It was a bright, sunny day in Orre. As it usually was. Rain didn't come too often, and snow was basically unheard of. The ten years that had passed since the Shadow Pokemon epidemic were peaceful ones, nobody could have truly asked for better. The region was mostly at peace now, aside from minor crime here and there. It was certainly a place worth living in now, much more than before. Of course, not everyone is fit for the Orre lifestyle. Especially travelers without any transportation. A lone bus runs through the region, transporting people from place to place for a perhaps less than reasonable fee. Your adventure begins on this bus, which is heading towards the Pokemon HQ Lab. Some of the passengers may have considered this tour to be more... Official. Little did they know of the events currently happening at the lab.

Theme of the Pokemon HQ Lab

"Alright, everybody! We've got to make sure everything is ready for our visitors!" Michael said loudly, his voice reaching the scientists and breeders that worked in the lab. Everyone was hard at work, getting the rather cluttered lab full of notes and Pokemon cleaned up. Michael himself was personally dealing with a rather large steel bird Pokemon, known as a Skarmory. It was one of his own Pokemon, one that assisted him in battle from time to time. It seemed to look sad, as Michael crossed his arms. "You've got to go back into the garden for now. We've got visitors coming." He told the bird, and he simply got a depressed sigh as a reply.

Michael chuckled, and offered a smile to the large Pokemon. "Don't worry, the garden is part of the tour. You'll be able to meet them soon enough. Now get going! They might need your help getting the little ones outside." Though the Skarmory was still not pleased, it nodded and turned around, walking strait down the hall towards the back of the lab. "He's like a big baby." Michael muttered, as he turned around and walked towards the entrance. He had to greet the guests when they arrived, and that could be any minute. He wasn't exactly good at touring, or at least he didn't think he was, giving he never did such a thing before. There was a first time for everything though, right?

As he walked outside, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sunlight. He felt relieved, the fresh air was always good for making him less nervous. All that was left for him to do was wait. Michael wasn't known for being extremely patient, but as he stood there you could tell he was trying.

He heard the doors to the lab open, and glanced back, The girl that had walked out of the lab stopped in her tracks as soon as she was noticed.



"Where do you think you're going?" Michael asked, causing his sister to narrow her eyes. "Jovi's not a kid anymore, you can't just act like mom used to and worry all the time! Your hair'll fall out!" She shouted at him, being more playful rather than actually irritated. "Chobin again, right?" Michael wasn't going to let up on the questions, and his most resent one made her blush uncontrollably. "Jovi was... Just going to do some shopping!"

"Buying Chobin's inventions, right?" Michael snickered, watching as Jovi walked over to her scooter and hopped on. She glared at him for a moment, the big grin on his face almost making her laugh. "Jovi might. A gift for you, Jovi knows how much you love Chobin's inventions!" Her words sent a chill down Michael's spine, he nervously shook his head. "Aah... Thanks, Jovi. But I'll pass."

"Okay then!" Jovi said, starting up her scooter. She put her helmet on, and soon drove off. Hearing her brother's voice behind her. "Be back by twelve!"

Meanwhile, back on the bus...

A girl on a scooter zoomed by the bus as it approached the Pokemon HQ Lab. They were here at last! The drive felt like forever probably, for those who weren't used to travel times in Orre. For the driver, it was just another day on the road. He smirked as they pulled up to the lab, and looked back at the small group in his bus. "Well, kids. We're here. Thank you for using my service, and make sure to mention me to all your friends!" A laugh followed from the man, as he opened the doors. Professor Michael waited patiently in front of the lab, waiting for everybody to exit before he began speaking. A small welcoming, of sorts.

'Less people than I expected...' Michael thought, observing the group as they got off the bus. Once the five of them were in front of him, Michael knew he had to say something. A sort of... Welcoming. "Welcome!" He began, smiling happily at the group. "My name is Michael, and I study Pokemon in the Orre region! I'm very glad you could all make it here today, and I am also very thankful for your interest in the work that goes on here."

'Yeah. That sounded really good! I should do this more often...!'

"Aah, anyhow... Before we continue inside, may I ask your names? Just to make it a little easier to answer if you have any questions! Oh- Uh, ask any questions you think you need to, as well! I'll answer what I can!"

'Crap. I slipped up...' Michael bit the inside of his cheek, waiting for replies. He was certain this would be fine! What could possibly go wrong, right?

"Ele-Le-Kid!"

"Damn it, stop!"

Raizo glared at the bipedal electric-type, grabbing it's large, bulky fist right before it could punch him - yet again - in his jaw. This entire bus ride was taking waaay to long, and after an hour of sleeping the trainer was awoken by his Pokemon punching him repeatedly in the jaw; for no reason! He sincerely doubted that the Pokemon was bored, seeing as it usually entertained itself with electricity when Raizo slept, so the electric-type was only doing it to annoy him. "Kid Kid!" The disgruntled Pokemon growled back, standing up in the leathery, torn seat of the sweaty bus and attempting to punch Rai with it's other fist. Similar to the first time, Raizo merely grabbed the fist and twisted it sharply, causing Elekid to grunt in embarassment as it tripped from the sudden pressure, falling face-first onto the sticky floor.

