MELON LORD

Forest Echo "Don't like it," Creighton said gruffly. His rifle was in the ready position as he forged a trail through the hazardous terrain. "One civilian, sure. Plenty of combatants. Two?" He cast a quick glance back at the rest of the unit. The other three soldiers were in positions to form a diamond, their techies safely between them. Except "safe" wasn't quite the right word. "Two makes it harder to defend. Four soldiers, loose formations." "Ah, don't worry too much about it," Langley replied from the back of the group as he adjusted his grip on the case he carried, moving to sling it casually over his shoulder. Creighton bristled. The man's laid-back attitude grated, and the way he hefted that case around. One would think he didn't have a multi-million dollar piece of equipment inside. "Those mooks in HT took out twenty or so of the things, and you and I alone are worth all of them." The sniper gave a casual grin. "'sides, both these techies're ladies. No complaints here." "We're here to protect them, not look at them," Creighton retorted. "Do your job." "Hey, how'm I supposed to protect these lovely gals without lookin'?" One of the "lovely gals" looked up from her device and gave him a severe look. "Don't make me report you to the higher-ups, Langley. I looked at your records before signing onto this squad. One more strike and you'll probably face a court-martial. At the very least, you will be bumped down a rank or two. Maybe dishonorably discharged." Langley paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Don't threaten me with a good time. If you knew my record and still signed on, then you know I'm good." "Yes, you're good, but you run your mouth too much. You're supposed to be watching our rear." "Hey, I'm--" "Don't finish that," the scientist cut in coolly. Langley swallowed, and the group walked in silence for a minute. Finally, he drew his pistol with his free hand and glanced over his shoulder. "Right. Watchin' the rear, Miss Shouken." IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Calem "So that's that, then," Jared said. "Lachina, get some rest here, then get the ferry to Ambrette. Colleen, you and Zoe should probably get some sleep, too. It'll probably take time for Serena to get hold of her flying friends to get you two to Anistar." He glanced at the Champion, who was already on her Holo Caster. "The rest of us will head towards Lumiose. It'll probably be quicker if we stop at Camphrier and pick up a couple of vehicles. Lionel?" "Ah dunno 'bout y'all," Belle said, "but we haven't slept in a while. We'll need at least a power nap if we're gonna go in, and Lumiose ain't all that far." "If we have time," Emily replied, "we can grab a bit of sleep at Shaboneau. The message said midnight tomorrow. With a smaller group and a rush, we should have plenty of time." "Sounds great." Jared nodded. "Any questions, then?"

IC: Jared Winters/Emily Lockwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Lachina Adaon Geosenge Cottage, August 13th "Lumiose is where we should send most of our forces," Jared agreed. "Between Sycamore, the detective, and all the government officials there, we'll have our hands full." Emily nodded softly. "Right..." She glanced at Jamie and then down to the egg with a frown. "Here," she said, holding the egg out carefully. "I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but, just going by the weight, I think this is the egg with Tristan's... offspring. I shouldn't hold onto it, I have no claim. It's yours, if you want it." Belle crossed her arms. "So, all the Pokémon clones from that lab are shiny?" she asked. When Amelia nodded, Belle cursed under her breath. "Yeah, that's a good call, though. I have plenty of power on my team, I don't need another Beldum in the future. Jamie, right? I'll be keepin' in touch about that egg." Alma squeezed the woman's hand lightly. "Once we get to Lumiose," she said quietly, "what other targets are there besides the lab?" "Too many," Lachina said softly. "Way too many for the number of people we have. Would it be better for you all to spread yourselves across the city, or to focus all of your attention on one place?" Jared sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That's a tough one. Probably best to focus on the most prominent threats, and send one or two people to the less substantial ones. Sycamore is a soft target, not a lot of security in his lab. The President and the head of the bank and the like, they probably have security in place. We'll send people to double check, of course, but... Sycamore and Matiere should be our priorities, they're the ones at the most risk. Right?" He looked around the room for confirmation.

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Calem Geosenge Cottage, Kalos, August 13, 1:29 AM "That all sounds good," Jared agreed. "The question is who goes where?" "I'll go to Ambrette," Lachina said. "There's only one place they're targeting there, and only a few names on the list. I should be able to hold off whatever Flare sends their way." "Ah go where Amelia goes," Belle said. "And Alma comes with me, so we'll hit Lumiose." "That's where the bulk of the group should go," he agreed. "More targets over a larger area." Emily had a look of consternation on her face. "Colleen..." She swallowed. "Colleen, you're from Anistar, aren't you? There's only three people that are possible targets there. You and Zoe can go and it should be easy enough for an Aura Mistress to handle that." "Which just leaves the group heading for the League once we get to Lumiose. Calem, Serena, they're going after the Elite Four?" At their nods, Jared continued. "You'll want to go with a few people, then. They'll be showing up in numbers to take on the strongest trainers in Kalos." "I'll go with them," Emily volunteered. "I'm not a great combatant, but with power being mostly out, my team should be at a pretty even match." "Alright. Who else is going where?"

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Calem - Geosenge Cottage, 1:14 AM August 12 2017 While Dahlia and Alex Lockwood talked Zoe down, Jared gave a quick recap of their investigation in the lab -- leaving out unnecessary details like the cloned eggs -- and Calem pulled up the list on his Holo Caster, having gotten pictures before leaving. "In short, Flare's making their move in less than 24 hours, and there are too many people spread across too many locations for us to defend even with the addition of our new friends." He hooked a thumb at Alex and company. "A lot are in Lumiose, but a lot aren't and we need to figure out who's going where to minimize damages." IC: Isabella Fontaine/Sylph Isa hadn't even known that there was a cafe nestled in the bowels of the Alamo. The normal cafeteria had cheap coffee that was meant more to wake you up than to bring any joy to your taste buds, and the break room coffee in the working areas was much the same. But here was an actual cafe with a wide variety of options and flavors. As the two sat down with their drinks -- iced chai for Isa, a Tapu Cocoa for Sylph -- Isa smiled. "So, what's up? I noticed you got your psychic mojo back back there--" She stopped, her eyes widening. "Wait, Sylph, did you--" "Yes," Sylph said softly. Then, mentally, I... "Mega Evolved" the night Xander was arrested. Not a pleasant experience, but the return of my powers is a good thing. I'm actually staying with someone who also has achieved the phenomenon, one of the Power Suit pilots from One Island. She and I are looking into the ability together, trying to determine what the exact triggers are for it. Thus far, I haven't been able to Mega Evolve with her, and the working theory is that we are not close enough, emotionally. If that's the case, then she and I may never achieve it between ourselves. She is... distant, and her emotions are tightly contained when she does not have her Magnezone out to calm her. "Okay," Isa said slowly. "That's an info dump I wasn't expecting, but I think I see where this is going." Quite, Sylph replied. I know you and I are not the best of friends, but we have gotten along well in the past. If I need a trainer I am close to in order to perform the Mega Evolution for whatever reason, then I must ask for your assistance; everyone else I could ask is away on missions or vacation. Isa rubbed at her temples, feeling a headache starting to build there. "Right. I mean, I have to be on call while it's day in Kalos, and I still have to tend to my normal duties--" As well as Octavyn's. Sylph sighed, and Isa felt a twinge of sadness. "But, I think I can find time to help a friend," she finished, and Sylph's eyes darted up from her drink. A moment later, the Gardevoir was next to her, giving her a 1.5-armed hug. Isa chuckled, patting Sylph's arm. "C'mon, I'm not the type to say no when someone needs my help, you know that." Sylph giggled. "Of course." She moved to sit again. "Why don't we catch up for a bit before I take you to meet Miss Zarth?" Isa nodded, and the two began talking about what they had missed in the years since Kalos.

