenly, Pal-Pack's eyes glowed a bright vibrant blue, indicating he was online. He then stumbled around for a few moments, looking confused.
"I must warn everyone! They are in danger!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Who's in danger?!" Angelo asked.
"He told them to do something! Something very bad!" Pal-Pack then stopped as he turned to see the group before him. "W-What happened? How long has it been?"
Lucille knelt down and smiled softly.
"It's April 2025. And we're the first people you've found in over a decade."
"W-what?" Pal-Pack managed.
"Little quick to the rip, huh babe?" Angelo grimaced, chuckling when Lucille shot him a look.
"Lucille…Nadine?" Pal-Pack asked, his eyes briefly glowing and tensing. "Is that your name?"
Lucille nodded. "Yup, that's me. Humble little go-fer, janitor…"
"And potential aide to the…" Pal-Pack began, only to be silenced. "Sorry…Not authorized for that just yet...Wait, you said no one's been here for 10 years?"
Lucille and Angelo nodded, the latter then showing the robot the note they'd received.
"'Find the flower, find the dagger'..." Pal-Pack read aloud. "I…I may know what this means…May I join you? My hands use the same technology as the Grab-Packs, they should help us venture further into this...place,"
"Sure! The more the merrier!" Gloria smiled.
Pal-Pack nodded, but before the three could head inside, Neo heard whimpering.
"Hello?" Luci called out. "Is anyone there?"
"Luci, it's probably just the wind," Drakus said.
"No, I definitely heard it."
Suddenly, they all heard the whimpering again.
"Do not worry, we won't hurt you." Pal-Pack gently called out.
It was then the unthinkable happened; the head of a Boogie Bot toy peaked up from behind the counter, but it was about four times the natural size of the others in the room.
"Holy cow, I'm seeing things but I'm not believing it..." Angelo muttered.
The Boogie Bot nervously hid away back behind the counter but Lucille, being the empathetic person she was, gently made her way over and held out a hand.
"Hey, it's okay, little guy. We don't mean any harm."
The Boogie Bot peeked its head up again and looked at Lucille. She noticed digital tears on the bot's face and the clearly frightened expression in its eyes.
"It's okay." The rotund woman smiled gently. "I'm a friend."
Boogie Bot slowly rolled out from behind the desk and slowly up to her. It looked the squad up and down and appeared to be scanning her, then it spoke.
"F-F-Friends?"
Lucille nodded and slowly opened her arms, wrapping her arms around the Boogie Bot in a soft and gentle hug as it slowly returned it. The robot's electronic eyes then mimicked the closing of eyes as it melted into the embrace.
After breaking the hug, the Boogie Bot wiped away his tears and looked up at her.
"W-Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"My name is Lucille, and I used to work at Playtime. I got a letter saying that the staff that disappeared ten years ago were still here."
"What are you doing here, little dude?" Angelo asked. "Oh, I'm her boyfriend, Angelo."
"Boogie Bot, it is me," Pal-Pack said gently as he also came over. "Do not worry, these are friends. They will help us."
"You seem to be a little lonely, do you wanna join us?" Neo offered. "We could use a guide."
Boogie Bot looked down a little and seemed to be pondering, he then nodded his head.
"Yes, I've been alone for so long. I'd like to join you."
"Then welcome aboard." Drakus said.
"Dood." A prinny said to another prinny, "This is some seriously messed up stuff."
The two prinnies stood in awe as they walked through a portal and saw the squad, before Laharl, self-proclaimed Overlord of the Netherworld, barged in and pushed them aside.
"What's the big deal here!?" he said. "What's this weird portal thing doing in my living room, and why does it lead to the human world?!"
"Actually, your lowness…" generic prinny #3 quipped, "…that wasn't your living room; That was the prinny break room."
"Shut up!" Laharl shouted, "It's my castle and I say that's my new living room! You can use that dumb tower in the east wing."
"But I thought you said that the tower was going to be your evil sunbathing deck?" Etna sniped. Though she was Laharl's vassal, she practically lived to prove him wrong.
"Fiiiiinneeee…" Laharl grimaced, "Then they can have that abandoned storeroom down by the front gate."
"Didn't you destroy that during your tantrum last week?" Flonne, his ditzy fallen-angel sidekick-type person, asked.
Laharl stared at Flonne's cheerful expression, only making him angrier. "Whatever! They can have a broom closet for all I care!" he then picked up generic prinny #1 and tossed it into Drakus' hands. "Anyone got a problem with that?"
"No way, Laharl!" Angelo gushed as he knelt down to take a better look. "I always wanted to play Disgaea!"
"Um… right." The demonic prince raised an eyebrow. "And why are you not panicking in fear?"
Momoko giggled. "YOU wanted to play that game?"
"Sue me! The prinnies are so cute!" Angelo pouted. "And the lore goes deep in some places!"
"Yeah…" Etna stared at the guy for a moment, "Did you forget to take your meds or something?"
"Wow, big lady!" Flonne said as she flew around Lucille. "You must eat more sweets than Etna! S-Sorry, that was rude of me..."
"Nah, it's okay. Besides, I don't eat just candy." Lucille giggled.
"So, what should we do now?" Flonne asked.
"Isn't it obvious, woman? This is a perfect opportunity!" Laharl exclaimed, then he posed on top of a small pyramid of prinnies, "It's time to conquer the human world!"
"Can we tag along with you, Ms. Hydrax?" Flonne asked Zerinax.
"Okay then, sign this binding contract first." Zerinax said. "If you'll just sign here… Initial there… Stamp here… Drop of blood there…"
"Sure." Laharl said, as Etna quickly processed all the paperwork, as Laharl, Etna, Flonne and Zerinax' souls got linked. "I could use a good laugh."
Meanwhile, deep in the city, five people were walking in silence through the back alleys.
"Just how much longer until we get there?" One of them questioned earning a chuckle from one of the others.
His name was Ramon Salazar, a criminal mastermind and former associate of Osmond Saddler who bounced from villain group to villain group after Saddler was arrested, usually because they rarely lasted long enough for him to care. What he was most famous for was his skin, which rivaled the strongest Armament Haki users around, and his apparel being like that of a French nobleman….
"Come on Ramon, we'll be there soon. Besides you need to learn patience." Here everyone could feel the malicious smile. "Could save your life."
"Is that a threat, Thrax?!" Ramon questioned, reaching into his coat.
"A threat? No..." Thrax smirked, his index finger glowing brightly. "A promise, yes."
A mass murderer par excellence, Thrax, AKA 'The Red Death', had a simple dream: Go down in history as one of the most prolific, but above all else EFFICIENT serial killers of all time…while being stylish as hell. With his Quirk, Overheat, housed in his large, pronounced index claws, he was well on his way.