"'Tis what ya get for messing with the best," Raizo grinned his usual rugged smirk, running a thumb over his nose and turning the other way snidely. Elekid growled, electricity sparking between it's large, plug-like ears. "ELEKID!" It yelped, before tackling the back of Raizo's pack and releasing a small voltage of electricity-charged power right into it's trainer's system. Raizo merely ignored the, to anyone else, painful shock, turning his head towards Elekid with his brown eyes twitching harshly. His spiky brown hair was smoking, standing straight up due to the sudden discharge of electricity.

"Oh no you just didn't..." he began, a brutal smirk making it's way onto his face, but Elekid matched it with his own cocky grin. They stared at each other, one sparking with electricity and the other smoking from it, until the gruff voice of the bus driver snapped them both out of it. "Well, kids. We're here. Thank you for using my service, and make sure to mention me to all your friends!" the man stated, and at once the staring contest was over, with Elekid grabbing onto Raizo's bag as the muscular, scarred teen stood up and cracked his sore appendages, looking back at the other children. Two girls and two boys. An even number. "See ya out there, kiddies." he smirked, flashing them the peace sign before dashing off the bus. Elekid leaped off of his bag and landed on the top of a bus seat, flashing the group a peace sign as well before turning around with a grin of it's own.

"Ele-ele-kid, Kid!"

---

Raizo and Elekid settled down outside of the bus, noting the tall figure of Michael standing right in front of them. Their journies had brought them face-to-face with dangerous Pokemon, criminals, and even some VERY weird stuff, but to be in front of a hero was...interesting. As the other kids settled beside him, Raizo grinned and stepped forward, Elekid bouncing after him.

"Yo! Name's Raizo, or Rai, whatever. Nice to meet you all." he said, rough tone friendly and eager. Elekid leaped onto his head, nestling itself into spiky brown bangs. "Ele-Kid!" it yelled out, flashing a Thundershock into the air.

A little bus riding music. :)

Tyler rode in the back of the bus on the bench that spanned the width of the bus. Napoleon sat in front of him wagging his tail happily for the petting he was receiving from a young girl in a pink dress and wide yellow eyes. "Your pokemon is so cute mister. He sure loves getting petted doesn't he?" She squealed in joy as the Furfrou shook its fur strait and barked his appreciation for the attention. "He sure does. You know what he likes better than getting pet?" The girl shook her head in youthful awe. "Getting treats. You want to give him one?" "Yeah yeah yeah," she bounced up in down in excitement. Smiling Tyler handed the girl a piece of pokemon food and told her, "Now the trick to it is he can only take food from friends, and how do you make friends?" "You shake hands silly." And with that Napoleon handed the little girl his paw. She squealed again with glee as she shook his paw and fed him his treat. It was about this time the bus halted in it tracks and the man driving said they had arrived to the Pokemon Lab. Tyler was surprised to see such a small group of kids his age get up and exit the bus to visit the Champion Professor.

As they approached the lab a man with bright red hair came into view. Tyler knew from pictures in his pokemon books that this was the Champion Professor, Micheal. Once they all had settled in front of him he introduced himself and welcomed them to his lab. He then asked them for their names and told them to ask any questions if they had any. The first to step forward to introduce themselves was a tall muscular kid named Raizo and his Elekid. After the Electric Pokemon's light show Tyler stepped forward, but was interupted by a girl who said her name was Jorie. When she finished Tyler spoke up. "I'm Tyler Alexander from Gatean Port and this is my Furfrou, Napoleon." The Poodle Pokemon barked at the mention of its name and did a little pose of its own lifting its chin high in pride.

Unfortunately, Eric's mood had soured by the end of the trip. This was thanks mostly to the obnoxious behavior of the Elekid and its Trainer. It was annoying to say the least, the two were loud and their wrestling caused them to even kick the back of Eric's seat. If they weren't on a moving bus he would have had half a mind to have Froakie pound both of them if only to shut them up for a moment. But such an action would lead to a Pokemon Battle and, frankly, it wouldn't have been worth the effort. So Eric just quietly moved forward to the next seat, eventually even putting Froakie back in his Poke Ball so he at least could have some peace and quiet. Honestly, some people...

He was the first off of the bus, or he would have been if that jerk with the Elekid didn't shove past him followed closely by another inconsiderate passenger who just happened to have an Electric Pokemon. Was that some kind of unwritten law? That all Electric type trainers had to be rude and annoying? He sighed quietly in annoyance, again just trying to brush them off and keep what was left of his good mood. The introductions began, and Eric at first was going to wait and be the last one to introduce himself. If he had done so now he would be more likely to say something rude or stand-offish and certainly didn't want THAT to be the first impression he made on the Professor. When someone asked if the Professor had really saved the Orre Region, though, he couldn't help himself.