-==IC: Serena/Calem==- The Champion shook her head. “Not much. There’s some technical data on the whole cloning thing, but most of the files here are corrupted. The only other thing I can think to check would be--” She cut herself off suddenly, as she noticed an alert notification on the system’s messaging client. Moving on autopilot, she opened the program and was greeted by an audio message. “Hello, my loyal friends,” a man’s deep voice said. “I know it has been a while, but it is time for our plans to come to fruition. At the next stroke of midnight, we must enact our plans. You all have your orders, but do not feel compelled to carry them out if doing so would endanger yourself or your brothers and sisters in Flare. For those of you who are able to act, you know where to strike, and whom to strike. Any of our targets who will not comply to us must be purged. By the time the sun rises over Kalos on the thirteenth, we will stand victorious. Go, friends, and help shape the future of the world.” Serena could only stare at the screen in horror, Kalos’ most powerful Trainer reduced nearly to tears. She was only able to let out a single, horrified word: “No…” Calem spat a word that probably shouldn’t have been said in front of Lachina, let alone Zoe and Alma. “Let’s go,” he said sternly, addressing the entire room. “We have time, we can stop him, let’s go.” IC: Isabella Fontaine - Alamo, Four Island, August Isa made her way through the compound quickly, grumbling as she tried to sort out the notes and files she had. Between Xander being arrested, Cameron being a Flare spy, and Octavyn currently being a wreck, she was struggling to keep all of her files and such organized. Notes on the mission, notes on each person in the mission, notes on things happening here that could affect the mission… Not to mention her regular duties on top of that! It was enough to drive a girl crazy. As she started to round a corner, part of her twinged, the intuition she had warning her only a second before she bumped into somebody and the folders she held scattered across the floor. She grumbled and groused as she tried to pick them up, more at herself than the other person -- as the saying went, it took two to tango, and she had been far more focused on her papers than on where she'd been going. As she reached, though, the folders and papers lifted into the air and stacked themselves before moving to deposit themselves in her hands. She blinked and looked up to see a one-armed figure smiling softly at her. "Hello, Isa," Sylph said. "Sylph," Isa replied, stunned. She hadn't seen the Gardevoir since the ill-fated trip to Keturi City. "Hello," she added lamely. "Are you doing anything vital?" Sylph asked. The technician looked down at the papers and sighed as she shook her head. "Not particularly. I was trying to get info for the situation over in Kalos, but there's not much I can tell them that they won't already know." "Then would you like to go get some coffee and catch up?" Isa paused, weighing the offer before nodding. "Yeah, I think that sounds like a good idea."

IC: Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood/Jared Winters/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Calem Geosenge Lab, April 13th "Relax, everyone," Lachina said sternly, though without the same steel in her voice that Jared could produce with Mercury. "Calem and Serena clearly aren't with Flare. Think critically, Zoe. That list isn't titled 'Team Flare Members,' it's titled..." "Means of Assistance," Emily finished, crossing her arms and sighing. "It's very clearly a list of what Lysandre believes to be possible assets to himself -- written, probably, before his first attempted grab at power, judging by the state the computer is in and some of the names on the list. He probably had his followers even before Flare, and those would be on the list, and then what he thought of as possible other allies he could coerce into helping. Sycamore definitely wouldn't help him now, after seeing what he'd done a decade ago, and--" Jared closed his Holo Caster and frowned. "Enough," he said wearily. "I just got some important information from Agent Fontaine." He swallowed, weighing his words in front of people who weren't technically part of the mission. "Xander's detainment on the night of the eighth was due to a break-in he performed at headquarters. He was caught along with another agent after trying to free a confined dangerous Pokémon." He sighed, rubbing at his eyes with one hand. "He was, at the time of his arrest, wearing a Team Flare uniform. That, along with the Cruize name being on the list, spells some bad things for him. Fontaine told me that she believed in his innocence, but we need to draw our own conclusions from what we know of him. "For now, though, we have other things at hand. Let's finish searching the lab, then head back to the cottage to plan our next move. Whether or not that list is an old one, I think it's pretty clear that Team Flare is out there, somewhere, and it's our mission to find them." "You've got our help," Belle said solemnly. "I dunno who any of those other people are, but... we've dealt with Flare, and none of us wanna see them running loose." Alma nodded. "I quite agree." Calem nodded. "Right. Serena, is there anything else on that computer?"

