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Chapter 2: “Peace Breaker”

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Lake Verity, Sinnoh—11:42a.m.

Two female Autumn Form Leafeons in their were relaxing at the edge of the world-famous lake alongside a male Ampharos, a male Treeko, a female Meganium, a female Espeon, a male Bibarel, a female Shiny Buizel, and a male Raichu.

“(I really love seeing this lake,)” the first of the Leafeons smiled. She was a bit on the fluffy side with her fur— her ears, tail, cheeks, and even chest had additional fur. Her hind legs were fully dark brown, and her head leaf had a small hole bitten out of it. “(It’s always so peaceful here… unlike the usual insanity that happens on the ranch.)”

“(Define ‘usual insanity’, Saria,)” the second Leafeon replied. Her head and chest leaves were curled differently compared to most Leafeons, and only part of her legs— just slightly above her ankles— were dark brown. “(Because I heard of your team’s crazier adventures. Fighting super-powered humans, running with thieves, overthrowing corrupt kingdoms, even slaying gods with giant monsters.)”

“(The thieves I know for a fact happened,)” the Meganium said, not looking away from the newspaper she had in her Vine Whips that read, “GOLDENROD GYM SHUT DOWN”. As much as she wished to bring it up with the others about how weird the story was, she didn't want to cause an uproar. “(My daughter and granddaughter got involved with fortune hunters, Saria becoming a rookie treasure hunter herself.)”

“(ACHOO!)” the male Raichu in the area sneezed. He had a scar over his left eye, and a rather unique tail with the lightning bolt shaped like an arrowhead. The Bibarel turned to him with concern on his face.

“(Bless ya, man,)” he said. “(You okay, Lanz?)”

“(I’m fine Javier,)” the Raichu known as Lanz answered. “(But… I have a very nasty allergy to Tauros crap.)”

“(Lanz, still your tongue,)” the Espeon scolded.

Lanz commented, “(Come on, Candy. Saria? A fortune hunter? Please… that is a rough occupation and she’s not a fighter like yours truly. Who the hell would she learn it from, anyways?)”

“(Have you ever heard of the Devil’s Cats?)” the Treeko answered. “(One of their members, a Froslass, taught Saria a few tricks in the fortune hunting business.)”

“(Not to mention Iris is dating their leader,)” the Ampharos added. “(She has pictures of him at her last Beauty Contest back in April. Remind me, Trevor, didn’t Pride get arrested?)”

“(Oh heck yeah, Andrew,)” Trevor the Treeko replied. “(I think his words were ‘Hell yeah, that was worth it'. He also owes me money.)”
"(Trevor,)" the Meganium stated, "(I know you and Veruka are both adults, but please you and Andrew watch your language, even if it's Pride you're imitating.)"
"(Yes, Mom,)" Trevor nodded.
"(Yes, Miss Melissa,)" Andrew the Ampharos agreed.
Lanz, Candy, and Javier all stared at Saria and her family. Candy turned to Lanz and said, “(I think your comment, while poorly worded, is beginning to be accurate.)”

“(The Devil’s Cats?)” Javier questioned, actually believing the story. “(Your sister is sleeping with the leader of the Devil’s Cats!?)” Groaning to himself, he sighed, “(Aw man, I was hoping either she or you were still on the market!)”

“(Uh, no,)” Saria blushed. “(She’s just DATING him. However, Jadis made it clear that if Pride ever harms Iris, she will neuter him with a pair of Sawsbuck antlers.)” All of the guys around winced, their hands covering their groins.

“(With Sawsbuck antlers?)” the shiny Buizel asked. “(That’s a bit much, isn’t it?)”

“(Ooh,)” Javier grimaced. “(And I thought I would want to be Pride… never mind.)”

“(Javier,)” Candy scowled, “(there’s no way that even you can believe this crazy story, do you? The Devil’s Cats aren’t known for their skills at making things NOT explode with their treasure hunting ways. They’re thugs in the form of raiders— complete renegades who despite the League watching them break constant rules. It’s a miracle that they aren’t all in prison. Why would you WANT to be a Devil’s Cat?)”

“(That’s only the official story, Candy,)” Lanz replied. “(While I still think it’s Tauros crap that these guys know the Devil’s Cats, only a single minded simpleton would believe just the ‘official story’.)”

“(Riddle me this, then, Lanz,)” Candy retorted. “(If they have not earned the dark nickname everyone refers to them as, why have they disappeared off of the face of the earth for six months? As far as we know the League has finally gotten sick of them and are hunting them down.)”

“(Can we change the subject from my sister’s boyfriend?)” Saria asked. “(If she was here, she’d slip into a depression… Pride hasn’t been doing so well in keeping contact with her in six months. Jadis has been seriously considering those Sawsbuck antlers.)”

“(Right,)” the Buizel smiled. “(So, Saria… how are you and Ross doing?)”

“(Fine, Shantal,)” the Sinnoh Leafeon replied with a smile. “(It’s been great finally getting our relationship started… we’re closer than ever.)”

“(Has he popped the question yet?)” the second Leafeon asked.

“(Rose!)” Saria blushed. “(Well, um… no…he hasn’t. He’s still shy, and neither of us are in too much of a rush… but I’m considering doing the asking.)”
"(Good for you, dear!)" Melissa smiled, placing her newspaper down. "(You and Ross make such an adorable couple!)"
“(Hey, guys!)” Cotton’s voice interrupted the conversation. The Lopunny, along with the group of children Cotton was assigned to watch over, stopped in front of them.

