The Poisonous Paradise- Keith's Secret Base

[Missingno. Master]

Keith smiled as Kawaii mentioned her apparent type affinities. "Both very cool types," he agreed." Then, he turned to Jake. "I know, right?" he nodded as Jake brought up the excellent point that it wasn't only Poison-types that could be evil. "I've seen more than my fair share of evil Pokémon, and the ones that really stand out to me, none of them were Poison-types. Fire and Steel... Bug and Flying... Ground and Electric..."


Pomona was likewise intrigued by Cassiopia's claim that she's been to other planets. "Yeah, that's awesome!" she smiled, an eager enthusiasm gleaming in her eyes. "What were they like?" she asked.


Millicent led the way into the kitchen. Following the departing of the others, the only ones still in there, besides Cotton of course, were Vinny and Shelley. "Ah, Millicent," Vinny greeted the Timburr. "And youse," he added, turning to Telpo. "Would I be correct to assume you would be Telpo?"

"Yep, this is Telpo," Millicent smiled, happily introducing her boyfriend. "You missed a great battle- Telpo took on Albus upstairs, he put up an awesome fight, and he even almost won."

"Against Albus?" remarked Vinny, sounding mildly intrigued. "That there's no small feat. The kid's a combination of Scorpius's battle prowess and Hermione's smarts."

The Torkoal nodded, before puffing some White Smoke out of her shell. The smoke took shape in midair, and what was more, the shapes seemed to be animated. One shape was that of a Weedle, and the other of a Torkoal. The Torkoal-shaped puff of smoke seemed to Withdraw into its shell, then spin towards the Weedle-shaped puff of smoke in what seemed like a Gyro Ball. The Weedle-shaped puff responded with a String Shot (made of smoke, of course) that took advantage of the Gyro Ball's spin to hopelessly entangle the smoke-Torkoal. The smoke-Weedle then swung the smoke-Torkoal around, aided by the Gyro Ball's momentum, and threw it clear across the kitchen, whereupon all the smoke dissipated.

Vinny, who had been watching this, nodded. "True story," he stated. "Shells here ain't no slouch when it comes to battling." He grinned, for this praise made the Torkoal blush profusely.

"So, Vinny- me and Telpo actually came down here for a bite to eat," continued Millicent.

"Ah," nodded the Camerupt. "By the smell of things, Cotton's next batch of hamburgers nears completion. Stick around and you'll have youse a snack soon."

"Excellent," grinned Millicent. "Oh, yes- Telpo, this is Vinny and Shelley," she added sheepishly, realizing she'd forgotten to introduce the Fire-types.


Albus did not respond right away, taking a moment to size up Cerno. Cottonee. Grass and Fairy-type. This gave him a tremendous type advantage, but of course that wasn't the only contributing factor in a battle. Type advantage could be overcome. He'd done it before, it stands to reason a skilled opponent could do likewise against him. He saw the eagernes to battle in Cerno's eyes- that Cottonee would give this battle everything he had, and while the young Weedle couldn't know just how much that amounted to, he still didn't feel like he'd recovered enough just yet to take that chance.

"Almost," Albus replied. "I think I just need another minute and I'll feel ready to go again. I want to be able to give this battle everything I've got, after all," he added with a respectful bow to his soon-to-be-opponent.


Cyanide was looking concerned. Pom put up the least resistance he's put up so far this time around. The Ambipom apologized, stating he wasn't sure why it was going this way now.

"You did amazing before," Cyanide confirmed, approaching Pom. "Look, Pom- maybe you need more of a break than you thought, hmm? I mean, I'm not exactly going easy on you here, y'know? I'm all for helping you build up a resistance to mind control, but when you need to take a break, you need to take a break. Look, why don't we just relax for now?" she suggested. "And we'll try again later on. How's that sound?"


Arthur immediately voiced his concern for Luna's well-being, before Freighya's explanation prompted a blatant lie from the Rotom, who claimed to have simply been seeing how Hayai would react in an emergency situation.

It took a few minutes for Luna to snap back to reality, and when she did, she looked around at the Eevee, Rotom, and Blitzle before telepathically speaking up. Sorry to disappoint, she said. But the vision told me nothing about how to access the lair. But even if it did, if what the rest of the vision told me is true- which it is- going down there today would change nothing in the grand scheme of things. I saw a vision... a black and purple sky, bursts of shadowy light raining down upon all. An echoing evil laugh throughout the scenes of chaos. I am afraid that much will come to pass no matter what. But, she added, smiling once more, the vision brought good news as well. While the scenes of chaos I saw are inevitable, the same cannot be said for what said scenes would escalate to. That is to say, the worst of Stewie's plans are completely and entirely preventable. Just, not here, and not now, is all.


Peeves nodded as he took in the information. Tracking device. Needed to be sneaky. "No problem," Peeves replied. "I can turn invisible, I can melt into the shadows if need be, and if all else fails, I can create illusions. I'm not bad at it if I say so myself- learned from the best." He raised his singular eyebrow at the sight of the tracker. "That... looks weird," he agreed. As Zack asked if there were any more questions, Keith and Jack simply shrugged. Peeves spoke up again, however. "Question," he said. "If I get a clear shot to destroy this tracker, you want me to try for it, or is it too risky?"

[EpicSquirtle]

Peeves seemed rather confident in his abilities, explaining that he could melt into shadows and create illusions, among other things.
"Good. You may very well have to use all of those skills." Zack replied.
When it came time to ask questions, Peeves spoke up, asking if Zack wanted him to try destroying the machine, if he had a clear shot of it.

"Hmm...I didn't even think of that..." Zack began.
"Well...it might be too risky..but..well, as long as you don't let your presence be known, it might very well be worth it. But don't be afraid to pass it up if the risk is too great."

"Master, this Dusknoir probably has no idea where Hagane Labs is. May I suggest I teleport them close to it?" Duosion asked.
"Otherwise, this nitwit may very well be wandering around the city for who knows how long."
It was becoming more and more clear with each sentence that the Duosion wasn't as shy, as he was rude.

"Good idea Duosion. Yes, I think we should leave Duosion here to Peeves transportation." Zack nodded. "That is, if you wish to, Peeves."

"Well, when you're ready, just grab on to me and we'll be there in a flash. It won't hurt...that much." Duosion said to the Dusknoir, ready to Teleport them in front of Hagane Labs as soon as Peeves grabbed onto him.

[Missingno. Master]

Peeves nodded as Zack conceded that taking a shot at destroying the tracker could very well be worth it, and made certain to emphasize that there was no shame in passing it up if it was indeed too risky. He didn't seem especially thrilled by the Duosion's words. "Hey, watch who you're calling a nitwit," the Ghost-type snapped. "I may be dead but I'm not stupid." He sighed and rolled his eye as he realized that he'd have to depend on this rude Duosion for actually getting to Hagane Labs. "Fine," he grumbled.

"Oh, cheer up, Peeves, you've dealt with ruder," Keith said.

"And I've shown them even more disdain than I'm showing Jell-O boy here," retorted Peeves.

"Yeah, well, just bear in mind that it'll be a lot harder for him to call you a nitwit if you save the world, huh?" Jack pointed out.

"Yeah, there's something to that," conceded Peeves. He floated over to Duosion and grabbed hold. "OK, man- Hagane Labs. Let's do this," stated the Dusknoir.

[kawaiiconcept]

Cassiopia's eyes glimmered "Oh they were wonderful. Some were entirely made of water, others had storms made of rare stones. One in particular had three moons and yet it was always daytime because it was so perfectly balenced between two stars. One planet was egg shaped because of how close it was to it's star. Finally, I've even visited a planet where all pokemon were shiny and one where pokemon were just a made up video game."
Cerno nodded "Take your time good sir."
Frieghya looked crestfallen "I-I can't believe it. Stewie is going to take over the world."she began to cry softly.