IC: Geosenge Lab Group A few minutes later, everyone was gathered around the computer’s monitor as Serena tried to find anything interesting. It only took a minute before she found a text document and opened it. "Means of Assistance": *Xerosic *Aliana *Bryony *Celosia *Mable *Adricson *Masson *Cruize Jared frowned and crossed his arms. The list of Flare members went on into the completely unfamiliar, but eventually transitioned to more recognizable names near the end. *De Villepin “That’s… the President of Kalos!” Serena exclaimed. *Chalmers “What?!” Alex Zyther shouted. Serena made to comment, but was distracted by the names immediately after. *Marcal *Compere *Toussaint *Parfum “President of the Senate, heads of the CRE, Banque de Kalos, AMF… just how far does this go?” *Malva *Wikstrom *Drasna *Siebold “There’s no way.” Calem scowled at the list. “There’s no way the Elite Four would be in Lysandre’s pocket. Some of these have to be only potential recruits “ “Or targets,” Amelia said. “If he wanted Kalos t’go down in flames, he’d want ‘em outta the way one way or another, right? ‘Join or die’?” *Matiere “That’s the detective in Lumiose, right?” Lachina asked. Jared nodded. “She’s a good kid,” Calem said with a smile. “Flare targeted her before, though. We still don’t know everything Xerosic did to her back in the day.” “If at first you don’t succeed…” Alma mused quietly. *Sycamore *Clemont *Bonnie *Olympia *Korrina “There’s names missing from this list,” Alex said, frowning. “Where’s Grant? Viola? Valerie?” “Too tough and too moral to take on?” Belle suggested. “This has to only be people they’re already in position to take in or take down.” “They can’t take down Ramos?” Calem laughed at Alex. “Don’t underestimate the old guy. He’s a lot tougher than you’d think.” *Maitre *De Saint-Pierre “I recognize these names,” Emily said. “Elaine talks about them sometime when she’s remembering her fossil days.” *Steel “The chocolate shop owners?” Colleen asked. “They’re nothing but trouble,” Serena said with a scowl. “If Clemont and Bonnie hadn’t convinced us to go easy on them…” Calem shrugged. “The chocolate’s good, at least.” *Serena *Calem “…” “…” IC: Isabella Fontaine/Cameron Morrill August 8th The storm raged on, finding its way outside the cell of another prisoner of Team Liberty. The guards gave Isa a nod as she stepped up to the door of the cell. “Cameron, hey,” she said. “I…sa…?” Isa winced. “Geeze, Cam, what happened to you?” She looked to the guard. “What, can a prisoner not get a glass of water around here?” “Punched… in… throat…” “By Xander?” At Cameron’s nod, she slammed her fist against the wall. “He’s going to pay for this, Cameron, just wait. We’re gonna get you out of here.” “Where… am… I… be-ing… ta-ken…?” “What? No, Cam, I’m going to work to get you out. You won’t be wrongfully imprisoned anymore.” Cameron gave Isa a stare of confusion. “Why… would… you… help… a… spy…?” Isa sighed. “Don’t worry, Cameron, I know you’re not a spy.” The spy’s stare only deepened, the edges of his sanity visibly beginning to fray as he -- quite possibly for the first time -- tried to understand Isa’s perspective. “Oct--Oc-ta-vi-an… told… me… I… would… die… if… I… lie.” It took a second for everything to click. Isabella’s brow furrowed. “Wait. So you are the spy? Xander wasn’t lying?” “I… am… the spy.” “I see.” Isa nodded. “Alright then.” She turned to go, then paused. “There’s one more thing I need to know…” --- August 13 After the call-in (unscheduled, meaning something big had come up, and, indeed, something big had come up) Isabella Fontaine made her way quietly down to the Alamo holding cells. She was wondering how to explain to Xander -- how to tell him gently -- what even emotion she should feel -- what emotion would he feel when he heard?" So, confusedly, did Isabella Fontaine step into the visitation area -- not the room with the benches and the picnic tables, the guards had said that an almost-violent outburst forced them to keep his visitations separated -- and Isa sat down to observe... what? A Team Flare spy? It was possible, and Isa had said as much to Monsieur Winters when he had brought up the list, though, she had pointed out, Xander's father had been a Flare operative, but it was still worth mentioning to them, then, why Xander had been detained. No. The person sat before her was not Flare. Isa knew that as surely as she knew the sky was blue and that water was wet. Xander Cruize could no more be a Team Flare operative than he could have stopped breathing and gone on living. The hatred he carried in his heart had oft darkened his visage, and had caused him to nearly kill one of his childhood companions in fury at the revelation that Cameron Morrill was, in fact, a Team Flare spy. "Xander..." she began, though she did not know how she would finish. There was a lot to cover, and she wasn't even sure where to start. Finally, she pressed her hand to the glass, blinking against the tears suddenly in her eyes. "Xander, I am so, so sorry..." --- It took almost an hour for her to explain everything, to tell him that he had a sister and more, that his family was so much bigger than he had thought, all those years growing up thinking he was alone in the world. And so it was that Isa left Xander, having given him the necklace she wore, the necklace that she had been told needed to be earned in some way, and she felt that Xander Cruize had earned it through his loyalty and the hardship she had put him through, that necklace with the pinkish stone at the end. And she made her way back up to the command center, though her shift was over and she shouldn't need to be there until it was time for the morning check-in from the team in Kalos. She knew that the night would hold more surprises, and she needed to be prepared to coordinate her squad.

IC: Calem The ex-Champion swallowed and shook his head. "The opposite, actually. I went down to where we battled Lysandre, where he was when the lab collapsed. A lot of rubble that had obviously been moved, a lot of blood, but..." "No body," Serena supplied grimly, and Calem nodded. "What all have you guys found here?" "Where to even begin?" IC: Emily Lockwood/Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason - Geosenge Lab Emily smiled softly and reached out a hand for Zoe. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, kiddo," she said. "So, now what?" Lachina asked the room in general. They had found a secret cloning facility and the results thereof, and had determined that everyone currently in said facility was against Flare. "We start looking for clues as to what Flare might be up to," Jared said. "I think we can say for certain that they're not only alive but active, given the clearing of debris and the like." Emily sighed and shook her head skeptically. Belle crossed her arms. "Kinda a lot of people to all be scouring this place, ain't it... Mercury, was it?" Jared flinched a bit. "It's Jared, actually. But you're right, there are a lot of us here." "Serena did mention a computer. Anybody here tech-savvy enough to get into it?" Emily said.

IC: Belle LaDonna/Emily Lockwood/Lachina Adaon/Jared Winters/Alma Mason - Geosenge Lab "Makes sense to me," Belle said with a shrug. "Hemlock was more like a sister t' me, but I get it. Hopefully you picked up better habits'n me." "I think this one's the Beldum," Emily said as she hefted the egg. "It feels a bit heavier than the other one did." Lachina looked over at the Performer and frowned. Everything was going so quickly, and attention was spread thin. "Right. Don't think we've forgotten about what you just said, either." Jared nodded. "We'll have questions for you when this is all over, Emily. For now, you've proven yourself trustworthy with all the help you've given us, and Xander is a good person even if he did somehow get arrested." Alma tapped her chin in thought. "So... If not this Xander person, then who would Amelia and Alex be cloned from?" "The only other person I could think of would be our cousin," Emily quietly replied. "He died when he was only eight, though, I'm not sure how Flare would have gotten DNA from him--" She stopped short, and her eyes widened. "Ezekiel," she spat. At the confused looks, she elaborated. "Elaine's ex-husband, Alain's father--" "Wait, wait," Lachina interjected. "Your aunt Elaine named her son Alain?" "Kinda not the point right now," Belle said. "Ezekiel was a Team Flare member," Emily continued. "I never met him, but from what I've heard, he'd be just the kind of guy to clone his dead son as a science experiment." Alma nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, it would not be a stretch to say that Alex and Amelia are also your cousins, would it?" "What's your obsession with them having family, kid?" Belle asked. "Alex was adopted, but Amelia hasn't had a family until now." Emily shrugged. "I don't mind either way, really."

IC: Jared Winters/Belle LaDonna/Emily Lockwood/Lachina Adaon/Calem - Team Flare Lab, Geosenge, August 12, 12:07 AM "'04?" Jared asked. "Xander's pretty young, sixteen or seventeen. I doubt you're cloned from him." Belle looked over at Zoe. "Eggs? Wait-- Did you guys finish the samples that got taken from my Pokémon?" Emily shrugged. "I guess so? They were taken from Tristan and Dracos here." The purple-haired collector rushed forward. "C'n I see? Which one's which?" Lachina raised an eyebrow at the older woman's excitement. "Anyways, I doubt that Xander knew about the cloning, or he would have told us about it." As everyone was talking, Calem entered the room, his face pale. "Serena?" he said. "Can I talk to you in private?"

IC: Emily Lockwood//Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Alma Mason/Belle LaDonna Emily paused, eyes wide as she looked over at Colleen. "Oh, um... That is to say..." She sighed, crossing her arms. "He's my half-brother. I've met him once before, but I know his face mostly from pictures and the like." Jared frowned. A lot was happening, and he was trying to figure out what to focus on: the clones, with their auras that shifted through the color spectrum; Emily and her confession at knowing Xander -- a confession that could have come much sooner; or the white-haired girl with the ghostly white aura that had purple veins shooting through it. He took a deep breath, and Lachina placed a hand on his arm. "I think we all need to take a minute to wrap our heads around everything," she said quietly, and he nodded his agreement. Alma hummed. "So, if Lucia is Alex's sister, and Alex and Amelia are both clones of the same person... Would that make Lucia and Amelia sisters as well?" "Not sure that's how that works, kid."

