Parugi

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Abandoned Windmills, Dendemille Town: The resounding answers were unanimously negative. The windmill had been a long shot from the beginning, but it truly seemed that the foot traffic prior to them had wiped out any clues that could have been gleaned from it. Silently, the group filed out. As they emerged back onto the dirt pathway, Neith and Athena fluttered down, landing on each of Sonja's arms. They appeared more calm, confirming that, at the very least, they had not spotted any danger. "Alright," Sonja said at last. "To the warehouse, then." She glanced at Kyle, whose gaze had fallen toward the ground. "Do you want to wait in town for us?" He shook his head. "I'm the only one here who knows where the warehouse is and what it looks like," he said. Kyle sighed, shaking his head and glancing, tired, at Sonja. "I'll be fine." "Okay . . ." She was not convinced, but did not press the issue. "Where to?" With a look to the sky, and then a moment of silence as he did the math, Kyle pointed north. "That way," he said. "We could walk there, but flying would be a lot quicker." "Easier to spot it, too," Sonja said, repeating his thought from the previous night. Kyle nodded, smiling slightly. "Okay. Then we'll fly." "I'll need to piggyback off of someone," Emmerich reminded them. "Fighting-Types don't fly very well. And I'd prefer not to be carried this time." He directed a pointed glance at Sonja, recalling the incident in Blackthorn. "I've got you covered," Kyle said. He pulled out Jaeda's Poké Ball, releasing the Flame Pokémon. She had recovered well from the fight against Gluttony and Adams, shaking her hide in the early sun. With a soft pat on her neck, Kyle climbed on her back, helping Emmerich after him. Sonja, too, reached for a Poké Ball. Before throwing it, however, she made sure to take a couple of steps away from everyone else, for reasons that immediately became obvious. The dragon that emerged in front of her huffed at the sudden interruption to his nap, and then uttered a growl that turned into a roar as he saw Jaeda. The aggression sent Athena and Neith into the air with a startled flutter. Sonja stood her ground, however, and stared the Druddigan straight in the eye as she snapped her fingers. "No," she said, her tone loud and stern. "Ares, stop." The Dragon-Type stared back at her for a moment, but finally relented. Sonja approached him slowly, petting his head. With the dragon somewhat calmed, she climbed on his back. "Save the aggression for the people we're after. Okay?"

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Abandoned Windmills, Dendemille Town: It took a moment, but Kyle finally seemed to relax. He rocked slightly in his seat, before slowly sitting up straight, his eyes closed, and let out a long, shaking breath. It was clear that he was still trembling, but he managed to give several nods in reply, as much to acknowledge Ryan's words as to silently reassure himself. "I'm . . . I'm fine," he said at last. Though his voice still wavered, he meant it. Kyle brought a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose, wiping at his face and looking away--not to avert his gaze, but to gather his composure. "A part of me expected to run into him here." He stared at the table for a moment and then shook his head. "I'll be . . . I'll be okay. Thanks, Ryan." "You can sit tight while we look around," Emmerich offered. The Rocket General was the only member of the group who hadn't heard the story of what had happened, but he was quickly piecing it together. Kyle nodded, resting his head against his hands again. With his actions out of sight, Emmerich peered at the blood on the table and the floor, glancing at Kyle. "Anything in particular we should be looking for?" Luckily, Sonja answered before Kyle had to. "There was a ledger here the last time Kyle was," she said. "I doubt we'd be lucky enough to find anything like that, though. Basically, just look for anything that might be useful." It was clear even from a cursory glance that there wasn't anything of use here, but still, they had to try. If they could get a clue to the Signs's whereabouts without having to go to the warehouse . . . With a glance at Kyle, Sonja suppressed a sigh. Something told her that particular hope wouldn't come to pass.