[EpicSquirtle]

Keith stated that, while he had met many evil Pokemon, none that stood out were poison types at all!
"Hmm..t-that's interesting." Jake replied. He also hadn't encountered any evil poison types. Wait...no there was one. His father's Venomoth. Unlike the rest of his father's Pokemon, Venomoth had remained loyal to the man. Well, as much as it could anyway.
Jake couldn't help but wonder about the rest of them though. They had mentioned that they were going to help other Pokemon in need....back on that forsaken day......had they achieved that goal? Jake could only wonder.... Realizing how silent he was being, Jake spoke up once more.
"B-but yeah...Pokemon types don't h-have anything to do with a P-Pokemon being good or evil."
----
Cassiopia began to explain just what kind of planets she had seen. Some had storms of rare stones, while others were stuck in eternal light.
Some were even shaped weird, like an egg! But one that really caught Shibo off guard, was that there was a planet where Pokemon were nothing more then fiction! Like characters in a video game.

"Huh? How is that possible?" Shibo questioned. "I-I'm not sure I can wrap my head around that one. The rest of them sound pretty cool though."
----
As Millicent lead him into the kitchen, Telpo noticed that a Swirlix, Torkoal and Camerupt were already there. The Camerupt greeted Millicent, before questioning if Telpo was...well, Telpo.
Millicent confirmed this, before telling the Camerupt about Telpo's battle.
Vinny seemed intrigued, and Shelly even made a small battle scene of her and Albus, all with smoke.

"Wow, that's really impressive..." Telpo stopped suddenly, realizing he hadn't caught the Torkoal's name.
After explaining that her and Telpo were there for a snack, the Timburr introduced the Torkoal and Camerupt as Shelly and Vinny.
"It's nice to meet you Shelly and Vinny. As I was saying before, those are some pretty cool smoke....tricks, Shelly." Telpo said, for lack of a better word.
----
Cyanide suggested that they needed more of a break, and that they could try again later on.
"But I've already had enough of a break. I'm not going to get any better at this by relaxing." Pom replied.
"Besides, I'm sure I'll be ready this time. There's no need to wait around. I need to get good at this, as soon as possible."
----
When Luna came to, she revealed some horrible news to the group. Not only had the vision not been about getting into Stewie's lair, it seemed to imply things with Stewie were going to become even worse! Despite this, Luna reassured them that the worst of Stewie's plans could still be undone.

Frieghya began to cry, fully convinced that Stewie was going to take over the world.
"There there. There's gotta be a way we can stop this." Hayai said, trying his best to comfort the Eevee.
"Hayai's right. And I know just how we can stop it. By striking down Stewie's partner in crime.....Luna!" Arthur exclaimed.
"What?! That's crazy! Luna's not with Stewie." Hayai replied.

"I thought so too, but think about it. Why else would she not want us to use her powers to find Stewie? Why else does she seem so calm and happy about this turn of events?" Arthur questioned.

"I still don't think she's evil.....I think...maybe..." Hayai said, unsure of just what to think.
"Ahh!" Arthur suddenly cried out. "S-she's trying to brainwash me now! Y-you must stop her....hurry!" The Rotom exclaimed as he began to fly around in circles. "S-she d-doesn't want you....to know...t-the truth...."

"Stop it!" Hayai shouted at the Swoobat. "I-if you keep hurting my friend...then...well, you're going to have to answer to me!"

With Hayai's eyes off him, Arthur flashed the Swoobat a small smirk, as if to taunt her, before going back to his act.
----
Duosion glared at Peeves as the Dusknoir called him names, but said nothing. Once Peeves had grabbed onto him, the mitosis Pokemon began to gather up psychic energy. In a flash of light, the pair disappeared from the room entirely.
----
In an instant, Duosion and Peeves appeared outside, in front of them was a familiar domed building.

"Here's your stop. One Hagane Labs. You should be glad I didn't teleport you into the sewers after your last comment." Duosion quipped.
"And really? Jell-O boy? I've heard newborns come up with better insults. But enough about your incompetence, get going on your job already. Oh, and don't expect me to come save you if you get yourself caught."

[Missingno. Master]

Keith nodded in agreement with Jake. "Couldn't have said it better myself," he stated.


Pomona listened in awe as Cassiopia described the strange and wonderful worlds she'd seen. One in particular was especially outlandish. "A world where Pokémon are just made up?" she murmured. "So... there are no Pokémon in that world at all? What... what's that even like?" she asked.


Shelley smiled as Telpo complimented her abilities. A few more puffs of smoke rose from her shell, this time creating a smiley face in midair.

"Yeah, Shelley here is pretty talented," smiled Vinny. "She's completely mute, so the control she has over her smoke is how she communicates. She's really one of a kind," he added, smiling at the Torkoal.


Pom did not seem to want a break, insisting he'd be ready this time. "...If you insist," sighed Cyanide. She started to worry about whether she'd start hurting Pom by continuing to try and train his mind like this, and decided that if this time was no better than the last two, she would insist on a break. She closed her eyes and focused- if Pom put up no resistance, he would find himself running around in circles and firing Swift out the window once more.


Albus nodded. "Thank you," he said. And indeed, after just a minute or two of relaxing, Albus turned to Cerno. "Alright," he stated. "I'm ready. Please follow me," he added, leading the way to the elevated platform.


Luna hopped over to Frieghya, putting a wing around the pink Eevee to try and comfort her. Don't cry, she said soothingly, ignoring the Rotom completely. I said Stewie would come close to taking over the world. That much is unfortunate, but I also told you- he won't actually succeed. His plans will reach their final stages, but those final stages can and will be made to backfire on him. He will be stopped, she promised her friend. The vision showed me- you don't have to worry about a world ruled by Stewie. Then, she finally turned her attention to the Rotom who had just flashed her a small smirk. Luna tilted her head, her gaze fixed on Arthur. Why are you lying to your friend again? she inquired curiously. You seem to do that quite frequently.


"Hey, you're the one who called me a nitwit," Peeves retorted. "I'd love to stay and argue with you, but one, I got a world to save, and two, I don't really enjoy a battle of wits against an unarmed opponent." With that, Peeves turned invisible and sank into the ground before floating off towards the laboratory. He could not be seen or felt in this state, and as he infiltrated the building, he would cast his Foresight in every direction, trying to locate this tracker.

[kawaiiconcept]

Cassiopia thought for a moment " The humans there play pretend that they own pokemon. From playing video games with them to forming online comunities that write out role plays of pokemon. They still own pokemon plushies and merchendise. They live pretty boring lives with jobs that don't even center around pokemon." she explained.
Cerno bowed after taking his place on the platform. "I shall let you go first."
Frieghya slowly calmed down "T-thanks L-luna." she said shakily. When the Rotom started his antics the eevee looked annoyed "Im starting to think you are not as heroric as you claim."