IC: Jared Winters/Emily Lcokwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/LachinaAdaon Jared frowned. "I see... I'm sorry to hear all that. Would you mind all stepping out here? It's a bit crowded, but I like to see who I'm talking to." The other group trickled out into the crowded living area. Belle and Alma came first. Amelia followed, and Emily blinked as they locked eyes and the older girl flinched. What was that about?" Finally, Alex stepped into the room, and silence pervaded. Lachina swallowed. "Um... Am I crazy or does he look exactly like Xander?" she asked. Emily took a hesitant step forward. "Yeah. Yeah, he does."

IC: Amelia Zann/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Alex Zyther (Collapsed Team Flare Secret Lab, Geosenge Town, Kalos, August 12, 2017) The next room the group entered was very different from the previous two. It was a bedroom, walls painted a pale orange and the floor replaced with cheap gray carpet tile more suited to an office than a home. The windowpane-arrangement of four computer screens sat dark upon the wall, the only homey touch to an otherwise-antiseptic space. Two barren metal bed frames bore two firm mattresses topped with thin, rough sheets and nothing more, the closest hint towards personal belongings the tiny shelves topped with a broken lamp and burned-out alarm clock each. The beds sat parallel in opposite corners of the room, a symmetry linked by a small half-rotted bookcase and mirrored across the rusted frame of a now-empty folding paper room divider. Of course, despite the intention for symmetry, the reality did not match the plan. One bed was messy and rumpled, its occupant having thrown off the covers and not bothered to re-make the bed before whatever disaster had befallen the facility. The bookcase on that side also held a few volumes besides the two identical to each side, a few notable children’s literary classics covering up the covers of the two books emblazoned with an emblem of flame. Amelia moved automatically to this bed, reaching for the lamp pull by reflex and knocking the item onto the bed in the process of stopping herself. A glimmer of gold caught Belle’s eye. “What’s that?” she asked. While Alex and Alma rummaged curiously through the drawers (the women’s Flare outfits on Amelia’s side running a size shorter than their counterparts on the other), Amelia picked up the small, square-shaped trinket and examined it with Belle. Upon turning it over, the two gasped. It was a picture frame, a tiny thing perhaps three centimeters square -- based on its hiding place, most likely contraband. The contraband in question, however, was the truly shocking thing: a teenage boy with black hair and blue eyes wrapping an arm around a black-haired blue-eyed sister just a couple years younger. There was just one problem: the boy was unmistakably a young Alex… or it would have been, if he hadn’t been blatantly older than the palette-swapped young Amelia next to him. “What the hay, Pond?” “I… honestly don’t know.” Amelia’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I’ve… never seen this photo in my life. The resemblance is disturbing, though.” Her tone summoned the other two for a closer look. Alma hummed. “Perhaps it’s labeled on the back?” She passed her knife over and Belle started prying at the frame. Once finally prized from its frame, however, the picture only revealed an extremely short message: Thoroughly unnerved, Alex backed away toward what they had thought was a matte-black wall but was in fact the frame of some sort of shattered floor-to-ceiling glass pane. They stumbled backwards, mirrored fragments crunching softly underfoot, until they came to rest against something made of glass and metal that came just up to their mid-back. They turned around and gasped. “Uh… guys?” they whispered. “I think you should see this.”

IC: Amelia Zann/Alma Mason/Belle LaDonna/Alex Zyther (Collapsed Team Flare Secret Lab, Geosenge Town, Kalos, August 12, 2017) The most notable difference between Xerneas’ containment room and its counterpart in the Flare-controlled universe was the twin squares of light streaming in on opposite sides of the room. The hole in the right wall was too small to pass through, so the quartet investigated the left side first. The room they found was littered with shards of shattered glass that crunched softly underfoot, the remnants of what was once a tall glass room isolated in the center of the space, as well as some sort of emitter above that was now so blackened it had warped outward and then started curling backward upon itself. Most of the computer banks along the wall were similarly scorched, but a few in the corners seemed partially intact -- perhaps a single usable unit amongst all of them combined. Amelia made to move forward, but Belle held out an arm to stop her. “Look,” she said, pointing to the floor. Trailing through the shattered shards on the floor, a path of suspiciously shoe-shaped disturbances crossed several times between the consoles and the ex-chamber from which the shards had started, the glass in those patches crushed even smaller than the rest of the chamber’s debris. “Someone has clearly been here before us,” Alma said quietly as she drew a knife from her apron. “We should be cautious. Perhaps the people following us are Team Flare.” Something ticked loudly in Amelia’s mind, but the pieces wouldn’t quite fit together. Shaking her head, she led the group onward toward the collapsed right-hand wall, quietly picking their way past the glass as they stayed to the edges of the room.

IC: Amelia Zann/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Alex Zyther (Collapsed Team Flare Lab, Geosenge Town, Kalos, August 11, 2017, 11:52 P.M.) The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty halls as the group of Trainers and their Pokémon shuffled through the abandoned space. As soon as they’d heard what Alex and Alma had found, Belle and Amelia had raced to the hidden door, their companions in tow, heedless of anything else. Amelia felt a nameless dread curdling within her stomach, the whole place having “bad time” written all over it. The place was an utter wreck. A lot of rooms were full of rubble, but Belle didn’t need to see the full layout to recognize prison cells. Flare, she thought bitterly. Just like in that mirror world where the evil organization had won, this place had once been their hideout. Ahead of them, Amelia froze. A missing door revealed a room full of white tile. Inside were tables with buckles and straps attached, as well as a rack full of sharp, wicked instruments. Belle gently took Amelia’s hand and squeezed. “They ain’t here, Pond,” she said quietly. “Lex and his cronies are long gone.” Turning their head to avoid seeing any more sites of torture, Alex spotted several splashes of dried blood near the caved-in end of a collapsed corridor. Several of the boulders seemed to have been shifted from where they’d fallen, leaving a small passage just large enough for a small Pokémon or a sufficiently determined (and incautious) human to pass through. “Hey,” they called, “I think I found a way through.” “Hm?” The sudden stop highlighted a series of echoing sounds, lasting far longer than they should have. “It would appear we have company,” Alma said quietly. “Given where we are, we may wish to find a hiding place.” “Ooh! Pick me!” a woman’s voice called from down the hall at the top of her lungs. “Jamie, wait!” called a man’s voice. “Through there!” Amelia ordered. Alex scuffled through first, with Alma and Amelia quickly following. Belle followed quietly, wincing at the tight space. Once she was through, she summoned Cyanide. “Close these rocks up, a bit,” she ordered the Metang. It quickly did so, moving the boulders with a grating and crashing sound. A man’s voice cursed. "Now what?" a woman asked. "Is this where you guys were stopped?" “Hurry!” Amelia insisted. Belle returned her Pokémon and turned to follow Amelia.