"Look at the two of you, already at each other's throats. It'd be pathetic if it wasn't as expected." Scoffed another of the five.
Thrax snorted. "How about you keep your opinions out of the matters that don't concern you, Tommyrod."
The third was a muscular man with no nose, pink hair, and wearing a polka dot shirt with rings along his arms and waist. His name was Tommyrod, a poacher and cannibalistic chef. With his Quirk, Hatch, he stored and could 'birth' a myriad of insect monsters in and out of his body.
"Come on guys, let's all calm down. I think we're just anxious about our new place of employment. So how about we take some deep breaths and calm down." A woman tried to defuse the situation by stepping between the two. She was very androgynous and flat-chested, to the point where people who don't know her think she is actually a bishōnen man clad in a high-collared shirt with a light coat thrown over, and her tail is able to fit through the specially modified trousers, and she also had standard dress shoes.
"I agree with Draco, if anyone should be screaming, it's the Mato Defense Corps." a woman with purple hair wearing a red and black school uniform sneered, as her hands turned into purple snakes.
"Aren't you a paragon of sanity, Shikoku..." Thrax scoffed.
Soon, the group had arrived at their destination.
"Here's the place, let's see if it actually is A.T.L.A.N.T.I.S., everyone..." Draco asked.
As the squad left, the sheriff, under the alias of Masked Bull, along with his more pragmatic cronies, Boot Hill Buzzard and Saddle Sore Scorpion, as well as Zael, Vute, Otho, Idate, Volt Strike, Baroness P, Miranda, Tethys, Kodiak, Hectate, Pucker and Reaper, were watching them from behind a boulder.
"There they go," Masked Bull began, before turning to his flunkies, "You remember the plan, right?"
"Yeah, but it ain't gonna be easy taking all them folks out." Saddle Sore noted.
"Especially the big ones. They look above our weight class, and also more than mean." Boot Hill said nervously, as the sheer intimidating presence the squad gave off made him flinch.
"Don't be getting cold feet now. We have our orders. And we're gonna stick to 'em. Got it?" Masked Bull ordered, as the two nodded nervously, "Then let's wait for Frost, Fast And Not So Furious, Robotnik, Stone, Cyberhook and Malachi, then we head out."
Zael was enjoying a drink of apple juice when he heard footsteps and turned to see the new potential recruits near him.
"Ah, welcome to our humble group." Vute greeted the five.
"Got some top-tier players here it seems." Zael chuckled. "But when's Robotnik coming with his picks?"
Zael kept his eyes on the portal as it spawned a ship. He scanned and observed every minute detail of its process, constantly alert for any type of danger or mishap. Vute stood beside him, also eying the ship closely, her eyes squinted in a suspicious, vigilant stare.
The ship slowly set down, the metal clanking and settling loudly. However, the metal carried a high-pitched, musical tone to it as it touched down. Masked Bull mentally rolled his eyes. This brat had to make everything big and flashy, even her outer plating and framework.
It was only a few seconds before the transport's door hissed open, dropping gracefully to the ground and touching down quietly. With the door now a ramp to the platform, the figures inside began to march out: a tight gathering of four vulture-like robots around the guest, who held her head high and kept her footing graceful and stiff. She looked down at him and his sister, then waved her pale hand slightly. The robotic minions all took large steps away from her, giving her room to confront him without leaving her unprotected, as Robotnik, his valet and henchman, Lee Stone, Cyberhook, and Malachi walked down next, as he smirked, as Frost started giggling.
"I don't give a shit, I don't give a fuck. I don't give a shit! I don't give a fuck! Now if I give a shit, I might just give a fuck, but I don't give a shit, so I don't give a- " Frost, one of Oblivio's newer henchmen after he destroyed the universe her and Reaper came from, sang, as she began to walk down the trail to the building.
Zael narrowed his eyes, but followed alongside her; her on his right, his sister on his left. He snorted.
"Hey, mon cher ami. When I promised you that the bumble wouldn't happen again, I meant it," he said.
Frost scoffed. "I sincerely hope not. Being misinformed is one thing, not knowing of my arrival and targeting my ship as an intruder is quite another. It was rather undignified."
Zael snickered slightly. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me, Ice Queen?"
Frost rapidly turned her head towards him in a furious glare, though her blush gave it away that she was flustered by Zael's casual flirting, in spite of him being aromantic asexual. "How dare you address me in such a matter, y-you tease?!" She turned back to watching her path, covering her face in her hands. "Oblivio needs to better train his dogs before he lets them off the leash."
"For Brother's sake, Frost, think of your mother!" Kodiak snapped.
"… I ain't jerkin' off right now." Frost remarked.
Sure enough, Robotnik stepped in, chuckling as he was accompanied by five other individuals.
"Sorry that it took a bit, Ezekiel. But these folks were pretty hard to get in touch with."
"Call me Vetto. I'm ready to rip and tear apart anyone I have to. It doesn't matter if they are young or old, man or woman, friend or foe. Anyone who tries to claim the title of hero is fated to fall by my hand." one of the men accompanying Robotnik said in a calm tone, but with an intense gaze.
He was a giant, easily as large as Masked Bull himself.
"I like him," Thrax smirked. "No 'off-targets.'"
Vetto caught Thrax's words and smirked, moving forward to offer a hand.
"I've heard of you, El Murete Rouge. A little messy for my taste…but who can be careful when having fun?"
The two shook hands, Thrax being careful to use his 'normal' hand.
"Heh, seems like I'll like it here..."
"So, who are those strange ladies?" Zael asked.
"We're the Fluxdolls." one of the other four figures spoke, as they all had graceful doll-like anatomies, pale skin, and were clad in blue, red, yellow, and green tuxedos respectively. "I am Coldfront, and these are my sisters, Slashinburn, Avalanche, and Whirlwind."
"Heh, nice. It's nice to have some more girl power in this team." Zael smirked.
"I'll admit that some variety was rather needed." Robotnik added.
Just as he said that, a massive ship crashed into the ship Frost and Robotnik's group came in, crushing it. The girl looked up to see an army of squid-like creatures, disoriented. Robotnik stomped over to the leader, obviously angry.
"This isn't insured, you jerk!"
Robotnik broke off one of the side mirrors and threw it at the first thing that fell out, which was a tall, slimy green alien with red eyes, sharp teeth, tentacles on both sides of his face, and metal armor all over his body except for his face. And he seemed rather angry, his green skin a reddish tint from his sheer rage.