“(Hi, Auntie Saria!)” Chewy smiled, wagging his tail at the Leafeon, who giggled.

“(And what brings you all to Lake Verity today?)” Saria asked. Scratch placed his paw to his face.

“(Cotton… this was a freaking TERRIBLE idea,)” the Pachirisu complained.

“(What are you talking about?)” Cotton asked. “(These guys were the closest back-up without going straight to the fields and risking that thing going after Master!)” Saria’s face turned to a frown.

“(What’s going on, Cotton?)”

“(Uh, Saria,)” Sibelius asked, “(just for the record, I need to ask: are you still afraid of Bug-types in general?)”

“(I have a stronger fear of Armaldo more than anything else, but yes. Why?)”

“(To put it bluntly,)” the Chatot answered, “(it’s gonna suck to be you in about ten seconds… give or take how Scratch’s traps worked.)”

SWOOSH!

“(I think that was the last trap,)” the Pachirisu remarked. “(Didn’t even slow it down.)” Soon enough, the Genesect crashed through the tree line before landing in front of the group. Saria, naturally, froze up, staring at the metallic monster as it stared at her.

“(…Genesect…)” Saria breathed in pure horror as a red crosshair appeared on her forehead. The Leafeon began to quake in fear, her phobia taking a brutal grasp.

“(Target locked,)” the Genesect began, charging it’s Hyper Beam—

“(NOT MY BABYSITTER’S GIRLFRIEND, YOU BITCH!)” Andrew’s voice yelled out. Soon enough, a flaming Ampharos tail swung out and slapped the Bug/Steel-type across it. “(Always wanted to do that.)”

The Genesect recovered, weakened but otherwise not stopped. It looked at the group, charging up a beam, only to be struck in the face with a second punch, courtesy of Lanz. “(Come on, big guy!)” the Raichu scowled. “(Don’t tell me that’s all ya got!)” The Genesect’s eyes seemed to appear redder than before, as it attempted to strike Lanz with its X-Scissor. However, the Raichu was too quick for it, zapping the Genesect a few times with Andrew’s help. Eventually, though, Lanz got too close, allowing the Genesect to slash him with an X-Scissor and send him flying to the ground.

“(Lanz!)” Shantal screamed, worried as she picked him up. “(Are you okay!?)”

“(I’m fine, you crazy Buizel,)” Lanz replied, getting on his feet. The Genesect turned towards the two, charging up its cannon again. The two barely got out of the way of another beam attack, which slammed into the sake of the island in the middle of the lake.

“(Alright, what’s going on!?)” a voice called out. Soon, Mesprit floated out, and gasped at the Genesect. “(Oh come on! Is it Danger Thursday AGAIN!?)”

“(I didn’t build it this time, I swear!)” Andrew vowed, holding back the Genesect.

“(Mesprit exists at this lake?)” Candy asked. She was brought back into reality by the next X-Scissor striking Andrew and Chewy, causing the two to land next to her.

“(I’m okay,)” the Houndour groaned while getting up. Candy and Mesprit both saw the Genesect charging up another Hyper Beam, and both of their eyes glowed with Psychic power to form a Light Screen and a Protect, respectively, to block the attack for all parties.

“(So, nice to meet you,)” Javier smiled as Mesprit. “(I’m Javier…)”

“(Charmed,)” Mesprit replied. “(But let’s save this for AFTER we get this giant monster off of my lake shore…)”

“(On it!)” Napoleon’s voice called out. Soon, the Genesect was struck in the back of the head by an Ice Punch, stopping the attack and causing the large monster to turn around to face Napoleon. The Floatzel then rolled out of the way, leaving the Genesect to be hit with Veruka’s Flamethrower and Ross’ Thunderbolt at the same time. “(Looks like we get to be big damn heroes!)” Napoleon chuckled as the Genesect slid backwards. Soon, the barrier fell, allowing the two Psychic-types to relax.
“(…Wow,)” Mesprit declared. “(I haven’t seen a Genesect since they died out. I know ancient Pokémon are returning, but Genesects were pretty ruthless hunters. When did they get lasers?)” She then asked, “(Andrew, are you certain you didn’t build a mech like last year?)”

“(I swear to Arceus it wasn’t me this time!)”

“(Okay, I know our friends have weird stories about them,)” Javier agreed, “(but how is this ‘normal’?)”

“(It’s not,)” Veruka replied. “(We’ve come under attack—)”

“(That’s obvious,)” Lanz rolled his eyes.

“(By a recovery agent,)” the Infernape finished. Those who knew what she was talking about but weren’t at the beach gasped. However, that did not include Javier, Lanz, Candy, Rose♥, or Shantal.

However, before anyone could explain, the Genesect, still active after being hit with three heavy attacks, flew out of the woods it crashed into and landed in front of the group. “(Saria,)” Ross said while getting in front of her, “(run!)” The Genesect opened fire, but the Raichu countered with a Thunderbolt, surprisingly pushing back against the Techno Blast. Lanz, not one to get outdone, unleashed his Thunderbolt. The Genesect responded by increasing the power output from its cannon.