IC: Geosenge Lab Group The transformation completed. As Tristan's fist slammed into the smaller number, blue metal cracked and splintered, falling away to reveal a blue crystalline body. The newly-evolved Metagross slid back from the force of the impact, his new legs scrabbling against the floor. Dragonair to Dragonite was a surprising disadvantage. Her sinuous body had become more bulky, and she could no longer wrap herself fully around her opponent. Hemlock growled as her opponent slipped free of her grasp. "Sister?" Alma asked. She nodded a bit and slowly got to her feet, offering a hand to Lucia. "My sincerest apologies." Belle glanced away from the two now that things had been defused, and gasped as she saw the evolutions of her two oldest teammates. She whooped and bolted over to the entrance. "Good job, you two! Keep it up!" "Nightshade?" Lachina asked. Belle's head whipped around and she grinned a bit. "Hey, it's you guys! Listen, I think there's been a big misunderstandin', what with you two and Alex's sister 'n all." Jared frowned, nodding. "Just go back, recall your teams. I'll calm everyone down out here." He turned away and Belle nodded. "Cyanide, Hemlock, relax! Shadow, tell Alma to call off Cu, too!" Jared turned towards the other members of the mission team. "Guys, stop! It's just a misunderstanding, stand down!"

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood (Ronin [100%]) The Metang winced a bit as he was pushed back by the force of Tristan's punch. Not having legs to dig into the ground made it hard to resist. With a shrug, the younger evolution threw a punch of his own. As he did, a white light started to shine from him. Pelleas' horn connected with the Dragonair, who immediately began wrapping herself around the bug type. The same white light suffused the area around them as she began to constrict. Jared scrambled to his feet as Alex's Absol drew the attention of the giant Growlithe who had knocked him to the ground. The oversized creature lunged at the Absol with fangs bared in retaliation. The Gengar was cackling as it pinned Lachina to the ground. Its fun was interrupted by Ronin, however, who slashed through the gaseous form with his wicked blades. Lachina rose to her feet, scowling. There wasn't enough room in here for her to release Aolani, she now realized. With a resigned sigh, she pressed on towards Jared, who was trying to figure out how to get past the fighting Pokémon near the back wall. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked. He nodded. "Those two look pretty familiar. If we can get past them..." "Maybe you need to let Mercury out?" "Maybe." Jared scowled at the thought. IC: Alma Mason/Belle LaDonna As Lucia burst into the back room, a small pale figure lunged at her, a blade flashing in hand, and drove her to the ground. Alma pressed a knife to the healer's throat, scowling. "Give me one reason not to kill you now." Belle shook her head. "Ease up, kiddo. She seems pretty harmless, honestly." "So do I." "Fair point."

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood - Team Flare Lab, Geosenge Town, August 12 The Metang caught Tristan's fist and made a noise of approval. ["You're strong!"] Before Pelleas' plan could be enacted, a Dragonair flew from the back to join in the fray. Jared scowled. Jamie seemed to be handling things in here. As he was heading towards the other room, though, a large orange form jumped through the doorway and slammed into him. He fell back, crying out as he instinctively released an aura sphere at his attacker. Lachina was rushing forward, unclipping Aolani's ball from her belt, when a pair of hands snaked out of her shadow and tripped her. A cackling Gengar rose from the floor, towering at six feet tall. Emily cursed. "Ronin, go help!" The Scyther flew in, blades flashing. IC: Ryan Hikari/Corey Bouchard/Aori Yamamoto/Shannon Willows/Lauren/Caroline/Alice - Festival, Ecruteak City The city became alive with the summer festival. Merchants set up shops, children begged their parents to take them to the fun attractions, and decorations lined the streets. The closer to the city's center, the more crowded the festivities became. It was here that the group met up with Lauren and the others. At Shannon's insistence, the four of them had rented yukatas from a nearby shop before meeting Shannon's friends. "We've got to get in the festival spirit," she claimed. Caroline was already waiting for them next to the dance theater, dressed in a light kimono. Her Chimecho bobbed up and down alongside her. Lauren ran up to them wearing shorts and a simple t-shirt, her hair pulled into a ponytail. "Looks like I missed the memo about dressing up," she said sheepishly. "Don't worry about it." Caroline waved a dismissive hand. "You'll probably be the most comfortable out of any of us." Corey mumbled a nearly inaudible agreement, as they kept looking around as if danger was right around the corner. "Anyway, Alice should be here any minute." Right on cue, a young woman turned the corner, greeting the group with a wave. Alice's getup was even less formal than Lauren's. Her dark blue tank top and ripped jeans made her look like she had just walked out of an alley in Castelia. Her magenta hair fell over one eye, although the intimidating look was broken by the warm smile she wore. "Shannon! Lauren! It feels like it's been forever! We've almost got the whole gang back together." Shannon quickly introduced Ryan, Corey, and Aori, defensively warding off any implication that she was related to any of them in any fashion. Her reaction earned a laugh from Alice. "Girl, those three could be your long lost brothers for all I care. They're friends of you, so they're friends of me. That's all that matters." The woman knelt down next to Aori, who was quietly hugging Yuri. "That's a cute Eevee you got there, kid. I had an Eevee once myself. Come over here, Aurora." At Alice's call, an Umbreon came up from behind her, purring lightly as she stroked its silky fur. "She's a real sweetheart, I can tell you that. So, you excited about the festival, kiddo?" Aori held Yuri out to greet the Umbreon and smiled. “I am!” she said happily. “I wish that I had my own yukata and not a borrowed one, though.” She tugged on the fine article of clothing, humming a bit. “My mama made me one with gold leaves that sparkled in the light.” A sad look crossed the girl’s face, but was quickly replaced with a fairly-forced smile. “This festival is so much bigger than the ones at home, though.” A proud look crossed Alice's face. "Of course. Ecruteak's got the best festivals around. You be sure to have lots of fun today so you can tell your mama all about it when you see her again, okay?" She stood up and addressed the rest of the group. "So, where to first?"