"How dare you assault the great Lord Gorrath, pathetic Earther?!"
"Sir," the Glorft commander said, "You were just defeated by a Drakonian, as well as an Earther…"
"Silence, or I'll have your jorblocks! That stupid broad! I will destroy her!"
Zael overheard the exchange and grinned sinisterly. "Say, did the girl have a green, white and blue outfit?"
"Yes…" Gorrath replied. "How do you know that?"
"She and her group have brought us trouble in the past. I see that you aren't from around here. And we can help you get rid of them!" Zael said, as Vute looked at him in shock.
"And why should we recruit a group of worthless Earthers?" Gorrath asked.
"Sir, their knowledge of the Drakonian's fighting style could be invaluable to our assault." The Glorft Commander suggested.
"Hmm, if we agree to let you assist us, you must recognize me as your supreme overlord and obey my every command without question! Also, you must relinquish your entire knowledge of that blasted wench and her allies, and learn to pilot a Glorft war-bot! Do you understand?" Gorrath bellowed.
"We'd be fine with the last two, but the first one's a definite nope." Robotnik remarked, as Gorrath gawked at the audacity. "Allow me to clarify." He spun his head to the side while making a servo noise. "In a sequentially ranked hierarchy based on level of critical importance, the disparity between you and Lord Xterminate is too vast to quantify. Agent Stone?"
"The Doctor thinks you're basic." Stone remarked, as Gorrath sputtered in shock.
Hearing that, Slashinburn let out a loud cackle, showing shark-like teeth as her head rolled around as well as her clawed hands.
"That was hilarious!"
Zael, unable to help himself, also fell over with laughter at Stone telling Gorrath off.
"Fair enough. I won't pry into them." the Glorft Commander waved off before spying the ship. "So, who is that unusual creature running out of the ship?"
"YEHAHAHAHAHAH! Wonder how the Analogs will like my style now?!"
In a blur of red and black, a tall and lanky creature charged out of the ship, as he cackled manically.
"Didn't want these slow-pokes getting in my way." The figure screeched as he tossed a Full-Boar into the distance, "That means I can have Zeri all to myself!"
Looming up to his full height, and the villains got a full look at their new ally, the fanged racing helmet of Fast And The Not So Furious now attached to the modified metal chassis of a specially designed Badnik made to resemble Slenderman, but edited to resemble a humanoid F1 race car with sharp spikes at the hinges, serrated to the point they're basically swords on his elbows and knees, with twin cannons attached at the wrists and armored wheels built into the heels of its steel boots.
"Y'know…" Zael said, crossing his arms as he stared down the ghost piloting the mech. "I thought ole' egghead was gonna give you some upgrades, not make something that looked more cursed than that old clunker car of yours."
"Shut it, Scaletail!" The ghost growled, "That car was a thing of beauty, but it ain't nothing to the upgrades the doc gave me!"
Striking a pose that he probably thought was pretty cool looking, the Ghost introduced himself, "Say goodbye to Fast And Not So Furious, and say HELLO to Crazy Taxi!"
"Time to send a warning shot to the Analogs. This time, A.T.L.A.N.T.I.S. is not playing around." Zael grinned.
"Indeed...let's give them a flashy wake-up call!" Avalanche declared, holding bronze coins between her fingers.
Deep inside a chemistry lab, a sinister figure made of gas greeted the Shadow Hunters.
"Shirororororo! It's so good to see you again, my old friend."
"It's been far too many years since I've seen your delightful deranged science," Megafin added, "I wish we could chat over tea, but I'm here strictly on business. It seems the X-Squad has infiltrated Paldea, and we need your skills, Larxene and Marluxia to help."
"My scouts inform me that the X-Squad and their allies are looking for Quest, and a Perfect Link, we must reach the Paradise Rift before they do...AND CRUSH THEM!" General Ogun, one of Kiko's most loyal mercenaries, explained.
"Funny, I suspected the same myself," Caesar said, "But, I'll join this escapade. I've been running low on guinea pigs, anywho."
"Oh, I have plenty of prisoners for that if you need them," Megafin offered, "Though my boss would prefer they be turned in right away, I'm sure no tears will be shed if we bring Lord Yoko the caskets."
"So you're willing to kill them, huh?" Caesar noted, "You worry me sometimes, Max."
"Behold. I, Cara Liss, have created a Fossil Resurrection device. It no longer needs more intact fossils to recreate a Pokémon. Just half a fossil is enough and it fills in the gaps on its own!" A female scientist with a Galarian accent said as she loaded four fossils in her device. "Behold! Bringing back ancient Pokémon now!"
In a flash of light, there was a Dracovish, Arctovish, Arctozolt, and Dracozolt. The Dracozolt opened its mouth: "Oh, Arceus, why would you do this to us?! Every moment we live is agony! Why is my upper half smaller than the lower half?! My organs are squished! Where did you get your license, lady, a cereal box?! Oh man, please somebody kill us!"
"Er…I'm not going to jail, am I?" Cara asked nervously. Several police officers approached her with handcuffs. She yelped and ran off in panic. "You'll never take me alive!"
"Oh shit, we gotta help those poor saps!" Drakus said, as he ran towards the device of Cara Liss. "I will use this to fix the problems with the device," He held up a book.
"That is a yuri manga smut story, bro. What are you planning?" Zerinax asked.
"Your point?" Jinx asked as she helped load it into the device and pushed a button, as the four mishmashed pokemon were zapped. And soon, a Velizolt, Dracocerato, Arctoplesio, and Dunklevish were there.
"Oh…I am no longer in pain. I feel better than ever. I even have a gender. I wonder why I was genderless, but that didn't seem as important. Oh, kind sir, how can I repay you for your help?" the Dracocerato said as he bowed down, smiling softly as him, the Dunklevish, the Arctoplesio and Velizolt hugged Drakus.
Suddenly, two small figures showed up and Lucille's eyes widened in surprise while Angelo looked absolutely delighted. It was a Candy Cat and a Cat-Bee, both the size of domestic house cats.
"No way, Cat-Bee!" Angelo gushed as he knelt down to take a better look. "I always wanted one!"
Lucille giggled. "YOU wanted a Cat-Bee toy?"
"Sue me! They were so cute!" Angelo pouted. "And interchangeable if you ever wanted a different color!"
"Hey! Pal-Pack! You're okay!" the other toy, Candy Cat, happily waved to the robot. "And Boogie Bot too! We were worried when you wandered off!"
"S-Sorry..." Boogie Bot shyly replied.
"Wow, big lady!" Cat-Bee said as she buzzed around Lucille. "You must eat more sweets than Candy Cat! S-Sorry, that was rude of me..."