[EpicSquirtle]

Jake had nothing more to add to the conversation, giving only a brief nod to Keith's comment.
----
Cassopia explained that the humans of the strange world pretended to own Pokemon. Some played video games about them, while others forming online communities to write out role plays about them.
"Wow....that sounds really weird. But wait, if they don't have Pokemon...does that mean they have no bacon? No meat of any kind?" Shibo questioned. "That sounds pretty awful."
----
Vinny explained that Shelly was completely mute. The Torkoal used her smoke tricks in order to communicate. Indeed, Shelly made a smiley face from the smoke in response to Telpo's praise.
"Reminds me of a teammate of mine. He's also completely mute, but unfortunately he doesn't really have any reliable way of communicating." Telpo explained. "He seems to get by ok though."
----
Pom gave the Umbreon a small grin as she agreed to continue.
"Alright. Then I'm ready whenever you are."
Cyanide once again tried to influence Pom into firing a Swift attack, but Pom was fully prepared for it this time! He wasn't going to fail this time..he couldn't...what would Cyanide think if he did?
Caught up in his thoughts, Pom once again failed to resist anything that the Umbreon threw at him.
Once he had finished running, Pom could barely stand to look Cyanide in the eyes.
"Umm...I..I'm sorry. I really don't know what's wrong with me all of the sudden..." Pom murmured. "I'll just ask Telpo to help me...you probably don't want to keep watching me fail..."
----
Both Luna and Frieghya didn't seem too pleased with Arthur's antics. Luna asked the Rotom why he was lying to his friend, while Frieghya called into question his claims of heroism.

"How dare you!" Arthur spat. "How dare a pathetic worm such as you question me?! Why I ought to beat you to an inch of your pathetic life! Till you cry out in pain and agony as all your bones slowly shatter into tiny pathetic pieces!"

"W-whoa....A-arthur....what are you saying?" Hayai questioned, clearly disturbed by his friends words.

The Rotom said nothing for a moment, before shaking his head.
"That wasn't me! That was all Luna, she had me under her control!" Arthur exclaimed. "Luckily I managed to break out, which was quite easy for a hero such as I."

"W-what? Why would Luna make you say that?" The Blitzle asked.

"Simple, she's working for Stewie, like I said." Arthur replied. "Oh! She also said that she's glad that the stupid Blitzle trusts her, and that you're the worst at helping everyone." Arthur continued. "She said that via telepathy, so you couldn't hear her."

"What?! I am so a great helper!" Hayai exclaimed, before turning his attention to Luna.
"Listen here Luna...nobody messes with me and my friends and gets away with it! So you better apologize...or else!"

Meanwhile, Arthur turned his attention to Frieghya.
"Luna also said that everyday she wished that Stewie had taken your miserable life, back in his lair." Arthur told the Eevee. "She even said your trainer was a terrible person, and that pink is an awful colour for an Eevee."
----
Not willing to stick around and fight with Duosion, Peeves sank into the ground, making his way to the laboratory. Once inside, the Dusknoir began to look around using his foresight.
With his new sight, Peeves would be able to make out numerous rooms, all filled with people and Pokemon. One of the rooms appeared to be a testing facility. Inside, a man in a lab coat appeared to be injecting an Eevee with some strange medicine.
In another room, it appeared that they were testing some kind of Pokemon gear. A Machoke inside the room could be seen wearing some type of armor. The person accompanying the Machoke seemed to be administering some electric shocks to it...
There was no sight of the tracker though. Could it be further to the back of the lab? Or maybe it was on another floor...
----
CPA Head Quarters
----
"So I have an idea." Telpo spoke up. "If Team Catalyst is after this Project X...what if CPA found it first? You could maybe reason with it, try and have it come to a safe spot until this whole Team Catalyst thing is dealt with."

"Sadly that won't work. You see....from what I know of Project X, it would be a very bad idea to approach it. You see...Project X also has the ability to alter your memories...so to speak.
If we were to approach it without the proper tools, Project X could make us forget everything about it." Zack explained. "But at the same time, we can't just wait around doing nothing, as my sources tell me that Team Catalyst has the means to prevent such mind altering. "

"Oh...yeah I guess that's a bad idea then." Telpo replied.

"Hmm...well, while we're waiting, feel free to ask any questions." Zack said.
"Not just about the mission either, if you want to know more about Team Catalyst, or even about us, go ahead. We could be waiting for a bit for Duosion and Peeves to come back."

[Missingno. Master]

Keith nodded back, then caught sight of the elevated platform. "Hey, check it out," he said to Kawaii and Jake. "Looks like Cerno and Albus are about to battle," he grinned.

Albus bowed back to Cerno, allowing his stinger to gleam in the light as he did so. Then, the battle began! Albus sized up his opponent, thoughts flying through his mind at the speed of Ninjask. Poison Sting? Obvious choice. Perhaps too obvious- Cerno would no doubt see it coming and react accordingly. He had to slow down Cerno to start with, and so he fired a String Shot attack.


Pomona listened, amazed by the idea. "Wow... that sounds kinda sad in a way," Pomona murmured. "They love Pokémon so much, but to them they're not really real?Aw... I bet they'd all love to come to this planet," she speculated. She gave a small gasp as Shibo voiced the concern about meat. "No bacon- that's horrible!" Pomona agreed.


"Well, that's good, at least," said Millicent. "Who is this teammate, though?" she added. Shelley likewise asked this question, in the form of two puffs of smoke. One took the shape of a question mark, while the other continually shifted to form various Pokémon shapes. Electrode, Diglett, Nidoran, Mankey, and so forth.


Cyanide approached Pom. For a brief moment she considered turning his head with Psychic to get him to look at her, but considering why he wasn't meeting her gaze, she figured that might not actually help matters much. Instead, she kissed Pom. "Pom, look at me," she said. "You know how if you keep running for a while, even if you take a little break along the way, you end up getting tired? Your muscles get tired if you don't let them rest. And the brain's a muscle, too. Look, Pom, this doesn't have to do with you succeeding or failing- you gotta try and relax, and really rest up your mind, if you want to get better at this. You're not failing- when we started, you did great at resisting my attempts. That right there is what you're capable of when you're really ready. You're better at this than you're giving yourself credit for. And if you'll let me, I will be glad to keep helping you- provided you give your mind the rest it needs," she added with a small grin. "You're not gonna master this in the span of a single afternoon, Pom, and if you try, you're just gonna wear yourself out."


Luna smiled again as Freighya calmed down and thanked her, though said smile faded somewhat as she turned to face Arthur, who... did not react well to Freighya's observation, to say the least. And then, upon Hayai's questioning, the Rotom played it off as if he had been telekinetically compelled to say such things. By Luna. The Swoobat did not immediately react to the heinous accusations against her, instead merely tilting her head and fixing Arthur with that curious gaze of hers. Only when Hayai demanded an apology did Luna turn to the Blitzle. If there was any truth to Arthur's claims, I would be only too glad to apologize for doing such things, came the Swoobat's response. I can see you are owed an apology, but I feel it won't mean as much coming from me as it would from Arthur. She turned back to the Rotom, who was now spouting even more lies, this time in an attempt to turn Frieghya against Luna. Her head tilted again as she looked at- maybe even into- the Rotom. I think I understand now, she said telepathically. I think you want to be a hero, and want it so badly that if there is no villain for you to prove yourself against, you resort to inventing one. Luna sounded almost sad as she said this. I am sorry you have no real villain to prove yourself against. Of course, if you wish, you would be more than welcome to join the fight against Stewie when he starts to put his plans into action, but for now, I must insist that you apologize to your friend, as well as mine, for lying to them. The Swoobat's telepathic tone, broadcast to all in the immediate vicinity, carried no hint of a threat.


Peeves silently surveyed his surroundings. He resisted the urge to exclaim in disgust as he witnessed the armored Machoke receiving electric shocks, or the Eevee being injected with Arceus only knows what. But what he couldn't see was the tracker. So far, anyway- clearly it was elsewhere in the building. Silently the Dusknoir moved further towards the back of the building- he'd see if it was anywhere on the ground floor. He'd take this search one floor at a time for simplicity's sake.