-==IC: Gold Team - Team Flare Lab, Geosenge Town, Kalos, August 12==- The darkness loomed in the containment room like a living thing, the dangling cables and twisted metal seeming like something out of a horror film. Three thick cables ran from the base of the ex-pedestal to the three walls of the room; the rear wall seemed intact, with the right having a few small holes but nothing large enough to pass through, leaving the largely collapsed left wall the only passable route. The room through that wall, by contrast, was smaller but much lighter, a collapsed shaft in the ceiling bathing the room in dim moonlight. Shards of shattered glass glittered in the light, the remnants of what looked to have been some sort of large glass chamber in the room’s center. A blackened, warped emitter dish hung ominously above the empty space, the strange device somehow having twisted backward upon itself before curling from its own intense heat. Many of the computer consoles along the walls were similarly scorched, enough intact parts remaining for a single unit solely by virtue of the sheer number of stations. A half-demolished door next to a hole in the crumbling back wall beckoned the group onward, as did the quintet of clearly-visible footprints that had crushed the shards beneath into a fine powder. Through the door was a room with consoles along the walls, scorched and smashed to varying degrees. In the back of the room was a set of glass tubes, most of them shattered and leaking some pale green liquid. From the tubes, a conveyor belt led through several unfamiliar machines to a small hole in the wall. Jared gestured them through. As the group fanned out through the room, the machines around them blinked to life. Mechanical arms appeared and shot out with scalpels and syringes. Quicker than the blink of an eye, they had reached out and scraped Tristan and Dracos before retreating. A nearby monitor blinked from red to green. Jared scowled. “Samples complete. Samples for what?” As he said it, the vats at the end of the room began bubbling. An eerie pale-pinkish substance fizzed inside them, the nozzle above each injecting a different ribbon of colored liquid inside; a shimmering bluish-indigo for one, and a clear crystalline blue into the other. The conveyor belts beneath each vat chugged to life, moving the vats to a boxlike station where they were irradiated with intense light and heat, the indigo ribbon emerging magenta in a sea of purple while the other came out a steely silver in a much brighter pink solution. The next station locked some sort of cover over the top of the vats, before draining them into opaque tanks overhead. Across the room, another machine lit up. What had at first appeared to be opaque glass panels suddenly lit from behind, their contents obscured by some sort of semitransparent mould. The sickly green goo they’d seen on the floor oozed into the mould from above, slowly forming a large ovoid shape. Once half-filled, the flow paused, a different needle descending to inject the liquid slurry from before into the center. The flow resumed afterward, finishing the formation of the eggs. The conveyor moved the glass boxes sideways, through what looked to be another irradiation station of some kind; the eggs visibly solidified, the color slowly leaching away into an unnatural off-white that lacked any kind of visible pattern. The boxes next moved along a different conveyor to a station in the middle of the room, coiling wires trailing to the giant generator-looking machine on the right-hand wall. The green light on the station suddenly flashed red, however, as sparks cascaded from the generator’s lower half, a few melting holes right through the glass before extinguishing themselves against the eggshells. A cursory examination revealed the problem: a metal rod of some kind had been inserted into the machinery, and had partially melted, fusing several components together. A small, familiar-looking canister perched haphazardly atop the generator and patched carelessly into it wobbled precariously, a tiny capacity light going from blinking orange to solid red. A bar shifted on the conveyor belt, opening the path to the stations leading to the alcove, but halfway down the path the conveyor finally quit entirely, the motors chugging and dying with a cough of black smoke. Emily hummed. “Subjects rejected. Incinerator activating. Well, that’s just a waste.” She hurried over to the belt and picked up the two eggs. “I’ll just hold onto these for the time being, shall I?” "How come you get all the loot?" Zoe walked up to the Performer with a frown. "You should at least share them with someone else. Since there's not enough to go around, I'll volunteer myself to take this humble burden. After all, I think I might as well get something for going through all the trouble of following you down here." Emily chuckled. “You’re right. Here.” She carefully handed the younger girl one of the eggs. “Since neither of us are likely to be fighting directly, it’s an excellent idea for us to be the ones holding onto them.” Zoe accepted the egg with barely concealed surprise. "Well that was easy," she muttered under her breath as she carefully tucked the egg in her bag. The sound of sobbing began to echo through the lab from the room beyond. Jared frowned, pointing towards the source of the sound. “There. Let’s move.”

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood - Team Flare Lab, Kalos, August 11 "Alright," Jared said as he looked down the hall. "I want us to go in carefully, but strong. Jamie, could you swap Tristan for Pelleas? In case of another cave-in, a Metagross will be more useful than a Heracross. And Dahlia, I don't want you trying to use your Reverse power if we can avoid it. Maybe send out Dracos for some extra protection?" "Should I let Aolani out?" Lachina asked quietly. Jared shook his head. "Her wings are too wide for these hallway. Emily, you could send out Ronin if you--" "Got it." Emily released the Scyther quickly, nodding. Jared took a deep breath. "Jamie, you stay on point, but go slow and stick close to us. Don't rush off." He paused, casting one last look around. "And can someone tell Zoe that we know she's following us?" IC: Shannon Willows/Ryan Hikari/Aori Yamamoto/Corey/Lauren - Ecruteak City The group finished and paid for their lunch while Lauren finished her shift. Then the five of them walked together as Shannon and Lauren caught up. The two friends chatted as if they were children again, exchanging fond memories and laughing at the most inane things. "Oh, you have to come by the Bell Tower!" Lauren cried, taking hold of Shannon's arm and leading the group down a side street. "I've heard Caroline works there as a tour guide or something. She'll be so happy to see you again!" And so the group found themselves at the grounds of Ecruteak's most sacred monument. From far away, one might expect the towering pagoda was all there was to the Bell Tower, but the grounds stretched for a few dozen acres around the site, full of historical museums, gift shops, nature walks, and gardens. They found Caroline next to a trickling pool, explaining to a group of tourists how the Legendary Ho-Oh was thought to have blessed the waters at the foot of his tower, prompting the ancient townsfolk to cast offerings of coins into the pool. "Nowadays we have a small section cordoned off for donations so the local Pokémon don't accidentally swallow the coins." The short bob Caroline had sported in her younger years had been shaved down to a tight-curled, somewhat messy pixie cut. A Chimecho floated at her side, its clear ringing in time with Caroline's well-rehearsed speech. Ryan glanced back to Shannon and her friend as he listened to the tour. "She's pretty good, that's a good method of keeping interest, having the Chimecho have a constant sound to not seem like she's droning on." Shannon simply smiled in response, not wanting to miss what Caroline had to say. Lauren, Shannon, and the others hung at the back of the group until the tour was finished. As people started filing out, they approached the brown-haired girl. "Hey there, stranger!" Lauren called out with a wave. Caroline stifled a gasp but couldn't hide her surprise. "Lauren? Shannon?! What are you two doing here? It's been years!" At her side, the evolved Patapan filled the air with cheerful tones. Corey smiled wistfully at the sight of the girls' reunion. "Hey, Ryan, let's take Aori over here to check out the rest of the place; I think they need some space to catch up." Without waiting for a response, the blonde-haired man headed over toward the trees to look at them a little closer. Ryan and Corey kept an eye on Aori as the trio of girls sat next to the pond. Selena scampered around as she played with Patapan and Lauren's Poliwhirl, Irene. Shannon glanced between her friends with a wry smile. "I know you haven't seen me in a while, but I would've thought the two of you at least would've kept in contact." The girls' faces suddenly grew solemn. "We . . . sort of fell apart shortly after you left," Lauren said quietly. "Not that it was your fault or anything," Caroline quickly chimed in. "There was a Liberty attack that got out of hand. Lots of buildings were damaged and a lot of people got hurt. We were all okay, but Hannah saw your parents among the Liberty soldiers." Shannon cast her eyes to the ground. Before she could say anything, Caroline continued. "It took all of us by surprise, but I think Hannah took it harder than any of us. Shortly afterwards she enlisted in Team Rocket, and we never heard from her since." "That was around the time Alice and Caroline graduated middle school," Lauren said. "With Hannah gone, I didn't really have any friends in my year. I ended up going to a different high school than them, where I made some new friends. Now I work over at that deli on the south side of the city." For the first time the girl's confident demeanor broke and Shannon caught a glimpse the shy, timid Lauren she knew from grade school. "I know it's not much, but it's enough to pay the bills and I really love serving customers." "Hey, don't sweat it." Caroline smiled wistfully. "My parents wanted me to go to college like Alice, but instead I got a job here at the tower. I mean, what's the point of studying history when I learn so much of it working here? Ecruteak has always been my home, and I wouldn't trade it for the world." "Alice went to college?" Shannon asked. It was hard to believe that out of all of them, the brash, troublemaking leader of their group was the only one who had continued her studies. "Yeah, she went to a university in Lilycove to study ecology." Caroline flashed a grin as she pulled out her phone and searched for a recent picture. "I keep telling her she should switch her major to fashion design." If Shannon didn't know the girl in the picture was supposed to be Alice, she wouldn't have recognized her. Her hair had been dyed a bright magenta, the sides of her head closely shaven while her bangs extended past one eye. An Umbreon hung from her shoulder as she laughed up at the camera. "That's . . . definitely a fashion statement of some sort." Shannon balked. "When did she turn all punk rock?" "Oh, that's a leftover from her days as a drummer in a high school rock band, but it came back in full force when she left for college." Caroline suddenly grabbed Shannon's arm. "Actually, Alice is coming home this weekend for the summer festival. How long are you staying in Ecruteak? It'd be great if we could all get together again. Well, everyone but Hannah." Shannon grew quiet. "We probably can't stay long, we're on our way to Olivine to look for Aori's parents. About Hannah, though . . . I actually saw her not too long ago." She briefly described the attack on Celadon. "That is so messed up," Caroline said, clenching a fist. "How could she blame you for what your parents and the rest of Team Liberty did?" "We should have been there for her more," Lauren said as she stared into the clear waters of the pool. "Maybe if I had done more to help, she wouldn't have . . ." Shannon placed a hand on her friend's knee. "Hey. Hannah made her choice. I went through the same thing, wishing I had been a better friend or reached out to you all more after I'd left. But in the end, we can't blame ourselves for someone else's decision." As Lauren wiped a tear from her eye, Caroline leaned close to Shannon. "So who's the lucky guy?" she asked with a coy smile, batting an eye towards Ryan and Corey. "And is the other one available?" Shannon flushed. "It's not like that!" Sensing her prey was within grasp, Caroline went for the kill. "Oh, so you won't mind if Lauren and I take them on a double date, then?" There was a loud splash as Shannon knocked Caroline into the pool. "Everyone okay?" Corey asked with a frown as he suddenly showed up nearby. "I heard a splash, and--" The trainer stopped suddenly, as he saw approximately what happened as Caroline began to climb back out of the pool. "... okay, nevermind, I'm guessing it was just… whatever happened there." He scratched his head for a second or two more, his imagination starting to go wild about why Caroline had ended up in the pool to begin with, but he began to turn around. He paused when he glanced at Lauren, however. "Hm." Corey placed his hand to his mouth with a contemplative look on his face, then walked up toward the blonde-haired girl. "Say, just a curious question, no need to answer if this is too out of nowhere, but you wouldn't happen to know a "Yuki", would you?" He asked Lauren with a curious tone, as if trying to place something. Not wanting to get caught up in Shannon and Caroline's antics, Lauren turned her attention to Corey and pondered his question. "There was a Yuki in my class in grade school, but I didn't know her too well." Her head tilted to the side as she studied Corey curiously. "Yuki's not that unusual of a name around Ecruteak, so it might not even be the Yuki you're thinking about. Why do you ask?" "Ah, no real reason. It's been a while since I've seen her. How about a Kazuma?" The waitress' eyes narrowed. "If I remember right, he and Yuki hung out together a lot. Do I . . . know you from somewhere?" "Ah," Corey shook his head as he put it down. "No, uh, they just mentioned you sometimes, or someone who looked like you, so I just wanted to check, you know?" "Uh huh." Lauren crossed her arms and regarded the man with a fair amount of skepticism. "Yuki and Kazuma didn't know me any more than I knew them. We were classmates, but that was a good ten to fifteen years ago. I spent most of my time hanging out with Hannah and her friends." She paused for a moment. "What did they have to say about me?" "Well, can't say I recall everything since it would've been that long ago that I heard anything, but like, mostly it was Yuki talking, and mostly just things like "Oh, there's this nice girl, but she's a bit quiet, but she seems nice!" and things like that." A small smile made its way onto Corey's face as he gave the explanation. Lauren chewed her lip. "How long have you known the two of them, exactly?" Before Corey could answer, Shannon approached the pair with a sopping Caroline. "What're you two talking about?" the blonde-haired girl asked curiously. "Ah, nothing much." Corey said with a laugh as he waved his hand. "Just asked about something." He glanced over to Lauren with a slight pause. "A while, mostly through Kazuma. I used to live over there." Corey gave a slight vague motion to the west for a second. "I should go check on Ryan and Aori, make sure they haven't gotten into trouble." With that, the blonde-haired man walked off, leaving a very confused Lauren.