“(We’ve got this!)” Napoleon said to Cotton. “(You and Saria get out of here! The others will hold him right there until I’m ready!)” Veruka added her Flamethrower into the blast, alongside Candy’s Psybeam, Javier’s Water Gun, and Andrew’s Signal Beam. Napoleon, meanwhile, jumped into the water.

“(Go on!)” Ross yelled, pouring a lot of electricity into countering the Genesect. Saria and Cotton looked at each other, and ran. “(Rose, get to safety, alright?)”

“(Um okay,)” Rose♥ nodded, running after her friends. Soon, Mesprit, having enough of this, grabbed the cannon on its back and aimed it skywards with her Psychic, shooting the laser up into the air and allowing the combined attack to slam into it. However, the Genesect, despite receiving heavy damage, simply shrugged it off.

“(You have GOT to be freaking kidding me!)” Mesprit said in an annoyed tone. “(What is this made of, Indestructium?)”

“(Activating ‘Shadow Mode’,)” the Genesect declared, seeming to gain a dark aura, ignoring the tidal wave that was suddenly coming up. The Gensect saw the horrified looks on the team’s faces before Mesprit and Candy both threw up huge barriers. However, it made the mistake of assuming they were afraid of it. “(Activating—)”

SPLASH! SMACK!

When the Surf wave crashed down on the lake’s shore, it sent the Genesect crashing face-first into the Protect shield. Melissa, meanwhile, grabbed the Genesect, and threw it into the lake. “(I guess someone had to take a dive,)” Napoleon remarked after he got out of the water. Lanz, Javier, and Ross all groaned. “(What?)”

“(What was that?)” Melissa asked, pinching the bridge of her nose with her vines. “(Napoleon, if that was your attempt at a one-liner, you have to do better.)”

“(We didn’t have too many when we were traveling around the world fighting mercenaries,)” Napoleon justified. “(We’re all out of practice with these.)” However, before any of them could argue, the lake water erupted with the Genesect, who flew after Cotton, Saria, and Rose♥.

“(Crap!)” Veruka yelled. “(Let’s hope we can beat it to the ranch!)”

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Fields— 11:48 a.m.

Rupert the Toxicroak poured Papaya Berry juice into two cocktail glasses, and handed one to a normal furred female Lopunny. The Lopunny’s ears were more of a triangle than Cotton’s. Her arm fluff was also shaped similarly to Hitmonchan’s gloves. Her hips and chest fur were puffier than the average Lopunny as well. To top it off, she wore a pink ribbon on her chest.

The two were sitting down on a picnic blanket, a set of sandwiches ready for them. “(Rupert,)” the Lopunny sighed as she stared her pink eyes into Rupert’s yellow and purple ones, “(I really appreciate what you’re doing here. You didn’t have to go all-out on me with this… it’s nice.)”

“(What can I say?)” Rupert asked. “(Vanilla, I figured it would be an excellent time to just sit and talk… you know, just the two of us. Boyfriend-girlfriend. Besides… with this last job you’re going on, this will probably be the last time I see you in a long time.)”

“(Oh, right,)” Vanilla giggled. “(You know, I’m glad I’m getting this vacation before going off to do this job. I haven’t seen you in a while, Rupert… I’m glad we’re able to have moments like this.)”

“(So am I,)” Rupert smiled. “(So… you never told me where you’re going for this job. As a matter of fact, other than you going to another region, I don’t know much about what you’re going to be doing.)”

“(It’s a collaboration between Poké Chic and Pursuing the Past. We’re basically showing off both the fashion of where we’re going and the history of it in one amazing package. Due to what limited knowledge is there of our location, the producers are calling it, ‘Our Last Rodeo’. But, as for WHERE we’re going… have you ever heard of a region named ‘Cachou’?)”

“(Cachou?)” Rupert asked. “(Honestly, no… well, maybe. I think some of our old… ‘friends’ said something about it.)”

“(Old friends?)” the Lopunny asked, noting the reluctance in her boyfriend’s tone. “(Like… Pride the Luxray?)” Rupert stared at Vanilla in shock.

“(You know him? Oh please tell me you two didn’t date.)”

“(While I cannot honestly say I have ever met him face to face, I HAVE met one of his partners once. We played poker… trust me when I say that Blissey played a mean game of Texas Hold ’em. She told me his name…)”

“(Scramble,)” Rupert recalled. “(That’s the only Blissey I know of who would work with Pride. Mainly because she has to since they have the same Master… Jason Squall. But, Vanilla… today shouldn’t be about Pride, or Jake, or the fact that they got us killed almost twice a day when we worked with them… eight times a day if your name was Ross.)” Holding up his glass, he smiled, “(This day is about you and me. Let us a raise a toast. To us.)”

“(To us,)” Vanilla smiled, chinking her glass to Rupert’s. The two began to take a drink—

“(Are you two seriously doing this right now!?)” Scratch yelled at them, causing the two to spit out their Papaya juice and looked up at the panicked Pachirisu standing next to a horrified Minccino. “(Don’t just sit there! We gotta get the heck out of the open before we explode!)”

“(And like that, the magic is gone,)” Vanilla groaned. “(What… did you do?)”

“(Okay, but you can’t be mad at us,)” Cream said in advance.

“(What… did you do?)” Vanilla repeated, anger in her voice at her date being ruined by two kids… she was not a child-loving Lopunny, something that Rupert took note with Vanilla’s history with her own home’s children. While she had mellowed, Rupert could not blame her for her anger when Scratch was involved. In fact, especially because of Scratch’s involvement.