"Nah, it's okay. Besides, I don't eat just candy." Lucille giggled. "I eat a lot of yummy foods."
"There's more food than just candy?" Candy Cat asked excitedly.
"Sure is!" Angelo said, reaching into his bag and pulling out some snacks.
"Babe, why?" Lucille asked.
"We're in a new universe, and apparently, the omniverse is real? No idea how long it would be?" Angelo weakly answered. "And we kind of rushed dinner?"
"Fair..." Lucille sighed, regretting having not savored dinner as she spied Angelo go over what he had.
"I got three water bottles, baby carrots, celery sticks, pretzel sticks, cherry tomatoes, grapes, a berry cup, and….Huh, I was wondering where I put those! Three Reeses bars."
"Reeses comes in bars now?" Candy Cat asked in shock.
"And some cups with potato chips, too," Angelo said. "Not really my thing…"
Mouth salivating and imagination running wild, Candy Cat turned to Bee-Cat.
"We are staying with them."
There was no room for argument as Cat-Bee simply waddled over to Angelo and let him pet him
"While it is nice to see you all in good health in spite of everything, we would appreciate your assistance," Pal-Pack said to the two cats.
"We're some of the only toys who managed to sneak out of the factory to get food," Cat-Bee said. "Lucky for us there's a convenience store right across the block but it's been really hard trying to avoid getting spotted by the cameras."
"That and I think we ended up getting put on the news as an urban legend or something." Candy Cat chimed in. "I...might have accidentally been seen by the store clerk one time, and I fell into a pile of clothes, and made me look like a gangster...and I may have tasted some soda, but there was something wrong with it..."
Drakus laughed at this. "The cat's on the drank, she went floatin'!"
[Wonder if she thinks top's down, or does she see through it?]
[BLORG REFERENCE SPOTTED]
[She got into the lean!]
"Huh, I think I read about that," Angelo noted. "So it wasn't just a hoax."
"Well, I can understand why you'd do that. I doubt there's many snacks left here after ten years passed." Lucy noted.
"There was other food here but...we wouldn't dare eat it," Cat-Bee said, both her and Candy Cat shuddering.
"What's so bad about it?" Angelo asked.
"It's...we can't tell you, it's too gross." Candy Cat said.
"Pray you don't find out," Boogie-Bot said cryptically.
Meanwhile, Zael was looking over the group they had been given. They included Vute, Cyberhook, Reaper, Frost, Masked Bull, Boot Hill, Saddle Sore, Vetto, Tommyrod, Thrax, Ramon, Draco, the Fluxdolls, Shikoku, Crazy Taxi, Tethys, Kodiak, Miranda, and two other individuals.
"All of us are here," He noted.
A girl with black hair, cat ears, a white and red mask covering her face, and a cat tail, wrapped in a black cloak had her hand twitching. There was another, a girl with blonde hair with her arms replaced by cybernetics to resemble golden dragon claws, her mouth covered by a bandana resembling a mouth full of sharp teeth.
Wild Cat growled. "Schnee. Your company has been a thorn in Faunus' sides even before the White Fang."
"I don't know what you possibly could refer too," Frost said, coyly. "We've treated you things with no less care than you deserve."
"You used Faunus slave labor!" Wild Cat shouted. "And soon, you will pay for that, you and your entire species!"
Frost rolled her eyes in exasperation. "'Okay, seriously, Zael, did we have to bring Wild Cat?" Frost asked. "I enjoy a good bloodbath as much as the next lady, but she takes her Faunus Revolution stance way too far. Besides that, she thinks we treat them like beasts of burden with no rights. Say what you will about my family being criminals, we at least gave the Faunus a say, despite what this ingrate may have thought."
"Really?" Tommyrod asked. "Would've thought you'd be delighted to have her."
"Normally, maybe, but this is a mission; we've got duties to meet. I may have always left my old groups when they no longer were useful, but until then? I did what I was supposed to do." Ramon clarified before smirking. "Plus, the cat lost to an overgrown gecko."
Zael chuckled. "The boss made a mistake using gutter trash to attack Jurassic World. Better to use a small group of elites."
"Don't act so cocky. Right now the Analogs and X-Squad are training for war." Whirlwind said. "They're well aware that peace is soon to run out, so they're training even as we speak."
"We attack near the end of the week. Remember, we're supposed to take Atlantean tech." Coldfront said. "And be careful with the X-Squad, Analogs, and D.I.G.I.T.A.L...they're tougher than anybody gives them credit for."
Vute looked around and shuddered. "It's kinda creepy out here, almost feels like we're being watched, something could jump out and scare us at any moment."
She made a zombie face and did a walk to get her point across. The group turned to face and soon grass rustled ahead of them and burst out of it, it was a boy that looked like a Mimikyu, and a girl that looked like a Mareanie.
"It's a Pikachu fan boy and a Mareanie girl. Wonder what he's doing out here?" Zael asked.
Soon the head of the Mimikyu boy snapped towards them, growling... "Call me a fucking Pikachu again...and I'll strangle you with your innards, and have myself a fillet of flesh!" He snarled.
With everything said and done, the squad headed towards the Cortondo Gym building and headed to the front desk.
"Wait..." Drakus said. Just then... he saw someone walking out with her family. "Now, I do! IZZY! OVER HERE!" she shouted while waving to get her attention.
Isabelle Parker turns her head and sees her BFF waving at her. "Drak?" She asked. "DRAK!" She ran to Drakus and the two of them girly screamed, as they hugged each other. "Drak, it's good to see you again. I didn't think you'd be here. I was gonna surprise you."
"I have my ways. Besides, I came all the way here to surprise my BFF in welcoming her whole family, into the OVDF Civilian Program." Drakus said, super excited. "There's so much to catch up on, I don't even know where to start."
"Well, you did surprise me." Isabelle said. "Come meet my family." Isabelle took Drakus to meet her family. "Drak, you know my parents Ken and Penni. And my grandma Blythe, from Christmas last year."
"Nice to meet you again, Drakus." Blythe said.
"Long time no see," Penni said.
"Nice to meet you all," Zerinax greeted, waving her hand. "Oh! I don't suppose anyone is hungry? I quickly gathered some energy bars for emergencies."
"Oh, thank goodness. I did not like the food on the flight." Ken said as he takes a bar and eats it.
"Yeah, airplane food is not always great," Zerinax agreed, grabbing a granola bar herself to eat. "Anyone else want some bars?"
"Is it okay if I go say hi to them?" Isabelle's kwami Loli asked from insider her owner's hat.