"Oh no, it was all a big hoax. We just decided not to tell you." he snapped, quickly realizing his snide behavior and shaking his head, "My apologies, the bus ride was a bit..." he sighed, "...bumpy." he said the last word with a quick glare at Raizo and the Elekid. He reached for his bag and retrieved Froakie's Poke Ball, "Come on back out Froakie, the trip's over." he said as the ball dropped from his grasp, tapping the ground and giving off a flash, as if being replaced by the small blue toad that was Froakie, "I'm Eric... it's nice to meet you..." he paused glancing at Rai again, and with a quick sigh, "...all."

On the bus with the others, Marie wondered if she should say something to the obnoxious boy and his Elekid in the back. Peering over her should at them she decided that being rowdy wasn't too bad. They weren't physically disturbing anyone but themselves. As Marie flicked her head back to a front looking position her haired followed in a limp way. Compared to the environment of Kalos, Orre was a whole different matter. Instead of nothing but mountains and grass she got nothing but mountains and sand. That's how it was on Phenac's side of the region at least. The other side had lush green forests. Green forests such as the ones she traveled now. It was a whole different story from what she was use to seeing anymore and brought the smallest bit of nostalgia back as she remembered Kalos' grass and green trees. Her Ralts, safely snuggled in her arms, began to move as the bus seemed to come to a halt.

Looking down at Ralts now Marie mentions to her, "Wake up, we're here finally." Ralts had seemed rather unsettled on the bus earlier and felt easier only after falling asleep in Marie's arms like it had done many times prior. It replied with a light, "Rrr?" Sleepy still, Ralts measured out it's surroundings and assumed everything was fine due to the happiness if felt from the people around her. "Let's go now. We've got a Pokemon Lab to explore." Standing at that, Marie watches as the kid with the Furfrou and an angry looking kid walk off.

Stepping off the bus last the first real sight was the red-haired man in a white coat. 'Michael was the name of the kid who beat the Cipher organization right?' Marie thought to herself. She couldn't help press her clothes down as if getting rid of any wrinkles in them and then examine this "Professor Michael". Up and down her eyes studied. In truth she had never seen a picture of what the Hero Michael looked like so there was no real way for her to know the truth. Something caught her attention in the middle of her studies however. The angry kid from earlier. Her inquiring face disappeared and was replaced by a tiny frown. Her tone deepened as she agitatedly said, "Regardless of how bad your ride was there is need to be snide." Ralts begins to fidget in her arms as it feels the emotion in Marie. "Besides, this man here is the one who saved this region ten years ago. He deserves our respect, even if that was a joke." Something similar had happened her homeland of Kalos a while back as well. She also realized that she may have went overboard and that she was in front of one of her idols. Her throat cleared quickly and she patted her skirt down again. "M-my apologies. My name is Marie Laurent and this is Ralts. C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer." She pauses a moment, realizing what she had said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

'Oh, Wow!' Michael thought in excitement, a moment passing by where he was observing the Pokemon each child had. He hadn't seen a few of them before, he heard about them, but in his opinion there was nothing better than seeing them up close! He snapped out of it, as the first boy, Raizo, introduced himself. His Elekid seemed quite excited, the Thunderbolt it released was powerful, the man could tell. "Wow! What an amazing display of power from your Elekid, Raizo. You must train pretty hard to have such strength." He was nervous about throwing in the next part, but figured it was for his own good. "But, Aah, please be careful about doing that inside. There is a lot of electrical equipment in there, it could get a bit dangerous."

'Just got to be safe... Jovi would kill me faster than any accident that could hap-'

Michael's thought was cut off, feeling somebody suddenly take his hand. He blinked, starring at the girl in front of him, She talked so fast, all he could do was offer an embarrassed expression. Before he could respond to her, another introduction was already being thrown his way. And then another child smarted off...

'Oh, boy...' He thought to himself, a small frown on his face. He lightened back up a little once the boy apologized for his remark, though. But it worried him as the last one in the group spoke up. He needed to consult this, he didn't like the fact he could spark problems like this. "First of all, it's a pleasure to meet all of you." He thought for a moment about what he should say next, not sure of how it'd sound.

"Yes, I did help Orre during the events that happened back then. Cipher endangered both people and Pokemon with their schemes, and they had to be stopped. I had friends that helped me along the way, though. Without them, Cipher would have never of been defeated. People call me a hero... I was just a part of it, though. A young trainer, like all of you, that loved Pokemon. Cipher had taken an important person from me back then as well. I... Guess what I'm trying to say is, there were a lot of heroes that worked together to save Orre back then."

Michael froze for a moment. 'Wait... I just went back to square one and called myself a hero, didn't I?'