Zack's revelation about Project X was a rather unexpected one, though Keith seemed to be rather disturbed by it in particular. He visibly shuddered as he sat, the mention of memory modification prompting some... less than pleasant memories. Memories that made him see it as a necessity to produce his Chespin doll from his backpack and hold it close to him.

Jack sighed as he watched this, then turned to the others. "Altering memories- kind of a sore subject with him," he explained. "Question, though- the proper tools, I'm guessing that's something to counter the memory altering thingy, but... is it something you guys can make happen, or is it just these Catalyst goons what got that sort of technology?"

[EpicSquirtle]

As Peeves continued his search for the radar, things got more and more disturbing. One of the new rooms contained a large amount of cages, all crammed full with various Pokemon! One of the Pokemon was shaking on the cage door, begging to be let out.
The begging soon stopped as the woman inside the room opened one of the cages, dragging a small Lillipup out of it. She then slammed it onto a nearby table, causing it to yelp in pain....

The next room appeared to be used as a transportation room. Various Pokemon were crammed into cages, just like the ones in the previous room. A small door lead outside to a large dumpster.
Many hallways could also be seen as Peeves continued his search, various employee's walking back and forth between them.

Yet the radar still wasn't in sight. The ground level still seemed to have a few more rooms left, would the Dusknoir find the tracker there?
----
Keith didn't seem to take word of Project X's mind altering abilities too well. The Poison type trainer took out a Chespin doll from his bag, before holding it close to him.
"Sorry, didn't realize that." Zack apologized once Jack had explained the situation.
Jake, Telpo and Sophie said nothing, but all gave Keith a sympathetic look.

"As for your question, the "proper tools" are indeed able to counter Project X's mind altering abilities. While we at the CPA have the means to make such a thing, I can't, in good conscience, allow the development of such technology." Zack said firmly.
"In order to make the machine, one must first slaughter countless Dark Type Pokemon, in order to harvest their essence. With this dark essence, the machine can create a field of energy, blocking out any and all psychic influence." Zack explained.
"However, if this machine weren't horrific enough, it also runs out of fuel rather quickly. In order to keep fueling it, you must constantly murder the Pokemon that it requires."

[Missingno. Master]

Was it possible for a Dusknoir to vomit from rage? Peeves didn't know, but he felt as though he wasn't too far from finding out firsthand. The further he got into the building, the more disturbing and sickening the scenes became. Peeves shook his head- he had to keep focused on the mission. Had to find the tracker. Had to keep moving. Though he dreaded what he might see, he continued onward to the few remaining rooms on the ground floor.


"...It's OK, it's cool," Keith murmured as Zack apologized. "You didn't know. I just... I-it's not right," he mumbled.

Zack then went on to give the answer to Jack's question- yes,the CPA had the capacity to make such items to counter Project X's memory-altering abilities. And that's where the good news ended abruptly. The equipment required a very specific kind of fuel- the essence of slaughtered Dark-types. And as if that wasn't bad enough, this stuff did not get a lot of mileage out of a single load of fuel, meaning that Dark-types needed to be slaughtered on a nauseatingly constant basis. "...That is disgusting," Jack said to break the horrified silence that followed Zack's explanation. "And they're seriously OK with doing that... Holy shit...

"Yeah, we need to stop Team Catalyst," Keith stated. He stowed his Chespin doll back in his backpack, in the special compartment set aside for it alone. "And I thought Team Rocket was bad... I hope Peeves finds something soon," he added.

[EpicSquirtle]

As Peeves continued on his way, the Dusknoir came across some less unsettling rooms. One seemed to be a break room, a few people could be seen enjoying their meals inside. The next room appeared to be a storage room.
Various boxes containing unknown materials could be seen crammed into the back of the room. Several of the boxes looked as if they'd been there a while, some of them oozing strange, black liquid.
It seemed the rest of the ground floor was devoid of the radar.... Wait..way off to the side of the building was another room. Inside it, a man and a woman appeared to be having a conversation.
Unlike the rest of the employees, these two were wearing gray lab coats, a black x was stitched on the back and side of them. If Peeves was to approach the room, he would be able to hear their conversation...

On the other hand, the radar was still no where to be seen. Would Peeves investigate the strangely garbed employees, or continue his search for the radar?
----
Jack seemed horrified at the explanation of Team Catalyst's machine, as did the others.
"Sadly they do seem to be ok with this." Zack replied to Jack. "I said it before, they've completely lost touch of what they wanted to do with Project X in the first place. They've become everything they originally despised."

"Yeah, we definitely need those scumbags eradicated." Sophie nodded. "They make my blood boil just thinking about them."
"Indeed....just your explanation of that machine has left me sick." Telpo added.

"That is the plan. We just need an opportunity to strike...when Team Catalyst is at it's weakest. Unfortunately today is not that day." Zack stated.
"We just got to take it one step at a time. Destroying their Project X tracker will surely help weaken them."

[Missingno. Master]

Peeves paused as he saw the man and the woman. The ground floor offered no answers, so going up was clearly the way forward. But... just what were they saying? Would it be useful information? Peeves had to find out. Silently he moved towards the room, so as to eavesdrop on them.


"Despicable," spat the Ditto. "Just... Gah! You should've brought your Banette," he said to Keith. "Both of 'em. These Catalyst fuckwads deserve the nastiest Curses any Ghost has ever dished up."

"They'd tire themselves out before Cursing even half of them," Keith retorted. "Though it must be said, your idea does have a certain appeal to it," he added fairly.

Zack went on to state that they were to strike when Team Catalyst was at its weakest. This wasn't gonna be today, though their efforts to destroy the tracker would surely lead them closer to that day. Keith and Jack nodded in agreement with Zack's words. "It'll certainly set them back," Keith agreed.

"Gah... Y'know, it's too bad Project X'll just wipe our memories if we get too close," sighed Jack. "I'd like to be able to talk to the guy, y'know, one-on-one. One Ditto to another. I mean... Any other Ditto in the world, they're kinda like family to me. You know what I'm talking about, yeah?" he added to Keith.

Keith nodded. "I do indeed," he said.

Just then, Jack's eyes lit up. "Saaaaaay," he murmured. "Zack- you said that the anti-memory wipe stuffs, that's powered by the essense of Dark-types?"

"Oh, jeez, Jack, don't remind us-" groaned Keith.

"No, no, no, hear me out here," said Jack. "I mean, think about that- if they gotta have Dark-types powering this shit, think about what that means- maybe Dark-types themselves are immune to the memory wipe effect," he said. "What if we track down Project X, right? And I turn myself into an Umbreon or a Mandibuzz or something, yeah? I get my Ditto-to-Ditto chat with the guy, I try to convince him to trust us, and he can't wipe my memories. What do you think- any chance this'll work?" he asked Zack.

[EpicSquirtle]

As Peeves made his way over to the pair, parts of their conversation began to become more and more clear to the ghost.

"-and that's why I think we should quit while we're ahead. I mean, I don't plan on working in this dump forever." The man said.
"Same. I just wish the boss would hurry up and find that stupid Ditto already. Speaking of, did you hear about the radar?" The woman asked her colleague. "Apparently Steven was saying that our target has been sited nearby."

"Really? Hey, maybe we can catch X for ourselves? I'm sure we could become the new admins of Catalyst once we turn that baby in." The man replied.
"Are you stupid? Of course we can't do that! Haven't you heard? Apparently X has some memory erasing powers." The woman explained.