"Not now, Loli. Later. There's people staring." Isabelle said. She noticed that Drakus was taking out something from his bag. "Unless they eat paper, I don't think they're looking for food."
"Welcome to the Cortondo Gym. How may I help you all today?" the receptionist asked.
"Vertin wants to compete in the Paldea Gym Challenge, and we're starting here." Otoya said.
"Very good. Ms. Vertin, before you face each Gym Leader in Paldea, you must first take that gym's respective Gym Test." the receptionist said to the young woman.
"And that is?" Vertin asked.
"Y'see, each Gym in Galar and Paldea have a certain...challenge you gotta go through before you face the Gym Leader." Roxie said.
"And in our case here in Cortondo…. It's the Olive Roll!" the receptionist said.
"Olive Roll? Sounds simple enough." Drakus said.
"Head outside to the gym test field, then. A staff member will show you how it works." the receptionist said.
"Good luck, Verty!" Otoya said.
Vertin headed to the designated area where the test was, as she saw a giant olive shaped ball and an obstacle course with ramps, all ending in a large basket.
"Oh no, what did you do?" Vertin whispered.
"Here's how the Olive Roll works. It's a test of stamina and control. Your goal is to get this giant olive shaped ball, into the basket at the end. Once the ball is in the basket, you pass!" the staff member explained. "Are you ready to try?"
"Sure..." Vertin said.
"Then let the test begin!" the staff member announced.
Vertin got her hands together, as she started to push the olive down the course. It was a bit tricky at first, because the ball bounced a lot. But she managed to land the olive into the basket with a single strike.
"Whoa…nicely done." the attendant said.
"Nice one, Clockwork!" Drakus said.
"You've passed the test and have the right to face Katy, the Bug Type Gym leader." the attendant said.
"Alright then. Let us get this done with." Vertin said.
The group was soon taken up to the rooftop of a treehouse where a woman dressed as a baker was feeding a flying Vivillon.
"There there. Nice and tasty, isn't it?" she said.
SUGARBUG
KATY
"Oh!" the woman said, looking at the group. "Welcome, I am the proprietor of Patisserie Soapberry…oh…apologies…forgot I'm not in my shop. What I meant to say is…I am the gym leader of Cordondo, Katy. A pleasure." she said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. You seem to be quite friendly with the Pokémon here." Drakus said.
"I saw your olive rolling. You're quite impressive yourself." Katy said. "As you might've figured out, my main line of work is creating sweets as a pastry chef. Little sweets that bring happiness with just one bite, Bug type Pokémon hiding in the foliage….both are small and yet very powerful. Don't let your guard down unless you want to find yourself knocked on your feet!"
"Let us commence, then. I'm ready when you are!" Vertin said.
With that, Vertin and Katy took their positions, and the battle began.
BGM: F.L.Y. (Ice Nine Kills)
"Let's start off with you, Voltzon!" Vertin said as she sent out her new Velizolt.
"A little assistance if you would, Nymble." Katy said as she brought a small grasshopper-like Pokémon that had its third set of legs rolled up on its back.
"Whoa, that's certainly another new one." Mari said.
"Nymble? Here it is! Nymble, the Grasshopper Pokémon, Bug type! It has its third set of legs folded up. When it's in a tough spot, this Pokémon jumps over 30 feet using the strength of its legs." Kinito said.
"Sounds quite fast. Time to see how fast it truly is. Voltzon, use Thunder Strike!" Vertin said.
Voltzon leapt at Nymble and clawed at it, giving it a good chunk of damage, but not enough to paralyze it.
"Nymble, Struggle Bug please." Katy said. The grasshopper Pokémon struck back with its own attack that hit Voltzon back in return.
"Okay, now for a round of Fury Swipes!" Vertin said.
Voltzon attacked Nymble with the move, striking it three times as it went down. Katy recalled it.
"You did well, Nymble, rest for now. I leave the rest to you, Tarountula!" Katy said, sending out a spider-like Pokémon that was wrapped up in a ball of its own thread.
"Another bug?!" Drakus said.
"Lemme check out this one." Kinito said, scanning the spider. "Got it. Tarountula, the String Ball Pokémon, Bug Type! The ball of threads wrapped around its body is elastic enough to deflect the scythes of Scyther, this Pokémon's natural enemy."
"Looks like we're in for a tough one. Use Bite!" Vertin said.
"Tarountula, Bug Bite please!" Katy said.
Both Pokémon went and bit at each other with their sharp teeth.
"Alright, Voltzon. Pull back. Okay, Fumbles, it's your time to shine!" Vertin said as she sent out the Dunklevish.
"A Dunklevish? Picked that up on the way here, did you?" Katy asked.
"Indeed, he is also handy too. Now, Whirlwind!" Vertin said. Fumbles obliged and trapped Tarountula in a spiral of water to inflict damage on it over time.
"Now, finish it off with Astonish!" she said as the Dunklevish finished off the spider-like Pokémon.
"Hmm…very well done. But…we've just reached the final surprise. And I promise…it will not be sweet." Katy said as she recalled Tarountula. "Now come…Teddiursa!" she said, sending out a Teddiursa.
"A normal Pokémon?" Burgundy asked.
"I did say it wouldn't be sweet." Katy said as she pulled out a black lookalike of a Pokéball. "Now, my darling little Pokémon! Time to break free of your cocoon and come into your own! Let's go!" she said as energy was sucked into the ball before she tossed it at Teddiursa as it became enshrouded in crystal. It soon emerged, glimmering like a jewel as an ornament appeared on its head looking like a bug in grass.
"What the hell?!" Vertin yelled. "What is this?!"
"Ah…that's right. You aren't from Paldea, so you don't know how to do it. This…is Terastallizing!" Katy said.
"The type has completely changed, as well." Kinito said. "As such, Normal typing has been replaced with Bug."
"Okay...continue with Scorched Earth!" Vertin said.
Now that Teddiursa had the Tera type of Bug, Fumbles' new flamethrower did more damage to it. Although, Katy had a response to it.
"Terastalization isn't just to give a Pokémon some glimmer, you know." Katy said. "Watch this. Use Fury Cutter!"
Energy burst from Teddiursa's bug ornament hat before it attacked Fumbles with the Bug type cutting move in question, dealing it more damage than usual despite it not having so much effect, all with a glittery explosion.
"So a Pokémon that knows moves of a certain type gains a boost when Terastalized into the corresponding Tera Type. I'll need to keep that in mind." Drakus said.
"But for now, let's go for an Ember!" Vertin yelled.
Fumbles hit Teddiursa one more time with his flamethrower, dealing another super effective hit. After that, Teddiursa exploded in sparkles as it went down as Katy recalled it.