Michael put a hand over his mouth and let out an awkward cough. "Anyways... Shall we get on with the tour? There's a lot to see!" Thankfully he managed to recover quickly, turning around and gesturing for the others to follow. "Right this way!" He called out, walking towards the doors to the Pokemon HQ Lab. He loved going in and out, because no matter how many times it happened, it was still awesome for the doors to open automatically.

Once inside, the group would probably notice the area looked rather neat, aside from some scratches here and there, from the Pokemon. "This is the Pokemon HQ Lab. I've lived here since I was a kid, it hasn't changed in all these years. Aside from Pokemon research, we actually have a rather large daycare for the Pokemon that were saved during the Shadow Pokemon Epidemic, located in the back garden. My own Pokemon mostly reside there as well, helping out when they can. Then there's one of our special studies, known as Pokemon Purification."

Michael put his hands into his pockets, walking forwards. "We'll be focusing on the latter first, this way, please!" The walk would be a few minutes of winding through halls, all neat for the most part. Windows that peeked into other rooms revealed scientists sitting down and having discussions. The looks on their faces seemed to be that of worry, though it didn't make any sense why. Maybe it was just work?

After the introductions Micheal spoke of the events that happened years ago. Reiterating that it was not only him that had saved Orre back then. Tyler admired the Champion Professor's modesty and humbleness. It was a good trait he aspired towards. Once he had finished he invited the batch of youths into the Lab. Passing though the doors the first thing Tyler noticed was the bookshelves lining one was filled with books he had never dreamed of. It seemed there were books on every known subject about pokemon from A to Z. Rushing the selves, not meaning to ignore the professor, he grabbed one and opened it up to a random page. A picture of a Totodile followed by a small paragraph about where it was from donned the page. On the opposite page listed its eating habits, known moves, and some breeding tips. "Wow, I don't have anything like this in my collection, but then again mine isn't as vast as yours Professor." Tyler smiled as he put the book back and joined the group as the professor motioned them to follow him along the halls of his lab. Passing a window he saw into the garden of the daycare. There were all kinds of pokemon playing and sleeping. Peeking over the sill Napoleon barked his intention to play too, but Tyler said, "I know you want to play too, but maybe later. There is plenty more to see I'm sure of it." And boy was Tyler plenty excited to see it all.

The next window showed a pair of Scientists speaking in what Tyler could only imagined worried tones. The looks on their faces said it all for them. Something was wrong. Jorie noticed to and spoke up about it. She mentioned the Pokemon Purification process that had been developed recently. Tyler was curious about that too. He had seen the Shadow pokemon at work once. He was real young and his mom had brought him to work, because she couldn't find a sitter. One of Cipher's goons decided to rob the store. Tyler and his mom were lucky that one of the patrons had a pokemon of her own, but that didn't mean much against the Shadow pokemon. The woman's Raticate was no match for the goon's Hitmonlee, but the short lived battle was certainly enough to distract him into forgetting why he came into the store in the first place.

Tyler was brought back to reality when Jorie made the comment about the rest of them not practicing their agility. Tyler couldn't help but think the girl had a teachers pet complex. He put it out of his mind just as fast as he had thought about it. He had no place to judge when he realized he just ignored the professor to read a book not five minutes prior. So he picked up his pace with his trusty Furfrou in tow behind him.

Shadow Pokemon. Certainly nothing Marie had heard about in Kalos. Judging by what others had said up to this point it wasn't anything that could be good. Purification was probably just as it sounded, taking the impurities out of the Pokemon and purging it. The bigger question on Marie's mind was,'What impurities?' She thought the answer would come later anyway. Phenac City held no real idea for her to know of these so called Shadow Pokemon. The place was peaceful enough. Sure it was in the middle of the desert but the city was a nice little bit of an oasis. The people there apparently seemed to put it behind them for some reason or another.

Still they were at the Pokemon HQ Lab now. What was her reasoning to be here now? Marie's father wanted her to see if they were hiring a researcher but judging by the looks of the place she guessed not. Speaking of the Lab Researchers, they seemed to be a little stressed in some way or another. Ralts slightly wiggling around in her arms gave her a mostly positive idea that there were negative feelings, or maybe she was tired and hungry. Sometimes it was hard to read with the emotional ticks that the Ralts family has. Marie was use to the life of a researcher because of her father anyway. Back in Kalos when her father was working on something he seemed stressed all the time.

"I wonder what could be making them stressed." She mentioned to herself. Ralts looked up to her questioningly from the comment. "It's nothing, Ralts. Nothing at all." Although altogether unpleased with the answer she received Ralts relaxed back into Marie's arms as the girl moved to follow behind Michael after the other girl's words of agility and whatnot. Marie didn't care all to much. If she were in a hurry to get through the place originally there would probably be not visit from her in the first place but she decide not to vocalize it again as she had already stirred a noticeable notion of trouble on Michael's face earlier.