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Abandoned Mills, Dendemille Town: "Are I the only one who hasn't yet actually had a run-in with these Signs?" Ray whispered to Sonja, a small frown on his face. "I didn't quite catch everything that happened while I was on One Island, but I think Chloe or someone mentioned that there was some kinda investigation and that's where that Rowlet came from or something…" Sonja shook her head. "I actually haven't, either," she said. "Guess that might change soon, though." She reached for Atum's Poké Ball. To her surprise, another opened. The Noibat Kyle had given her materialized from within, taking form right in front of her. The Sound Wave Pokémon chirped, confused, flapped about a bit, and then immediately hissed at the sight of the windmill, scampering through the air and perching on Sonja's shoulder to hide behind her head. "Ow--careful, Neith!" Sonja raised a hand, pressing reassuringly against his head. When he eased up, she glared at the windmill. "You remember this place, don't you? It's alright--I understand. We'll keep each other safe, okay?" After a moment of hesitation, the Noibat nodded. Sonja pulled Athena's Poké Ball from her belt and tossed it into the air, summoning the Pidove, who sung happily to her trainer. "Athena, why don't you take Neith up to the top of the windmill and keep watch? If you see or hear anything, drop straight down to us. Can you do that?" The Flying-Type nodded. With a brief chirrup to Neith, the two took to the air, settling side by side on one of the stationary windmill turbines. At the front of the group, a more intense conversation was underway. Ryan readied his Typhlosion's Pokéball as he stood next to Chloe and Kyle. "Hope we're not fighting windmills here." He cracked a grin, then glanced over at Kyle. "So this is where you found those poached Pokémon? Looks like they abandoned the place." "Seems pretty unsuspecting…" Chloe said, as she adjusted her outfit. She shook her head, as she approached the door cautiously, Luke's Poké Ball in hand. "Is this how things were last time?" she whispered to Kyle with an uncertain look on her face. "Well . . ." Despite his efforts, Kyle could not conceal his discomfort as he thought back to his original outing here. "It's definitely how I left it . . ." He steeled himself and walked forward. Carefully, he slid his thumb along his belt, counting the Poké Balls that lined it. When he found Kitheus's, he unclipped it, holding it close to his chest. At the door, he stopped, whipping around and staring blankly at the group. "I'm sorry--I don't know if I told everyone this already, but if not it's better now than never. I'm not sure if he can still do it, but Shift caught me off-guard last time with something that forced my Pokémon back into their Poké Balls and it wouldn't surprise me if he managed to do it again. That and . . . and he has a taser built into his cane. And he has that gas--'it' or what he called it. Do not inhale it--it will knock you out in seconds and worse." He'd stalled for as much time as he could. Only when he stopped talking did he realize that he was shaking. He turned back around as quickly as he could, hoping that no one else had noticed, and proceeded to push the busted door of the windmill open, scanning the room with rapid visual sweeps. It was almost exactly as he had left it, sans the cages that had held the captured Pokémon. Large cords and plugs hung limply from the ceiling, devoid of the containers that they had previously connected to. Against one wall, the table where the ledger had resided remained, though it now bore nothing but a dried spot of blood on the edge. Underneath it, a similar spot of dried blood stained the floor. The authorities may have investigated the place, but if so, for whatever reason, they had not cleared it out. The emptiness of the building should have relieved Kyle. If it did, that was not obvious. With movements that could best be described as stilted, he forced himself to sit down on a lone crate. His hands shook as he brought his inhaler to his mouth, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as he rested his head against his cupped fists. He breathed out, trying hard to steady himself. They're not here . . . They're not here . . . Shift isn't here . . .