-==IC: Serena/Calem/Dahlia/Jared==- “Hurry!” the second voice shouted. The sound of footsteps rapidly receded, and it quickly became clear that the party had been left alone in the dust. Serena nodded at Lachina’s question. “There was a small passage before, though, just enough for someone to crawl through.” She pointed at the array of reddish-brown blemishes splashed across the corridor. “We think some people got trapped here during the collapse, but managed to dig themselves out after a while.” “Judging by the amount of blood, they probably didn’t make it too far, though,” Calem said casually. “Probably got dragged off when Flare did their initial forays back down here.” “Calem!” Serena smacked Calem’s shoulder. “Don’t be so glib about it! People died here!” “Yeah, evil people.” Calem shrugged. Serena sighed. “I don’t think we’re supposed to admit we feel that way, though.” She shook her head. “Anyway. This was where we found those Starter Pokémon before. The poor things looked half starved to death, so we had no choice but to take them back to Professor Sycamore’s lab for care.” “The people who we’re chasing have helped us out though. They moved the rocks around a bit, so we should be able to dig through with the Pokémon on hand. Let’s get started.” As he said it, Dahlia stepped forward and made her offer to move the stones. Calem raised an eyebrow, but stepped back to see what Dahlia would do. It was subtle, at first, the dust raising into the air, the pebbles scattering back. A moment later, one of the rocks shifted, then another. Finally, all of the rocks suddenly scattered, rising up to reform the ceiling and the walls, revealing the hallway behind them. Immediately after, Dahlia's vision swam and her knees buckled. Jared quickly knelt beside her and put a hand gently on her back. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. IC: Flint Conley - Lazy Pidgey Cafe, Blackthron City Flint couldn't help smiling. "Yes, I do training sessions twice a day if possible. These swords don't see actual use very often, however. If it comes to a fight, my subordinates usually handle it with their Pokémon. I haven't fought a live opponent in, oh, probably three or four months."

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood/Calem - Team Flare Lab, Geosenge Town, August 11th "Jamie, wait!" Jared called as he took off after the headstrong Heroine. As they made their way down the hall, another voice could be heard. "Through there!" Jared cursed quietly and sped up. As they approached the turn, there was a deafening noise, grating and crashing. Jamie was the first around the corner, and was met with a wall of rubble ten feet down. Pebbles scattered off of the wall, and dust was settling in the corridor. Jared cursed as he saw it. "Now what?" Lachina asked. "Is this where you guys were stopped?" She looked to the Champions.

-==IC: Calem/Serena==- (Collapsed Team Flare Secret Lab, Geosenge Town, Kalos, August 11, 2017, 11:52 P.M.) “We might take you up on that. After all,” Calem said with a grin, “The less Pokémon I have to show, the better. A Champion has to keep his secrets, after all.” Serena scoffed and shoved his shoulder. “Ex-Champion,” she reminded him. “We had to put the League on hold for this year, remember?” “And we both know I would have won if it weren’t for that.” “We’ll see about that, buster. Maybe I should ask Bonnie to make another run this year.” Calem blanched. “Please no. I-I’ll be good.” “Don’t you two use different rosters for Champion duty and day-to-day anyways?” Emily asked with a smile. “Oh, we do,” Calem agreed. “But a lot of my Champion roster is big burly Pokémon, and--” “Hey,” a voice called in the distance, “I think I found a way through.” Jared held a hand up to stop the group and frowned. “That came from around that corner up there, I’m pretty sure. Who wants to take point?”