"Well done…you've defeated me wonderfully. Congratulations." Katy said. "Now then…"
END BGM
"Oh, my. Well, it seems Zerinax' brother and his friends are in top form today, as expected!"
Everyone turned, nearly in tandem, towards the back doorway…and any chatter immediately fell silent.The royal sisters were standing there…as if this was the most natural thing for them to do. It was true, they did sometimes leave their top-floor chambers and wander Skar Point, and sometimes even leave, but…not usually as a pair. Princess Uomi was the one who had spoken first, and Princess Mikotsu peered in the door behind her, looking around the room with curiosity.
Uomi was usually the more outspoken and commanding of the two…though still very caring and humble for her station. Meanwhile, Mikotsu was usually in charge of social gatherings, decorations, and such affairs. She tended to be childish, and a tad murderous sometimes, like when she tried to murder Uomi to get the pearl for herself before Uomi calmed her down, but she was actually very gracious and pleasant to be around. It wasn't necessarily shocking for them to visit, considering the Analogs' station…but neither had really expected them to pop up just now.
Uomi was naturally the most disconcerting, in spite of Mikotsu's hands being bones, her hairpin being a fish skeleton and her general undead motif, due to Uomi's overly large, bulbous eyes, though the two witches had been around her long enough that it didn't even affect them. Memoca, tactless as she was, still tended to stare at her, though the other familiars respectfully tried not to let it distract them.
"Oh, Your Highnesses!" Wadanohara swept over to greet them. Sal naturally joined her, though Samekichi hung back a little. "Aha, please excuse us. Vertin and Katy were just ending their little brawl."
"We were watching," Princess Mikotsu added, slipping fully into the room beside her sister. She smirked, and spoke in a little sing-song voice. "It looked like fun!"
Just then, they got interrupted by the sound of an explosion.
"What happened?!" Vertin said, as she was a little confused.
"I think the sound came from where the Pokémon were eating," Katy said as the squad ran to check up on what happened.
"What in the?!" An onlooker said, as an assortment of Pokémon were forcibly taken from where they were eating.
"Who the fuck did that?" Lyre asked as the Pokémon were trapped in a giant cage, strong enough to hold the heaviest of Pokémon, as clapping could be heard.
A blue teleportation beam came down from the sky and out came a horde of silver and blue colored beings with barracuda-like heads dressed in breakdancing garb, along with robotic vulture-like creatures dressed like prison guards. these were the foot soldiers of A.T.L.A.N.T.I.S., Bar-Barracudas and Shredzmen, and with them were Glorfts and Badniks, armed with large swords resembling fishbones and lead pipes and blasters resembling clams or nail guns, looking to kill as they ran into the city, gurgling, beeping, or yelling orders to lower subordinates.
"Man, I knew the Gym Leader would be a hero, but I didn't expect her to react so fast," a voice said.
"Prepare for trouble!" Zael said, as he leapt from the beam.
"Make it double!" Vute added, as she leapt beside her brother.
"To infect the world with pure chaos!" Zael stated.
"To unite all people within our empire!" Vute added.
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!" Zael cackled.
"To extend our reach to the sea below!" Vute giggled.
"Zael!" Zael said, leaping down and taking a bow.
"Vute!" Vute added, giggling as she flew down.
"A.T.L.A.N.T.I.S., surging from the depths at the speed of light!"
"Bow to us now, or prepare to face your end!"
"Cramorant! That's correct!" Zael's pet Cramorant, Crammit, added, flying beside his master.
"Living for the sea!" Blockade, Vute's Wobbuffet, added.
Thrax chuckled, as he and the other members of A.T.LA.N.T.I.S. appeared from the beam. "Hello, everyone. We are your special entertainment tonight." He said.
"Zerinax Hydrax! Surrender the stolen prototype war-bot and your deaths will be quick and painless!" Gorrath demanded.
Several patrons panicked and took cover as Isabelle's family helped evacuate the civilians, while the squad was confused, "What's going on?" Mystle asked.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Zerinax exclaimed in disbelief.
Thrax just chuckled as he took out a pair of shades and put them over his face.
"I think we'll turn up the heat here."
The X-Squad looked confused. "Wait, can they really surge from the depths?"
Zael gawked at Drakus, and growled. "We blast off you gekko-headed dumbass, we don't fly!" Zael snapped.
"You see, A.T.L.A.N.T.I.S. is a super-powerful evil organization!" Vute cackled.
Crammit nodded and glared at the X-Squad. "What sort of fool doesn't know something great like us?"
"Yo, Zeri, you know these freaks?" Drakus asked.
"Let me give you a run down, A.T.L.A.N.T.I.S. is a terrorist group who like to steal Atlantean technology and other people's Pokemon for their warmongering leader, Xterminate, a Celestialsapien who went insane after cutting Bellicus and Serena out of his head and became a war baron who has an affinity for all kinds of sordid things, and who was also a psychopath with a taste for blood, that seeks to conquer the Forge of Creation and use it to build a new Atlantean empire where the strongest survive." Zerinax explained.
The squad was shocked, and Zael grinned. "Well, Zeri's well informed, but no matter, we're gonna conquer Paldea, and dig up all the tech we can find!"
"Now then..." Vute held up her hands, which had blades on the wrists, "Submit to your new RULERS!"
"Really?" Isabelle asked in confusion, "That sounds...kinda weebish." she snarked.
"Who're the other crashers?" Sherry asked.
"That there's the Masked Bull." Marshal explained.
"A real trouble maker around these parts, recently teamed up with A.T.L.A.N.T.I.S. to get even with us." Cowlorado added.
"Eeyup," Dude agreed, "Same as his lackeys."
"I heard there were some newcomers in town, and I decided to see for myself..." Masked Bull remarked.
"You must be referring to us." Drakus said.
"You lookin' to cause trouble?" Caleb inquired.
"I don't cause trouble. I rectify it." Masked Bull answered, as he and his cohorts started opening fire around the town.
Just then, a door opened, and it almost seemed serene...
Only for a tall figure to step out of the darkness, causing everyone to gasp in horror. It was Huggy Wuggy, the same one from the lobby...only his mouth was wide open in a vicious grin with rows of sharp teeth and what looked like a second mouth with its own set of drooling fangs.
"Oh no!" Boogie Bot whimpered fearfully.
"H-Huggy?" Lucille whispered out.
"Oh dear..." Pal-Pack muttered.
"That is NOT right!" Angelo exclaimed.
"Oh sugar honeyed ice tea..." Cat-Bee squeaked.
"Bloody hell!" Drakus yelled.