There was something to look forward to at least. Both Marie and Ralts had decided that they wanted a new friend to join their team and looking at the Pokemon here would help give an idea about what a good addition to the team would be. Of course there would be no taking from the lab, but it at least gave a good idea of what Pokemon were in the region. "I'm looking forward to this. How about you Ralts?" Marie spoke happily to which Ralts lightly replied, "Rrraa."

"Chill..."

Usually Elekid was calm in the company of other Pokemon and Trainers, yet the electric-type was acting antsy for some odd reason, a reason that Raizo had no idea on. The tall trainer frowned, adjusting his hold on the strong baby Pokemon and putting it into a gentle, harmless half-nelson, keeping his upper biceps wrapped around it's chest. Elekid buzzed worriedly, yet the spiky-haired teen merely frowned in reply, not wanting the Pokemon to cause any ruckus. Thankfully the squirtming stopped once they passed another hall filled with baby Pokemon, and carefully, Raizo sat him on the ground. "What's gotten into you, hn?" he whispered, glancing over to where the others were glancing and talking amongst themselves. Elekid merely glared heatedly, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Knowing not to push anything when it came to the electric-type. His curious and determined nature often caused him to be shocked with hundreds of volts of electricity.

Raizo turned back to the group once he noticed that he was getting left behind. Badly. Nodding to Elekid, the two jogged up to the group in a few strides, with Raizo dully noting that he was the tallest, other than the professor, of the group. "I must be the oldest, hn?" He whispered to Elekid. The electric-type nodded dully, too busy staring at that Mareep with intense eyes. Raizo smirked. Stupid rivalry complex. Stretching his arm muscles, the scarred teen lethargically continued following after the group, picking up tidbits of conversation here and there.

Michael couldn't help but smile at the excited little Mareep. It was certainly an adorable little Pokemon, one somebody would just want to hug. There was no time for anything like that, though. At least he assumed so. "The best part is that you and Maren can enjoy it together! Bonding time between Trainer and Pokemon... I'm happy to know what I do interests some people, and Pokemon!" He swore these halls felt longer than usual, as if they had been walking for awhile. Surely the room was just ahead? It had to be, or else he must have made a wrong turn, which... He really hope he didn't. That'd be awfully embarrassing.

Michael blinked at Jorie's question, turning his head and noticing what they were talking about. He continued to walk as he spoke. "Yes, actually. You see, the technology we use for the process was created by a man named Professor Krane. He took care of most of the business in the lab while I was younger, a brilliant mind with a pure heart that cared about Pokemon. The first epidemic was before I was born, and was what inspired Professor Krane to pursue purification technology. If it wasn't for him, we would have perhaps never of been able to help the Shadow Pokemon from back then. Sadly, without Professor Krane being with us now, advancements of the purification process have come to a halt. We just can't seem to find any way to improve it, though we are dedicated to trying, in case of any emergency in the future. Speaking of which..."

Michael could see the double doors up ahead that lead to their destination. He took the time to continue his small speech. "Shadow Pokemon... Some of you may be curious about what they actually are. A lot of details are unknown, but what we do know is that Cipher has a method of closing the heart's of the Pokemon they capture, effectively draining them of all emotion aside from anger and hatred. They are very dangerous, stronger than a normal Pokemon, and they cannot think rationally. They even attacked their own trainers in some situations, unable to control themselves."

As they approached the pair of double doors, they opened automatically leading them into a small room. Wires were spread everywhere, along with monitors and devices. A large platform was in the center of the room, most of the wires being connected to it. He waited a moment, allowing everyone to gather inside before he turned around, keeping his hands behind his back. "This is the machine Professor Krane built. The Purification Chamber. The purification process is for returning Pokemon to their normal states, but it doesn't work by itself, as amazing as that would be. In order to open the hearts of Shadow Pokemon, they must be shown kindness, and respect. Over time the emotions from a good trainer will soften them up, make them remember. They begin acting more peaceful, though they can still get extremely violent. Once they have begun to shown signs of returning to normal, the Purification Chamber is used to assist in the final stages of purifying them."

Michael took a deep breath, keeping quiet as he exhaled. He hadn't spoken this much in a long time, he decided to take a moment and stay quiet, nothing else in the lab required a whole lot of explanation, though it was still interesting to see. He glanced back at the Purification Chamber, his mind wandering for a moment.

'We hopefully will never have to use it again... But I've always got to be ready. In case he keeps his word.'

"I've not heard of Shadow Pokemon prior to today." Marie said somewhat agitated. Agitated by what those people did, erasing the pokemon's emotion until only anger and hatred remained. "But, I'm both disgusted and relieved. Disgusted that it happened and relieved that it is in the past." So this machine let them recover the emotions of the Pokemon. Shadow Pokemon seemed like they were a lot of trouble back in the time they were around. If Shadow Pokemon were loose again. . . Marie wasn't sure of what she'd do! Like she would just sit around her house and hope someone like Michael would come back through and fix everything.