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Command Center, Vertrag (Dendemille Town, Kalos): "If by 'base,' you mean their warehouse, then . . . Yeeeah . . ." Kyle said. He approached one of the computer consoles. "Vertrag, could I get a map of like . . . this whole section of Kalos?" The AI complied; the screen lit up with a map of of Dendemille and the outskirts of the nearest towns. "Thanks. So . . ." Kyle studied it closely, zooming in. "The northeast part of Dendemille is home to a bunch of abandoned windmills; that's where I ran into them the first time. Their warehouse was north of there. Not sure exactly where, but close enough that we'd be able to fly there, and big enough that we'd see it from the air." Sonja marked the areas of interest in her Pokétch. "Okay," she said. "That's a good starting point." Switching over to her main menu, she frowned. "Ah . . ." "What's wrong?" Ryan asked. "In all the excitement and being stuck in an extradimensional base," Sonja said. "We should probably rest for a few hours. It's a little late." She did not need to specify the time--it was clear from her tone that they should have gone to sleep a long time ago. I can prepare rooms for each of you if you would like, Vertrag offered. "That would be great," Sonja said. "Ray and I are obviously both set, but I'm sure everyone else would appreciate not having to use any of Ford's rooms." It will be done. "Thanks." Sonja turned to the rest of the group. "We'll rest until morning and then head out to the windmills first thing. We can stop by the Poké Mart for supplies on the way there." As the group filed out toward the living quarters, now fully conscious of the fatigue that had finally caught up to them, Sonja cast a final look around the Command Center. Kyle remained at the computer console, staring intently at the map, one hand resting at his mouth. Behind him, Vertrag watched him with evident curiosity. "Everything okay?" Sonja asked. Kyle glanced at her, before returning his gaze to the screen. "Yeah, I'm good . . ." he said. "Right behind you guys . . ." "Okay." Sonja was not entirely convinced. "Don't stay up much later." He didn't respond, nor really move until he heard the door close behind her. When it did, he took a breath. "Vertrag?" Yes? "I have a question for you . . ." The sun peeked out over the top of a nearby hill, casting an orange glow across the valley. The light warmed the group as they made their way down the old dirt path. Ahead of them lay the split path where Kyle, Esen, and Cero had gone their separate ways not long ago. As they came to the fork, they stopped. Kyle tapped his foot on the ground, peering first down one path, and then the other. "This way," he said. He took the left-hand path, leading toward a windmill in somewhat better condition than the others. As they neared, he could still see the power lines leading down into the building, as well as the lock that Sanshou had broken. The door stood ajar. It occurred to him that, aside from the police presumably investigating the place, it was unlikely anyone of note had actually returned to the site since it had been compromised. Still, they had few leads at the moment, so they had to check it. He stopped about ten feet away from the door. "There it is."

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman/Vertrag - Command Center, Vertrag: A general murmur of agreement followed Sonja's suggestion. The plan was set, then: They would teleport the base to Dendemille Town, locate the windmills where the Signs had been staging their poaching operations, the warehouse where they had been taking prisoners, and see what they could find. Prior to the search, they would stock up on any supplies they would need in case of an emergency. At Emmerich's suggestion, they would prepare two emergency messages for Vertrag the AI to send out in case the mission went poorly--the first to inform the other group of Agents in Kalos, and the second to send back to Liberty and Rocket. The Signs were a largely-unknown threat, and Shift in particular seemed unpredictable. But at least this way, if they ran into trouble, they would be ready. "Sounds like we're all set, then," Sonja said. She turned to Vertrag. "So, how does this work?" You are prepared to relocate now? Vertrag asked. Sonja looked between the members of her group--from Kyle, to Chloe, to Ray, to Emmerich, and finally to Ryan. Between the five of them, she saw no signs of hesitation, and so she addressed Vertrag again. "We're ready." Understood. The Jirachi's eyes glowed. Thin lines of light spread from the central console all throughout the rest of the control room. Although they did not feel any movement from the base, they could all sense the energy permeating throughout it, as the massive teleportation field warped the fabric of space around the facility. Initiating facility relocation. Destination: Dendemille Town, Kalos. All eyes, whether inside or outside, would have seen no indication of any movement as Vertrag disappeared from beneath the base of Mt. Silver. But they would have felt the conspicuous ease of the air as something much more powerful, hidden away as it may be, removed itself from the area, reappearing thousands of miles away on the outskirts of a new town in a new region. The Vanguard had arrived in Kalos.