"Oh yeah..I remember hearing about that, I guess you're right then. Oh well, so much for that promotion. I was looking forward to it to, just seeing Ryan's face after I kick his smug face down from admin, to a regular employee."
"Okkkkk then....I'm just going to go." The woman said, turning to exit the room.

"Hold up. Where's the radar again? I mean I kinda want to check it out for myself." The man said. "You know, since it's being so hyped up by Steven.
"I'm afraid you can't. Remember? The fifth floor is closed off to us low level employees..."

It seemed that listening to the pair had payed off! If the woman was correct, the tracker was on the fifth floor! Would Peeves go off in search of the tracker, or listen to the pair ramble some more?
----
Sophie couldn't help but smile as Jack expressed that he really wanted to talk to Project X, them being family and all. It seemed the Ditto was quite determined to come up with a way for the two to meet, something that Sophie admired.
Jack's idea was that he could transform into a dark type, before meeting with Project X. With his memory protected, Jack could try and convince the follow Ditto to trust them.
"Though I respect your resolve to meet Project X, I don't think it'll work." Sophie spoke up. "I mean, even if your memories can't be wiped, I'm sure that Project X has other ways of dealing with you. Besides, I doubt one Ditto would be able to get Project X to change it's heart, after all that it's had to endure.
"Sophie makes a point." Zack added. "Even without memory altering effects, Project X is something you probably wouldn't want to face in a battle. That's without considering the fact that we don't know it's exact location."

[kawaiiconcept]

Kawaii nodded "Cerno loves to battle."
Cassiopia smiled at the notion "Well on that planet they have animals that are very close to but not quite pokemon. Some animals are friends some are food. They get their hamburger and steak meat ,and also milk, from animals that look like miltank but on four legs and either white, black or brown. They get their bacon from animals that look like tepig but are all pink. Chicken meat is like torchic meat but without the fire powers. In fact, animals in their world dont have powers at all." cassiopia was enjoying the eager looks on Pamona and Shibo's faces as she told her tale.
Cerno wooshed around the weedle's attack and fired COTTON like SPOREs from his fluff.
Frieghya said nothing waiting for the Rotom's reply.

[EpicSquirtle]

"O-oh...that's kinda neat." Jake said, having noticed the Cottonee and Weedle.
"I-it seems that the Cottonee has a m-major disadvantage though...."
----
Cassopia explained that they had creatures similar to Pokemon, and that some were friends, while others were a food source. However, all the creatures didn't have any powers at all.
"Wow...that's crazy." Shibo said. "But yeah..I think Pomona's right, I think they would really like it here. Or maybe it would be too much for them, and completely blow their minds. Who really knows."
----
Both Millicent and Shelly seemed curious on just who Telpo's mute teammate was.
"Oh yeah, oops...umm he's a Murkrow, and his name is Robin, though he seems to be ok with Robby as well." Telpo explained. "But yeah, he's made friends with my trainers Shinx and Emolga, and they usually help him out when they can."
----
To Pom's surprise, instead of berating him, Cyanide gave him a kiss, before asking him to look her in the eyes. At her request, Pom hesitantly met her eyes with his.

Cyanide explained that it had nothing to do with him failing or succeeding, and that he needed to relax and rest his mind.
She continued, telling Pom that he wasn't failing, and that he was better then he was giving himself credit for.

"I.......I guess you might be right." Pom replied weakly. "I mean...if you're ok with me resting a bit longer...then I guess I should."
"But tell me when you think we should get back to training, I wouldn't want you to think I'm slacking off." Pom added.
----
Luna remained completely calm through both of the Electric Types words. She acknowledged that Hayai needed an apology, but that it wouldn't mean as much for her to say it, compared to Arthur.
"I-is that your way of saying Arthur's a liar?" Hayai questioned. "Because he's not! He's my friend....and friends wouldn't lie to each other."

Luna then moved on to Arthur, stating that she understood what was going on. Arthur wanted to be a hero so badly, that he would make up villains in order for him to play his role.
"H-how dare you accuse me of making up villains!" Arthur exclaimed. "It's clear as can be that you're the real villain here!"

But the Swoobat continued, saying that the Rotom was welcome to join the fight against Stewie, once Stewie began his plans of domination. She then insisted he apologize to Hayai and Frieghya for lying to them.

"Lying?! Do you have any idea who you're messing with?!" Arthur roared.
"I would not lie to these Pokemon, unlike you! If you insist on lying to everyone, then I'll have no choice but to beat you to a bloody pulp! I'll make you slowly suffer as I tear your body to shreds! I'll spill your guts onto the floor, leaving your trainer to find your pathetic remains!"

Hayai gave the Rotom a concerned glance, slightly mortified about what his friend had said.

"Luna's...trying..to gain...back control.." Arthur replied, acting as if he was struggling with something.

"I've had enough! I told you to stop hurting my friend!" Hayai shouted at the Swoobat.
"You said that Arthur needs to apologize? No, you do. Right now. Apologize for trying to deceive Frieghya and I, as well as trying to control my friend. The Blitzle continued.
"If you don't...then I will have no choice but to strike you down."

[Missingno. Master]

"And so does Albus," Keith grinned in response to Kawaii's words. Then, he nodded at Jake's observation. "Going by type, you're right," he agreed. "Though I've seen enough to know that type advantage isn't always everything. Albus is pretty good, but if Cerno's also good, I'll bet things will get real interesting real fast." Indeed, as he observed, Cerno evaded the String Shot and countered with Cotton Spore.

Albus was taken aback at the sheer speed with which the Cotton Spore was delivered. It was fast. Very fast. Was the Cottonee's Ability Prankster? He couldn't quite tell, but he had to consider the possibility all the same. He was right in his assessment that slowing down Cerno would be a necessity. The problem now being, was it even a possibility? Albus knew he had to try if he wanted to even land a hit on the Cottonee. He held his position for the time, but was ready to fire off an Electroweb should Cerno close the gap between them. And if his next attack was another ranged move, no matter- Albus would fire the Electroweb as a counterattack. And if it ensnared Cerno after blocking the move, all the better.


Pomona was in awe as Cassiopia told of the strange creatures of the world she'd seen. She was confused at the concept of these creatures not possessing any powers like Pokémon did, though. She tried to imagine it- a pink Tepig that couldn't spew fire. It was inconceivable to her. "Wow," she said. "Yeah, I bet the people of that world would love it here. Maybe some of them even wish they could be on a planet like ours," she speculated. "I'd like to meet people like that," she smiled.


"He does sound nice," Millicent smiled. "Can't you communicate with him through telepathy, though?" she asked. "Or is that impossible with Dark-types?"


Cyanide smiled at Pom's words. "I'll let you know," she replied. "Why don't we go do something else for now? Hey- do you swim?" she added.


In hindsight, perhaps it was unsurprising that when accused of lying, Arthur the Rotom responded... by continuing to lie. He kept trying to pin blame on Luna, and what was worse, Hayai was swallowing these lies like a Swalot swallows... well, anything, really. He threatened to strike down Luna if she refused to apologize. Considering the significant type disadvantage Luna had here, one might think she would look worried. But no- hers was a somewhat sad look as she eyed Hayai. You really are a good friend, the Swoobat commented. You're loyal, to the point where you're prepared to fight those you believe have wronged your friends. I admire and respect Pokémon like you. I only wish you were more perceptive when it comes to the truth, she added, sounding somewhat sad now. I show the same degree of loyalty to anyone I can call friend. However, I am also quite good at telling whether someone's lying or not, so it's difficult for someone to manipulate my loyalty for their own purposes. She gave a small sigh before continuing her telepathy. I do not wish to fight you. If I believed that giving a false apology for wrongs I have not committed would fix everything, I would do so in a heartbeat. But that's not going to fix everything. It would stop you from attacking me, true, but that's about all the good it would do. Plus, I can't bring myself to apologize for something I didn't do. If that means you fight me, then of course I'll take you on. You look like you'd make for a skilled and worthy opponent, though I greatly wish the circumstances of such a battle could be more friendly. A pause. I've said all I can say, Luna added. All I can do now is await your decision. Frieghya, she added, now addressing the Eevee. Should Hayai decide to attack me, I think it would be wise if you backed up- I don't want you getting hurt should an attack misfire.