“(Okay… we were minding our own business,)” Scratch began.

“(Tauros crap!)” Vanilla accused.

“(We were!)” Cream vouched.

“(And exactly what happened whilst you were ‘minding your own business’?)” the Lopunny demanded. They were cut off by a horrified scream, where the two Leafeons and Cotton were running away from the killer Genesect flying above them. Chewy, who was barely keeping up with the Genesect, jumped up and latched on with his Fire Fang.

“(Uh, short answer?)” Scratch asked. “(That thing. Long answer: Rupert, remember how Big Brother told you guys of our excellent and somewhat illegal adventure on Isla de Cambio where we uncovered a Unovan military conspiracy involving El Pokémon de Dorado?)”

“(…Yes…?)” the Toxicroak answered. “(Is this Jake related, before you continue?)”

“(As far as I can tell, no,)” Scratch responded. “(However, it DOES involve a recovery agent—you know, the insanely powerful human super soldiers who tend to only exist to secure ancient secrets and erase all knowledge of them, two of them kidnapped Master and Chewy once, and it took me, Sibelius, and Chewy working together to kill one of them? He owns a Genesect, and he’s ordered it to kill everybody and kidnap Master. If we don’t do something about that thing, I think he’s going to start with Saria… and I happen to be starting to like her as Big Brother’s girlfriend.)”

“(…Oh crap,)” Rupert responded, standing up. He inhaled before being surrounded by a red aura and his muscles bulking up, much to Vanilla’s intrigue. He then rushed at the Genesect, leaping up and bringing it down a Cross Chop, causing it to crash into the ground feet away from the two Leafeons, Chewy landing on Saria’s back. When the Genesect got back on its feet, it turned towards Rupert, nearly slashing him with its claws, Rupert countering with his own clawed finger to catch it. It then powered up its back cannon—

POW!

However, for an Aqua Jet slammed into its face, blasting it hard enough to send it sliding across the field. When Napoleon stood back up, the Genesect’s eyes flickered out, signaling it was finally unconscious. “(You need to hit the showers,)” the Floatzel spat before turning to Cotton. “(Are you alright?)”

“(I’m fine now, my hero,)” she smiled before kissing him on the lips. Breaking the kiss, she chuckled, “(But by Arceus, that was a terrible one-liner.)”

“(It was either that or say it was ‘all washed up’, which is even worse. I’m zero for two, today.)”

The two Leafeons began to catch their breath, looking at it. “(Why… is it… always… Bug-types?)” Saria asked between breaths. Looking up at Rupert, she sighed, “(Thank you, Rupert.)”

“(No problem, Saria,)” he said. “(You and Rose both okay?)”

Rose♥ nodded in confirmation. “(We’re fine… more scared than anything. What is this, anyways?)”

“(A Pokémon war machine that used to be a primal hunting bug brought back to life from prehistoric times using stolen Team Plasma technology,)” Scratch summarized, pulling out a strange Xtransceiver and pushing buttons. “(They call it ‘Genesect’. The Xtransceiver says from what I can translate that the scientists responsible for reviving Genesects were Dudley Hawke and Nathan Reed, neither of whom were arrested for their ties with Plasma but both of whom had disappeared off the face of the earth in the past two weeks according to internet reports. However… my Xtransceiver’s scans show that this one’s metal is too tough to be from Unova… which is why it took a long time to take down. It’s supposed to be a pure glass cannon especially from Veruka and Chewy’s Fire-type attacks.)”

“(Uh, what is that?)” Cream asked, looking at the watch.

“(Scratch took a souvenir from a recovery agent once,)” Ross answered as he, Lanz, Veruka, Vincent, a large male Honchkrow, Candy, and a male Charizard with a scar on his face similar to Lanz’ approached. “(Saria, are you alright? I’m sorry I couldn’t get here in time.)”

“(I’m fine, Ross,)” Saria breathed. “(But… thank you for your concern.)” She then kissed him on the cheek.

“(Wait,)” the second Raichu remarked. “(You guys bring a monster to the ranch, and by the time we get here the fight is over and I didn’t get to make the finishing blow? Lanz not happy.)”

“(Not now, Lanz,)” the Espeon scoffed. Turning to Veruka, Candy asked, “(How did you all get on Arceus’ bad side for this to be a regular occurrence that you all handled professionally?)”

“(I wouldn’t be surprised if we had to deal with identical clones at some point, Candy,)” Veruka deadpanned. “(We’re that unfortunate.)”

“(Well, thank goodness there’s not too much damage done,)” the Charizard replied. “(Just so we’re clear, everyone is okay, right?)”

“(Just my arm,)” Napoleon answered, looking at the bite marks. “(But that’s nothing Master can’t patch up.)”

“(Well, that looks like Stoutland bite marks,)” Lanz pointed out. “(Powerful jaws. I just wish you guys would invite me for the next fight.)”

“(Good job, then, all of you,)” the Charizard congratulated. “(Veruka, you and your friends certainly handled yourselves again. Your mother would be proud, my little Infernape.)”

“(Thank you, Leopold… I mean Dad,)” Veruka blushed at Leopold’s compliment. “(But the recovery agent got away.)”