IC: Yamamoto Aori/Shannon Willows - Trilan Mansion, Celadon City Shannon led Aori through the now-familiar halls of the mansion. The younger girl's eyes were wide as saucers as she tried to soak in everything the giant house had to offer. It was almost a little overwhelming, and Aori practically hugged Shannon's hand so she wouldn't get lost. "And this here is the hospital wing. If you ever scrape your knee or something, they'll get you patched right up." Shannon looked down at the quiet girl and recognized the anxiety in her eyes. "You doing alright, Aori?" she asked, kneeling down so that she was at eye level with the girl. Aori swallowed and nodded. “Everything here is just very big and nice,” she said quietly. “And I get nervous in new places.” Shannon gave her a warm smile. "I understand, it's easy to get lost in a place like this, isn't it?" Aori nodded. "Well, tell you what? You see that courtyard down there?" The two girls peered out the window at a span of trees that stood surrounded on all sides by the huge building. It was like a giant Golurk had just carved out the center of the house, turning it into something resembling a donut, and dropped a forest in the hole. "You can see the courtyard from almost anywhere in the mansion. If you ever get lost, just go there to find your bearings." The girl nodded again. “Yes, okay.” She smiled shakily. “Which way are the bedrooms?” "Right this way." Shannon led her down another corridor lined with ornate wooden doors. "These are all the guest bedrooms. I've never actually stayed in one myself, but my physical therapist, Lucia, stayed in one of these." She approached the second door on the right and gently knocked. When there was no answer, she pushed the door open. The room was as spotless as a new hotel room. A large bed sat in the corner, along with a dresser, cabinets, and a flatscreen tv. Two large windows offered a view of the courtyard, and a pair of smaller doors led into a closet and bathroom, respectively. "Well, it looks like Lucia hasn't moved back in yet," Shannon said. "What do you think, does this look like a good place to stay?" Aori smiled softly. “Yes, it does.” She looked around in awe at the lavish accommodations -- she had seen televisions in other people’s homes when visiting, but never in a bedroom. -- and shifted from foot to foot quietly. “Would it be okay for me to let Hana and Yuri out to play for a bit?” "Of course." Shannon set three Pokéballs on the bed. One by one they opened to release her own Pokémon. "Selena and Sousa know their way around this place a little better than me, so they probably know all the good spots to play." Selena immediately chippered up and proudly puffed out her chest, while her Dunsparce companion gave a meek nod. Aori released her Bulbasaur and Eevee, who happily greeted Shannon’s Pokémon. Aori tilted her head softly, a curious look crossing her face. “You said you were hurt. It sounds like you could not walk for a while. What happened?” Shannon sat down on the bed and ran her hand across Selena's fur. The Furret crooned happily and snuggled against her. "There was a big fight," she finally said, choosing her words carefully. "I tried to stop it, but got caught in the crossfire. Not unlike what you did to save Donguri. Things didn't turn out so well for me, but Ryan brought me here to get patched up." A soft smile crossed her face. "If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here right now." Aori chewed her lip and hugged Shannon tightly. “I am glad you are here,” she said quietly. Hana’s vine reached out to wrap around the two, and Aori smiled. “Hana is glad, too.” "Thanks, Aori. That really means a lot." As she embraced the young girl, Shannon felt her own worries melt away. She wished she could hold onto this moment forever. With a smile, Shannon reached down to pat the Bulbasaur on the head. "Thank you too, Hana." The moment was interrupted by the growling of Aori’s stomach. Aside from the fruit snacks she had had at the department store, she hadn’t eaten much that day. Hesitantly, she broke the embrace. “Could we get some dinner?” she asked shyly. The sound was accompanied by the growling of Shannon's own stomach. "It is getting pretty late, isn't it?" The girl giggled and held out her arm for Selena to climb up. Scooping up Sousa and Salix, she headed towards the door. "Come on, the dining room's down on the first floor. I know Ms. Stacy usually likes to eat with her guests, so I imagine Mr. Trilan will have Ryan and Phil join us." IC: Jared Winters/Emily Lockwood/Lachina Adaon/Calem - Geosenge Town Lab, August 11th As Emily and Serena came back, Jared frowned. "They're in one of Lionel's labs," Emily explained quietly. "We have no clue where." "Crud, I forgot," Jared sighed. "Alright then. Like I said, I only saw four, so we outnumber them by almost three to one. Let's play this safe and carefully. No telling what nasty surprises are waiting in there, or if the building is stable at all. Let's go." He made his way down into the lab quickly.

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood/Calem - Geosenge Town, Kalos, August 11th The training was winding down, everyone having gotten plenty of practice -- Jared had even busted out a couple of targets for people to practice punching and kicking -- when the silver-haired aura wielder paused and looked off in the distance. Geosenge was a small town, and the lab they were to be investigating was in line of sight of their cottage, though it was at the edge of town. Lachina raised an eyebrow. "Jared? What's up?" "Someone go wake up Lionel and Elaine," he replied. "I just saw four human auras go into the lab." There was a flurry of activity, but Emily finally hurried inside to wake up the scientists. Jared took a deep breath. "Zoe," he said sternly. "Stay here. You're doing great with the punches, but you don't have the speed and power yet to really put up a fight. The rest of you, let's go." He took off. Calem glanced at Serena and shrugged before following the younger man. While looking into Flare was technically the purview of Kalos League officials, having allies would be beneficial. Quickly, the group headed to the Geosenge Lab. IC: Flint Conley - Lazy Pidgey Cafe "Please, don't hesitate to call for any reason. I wouldn't mind if you called just to talk sometimes." Flint entered his number quickly into the ancient device. "I don't get much casual conversation these days." IC: Sylph - Alamo, Four Island, August Quietly she made her way through the corridors, the drive tucked safely in Xander's backpack. More odd looks at a Gardevoir wearing a backpack, but she didn't care about odd looks these days. She carefully wound through the twisting corridors until she found herself outside of a door with a nameplate bearing Richie Eston's name on it. If she had timed this right, he would be out to lunch. She took a deep breath, focused on the image she had gotten from Xander's mind, and teleported. She appeared inside the Executive's office, deserted as she had thought. Quietly she opened the drawer the drive had been inside -- and the door to the adjoining bedroom opened. Executive Eston stepped out and paused upon seeing her. "Hello, Executive," she said quietly, straightening and closing the drawer. "Hello. Sylph, was it? What exactly are you doing in my office?" "Oh, I found some property of yours and was just returning it for you." "Ah, yes, that property I misplaced. In the future, you may knock on my door and give it to me directly." Sylph nodded. "Yes, Executive." "Is there anything else I can do for you, Sylph?" "No, no, that will be all, thank you." Sylph teleported again, appearing back in Miss Zarth's quarters, her heart racing. That hadn't gone at all how she'd hoped.