Peeves's eye widened. He had hit the eavesdropping jackpot! The two employees were discussing the tracker. On the fifth floor! The low-level Catalyst Grunts weren't even permitted access, but like such things mattered to a Ghost-type. Peeves decided- the fifth floor was his destination. But not just yet- he kept listening, for the grunts kept talking. Suppose they spill any more valuable tidbits? Every little bit helps, after all.


Jack did not look dissuaded by Sophie and Zack. "I... I still want to try, at the very least," he said adamantly. "I mean, yeah, we can't track it, obviously, so I'm probably not gonna get the chance, but... I mean, what, it was born in some lab, knowing nothing but the jerks who made it, probably treated more like a means to an end than a living being? If there is any Ditto on the face of the planet that can relate, you're looking at him," stated Jack. "You know why I consider every other Ditto in the world to be like family? Because technically they are. Every Ditto in existence is, however distantly, descended from yours truly." Jack sighed. "You probably know the story- Team Rocket makes Mewtwo, Cinnabar Labs burns down, yadda yadda yadda... Point is, Mewtwo wasn't their first end result. It was their second. I was considered their failed attempt at cloning Mew. Were it not for that Dr. Fuji, I probably would've thought all humans were assholes. I... I just... Project X sounds like what I'd be like if I didn't know Dr. Fuji, I guess," said Jack. "I just..." He trailed off, deep in thought.

[Marion Ette]

Originally Posted by Missingno. Master

Peeves opened the door, and in doing so, confirmed what everyone had basically already guessed- Bedivere the Jellicent was at the door, and from the sound of things, as polite and courteous as ever, apologizing for arriving without advance notice, and explaining that the person accompanying him had no desire for others to know where exactly she currently was. He finished by requesting permission to enter. "Yeah, of course, come on in," Peeves nodded, floating aside to allow Bedivere enter, as well as Marion. "Good to see you, too," Peeves nodded to Marion, and he gave a respectful bow to August before continuing to speak. "Er... Marion?" he added. "Um, I don't suppose you might happen to have... y'know... brought Lil with you?" he asked hopefully.

Marion shifts uncomfortably, looking at one of the Pokeballs on her belt. "Actually, Peeves... That was part of why I came here. I'm concerned that, given all of the responsibilities I've taken on recently, and given how infrequently Lil has been able to see you, that maybe - well, I know that Keith has a whole lot of Pokemon to take care of, so maybe it's unfair of me to ask, but perhaps it would be better for the two of you if he took Liliana. I really don't think she's adapting well to our new lives, and I think she would do better among friends." Marion takes a hard look at Peeves, gauging his reaction to her proposition.

Meanwhile, back in the living room, Minerva tenses, her heart racing. Those voices... it could be none other than Bedivere and her sister, which meant that damned dragon was probably following them, too. Even so, what better opportunity was there to attempt to seek her sister's forgiveness? Turning to Keith, she tries to keep her composure.

"So... Are we gonna say hello to that visitor of yours?"

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by Marion Ette

Marion shifts uncomfortably, looking at one of the Pokeballs on her belt. "Actually, Peeves... That was part of why I came here. I'm concerned that, given all of the responsibilities I've taken on recently, and given how infrequently Lil has been able to see you, that maybe - well, I know that Keith has a whole lot of Pokemon to take care of, so maybe it's unfair of me to ask, but perhaps it would be better for the two of you if he took Liliana. I really don't think she's adapting well to our new lives, and I think she would do better among friends." Marion takes a hard look at Peeves, gauging his reaction to her proposition.

Meanwhile, back in the living room, Minerva tenses, her heart racing. Those voices... it could be none other than Bedivere and her sister, which meant that damned dragon was probably following them, too. Even so, what better opportunity was there to attempt to seek her sister's forgiveness? Turning to Keith, she tries to keep her composure.

"So... Are we gonna say hello to that visitor of yours?"

Peeves's eye widened as Marion made her suggestion. "Well, I- I think it's worth a try to at least ask him," the Dusknoir replied. "I- I'd be all for this, personally, and, well, I can't speak for Keith, but I can't think of a single reason he'd object to it. He's always been happy to have Lil over- he even keeps extra cookies around in case she visits."


Meanwhile, Keith had come to the same conclusion as Minerva- well, they'd already guessed that Bedivere was there, but yes, he was hearing Marion's voice as well. He looked at Minerva- she seemed willing to take this opportunity to try and reconcile with her sister, and Keith was very much willing to help this to happen. "Let's go," he agreed, leading the way into the hallway. "Hi, Marion," Keith smiled, greeting his friend. He noted the look of hope and longing in Peeves's eye, and figured that something was to be asked of him soon. Something that, very clearly, would be a very happy turn of events for Peeves. Of course, he had to wait for the topic to actually come up, but whatever it was, he had a feeling he'd be saying yes.

[kawaiiconcept]

Kawaii nodded "Cerno is quite smart."
Cassiopia nodded and smiled mysterously "maybe someday you shall."
Cerno was caught under the electroweb, he did not let that stop him. The cottonee closed his eyes and let rip a WIND imbeded with FAIRY magic. The force tore through the web and hit the weedle with its force and bits of his very own web.
Frieghya nodded and backed up a bit, quite eager to see Luna fight again.

[EpicSquirtle]

Jake nodded as Keith said type advantage wasn't everything. It was true, Jake had witnessed many Pokemon win, despite whatever type advantage they had.
The one that stood out in his mind was when Dusty had taken on a giant Salamence. After evolving, Dusty had become weak to it's attacks, and yet she had still managed to pull off a win...

"W-well...I guess...I guess we'll have to wait and see."
----
"I'd like to meet people like that too." Shibo said. "Just to see the look on their face, it'd be amazing."
Cassopia then said that the pair would perhaps meet them someday.
"Huh? I'm not really sure how..." The Lickitung murmured. "I mean...their planet is probably really far away. I don't think we really have the means to travel that far in space."
"Speaking of which, how did you manage to come across all these planets anyway?"
----
Millicent questioned if Telpo could communicate with him via telepathy, or if he wasn't able to do it with dark types.
Telpo said nothing for a few seconds, processing just what the Timburr had said.
"Umm...is it stupid that I never thought of that before?" Telpo asked. "I mean..he's been on the team for...I think three years now....and I just realized that that might be an option. I feel kind of dumb now."

"Wait, what about Shelly?" Telpo questioned. "I mean, can any of your teammates communicate with her via telepathy?"
----
Cyanide assured Pom that she would tell him they should continue training. She then suggested they did something else, asking if Pom swam.

"Umm...I do on occasion. I mean... I haven't been able to as of late...my trainer doesn't really like swimming." Pom explained. "Our base doesn't have any sort of pool either, so yeah...not as of late."
"But I'd be up for it, if that was what you were going to suggest." The Ambipom added.
----
Once again Luna didn't respond in anger, instead telling Hayai that he was a good friend. He was loyal and willing to fight for his friends, something that the Swoobat admired.
She continued, saying that she didn't want to fight the Blitzle, but she couldn't apologize for something she hadn't done. Luna even told Hayai he looked skilled and a worthy opponent.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?" Hayai asked Luna, tears began to drip down his face.
"T-that's.....you're the first one to....say such kind words to me....even Arthur isn't that nice..." The Blitzle continued.
"B-but...you're still hurting my friends....and I can't allow it....I-I can't. I said that I-I'd strike you down if you didn't apologize...and I mean it!"