"Sweet Tootsie Rolls!" Candy Cat cried. "RUN AWAY!"
"To show my appreciation at the new combatant, I'll only beat this...furball...half to death." Laharl chuckled.
"Take them!" Gorrath commanded. His troops charged forward.
"Looks like we're having a throwdown tonight." Zyka told the group.
"So much for a peaceful day in town." William sighed. "But hey, I can make myself some steak from this thug. Symmetry, my friend, pure symmetry!"
"What can ya do?" Drakus asked rhetorically.
"Okay, let's do this." Isabelle said with excitement. "Loli, web on!" She then transformed into the hero known as Spider-Tsundere.
Tethys looked on as the X-Squad, Analogs, Spider-Tsundere and COWBoys rushed at her army. "Foolish beings." She sneered, then raised her sword and pointed at the squad. "Attack! Kill all who resist!"
BGM: Hollow Hunger (Cole Staggs)
And the battle was on as the squad fought against the oncoming horde. When one of the squad slew one of the Bar-Barracudas or Shredzmen, the thing would fall apart into fish scales and sea foam, or metal and wires as they were nothing more than magical constructs. The commanders were a different story.
Miranda was deadly with her scimitar, slashing through the squad's attacks like a dervish. Miranda also used her deadly tails, using her scorpion stinger against Roman, who parried it with his cane, then swinging her other tail, the deadly spikes primed to impale them.
Kodiak Kossack used his own brute strength, his size and his weapon, slashing and attempting to gut them. Many of the warriors were also very intimidated by Kodiak Kossack's looks, as many would be frightened by seeing something that only had a skull for a head. And along with his bardiche, he also used his claws and his teeth, which he used to try and drain them of their blood, like a vampire.
As for Tethys, she slashed at those that dared tried to attack her, and had more surprises as she also had a few extra weapons: Jellyfish-like tendrils that she shot out from her back along with squid-like tentacles with blades for suckers.
"ILLLL OOOOU!!!"
Drakus looked down. "Fuck!" was what he managed to bite out, before he was tackled by a fireball. Was it his imagination, or was that a dragon?
He slashed down with BlueBlaze. The dragon found itself without an arm for a brief moment, before immediately beginning regeneration. Drakus winced as the heat was becoming... more than a little uncomfortable, if he were honest.
The dragon slammed him into the street below, knocking the wind out of him. Crap. This was deteriorating rapidly.
There was someone there! A teenage girl...
Drakus didn't think. He leapt up, dusted imaginary specks from his shoulders and smiled at the girl he'd just prevented from being barbecued. "Hey there! Are you... okay..." He trailed off, taking in the fact that the girl in front of him was clad in an oddly organic armor and mask. Drakus blinked. "...You looked far less armored from above."
The unknown girl took a step back, body language on par with Vaglax at their most awkward. "I... He said he was going to kill kids. I couldn't let that happen." Her voice was oddly calm, in direct contrast with her stance. She honestly reminded Drakus of a large insect, an appropriate comparison.
She was.
The insect girl pointed upwards. "What the fuck is that?" Her voice was still amazingly calm, but there was a buzzing sound, somewhere in the vicinity, peeking through the edge of the girl's voice.
Zerinax reached up to massage the bridge of her nose, then winced as her arm twinged painfully. Right. Just fought a dragon. Damn it.
"I'll hold him off!" The robot said as he leaped between them. "Huggy! Please stop!"
Huggy didn't respond, riding the dragon.
"I insist that you stop before I use these hands!"
Huggy then continued flying towards the squad.
"Please, Huggy! This isn't you!"
The giant toy kept moving, leaving Pal-Pack no choice but to fire his hands at the mascot toy.
Vaglax looked over and saw Clammo at a stalemate with the Masked Bull. Wanting to help out, they jumped in and broke their stalemate before fighting the masked outlaw head on. When they laid a hand on his nnnn, a surge of memories came flashing through their mind, and saw the Masked Bull was Cowtown's own Sheriff Terror Bull, who had been conspiring with the mayor for all kinds of injustice to Cowtown, it's citizens, and even the Cowboys themselves.
Vaglax pulled their hand off and growled at the outlaw. "You Zarzokadamn thug!" Vaglax snapped.
"What're you talking about?" Masked Bull asked.
"You may have everyone here fooled, but I know it all. And I plan to expose you and your boss if it's the last thing I do!" Vaglax called, as they clawed at the thug, before disarming him of his gun.
"That's my group, showing off," she provided. "Please don't tell Sherry I was actually worried about her not pulling her weight, by the way. Her ego doesn't need any more fuel."
"Okay, let's try this." Spider-Tsundere said. She used her hyper-sense to run towards the dragon. And her hand was activating electricity. "Venom Shock!" She used her venom to sting Huggy, knocking him to the ground. "That was easy."
The insect girl nodded jerkily. "...Changer?" she asked. "But I haven't heard of any Cape going that big... Are you guys new?"
Zerinax mulled over the terminology for a bit. "Sounds about right." She extended her hand. "Zerinax Hydrax, princess of Drakonia. Nice to meet you."
Insect girl took her hand, seeming nonplussed. "Likewise. I, uh, haven't thought of a name yet... Sorry."
Drakus blanked for a moment. "People go nameless until they think of one they like where you're from? That's weird."
The girl was taken aback. "What? No! Wait. Zerinax Hydrax is your real name?"
Zerinax stared. "Of course, it's my real name. Out of curiosity, what did you think it was?"
The girl stared. "Your... codename, of course. Cape name. Whichever you want to call it. I... As I said, I haven't thought of one yet."
Zerinax' mind kicked into overdrive. It immediately came to a conclusion, and she didn't like what it implied. "Oh fuck me, you're from a superhero world."
"Oooooooh. You really think so?"
Zerinax closed her eyes. She contemplated murder for a second, again. "Drakus, brother," she spoke without turning around, "please go to hell."
"Now, show me your hand," Melody said, prepping her free hand to attack the dragon. "ZHUUUUUUUUUUUUULOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGG!"
The dragon gave one last shout as he attacked with his free arm. Melody's hand and his claw met in an explosion of power that sent a shockwave through the whole town. Electricity seemed to form out of thin air as two seemingly unstoppable forces met. Eventually, one had to break. Melody's hand tore through the claw, and through the whole arm as well, as A.T.L.A.N.T.I.S. was sent flying into the distance. As he screamed in agony, Melody grabbed his face as he turned human, silencing his screams but not his terrified whimpers.
"Hey, Zhulong?"
"Huh?"
"You lost."
"Uh-huh," he said, accepting his fate.
"And now I have to read your mind…"
"Huh?" He seemed much more scared.