The girl's focus was mainly on the device that turned the Shadow Pokemon back to normal on the last step of their journey. It was difficult to believe everything in honesty. Shadow Pokemon, Purification. . . "But it did happen. It happened here in Orre." Marie whispered to herself. She probably seemed like a sort of freaky foreigner already so it was best not to give off too bad a vibe to the others. . . Not that they seemed to be paying half as much attention to her as she did to them, not much in the first place. Ralts fiddled around in her arms a bit, asking to be put to the ground. Marie complied and lowered her friend.

Ralts was a bit more daring about others as in could sense how others felt. Waddling it's way over it looked at Maren the Mareep and Jorie who seemed to have a change of emotion. Now satisfied with them, it made it's way closer to Marie but looked over to Raizo and Elekid. Ralts had nothing to really say to them (and even if it did it couldn't) and held on to Marie's boots with one hand not wanting to be separated.

"I have." Tyler said to Marie. "Mean as all get out like the Professor said. Ruthlessly attacking anything put in its way." Tyler's mind flashed to that day at the store. One of Cipher goons was in town and apparently they had some new recruits that needed uniforms so the goon was sent to get fabric. Another customer, an older woman than his mom was at the time, had unintentionally grabbed the last of the color they needed and he wanted it. She refused saying she had gotten to it first. He didn't like that. He then smacked her and took the fabric. She wasn't going to let some goon get away with that so she released her Raticate and ordered it to take back the fabric. It was quickly blocked by the goon's Hitmonlee which he released as quickly as the lady released her pokemon. A brutal one sided battle ensued. Attack after attack the Raticate stood no chance. He left with the words, "Don't challenge Cipher you'll never win." Tyler then noticed he was staring into nothing with a black face entranced in the memory. He quickly apologized and added, "I feel bad for the affected pokemon and I'm glad this machine helps them. Thank you for showing it to us Professor."

Michael simply nodded. "Thankfully they have all seemed okay after the incident. There have been a few times that trainers have actually came and recovered their Pokemon. It's a great feeling to see old friends reunited." He felt he had perhaps said too much. But it was better for them to know about Shadow Pokemon than being taken by surprise if anything ever happened. He wanted nothing to happen to them, or their Pokemon. "Well, then... Perhaps we should lighten up the mood a little. A trip to the garden ought to do nicely. There are many Pokemon of different types and sizes, I'm certain it will surprise most of you." He offered a small smile, taking a moment to eye the machine once more. He liked to think that Professor Krane would be proud of him for the work he did. His approval meant a lot to the man.

---

Meanwhile, outside the Lab, multiple trucks had driven up to the front. They blocked in the bus the children had arrived on, the driver simply staying down, and quiet. He peeked out, noticing multiple people jump out of the two trucks. Six of them looked identical, wearing similar white outfits. The helmets completely blocked off their faces. His eyes widened at the realization of who they were. After all this time, they still kept those same outfits... He instantly began digging around, looking for his book with contact information in it. Running out there wouldn't be as effective as a call. He had the information just in case there was a change of plans with the tour.

Aside from the six similar Peons, one man stepped out also. He glanced down, making sure his purple vest was nice and strait. His large sunglasses made it impossible to see the pink eyes hiding behind them. "Three of you go left. The others, right. You can handle those back there caring for the Pokemon, I'm sure. Snatch as many as you can."

"But sir, what about the Professor?" A Peon questioned, as the man pushed up his tophat. "The Professor?" He asked, grinning. "He's mine."

Knowing what to do, the Peons were off. Meanwhile, the man with the purple vest simply approached the front doors. He'd meet Michael directly.

---

"Alright... Let's go, shall we?" Michael slowly walked past the group and back into the hall, before he heard a notification. "Hmm?" He glanced at his PDA, noticing who was trying to contact him. The driver outside... He answered. "Yes?"

"Y-You got trouble... C-Cipher just came outta nowhere, blocked me in! They are heading around the Lab to the back of the place!"

"What?!" Michael glanced down the hall, towards the back exit. "Alright. You stay put, I'll take care of it."

"No arguments from me!"

Michael ended the conversation, looking towards the children. Of all times, while he had guests here! He was an adult though, he had to make sure they stayed safe during this. But he also needed to ensure the Pokemon would be okay... Too many places to be at once. He narrowed his eyes. "You all need to stay here. I don't want any of you getting in the middle of this, it's too dangerous-"

"Are you sure this area isn't dangerous, Professor?"

Cipher Admin Theme

Michael glanced at the approaching man, who seemed barely younger than him, if he had to guess. "Who are you?" He asked, not noticing a familiar face at all. If he was part of Cipher, he was certainly a new addition. They certainly had the time to find a few of those, though.