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Hayai began to gather electrical energy creating a blue orb of it in front of him. From the orb, a wave of electricity shot out towards Luna, ready to follow it's target in order to Shock her!

Arthur could barely contain his laughter as Hayai threw his first attack at Luna. His plan had been a success! The Rotom had been planning to attack the Swoobat from the very beginning, should she have failed them.
But all wasn't exactly how Arthur had planned it to be. For one, that dreaded Eevee had decided to stay out of the fight entirely! He didn't really care which side Frieghya would have picked, so long as she would join the blood bathes.
Well if she wasn't going to join the fight on her own accord, he would make her!
The Rotom zoomed towards the pink Eevee, before unleashing his own Shock Wave at her. No matter where she ran, Frieghya was soon going to find out what happened to those that stood against Arthur!

----
Instead of going off in search of the tracker, Peeves decided to listen to the pair a bit more...

"-Bet that Ryan is allowed to go up there!" The man exclaimed.

"Dude, what's your problem with Ryan anyway?" The woman asked. "Of course he can go up there, he's an admin. All four of the admins are allowed access." She explained.

"I don't know...that guy just rubs me the wrong way. All smug because of that stupid tournament thing he has going." The man replied.

"Really? I think Steven's worse. Thinks he's all special cause his family started this whole facility."

It seemed that the pair's conversation had shifted to talk of their higher ups. Would Peeves take the opportunity to find the radar? Or would he continue to listen to what the grunts had to say....
----
Jack still seemed insistent on meeting Project X, stating that if anyone could relate, it would be him. Jack explained that the reason he considered every Ditto family, was because they were. Apparently Jack was the very first Ditto, making every other one his descendants. He went on to explain his origins.
Everyone in the room had heard about the story of Mewtwo's creation, but what they didn't know, was what came before it.
Apparently Mewtwo wasn't the first result of their experiment, Jack was. If it wasn't for a certain Dr. Fuji, Jack speculated that he would have been just like Project X.

"Wow...I never knew..." Sophie murmured. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through something like that..."

"Y-yeah." Jake added. "That must h-have been terrifying."

"Indeed, it is unfortunate how much suffering these groups have caused." Zack said with a nod.

"Hey wait, I get why you want to meet Project X now! You just want to meet your long lost child." Sophie teased Jack.
"Like some sort of father-child bonding time." She continued, hoping that this would be enough to cheer the Ditto up...

[Missingno. Master]

"Then this should definitely prove interesting," Keith stated, watching the battle with interest. He nodded at Jake's words as well.

Albus was grazed by a small shocking scrap of his own Electroweb, but only by that much- the Weedle had had the foresight to shoot String Shot at the ceiling and reel it in in order to evade the counterattack he was sure was coming. He knew the Electroweb would slow Cerno down, but a resisted hit like that would be an easy matter to bounce back from. Fortunately, the Weedle's Shield Dust meant that he incurred no further Speed drops from the Electroweb fragment. Once he was almost at the ceiling, he let fall a spray of Poison Sting needles all over the battlefield.


Pomona's eyes widened with wonder and awe as Cassiopia suggested that they might actually go to that planet someday. "Woooow! You really think so?" she asked Cassiopia. As Shibo asked how this could even be possible, and indeed, how it was possible for the Elgyem, Pomona listened intently, wanting to know this herself.


"Ahh, it's not stupid," Millicent shook her head. "But hey, now that you know, you can try it." Then, she listened as Telpo asked if any of Keith's Pokémon had tried telepathic communication with Shelley. "...Well, Luna says she never tried," admitted Millicent. "She finds it far too interesting to watch Shelley do what she does with her smoke. And... I don't think Gemini and Mustard ever thought to try, honestly," she remarked. Those were her only teammates capable of telepathy at this time, considering the storyline took place before Keith caught Andromeda. "And Willow... well, what she does really isn't telepathy, so much as it is-"

I am able to make my voice audible only to those I wish to hear me, the ghost explained.

Millicent nodded. "...that," she finished. "Hey, Telpo- why don't you try with Shelley? If it's OK?" she added, turning to the Torkoal. But Shelley seemed open to the idea, even if a bit shy. She gave a tiny nod, and a puff of smoke shaped like an Abra.


"Yeah, follow me," grinned Cyanide. She led the way out to the hallway, and through the door into the room with the swimming pool. There were numerous windows around, including in the ceiling, to allow lots of sunlight into the room. The Umbreon jumped into the pool, treading water quite effectively. Elsewhere in the pool, a Shiny Slowbro was swimming lazily, a vacant expression on his face, as usual. The Shellder on his tail, however, took notice of the newcomers, and muffled a greeting to Pom. The words were indistinguishable, but the tone was polite.


Hayai was in tears- apparently Luna was the only one ever to treat the Blitzle with such kindness. It really did hurt him to attack Luna at this point, but Luna nodded. She knew why the Blitzle saw this as necessary, and she would not hold a grudge just because Hayai did what he felt was right. She gave a nod to Hayai, and the battle began. Luna started by closing her eyes, compelling her Mind to Calm itself. The Shock Wave hit, but Luna did not flinch, still smiling serenely as the super effective move made contact. Calm Mind's effect generally wasn't quite that powerful, but Luna found it a Simple matter to magnify the move's effects. When she opened her eyes, however, she saw that Arthur had launched a Shock Wave of his own- at Freighya! The Swoobat flew into action, and rushed past Frieghya, leaving a Substitute in her wake. Rather than use it for her own defense, however, Luna allowed the Substitute to take the hit intended for Freighya. The Substitute had the same Special Defense boosts from Calm Mind that Luna herself sported, so while it withstood the Shock Wave without fading, it would likely only hold up against one more attack.

Excuse me, Luna said to Arthur. Did you just attack my friend? I'm afraid I cannot tolerate that. My substitute will defend her from one more hit. I ask that you do not cause the Substitute to fade, she said simply, as she waited for Hayai's next move. This battle is between myself and Hayai. Neither of us have wronged you, but you have not even accused Frieghya of wronging you as you have accused me. I will not attack you... as long as you don't attack my friend anymore.


Peeves listened- the topic of conversation had shifted to that of Catalyst's higher-ups. He already had two of the four admins' names, as well as the knowledge that there were four admins to begin with. He decided to keep listening- maybe they would spill the other two names. He knew he had to find the tracker, but he also knew that would be just the tip of the Bergmite. Peeves intended to gather as much intel as he could.


Jack nodded, giving a small, appreciative smile as Sophie, Jake, and Zack all started to understand his desire to get through to Project X. He even chuckled at Sophie's teasing comment. "Yeah... I just feel like, if I could be to Project X what Dr. Fuji was to me... I mean, I never really got to repay the man for his kindness, this feels like it'd be a good start, y'know?" Keith nodded- Jack had told him this whole story once before, so none of this came as a surprise to him.