"By drinking all of your blood."
Zhulong began to scream once more.
"OM NOM NOM NOM!"
As the blood touched Melody's tongue, she started to see neon colors.
"The fuck is this?"
The neon colors began to form solid shapes, and it seemed as though Melody was flying through alternate dimensions where reality seemed to change every second.
"Is this what psychedelics are like?"
The images kept shifting, and it seemed as Melody was descending further and further into color and madness.
"I think I'm gonna take Sucy up on her offer."
"So what did we learn?" Zerinax asked sardonically. "No, seriously. I want answers from all of you."
The squad shuffled around awkwardly. The armored man standing behind them crossed his arms. Zerinax raised an eyebrow.
"Well? I'm waiting."
"Doing the opposite of what you tell me can be... Bad?" Drakus offered, uncertain.
"No shit," Zerinax snarked. "Sherry?"
"Singing in front of panicked people sometimes gets you covered in bees?" she asked.
"Hilarious," Zerinax deadpanned. "It's that we don't need to go all out for every single thing." She glared at the armored man. "And you?"
"I don't even know you," the man groused.
"Doesn't matter," Zerinax disagreed, "you clearly haven't been disciplined for a long time. Well?"
"I don't answer to you," he growled.
Zerinax narrowed her eyes.
The man sighed. "Rising to the bait lowers my effectiveness in battle," he muttered.
Sighing, the Drakonian rolled her eyes. "What you should have learned," she shot back, "was 'do not antagonise unknowns'!"
She rubbed her forehead. "You know what, I don't care. What did you learn, insect girl?"
The girl looked from Zerinax to the knight. "That you're maternally terrifying," she listed off her fingers, "that you remind me of Mom, which hurts, and..." she hesitated, "...that it's okay to ask for help sometimes."
Zerinax smiled. "At least you came out of it with useful lessons," she said. "You're very determined. And brave. You can go far."
The girl looked down and mumbled a thanks.
Drakus perked up. "Ooh! Can we adopt her?"
Palm, meet face. "I'm pretty sure she already has a family," Zerinax groaned. "Brother, please."
"That's okay," he chirped, "I can work with that!" He then slung an arm across the insect girl's shoulders, making her start.
After about ten minutes of intense debate, Drakus had convinced the insect girl to adopt the codename of 'Skitter', and also 'Hazormai'. Zerinax had, naturally, glared at Drakus the entire time; she could read her brother's ploy clear as day. Drakus had technically been correct when he insisted that it meant 'swarm'; what he had neglected to mention was that the -mai suffix tacked 'of Zarzoka' to the end of it. Swarm of Zarzoka. That was a Drakonian name. Clearly, Drakus wasn't letting go of the idea of adoption any time soon.
The knight Sherry had picked a fight with, who apparently was called 'Armsmaster', attempted to recruit all of them, and finally departed with whatever blood was left of Zhulong in tow.
Zerinax took one look at Skitter, Laharl and Drakus, conspiring together, already.
A photo was soon taken of the group and Katy with each of them all holding a cupcake as the photo was taken.
"With that…the Bug Badge is yours." Katy said.
"Thank you. That was an intense battle." Vertin said.
"And you beat me without using Terastalization yourself. That's impressive." Katy said. "In fact…" she said, presenting him with a dark sphere. "This is a Tera Orb. Consider this a bonus in defeating me."
"With that, you'll be able to use Terastalization too, Verty!" Otoya cheered, kissing Vertin.
"I would bet. This power is certainly incredible." Vertin said.
"You're gonna do great in the Gym Challenge, Vertin." Mystle said. "And we've got the freedom to go to any of 'em in any order!"
"Don't worry 'bout the bull. We'll see him again." Vaglax said.
"How do you know?" Katy asked.
"Because he's closer than you think." they answered, much to everyone's confusion.
"Everyone all right?" Marshal asked.
"We're fine, Marshall." Neo confirmed.
"That was fine work ya did there." Cowlorado said.
Vaglax spoke up, "Marshall, do you have any idea who the Masked Bull is?"
"Not exactly, but I do know he's associated with someone in town." Marshal admitted.
"Would that someone be the sheriff?" Vaglax guessed.
"How do you know?" Marshal asked in surprise.
"Because you're not far off. The Masked Bull isn't associated with the sheriff. He is the sheriff."
"What?" the squad asked.
"What're you saying?" Clammo asked.
"The sheriff is an outlaw?" Drakus asked in equal confusion.
"Yes. And he and the mayor are behind so many shit that these guys here have been dealing with."
"That's some big words, Vaglax." Dakota said.
"What proof do ya have?" Cowlorado asked.
"You probably won't believe me if I told you." Vaglax replied.
"Try us." Marshal challenged.
"I have the ability to look into people's memories."
"Are you pullin' my leg?" Cowlorado asked.
"No. In fact, I'll prove it," Vaglax put their hand to Cowlorado to see his memories. They took their hand off and spoke, "Did you have to replaced Dude's drink with a mug of spicy sauce?"
Cowlorado's eyes widened, as Dude turned to him, rather ticked. "That was you?!"
"Whoa-whoa, hey! Dakota, dude. It was just a joke." Cowlorado waved his hands in defense.
"But if you want recommendations…Artazon would be the next best choice." Ridley said.
"Hmm… I've got some good typings against it. So, might as well." Vertin said.
"Then let's get going, to Artazon!" Drakus said.
Next Episode Preview:
{Show picture of the X-Squad, Analogs and D.I.G.I.T.A.L., now in suits.}
Etna: The X-Squad and their allies continue their journey across Paldea to find the legendary warrior, Quest!
Rolando: What? Since when did we have an episode preview? Why does she know we're finding Quest? And since when were we in suits?!
{Show the squad attacked by a Klawf, dressed in a mafia hat, and then standing against Brassius}
Etna: When suddenly, they're attacked by a demonic being known only as the Stonecrab King, and afterwards, must stand against the Verdant Virtuoso and Lord of Artazon, Brassius!
Angelo: What the hey is going on? Why is that crab in a hat?!
{Show a picture of Etna dressed in a gothic magical girl uniform.}
Etna: Will they survive and prove themselves to Brassius? Well, with Etna by their side, of course they will!
Laharl: Sheesh, do you ALWAYS have to be the center of attention?
{Show picture of Etna and the squad flashing the "V for Victory" sign.}
Etna: Next time, on Blackwind Warrior Etna! Episode 3: The Crab from the Stars and the Land of Art!
Etna: We'll end this crab, and survive to tell the tale!
Rolando: Is she always like this?
Prinny: Unfortunately, yes, dood.