"Introductions aren't usually necessary for people you won't see again, but I suppose you deserve it, 'Hero'." The man simply tipped his hat to Michael, keeping a grin on his face. "My name is Perdey, it's a pleasure to meet you at last. The boss spoke about you a lot, but you don't look like you're all-that to me. I mean, are you giving a tour to a bunch of brats? That isn't how the popular should live!"

"You seem to misunderstand what kind of person I am. I don't care about the spotlight, only the deed." Michael responded, getting mildly irritated as Perdey fake-gagged. "Boring much? Jeez, I thought this would be interesting, but instead you're just some goody two-shoes that is really dull... Oh well." Reaching into his back pocket, Perdey pulled out a Pokeball. "If you don't want the spotlight, I'll happily take it from you. Along with your Pokemon!"

Michael was concerned, to say the least. A battle in the lab would be chaotic... It was too dangerous for the kids to stay now. He looked back at them, figuring the best place to send them might actually be outside. "Change of plans. The exit is further down the hall, it'll lead you into the garden. It's much too dangerous for you to stay here during a battle, and I need you to warn those who are outside so we can keep the Pokemon safe! I beg of you though, please be careful!"

"You're going to ruin my mood with all this concern, 'Hero'!" Perdey called out, chucking his Pokeball into the air. It opened and shot out the usual white beam, releasing a small Pokemon. A Smoochum. It glared at Michael, and the group behind him with obviously bad intentions.

"A Smoochum... You must be confident in it's abilities to use it in battle." Michael focused on Perdey, and couldn't help but smile. "It's been awhile since I've battled, and that counts for this guy, too." He pulled a Pokeball out of his coat pocket. "He'd rather stay with me than outside with the others. We've been through a lot, and I hope you're up to the task of fighting against our experience! Jolteon, it's time to battle again, we've taken long enough of a break!"

As the Pokemon was released, it stood tall, glaring at the Smoochum and it's trainer. "Jolt!" It shot up sparks to intimidate it's opponent, but the Smoochum didn't budge. The two stared each other down, giving the group enough time to head back to the Garden as they were told.

---

Of course, once they were outside, they would see that this 'Garden' was more than that. There was no fencing keeping them in check here, there was a forest behind the grassy backyard of the Lab that they wandered in. Many of the Pokemon had fled into the trees, terrified of what was happening. Cipher was already getting to work where they could. The few assistants outside had been captured and tied up, left by a tree. The Peons, though they only had Basic Pokemon, were already preparing to capture some of the pokemon. There were only three visible from the exit, one was using his Magby to scare a Bulbasaur into a corner, another was using his Tailow to attempt to knock a Mankey out of a tree. And the third was using her Oddish to lure out more victims from farther inside the forest. It was only safe to assume the other three had ran into the forest to find more Pokemon... For the moment, there were three to take care of, if the children decided to do so.

Marie was angered by this seeming assault on the Lab. She agreed with what Michael had said though. The lab was a bad place to fight she returned Ralts to it's Pokeball in order to make retreat a bit easier for everyone. Fleeing outside with the other kids, she looked around. More goons. Were these Cipher goons? Having never seen Cipher prior to this point, she only assumed that they were. These people seemed to be an evil group trying to kidnap Pokemon after all. Her sense of justice was raising. Her head becoming more heated. Noting that the Oddish was Grass and Poison, she remembered that Poison is weak against her Ralts' Confusion. If she were to go for it, she must be careful as Ralts was still a Fairy-type, the poison could be harmful, if it even had a poison attack.. "You guys, take care of the other two. I'll take care of the Oddish."

"Hey you! Leave the Pokemon be!" Marie then grabbed Ralts' pokeball and tossed it summoning her friend. "Let us do justice, Ralts!" The goon and her Oddish caught Marie's yelling and turned around. "Ralts! Confusion!"

"Ra!" Ralts yelled and used Confusion on the enemy Oddish. The Oddish stumbled around after the hit and then charged at Ralts crashing right into it. Knocking them both down.

"Ralts! You alright?" Ralts pushed Oddish off and stood, "Run away now and we'll leave it at this." Marie says directed at the goon and her Oddish. Marie didn't figure she needed to punish the Pokemon for the Trainer's mistake. It gave the Pokemon a chance to get out from being too hurt.

The silent stare-down between the two trainers continued, both seeming to be waiting for the other to make the first move. Michael knew this was serious, but couldn't help grinning himself due to being able to battle with Jolteon again. Jolteon felt the same way, though it's look was much more serious, as it was focused on not letting Michael down. Though it did grow impatient, glancing back at it's trainer and letting out a mellow growl. Michael nodded. "Alright then. Jolteon! Wild Charge!"