“(Let’s actually be thankful for that, Veruka,)” the Honchkrow replied. “(He’ll think twice about coming back here for whatever reason he came here. But that leaves his purpose for attacking Master unknown.)”

“(That’s a good point, Matthew,)” Leopold agreed. “(Well, if he ran from here with his tail between his legs, he’s not going to be coming back here…)”

“(Matthew, where’s Sibelius?)” Scratch asked. “(I think between the two of us, we can get this ugly hunk of junk analyzed to find out where our recovery agent friend is from.)”

“(He’ll be coming shortly,)” the Honchkrow replied.

“(Hey, Scratch,)” Ross asked, “(when did you take interest in research?)”

“(Big Brother,)” the Pachirisu replied, “(you have rubbed off on me to actually use my time other than playing video games.)” Ross blinked in awe that his foster brother was doing something productive with his time. “(Also, Space Shinobi 3 hasn’t come out, yet, and I’ve already maxed out all of my demo multiplayer characters to transfer into the main game and I’ve done the Space Shinobi 2 campaign enough times to figure out how to get through the final mission with zero casualties.)”

“(And the magic’s gone,)” Ross sighed.

Napoleon and Cotton, meanwhile, looked at the Genesect. “(Hard to believe one of these things was powerful enough to be an Unovan secret weapon,)” Napoleon remarked, kicking it in the side to test its metal carapace. “(And this is supposed to be a legendary?)”

“(You heard Scratch,)” Cotton told him. “(Napoleon, this has tougher metal than the one Ross encountered in Unova. That thing lasted an entire fight against Pride the Luxray… and won. It was only destroyed because it blew itself up. This one was far too strong.)”

“(We don’t know that for sure,)” Napoleon pointed out. “(We weren’t there.)” He then looked at it closer. “(But you’re right… this thing has too much firepower and flight capabilities to be just an ordinary Unova Pokémon.)” However, once Cotton turned her back to the Genesect and begin to walk away, its eyes began to glow again, signaling it was active. Napoleon, sensing movement, saw the Genesect turning its cannon and gasped.

“(Activating Techno Blaster,)” the Genesect declared, pointing its cannon right at Cotton’s back just as the Lopunny caught onto what was happening. She had no time to react, no time to activate her Mirror Coat. There was no way she could endure the attack.

“(Cotton, look out!)” the Floatzel yelled, getting between her and the Techno Blast right at it fired right into his back.

Honestly, the Floatzel had been blasted before, hit with Electric-type attacks. This was the reason why he ate Wacan Berries… to build up a resistance to being shot with electricity. Had he not, he probably would have died from the point-blank Techno Blast that sent him flying, crash landing twenty feet away with a few bounces, landing sorely on his bleeding back. No amount of Wacan Berries, however, would have prevented it from stinging like seven hells.

Mainly because he was hit with an 85 Power Special Attack at impossible-to-miss range. To the Floatzel that had been shot, it was like being hit with a point-blank shotgun blast right between his back spots… with a laser.

“(NAPOLEON!)” Cotton yelled in horror as the Genesect got up, using Magnet Rise to fly over two Flamethrower attacks launched by Veruka and Leopold. She rushed over to her husband, attempting to help him up. The Genesect landed near them, the impact of the landing throwing Cotton off of her feet.

“(Damn it!)” Veruka growled as the Genesect landed near Napoleon, cannon charging up.

“(HEY!)” Vincent yelled, throwing an Aura Sphere at the Bug/Steel-type monster, lightly tapping it in the head. “(Yeah, you like that!?)” the Lucario asked. “(That’s for messing with Team RD!)” The Genesect turned towards him, eyes glowing in anger. “(…I didn’t think this through, did I?)”

“(Vincent, if we live through this,)” Veruka scowled, “(I’m allowed one punch.)”

As Napoleon opened his eyes, he looked at Cotton holding him, seeing her right paw covered in his fresh blood. He then looked up to see Vincent, Veruka, and the others barely avoiding a second Techno Blast before the Genesect turned back to him and Cotton, its eyes locking onto them.

“(Target locked… initiating full-power Hyper Beam charge sequence.)” As the laser began charging, Cotton embraced Napoleon, her eyes filled with tears, too stricken with grief to use her Mirror Coat by Napoleon's grievous injury. Napoleon, seeing his wife crying in fear, though… became enraged as the rain began falling on his head.

The world around Napoleon turned blood red. The Genesect… the grass… the sky… even the other Pokémon. The Floatzel saw the horror-filled faces of everyone around him, but noticed something was off. The rain was falling much slower than usual, for one. Two, everyone was starting to move towards him, but at the pace that would make a Magcargo seem fast. Even the laser that would soon kill him was charging at a ridiculously slow rate.

Napoleon, not to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth, shot out a Water Gun— one of his least used moves but the only one he could pull off right now due to how much pain he was in— right at the cannon on its back. However, the Floatzel stopped shooting when he noticed the Water Gun, as soon as it fully left his mouth, it moved as slow as everything else. Soon, the world went from crimson back to its normal color, and the Water Gun, with a surprisingly swift display of force, slammed into the cannon, causing the Hyper Beam it was charging up to explode, doing a significant amount of damage to the Genesect and its cannon. The other Pokémon stared at this display, stopping dead in their tracks.