[kawaiiconcept]

Kawaii stayed quiet as the battle continued.
Cassiopia shruged I was born floating through space. The people pr creatures on other planets had some kind of rocket-like system that returned me to space."
Cerno had the infiltrator ability which allowed his attack to pass through barriers. He flapped his rainbow wings stirring up a GUST ready to blow albus off the ceiling.
Maybe it was her inner Espeon coming through but Frieghya had a gut feeling that Cyanide was at the pool. She nodded to Luna then scampered to the pool room.
She was panting by the time she got there and was relieved to see she had been right. Cyanide! a Rotom is reaking havoc. He's convinced that Blitzle that Luna is working for Stewie. Luna is holding them off but he nearly got me in a shock wave. I'm so scared." she began to shake and cry again.

[EpicSquirtle]

Cassopia explained that she was born in space, and that the people on other planets had a rocket-like system that allowed her to return.

"Wow. So, like the rocket ships at Mossdeep city? Or are they even more advanced then that?" Shibo questioned.
"Either way that's kinda impressive that they're able to have that sort of technology without the help of Pokemon."
----
Millicent explained that Luna, Gemini, and Mustard had never tried talking to Shelly via telepathy. Millicent also explained that what Willow did wasn't telepathy, the latter explaining that she could make her voice heard by only those she wanted to hear it.

"Oh...I see..." Telpo murmured.
Millicent then suggest that Telpo try communicating with Shelly. The Torkoal seemed on board with the idea, making a puff of smoke in Telpo's likeness.

"Alright. This should be interesting." Telpo said with a nod, before floating closer to Shelly.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" The Abra's voice chimed in Shelly's head. Telpo was eager to see what Shelly would say, if anything at all.
----
Cyanide led Pom out of the room and down the hallway, before opening a door to reveal a beautiful swimming pool. The room had lots of windows, even in the ceiling.
Cyanide seemed eager to begin swimming, jumping in the pool right away. Pom followed the Umbreon, allowing the nice, cool water to wash over him as he dived in.
Though Pom wasn't the best of swimmers, he seemed to be good at keeping himself afloat. Suddenly the Ambipom heard a strange noise, and turned to see a Slowbro, with a Shellder on it's tail.
Unsure of what it had been trying to say, Pom gave the pair a wave with one of his tails.
----
Before Hayai's attack could hit, Luna Calmed her mind, allowing herself to take the Shock wave without even flinching.

The Swoobat didn't seem too happy with Arthur though. Luna managed to make a substitute of herself, blocking Frieghya from further harm. She then requested that Arthur didn't attack the Eevee, stating that the battle was between Hayai and her.

"Fine." Arthur scoffed, before turning his attention to Hayai.
"Don't worry Hayai, I'm here to back you up!" The Rotom called, before firing a Shock Wave at him. Unlike Luna, the attack seemed to do no damage to Hayai. Instead, the Blitzle's body absorbed the electricity, using it's energy to increase his speed with his ability, Motor Drive.

Satisfied with what he had done, Arthur turned back to Frieghya, only to spot the Eevee running away.
"Hey! Come back here you impudent worm!" Arthur shouted, taking off after the pink Eevee.

Back at the battle, with his new found speed, Hayai Wildly charged at Luna, his entire body covered in electricity!
----
Meanwhile, Arthur continued to chase down Frieghya, following her into what appeared to be a swimming room. Then, much to Arthur's horror, the pink Eevee told Cyanide everything that had happened.

"Now now Frieghya..I think that's enough." Arthur said, not seeming to care that the Eevee was crying.
"You see...this fight was supposed to be between Hayai and Luna, and I won't let anyone interfere with it." The Rotom said, before turning his attention to Cyanide and Pom.

"I'm not going to lie to you two, what Frieghya says is true. However, Hayai and Luna must not be disturbed. If any of you have a problem with that....then I'm afraid you'll have to go through me first."

Pom said nothing in response to Arthur's words, instead waiting for what Cyanide had to say. However, the look he was giving the Rotom implied that he wasn't too happy with him.

----
"-she's at least nicer then the rest." The woman finished.

"Yeah, I agree she is the nicest of the four." The man said with a nod.

"So....I never did get to ask you...what type do you specialize in again?" The woman asked.

"Ground types of course." The man replied. "That way I can easily crush Ryan and his dumb Electric types, should the need arise."

"I should of figured." The woman said with a sigh, before checking her xtransceiver.
"Well....I've gotta get going. Wouldn't want to be late. Umm....good luck with that whole, defeating Ryan thing though." The woman said as she exited the room.

With one of them gone, it was highly unlikely that Peeves would hear any more information by staying here. Still, if the Dusknoir wanted, he could continue eaves dropping, in hopes that the man would say anything else.
----
Much to Sophie's delight, Jack seemed to chuckle at her comment. He then explained that he never got to repay Dr. Fuji for his kindness, the Ditto felt like talking to Project X would be a good start.

"Hey well...though the probability isn't especially high, you could always meet Dr. Fuji again." Telpo chimed. "I mean you never know, stranger things have happened before."
"Yeah." Jake added. "I-I mean...you c-could try finding him again....r-right?"

[Missingno. Master]

"So cool," Pomona smiled. "Why'd they return you to space, though?" she added. "Didn't they like you? Or did you ask them to?"


Cerno's Gust hit its mark, and Albus flailed around in the attack, still stubbornly clinging to the String Shot strand what still tethered him to the ceiling. However, the strand could only take so much before it finally snapped. But Albus had figured this would happen- he managed to steer himself in midair, falling right towards Cerno, and ready to land a Bug Bite upon contact.


For a moment, Telpo heard no response, though Shelley shyly pulled herself into her shell. Then, once all that could be seen of the Torkoal was the shell, a small voice echoed in Telpo's mind, one which nobody had ever heard before. Um... h-h-hi, the voice said quietly.


Luna watched with interest as Arthur launched a Shock Wave at Hayai, activating the latter's Motor Drive. She seemed to be mentally preparing herself. Psyching herself Up, as it were. And then, once Hayai came barreling in for a Wild Charge, Luna spread her wings wide, gave a great flap, and was in the air astoundingly quickly, flying above the Blitzle completely, out of range of the Wild Charge. Powerful, Luna remarked, sounding mildly impressed. But now I think it's my turn to attack, she added. Between the improved Calm Mind boosts and the Speed boost copied with Psych Up, Luna felt as though it might be time to use this move. She fired a pink beam of pure psychic energy from her heart-shaped nostril, sending a decent dose of Stored Power Hayai's way.


Cyanide's pleasant swim was short-lived, for Freighya came bursting in, shaking and crying as she explained what's been going on. And just as Cyanide climbed out of the pool, Arthur came rushing in- he confirmed Freighya's words as truth, but maintained that Luna and Hayai's fight must not be disturbed, and that anyone who thought otherwise had to get through him. Pom looked pissed about this, and Cyanide was no different. "That can be arranged," growled Cyanide. "Luna can handle herself fine. I've seen her in action. She's no pushover, even against Electric-types. But! Nobody but nobody makes my friend cry and gets away with it." And with that, the Umbreon let loose a Snarl attack, a series of vicious barks that generated visible dark soundwaves that would wash over the Rotom.


After the woman left, Peeves started to move onward and upward, literally. Unless the guy was going to start a highly incriminating conversation with himself, the Dusknoir had very likely heard everything he'd be able to hear. Now, on to the fifth floor.


"Yeah, I guess," Jack shrugged. "I... I mean, I hope he's still alive. Dude's gotta be old by now if he's still alive. And... well, I mean, you know the story- Mewtwo blew up the lab and everyone in it. If Fuji was at work that day..." He trailed off, shuddering at the prospect. "But yeah... I could definitely still try and see if I can find out."

"I'll help, too," Keith nodded. "I'd like to meet this Dr. Fuji myself, honestly."

"Thanks, dude," Jack smiled.