"Jolt!" Jolteon launched off at a high speed through the hall, becoming shrouded in electricity while heading towards the Smoochum that stood it's ground with what appeared to be no fear. If anything, this irritated Jolteon as it felt it wasn't being taken seriously. The situation confused Michael somewhat, he wasn't certain what Perdey was pulling. He seemed to be doing nothing, but as Jolteon approached, Perdey finally took action. "Smoochum, you've taunted long enough. Jump up and dodge it, then counter with Shadow Ball!"

The Smoochum obeyed, taking a leap into the air that allowed her to avoid the Jolteon's assault. The Pokemon below began grinding to a halt, as Smoochum did a spin in the air, firing off a decently-sized Shadow Ball from her small hands. Jolteon was too alert for it to hit, simply dodging to the right without a command. The Shadow Ball slammed against the floor, damaging it in a small explosion. "Jump up after it and use Double Kick!" Michael commanded, Jolteon following the command by leaping up at the Smoochum, turning mid-flight to attack with it's hindlegs. The blow connected, effectively slamming the Smoochum against the wall.

Perdey simply kept his grin, throwing out another command. "You can take it! Climb onto it's back!"

Though injured, the Smoochum and Jolteon's decent to the floor was a good time for what Perdey ordered. The Smoochum grabbed Jolteon's paw, pulling and launching itself over it's head and onto it's back. Jolteon tried to look back, as he landed on the ground. Michael was just as confused, but gasped in shock as the Smoochum grabbed Jolteon's large ears, pulling back on them and causing the electric-Pokemon to cry out. "We've got 'em! Time to get some Payback!" Perdey was excited, watching as his Smoochum jumped up, pulling on Jolteon's ears again, only to release one and pull strongly on the other to bring itself down to punch Jolteon's head with it's free hand. The blow connected, causing Jolteon to slam face-first onto the floor.

"Jolteon...?!" Michael stared, quite amazed by the power of the small Smoochum. He watched it land on the floor, and simply cross it's arms as it stared at Jolteon, who was having difficulties standing. The Smoochum smirked, whirling back her foot to kick Jolteon. Though as she attempted it, the Pokemon's eyes shot open and it opened it's mouth, latching onto the Smoochum's foot.

"It can still fight after that?!" Perdey exclaimed, watching as Jolteon swung it's head, releasing the Smoochum and sending it flying down the hallway. It crashed against the floor, rolling backwards before stopping on it's backside. Jolteon stood up, obviously angered by the Smoochum's antics.

"You can't count my Pokemon out after just one good move. Jolteon! Use Thunderbolt!"

Michael's command came as Perdey took a moment to grasp the fact it was still up. He shook his head, deciding it was time for a change of tactics. "Smoochum! Go in that room over there!" Perdey was pointing towards none-other than the room where the Purifier was. The Smoochum groaned, but managed to roll out of the way of the incoming shock and retreat into the room as told. Jolteon, still upset, charged in without second thought. Michael's eyes widened with concern. "The machine! Are you crazy?! An electric attack in there could blow it up and harm our Pokemon severely!"

"Guess you better limit your moves before it's too late, 'Hero'!" Perdey said, laughing as Michael ran into the room after the Pokemon. Perdey simply walked towards the doorway, knowing this was going to be interesting.

Following Micheal's instructions Tyler left with the others out to the garden only to be met by Perdy's Cipher goons harassing the pokemon. Marie and Jorie had already leaped into the action defending the poor garden pokemon. Tyler remembered back again to that day Cipher came knocking. Not wanting history to repeat itself Tyler joined the fray. Running up to the goon with the Magby Tyler shouted, "Stop that now or I'll make you stop. These pokemon are not yours and never will be if i have anything to say about it." The goon whipped around with his attention now on Tyler he replied, "Is that so? Then I guess I'll have to shut you up. Magby...use Smog on this brat." Napoleon jumped in the way of the incoming attack. He took the damage, but thankfully the poison had not set in. "Your gonna have to be faster than that jerkface if you think you going to pull a fast one on Napoleon. Like this...use Tackle." Ordered Tyler. His Furfrou broke out into a sprint strait for the Live Coal Pokemon. The attack hit sending the Magby sprawling across the field. It stood and shook itself off. "Magby!" It growled. Furfrou barked and snarled at it in return.

Tyler couldn't let this go on much longer. "Ok Napoleon one more time. Tackle!" The Poodle Pokemon followed the order and sprinted toward the Magby once again. "That won't work on us twice," said the goon, "Magby dodge and use Ember." Napoleon missed Magby as it leapt into the air. "I wasn't expecting it to...Sand Attack." Returned Tyler with a confident smile as the Magby's Ember attack flew toward his Furfrou. Napoleon spun on his axis to start kicking up dirt extinguishing the attack and momentarily blinding his opponent. "Napoleon, lets finish this and make an example out of these punks...Tackle." Tyler ordered his pokemon with gusto and it followed with the same enthusiasm barreling towards it target. Tyler watched as time slowed down to him from the anticipation. The seconds turned to minutes the closer Furfrou got to Magby.