“(E-E-E-E-Error…)” the Genesect stammered, critically wounded. “(Cannon… de-de-de-destroyed. D-D-D-Damage… c-c-c-c-critical. A-A-Aborting… mission. Must… wi-wi-wi-withdrawal.)” The Genesect then lifted up and flew away, leaving the group staring in shock. Scratch picked up one of the discarded metal shards of its cannon, and began looking at it.

Chewy, looking around at everyone, asked, “(So, does anybody know why Mr. Napoleon just made the laser of death explode? Because I really want to know how he did that, Auntie Saria.)”

“(Chewy,)” Saria answered, patting her foster nephew on the head, “(when we figure out what just happened we’ll get back to you on that. In the meantime, please go play.)”

“(Okay!)” With that, the Houndour ran off, leaving everyone much relief that he was alright.

Cotton, meanwhile, looked at her injured husband. “(Napoleon… are you okay?)”

“(I’ll be fine,)” Napoleon answered, getting up. “(I’ll just work through the pain…)” However, after the Floatzel took a single step, he collapsed in injury. “(Argh!)”

“(That’s not really healthy for you,)” Candy said, looking at the back wound Napoleon just suffered. “(You just took a point-blank laser that looked as strong as a Hyper Beam in the back right between your spots. By all rights, we should not be able to have this conversation.)”

“(I’ve faced worse…)” Napoleon answered while gritting his teeth. “(Near-death experiences are common when rolling with Team RD. If you stick with us for a while, you’ll soon learn the ropes.)”

“(Hang with us long enough,)” Rupert added, “(and you’ll also learn knives, guns, explosives, heavy weapons fire, helicopters, submarines, Hydreigons, fortune hunters, recovery agents, and ancient 400-year-old genetic memories.)”

“(I get it,)” Ross scowled. “(I have a medical condition where prolonged exposure to historical-based stimuli risks causing me to lapse into one of my genetic ancestors’ personalities, some of which more violent than others. One of which was a female Emolga scout for a Shawnee Indian tribe in the 19th century named Steltella. Let’s move on.)”

Candy, Vanilla, Shantal, and Rose♥ all stared at Ross, blinking in confusion. “(You know,)” Candy said after a few moments, “(now that you brought that wonderful piece of information up, I can’t help but inquire in an uncharacteristically unladylike tone: What the hell is wrong with you?)”
"(Crazy bleeding effect mental condition,)" Veruka answered.

Looking at Napoleon, Ross commented, “(You can never be too sure about any wound, Napoleon, especially from tech attacks. And your eyes seem redder than usual. You probably should go see Master, and get those looked at. In the meantime, Scratch, see if you can work with Danny, Merry, and Edna about figuring out the origins of the Genesect’s metal. As for what Napoleon did that saved his life… I’m going to research what that was about. I swear there’s something in Master’s history books when I looked into it with Jadis. Probably somewhere in the mid-late 1800s.)”

“(You’re trusting Danny to know something about shrapnel?)” Scratch asked.

“(I hate to say it,)” Veruka sighed, “(but Danny and Merry, being international thieves, would know a thing or two about international materials. Edna, though, has become quite the information broker since our adventures with Sir Isaac, so, she would have a few contacts somewhere who know where the metal came from. Ross, that’s genius.)” Ross nodded at the compliment before walking away, Saria following. Turning to Napoleon, she said, “(Go on and see to your wounds. That’s an order.)” The Floatzel grumbled, but began limping towards the house. Veruka looked at Cotton recovering from her tears, but a scowl on her face. “(You okay?)”

“(Someone targeted Master, had Saria shot at, and nearly killed Napoleon after we just found out terrible news,)” the Lopunny answered. “(You know, back when that monster Francis Bane was after Ross, only the threat of an attack on the ranch ever came up. But… never has there been an attack on the ranch by a recovery agent. He also knew Master’s name… she had that changed eleven MONTHS ago, and Master kept that a secret with only close friends and family. It’s obvious… someone knows who we are, and wanted Master for some reason. I want to know why.)”

“(Well, we aren’t going to find out like this,)” Veruka replied. “(Once Ross and Scratch both have something, we’ll have a meeting.)”

“(Should we inform Master?)” Rupert asked.

“(No,)” Veruka replied. “(As far as any human can tell, those are ordinary bite marks on his arm and an Electric-type shot to the back. Master may be smart, but she doesn’t need to worry about personal attacks. She needs time to let her hair down.)”

“(So do you,)” Vincent commented, tapping Veruka on the shoulder. Veruka wanted to argue with him, but sighed in mild frustration.

The Infernape could not help but worry about what this all would bring to the team.

---

House— 1:42 p.m.

Elisa sighed, thanking God she had learned how to patch up her Pokémon by herself. She had no idea how Napoleon received the wounds (of which the Floatzel was thankful before receiving a Sleep Powder sedative that put him right to sleep), but once she was finished knocking Napoleon out for the day, it was easy to clean off the blood, sterilize the areas, apply the medication and allow Napoleon to heal off. Sure his back wound would be sore for a while, but it would be worth it.

She was also curious about the bite marks on his arm. Napoleon was always a fighter, so he never went long before picking up minor battle scars. But these wounds were too soon after finding out Cotton and he were infertile, raising a serious red flag for the Breeder.

As Napoleon rested in the next room and Ross, Saria, Candy, and a female British Empoleon were taking turns looking through books, Elisa decided to look something up on her computer.