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman/Vertrag - Command Center, Vertrag: "Well . . ." Kyle rubbed the back of his head as he thought back to his experience with the Signs. "I couldn't tell you exactly where off the top of my head, but Dendemille Town would probably be a good place to start. That's where I first ran into Shift, and the warehouse they took me to afterward shouldn't be that far off from there. I'm sure we'd find something there." "Well, let's make sure we're ready before we go," Sonja said. "The last thing we want is them getting the jump on us like they did with you." With a nod to Ryan, she continued, "As for Ford, I agree with Chloe--let's hold off on that for a bit. It would be problematic if they sent out a task force to hunt him down while we're getting all of this sorted out."

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman/Vertrag - Command Center, Vertrag: In all honesty, Kyle was a little taken aback by Ryan's suggestion. As many problems as he had had with Team Liberty's leadership, he had grown up in the organization. To abandon them outright . . . He really wasn't sure how he felt about that suggestion. But Ryan did have a point--if they returned with the Grimoire, or really anything else of significance to Ford, they'd be all but guaranteed to lose possession of it. And if the Grimoire in particular was as important to stopping Missing Zero as Ford seemed to suggest . . . The thought made him shudder. Equally as unnerving: What Chloe had just said. "Yeah . . ." Sonja breathed. "If Adams came back as one of Missing Zero's things . . . I'd bet that Pierce will, too." She turned a concerned eye to the Jirachi. "But you can't revoke access privileges, can you? You said Ford had to do that." Vertrag nodded. Correct. My master must be returned to this facility before those adjustments can be made. "Figures . . ." Kyle sighed. "But you can move the base?" Correct. "That's a weird set of rules." They are the terms of our contract. "Anyway . . ." Kyle leaned against the railing around the center control console. "Vanguard, huh?" He fell silent for a moment. "What do you think, Sonja?" "I don't know . . . It would be nice to operate a bit more outside of the rules . . ." Sonja said. "And it's not like we don't already do that . . ." She crossed her arms, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I don't think it's smart to burn bridges with the other groups . . . But I'm also not sure that there's a way of using what we have here without inadvertently doing that." With a sigh, she looked at the Jirachi. "If we did decide to use this base as our own, would you let us?" My master trusts you, Vertrag said. Therefore I trust you. "Okay," Sonja said. "Thank you." She looked at everyone else. "Then . . . I say we go for it, if for no other reason than the danger of letting Vertrag fall under M0's control." "I hadn't even thought about that," Kyle admitted. "I've been too preoccupied thinking about what Silvermind would do if she had access here." That was almost enough to make him shudder again. "I agree with Chloe that I don't feel comfortable calling myself a Ford Agent, but . . . Yeah; if you guys are set on this, then I'll join the Vanguard, too." He turned his head. "What about you?" The group looked at Emmerich. He chewed his lip, his eyes jumping almost nervously from one face to the next. He took a deep breath, folding his hands in his lap. "I cannot give any sort of official condonement towards what would effectively be treason," he said carefully. "That being said, a base capable of moving on its own and denying access to those it deems untrustworthy isn't exactly the base of a group that can be effectively brought to justice. So . . ." The General shrugged. "Make of that what you will." "Every vigilante group needs a good guy in the government to give his unspoken backing," Kyle said, grinning. Emmerich shook his head, betraying the slightest--slightest--hint of a smile. "If you're calling yourselves the 'Vanguard,' you might consider 'Vorhut.' Maintain the German tradition with Vertrag." He looked away. "Not that I have an opinion on the matter . . ."