“…Okay…” Elisa began, looking up materials. “Signs of hostile behavior in Floatzels…”

Not much information came up that she did not already know. Napoleon was always a fighter, and showed signs almost familiar to Matthew back before she revoked his battle privileges. Elisa, not wanting to do that again, sighed, realizing what she had to do to get Napoleon to remain calm in this time of need.

“Hey,” Bea interrupted as she walked in, holding Lanz. “How’s Napoleon?”

“He’s out, but he’ll be okay,” Elisa sighed. “I also have to give Ross a new Focus Sash. Finished checking up on your Pokémon?”

“Yeah,” Bea answered. “They’re all fine. I don’t know what could have happened… Lanz is an Electric-type but he couldn’t have caused this damage.”

“Neither could Ross or Scratch,” Elisa added. “…Well, Ross probably could if he got pissed off enough to deliberately use Overcharged. He shot an Armaldo’s claw off when said Armaldo nearly killed Saria and brought a thunderstorm down that soon destroyed a carrier ship to bring down a cache of Sacred Ash. But he’d never do this to Napoleon, no matter how angry he got.” Lanz, who was cuddling Bea, looked right up.

“(WHAT!?)” he asked, looking at Ross.

“(I was REALLY angry at that Armaldo,)” Ross answered without looking at his fellow Raichu. “(On the plus side, I learned how to build up electricity from reserves I didn’t know I had and also how to control myself when I build up said electricity from my ancestor. On the minus side, I have nightmares about that day about what could have happened if I was not fast enough. I can teach you after I’m done trying to figure out what just happened outside.)”

Elisa, meanwhile, looked at Bea. “…You know, now that I’ve thought about it, my Pokémon and I have been confined to the ranch for too long. I haven’t had what could qualify as a real adventure in over a year… sure, just some outings and traveling to Veilstone, but nothing really big. Where are you guys heading?”

“You’re coming!?” Bea asked. “Wow, that’s… that’s great! It’ll be the three of us plus Maggie! Oh, man, Cachou is going to be a nice place to relax and get your minds off of everything!”

“(…Ross,)” Saria interrupted. “(You didn’t mention you had nightmares about that day.)”

“(I didn’t want you worrying, Saria,)” the Focus Sash wearing Raichu answered. “(And I still don’t want you worrying about this. In fact, they happen very infrequently… only once every other month. My therapist and I are working them out.)”

“(Don’t scare me like that, Ross Chumandi,)” Saria insisted.

“(I try not to,)” Ross smiled at his girlfriend. The two leaned towards each other—

“(Are you guys freaking serious?)” Lanz asked the duo, interrupting the kiss. The two turned to the confused as hell scarred Raichu. “(Seriously… Sacred Ash? Blowing off Armaldo claws? Sinking carriers? PSTD nightmares? You’re kidding, right?)”

“(I wish I could deny that for you, Lanz,)” the Empoleon interrupted in a British accent. “(Unfortunately, that’s all true. There was no way we could make all of that up.)”

“(Really, Jadis?)” Candy asked. “(This is quite the adventure. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t believe you all right away.)”

“(I guess some stories are too hard to believe,)” a female voice agreed. Soon enough, a female Mismagius fazed through the ceiling, holding onto the small chunk of metal while Elisa and Bea left to talk about this vacation of theirs. “(So, what’s going on with this?)”

“(I’ll make this short,)” Ross explained. “(A recovery agent was after Master and had a Genesect after her. We know their motives are usually for their countries… I was hoping either Danny encountered the material it was made of during one of his jobs with Merry or you had contacts who knew the metal.)”

“(I’m new at the whole ‘intelligence broker thing’,)” Edna replied. “(I just graduated from gossip queen into broker territory, so I don’t have the elaborate network that you see in shows or games. I wish I did… but I think I can figure it out if I’m given more time.)” Placing it away, she declared, “(I’ll hold onto this for now.)”

“(Just be careful,)” Saria warned her friend. “(That was part of a superweapon that was shooting at us a few hours ago. I don’t want you to reverse-engineer it by giving it to Andrew.)”

“(Well,)” Edna joked, “(that eliminates one option in figuring out where it came from.)” Saria and Edna both giggled at that, while Ross just shook his head.

“(Be careful,)” the Raichu told Edna. “(Just because you want me to be happy doesn’t mean you should get yourself killed at my request trying to look this up.)”

“(Ross,)” Edna replied, “(you know you’re talking to a woman who has already died once, came back as a Misdreavus, and has nearly died for you again, right?)”

“(My point exactly,)” Ross answered in a serious tone. “(You nearly died because of me. Master nearly died because of ME. SARIA nearly died because of ME! I’m not having three of the closest women in my life keep being shot at because I’m nearby! I don’t even know the recovery agent’s motive for this attack, but Master was his target! Something tells me it was big!)” Ross turned back to the books before finding one pulling it out of the bookcase. “(I’m sorry, girls. I just… I’m worried for everyone. Sorry, Saria, but… I’d like to be alone for now.)” The sash-wearing Raichu scurried out of the room, leaving Saria and Edna to stare at each other.

“(…He still feels guilty over what happened on Blank Slate, Isla de Cambio and Chumandi Island, doesn’t he?)” Saria whispered.

“(Nightmares, still lapsing into parts of his ancestors’ personalities, and yelling at us?)” Edna asked in a rhetorical tone. “(I hate to say it, Saria, but your boyfriend’s PTSD is more dramatic than we thought.)”

“(What happened?)” Candy asked. “(I mean, this must me serious if Ross reacted so poorly to your humor.)” Edna sighed. “(I can’t help you all if I don’t know what’s going on that’s causing Ross to lash out… and Napoleon as well.)”

“(Right, you all weren’t there,)” the Mismagius recalled. “(Well, I’d totally charge you, but this has to be explained. Ross’ issue started back last year in July. Have you ever looked at the back of Lanz’ ears?)”

“(What about Lanz’ ears?)” Candy asked, grabbing said scarred Raichu with her Psychic.

“(Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!)” Lanz yelled in pain as Candy looked at them. “(Okay, what’s wrong with my ears!?)”

“(Other than the lack of a brain between them,)” the Espeon remarked, “(I see nothing.)”

“(Ha-ha, that’s funny,)” Lanz scowled.

“(On the back of Ross’ right ear,)” Saria continued, “(there is a birthmark. A heart being struck with a lightning bolt. It marks him as a Chumandi. While it made Ross an instant celebrity, it also drew sorts like… Francis Bane.)”

“(FRANCIS BANE!?)” Lanz gasped, jerking from Candy’s grip. “(…Ross had an encounter with the patriarch of the Chu Hunters? And LIVED!?)”

“(Who is the ‘Chu Poacher’?)” Candy asked Lanz. “(I’ve never seen you scared of someone before.)”

“(Many members of the Bane family spent decades hunting Pichus, Pikachus, and Raichus,)” Lanz explained. “(The reason for it was the Chumandi clan went into hiding, making them valuable.)” Lanz then scowled, “(And Ross is the last Chumandi. That son of a bitch is part of the reason why I’m part of an endangered species.)”

“(Yes,)” Saria replied, stopping Lanz from going to clock Ross. “(And Ross hates that about being a Raichu. And while it wasn’t easy, we defeated Bane after flying over halfway around the world, giving the Raichu line something to look forward to, to perhaps regrow.)”

“(Now was Bane at the end?)” Lanz asked. “(Ross DID kill him, right?)”

“(I was unconscious,)” Saria answered. “(I don’t know. But what I DO know is we also fought recovery agents who got involved, planning a coup over Unova’s government. However, during those incidents, Pokémon close to Ross nearly died… me included. Edna was set on fire by Ghost-types and nearly killed. Master was a victim of torture for four days straight. Chewy was exposed to so much death and destruction… thank Arceus he’s resistant.)”

“(I’ve noticed,)” Candy deadpanned as the aforementioned Houndour walked through the doggy door, eagerly bouncing over to the couch to curl up and take a nap. “(…Quite puppy-like.)”

“(So what happened to you?)” Lanz demanded, the tone making Saria sense Lanz had not quite forgiven Ross.

“(I got beaten up by a psychopathic Marowak, slashed by an Armaldo with X-Scissor in the chest, kidnapped while wounded and bleeding out, barely able to live with Synthesis, paralyzed, had to protect Chewy from a helicopter crash… and watched Ross mental state slowly deteriorate over a month from torture both inside his head and throughout his body. And now, although Ross and I have our feelings out in the open and we’re so in love… there’s always a chance he’ll slip away thanks to that hidden lineage disorder he suffers from. I’ve been trying to keep happy and ride with him through the storm, but Ross has minor episodes from using Overcharged, and it’s so darn hard to keep a smile on my face as I watch him tear into himself. I don’t want to lose him, Lanz… he’s suffered enough, hasn’t he?)”

The scarred Raichu looked away from the crying Leafeon. Candy looked at Saria, a stunned look on her face. “(She’s telling the truth,)” the Espeon concluded. “(I’ve been reading her mind, and there are a few minor inconsistencies, but… Arceus, she’s really telling the truth about this adventure. Lanz… Ross is really mentally ill.)”

“(…It doesn’t bring my parents back,)” Lanz replied in a bitter tone. “(Or heals the damn scar on my face. Nothing Ross will do will make up for the fact that we’re an endangered species. Nothing Saria says will repair what happened in Hoenn to me. That incident that briefly forced Master to retire? Gave me the scar on my face? Nearly killed members of the Hoenn team!? I think those wild Pokémon were set loose by a Bane! The Banes wouldn’t have been doing this unless their blood feud with one Raichu family didn’t affect all other Raichus.)” After taking a few deep breaths, he turned to Saria. “(I won’t kill Ross or hurt him since you all saved the world. But know that I will NEVER forgive his legacy did to our entire species.)”

The Raichu then marched out, leaving the group in silence. Even Candy, who had a strong rivalry with Lanz, could not say anything.

“(…This ranch is beginning to fall apart,)” Jadis said after a moment. “(Between Napoleon and Cotton’s miscarriage, this attack, Napoleon’s near death experience, Ross’ mental problems coming back into light, and now the aftershock of Ross being a Chumandi on the world as a whole, there’s too much stress in the air.)” Turning to Saria, Edna, and Candy, the Empoleon declared, “(We all need a retreat. Get our heads clear… just have some good old-fashioned fun away from the ranch.)”

The Leafeon and Mismagius looked at each other in agreement. They had all been stressed by recent events… maybe some time away from the ranch was what they needed. But the question was who was to take care of the ranch while they were away.