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman/Vertrag - Command Center, Vertrag: Correct, Vertrag said. I am not meant for battle. I am only accessible to those deemed worthy by my master, or by extension, his prodigies. This was enough of a safeguard for the past twenty or so years. Until today, I had never encountered a situation where I deemed myself in jeopardy. Yet, with the arrival of this new menace . . . "Missing Zero," Sonja said. "It seems as if you should have known it was coming, but . . . Even you probably weren't able to breach the pact of silence." I could not discern the difference between the Third Child and the creature that has overtaken her form, until they had already descended into the depths of this facility. If Vertrag was confirming what she was saying, it did not indicate so outright. This is most unusual for me. Thus, yes, I required assistance. I am most pleased with the outcome of your engagement. In the future, it would seem prudent to relocate so as to dissuade the Third Child from attempting re-entry into this facility, until such a time that my master can revoke her access privileges. "That may be a while . . ." Kyle muttered. "You probably already gathered that he's in prison right now?" A most unfortunate situation. Emmerich diverted his gaze to one of the blank monitors. "I'll refrain from commenting." You are free to hold your own opinion, Vertrag stated simply. I will refrain from referring to it as garbage. "So, Ray's question," Sonja quickly cut in. "What else can you do? As Ryan said, you helped us in battle--you healed us and our teams, buffed our Pokémon, and did whatever you did to hide the General. I think we pretty much collectively agreed that you've been adding rooms for each additional Child that Ford recruited. And you just said something about relocating the entrance, so it doesn't seem like you're stationary." Correct. Vertrag sounded pleased with itself. This facility is, for all intents and purposes, a mobile pocket dimension, one whose spacial and structural attributes I completely control. Therefore I can add, remove, and reconfigure rooms as I see fit, and possess near-unlimited access to all objects within my realm of influence. "I take it you can summon things, since you're a Jirachi?" Kyle asked. "That would explain why there are toys and pictures and things in everyone's rooms." Correct. "And those bedrooms are based off of our memories?" Sonja asked. "I always wondered that. It seemed like the room I was staying in just . . . knew what made me feel comfortable." They are based off of the memories gleaned from your entry scan, the Jirachi confirmed. My aim has always been to provide comfort. "And you're not stationary." Emmerich looked squarely at the Jirachi. "Vertrag can move. That's probably helped Ford evade capture more than once." Indeed. I can relocate this facility through mass teleportation. It requires a significant portion of energy; however, I am typically ready for a second teleportation within a matter of days. "When was the last time you moved?" July 30th of this year. I was relocated from Two Island.

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman/Vertrag - Command Center, Vertrag: "Wait, it is?" Kyle said, double-taking between Ray and the Jirachi. "You never mentioned that name before." He pointed at Sonja, noticing the sheepish expression on her face. "You knew, too?" "I mean . . . There wasn't much point in bringing it up, was there?" she said. "Not like we could have asked anyone if they knew the way to Vertrag. I didn't think it meant anything." The Jirachi elicited a light chuckle. To any but my master, the name would mean nothing of value. Between us, however, there is a vast history--our arrangement. "Of course," Emmerich said. "You said you had a contract with him? My German is a bit rusty, but 'contract' is the literal translation of 'vertrag.'" He lowered his hand from his chin. "Your name comes from the conditions through which you met. Is that it?" You are correct, Vertrag answered. The answer ties in with Mr. Sanders's question. As does Mr. Hakuda's assumptions. The Jirachi folded its arms behind its back. My master operates on an even balance of the technological and the magical. This facility is no exception. Yet the answer as to what it is, and how my powers remain functional, lies perfectly in neither realm. The simplest means of understanding lies in the mythology of Hoenn. There exists a species of Pokémon called Jirachi, which are capable of granting wishes. You know of this. What you may not be aware of is that they are functionally immortal--their lifespans far exceed many other species. Their powers reach an apex for one week every one-thousand years. Yet, they do have a limit. I was one such specimen. A pair of miniature holograms projected in front of Vertrag, in the same style of constellation-like lights as the speaker itself. One took the form of a prone Jirachi, lying on its back. The other was a man, simplified in appearance, and yet--purely from its movements--it perfectly captured the essence of John Ford. My master found me at the end of my life, Vertrag continued. Simultaneously, I was at the peak of my final week of fully-realized power. My master brought me to the original form of this facility. There, he made a proposal: Through a combination of his magic and my powers, I would inhabit and transform this facility. I would live on, and this place would become the epicenter of my power--a dimension of its own, which he would utilize and I would maintain. In exchange, I would assist him in seeking and collecting knowledge. I accepted, granting his wish and creating what we now call Vertrag, in honor of our contract. "So you're not just an AI that Ford created," Sonja said. "You are literally a mind transformed into a massive computer system." I would dare to call myself the ultimate culmination of magic, technology, and nature itself. "And you're okay with that?" Sonja asked. "Don't you ever get sick of being trapped in here?" Trapped? I do not see it that way. As long as I have a purpose, I am content. Before Vertrag, my purpose was granting wishes. This facility immortalized me and gave me a new purpose: To watch over this world and assist in its protection. IC - Black Horse Manor, Laverre City: An otherwise-unassuming part of town bustled with activity. It was a darkened street where the growls of trucks drowned out the whispers of the lake, where the clinking of firearms against armor scared away any curious passerby. Perhaps it was better that way. Haunted houses always attracted attention; inevitably brave souls seeking a cheap thrill would sneak in and poke their heads around, basking in the knowledge that whatever lay within wouldn't really hurt them. But the decrepit, dying manor to the north of Laverre, where rain had broken through more than one section of roof and mold had taken hold of entire sections of the first floor? Only someone with nothing left to lose would ever dream of stepping foot on that land. That, or someone with a death wish. Ask any of the perimeter guards, and you'd find that the answer was roughly half and half. Tucked deeper within the manor--past the high walls and gate, along the broken concrete lane and in the foyer--that was where the proverbial stew boiled. A dozen cargo trucks lined the way. Men and women moved, hard at work stacking heavy crates inside the manor. A woman shouted orders from a balcony above, directing the workers with the authority and profanity of a drill sergeant. She hardly batted an eye when a group stumbled, sending the heavy container that they were supporting toppling over onto one of their own. The screams of pain and panic annoyed her more than anything, and it was without a hint of hesitation that she gave a sharp hand signal. A responsive bang brought those same screams to an unceremonious end. "Get that cargo in place now!" she yelled. "No more ****ing around!" "Easy with the henchies, Piet." The smooth, familiar voice rolled from behind her. She almost dropped her clipboard in alarm, even before she turned around to confirm who it was. "My apologies, sir," she said, forcing herself to keep her tone even. "That's the second accident today. Neither should have happened." "Oh, I don't care about that," the man said. Every word fell like a light, carefree wind--one that threatened to become something much, much more dangerous. He draped an arm over her shoulder, tapping the head of the cane in his hand against her head. "I'm talking about the morale! Just remember, whatever happens here doesn't. Really. Matter. Prep work is prep work; people wanna do it badly, let 'em. In a couple of days, it's not like they'll be around to regret it, anyway, right?" "I understand, sir." "Good!" He slipped his arm back, tapping the cane against the ground. "So, what've we got? Are we good to go?" "Pretty much," Piet said. "We've got enough powder, masks, and ammunition for a small army. And these." She pulled a card out of her pocket. The man held a hand out; she placed it in his palm, stepping back as he held it up and observed it. "We've been mass-charging them as we go. Pollux advised against it, but so far we've had a . . . high enough success rate." "Twenty percent burn-backs?" "Thirty, unfortunately." "Close enough." The man pocketed it. "We're all gonna die anyway, right?" Shift grinned. "Might as well have some fun while we're at it."

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman/Vertrag - Command Center, Vertrag: The Jirachi did not appear capable of displaying any particular emotion--its holographic avatar, advanced as it was, maintained a stoic expression at all times. Yet one nonetheless got the distinct impression that it was smiling, perhaps even chuckling, at Ryan's queries. As it floated before them, it brought its hands in front of its belly, folding them together. Not quite. The evolution that transpired today is quite unique--unlike anything I have ever witnessed, Vertrag said. Though, it would appear that these are not the first that you have encountered. "Which you know from those initial scans," Sonja said. Indeed, it said. Our contract is based on the pursuit, exchange, and evolution of knowledge. My master directs my gaze, and I observe and collect. But there are some subjects which can only be studied through the eyes of the expert. And with my master gone for the time being, I was lacking in information regarding the present conditions beyond these walls. If it pleases you, then I will apologize for the intrusion. Kyle slipped his hands into his coat pockets. "Seems a little disingenuous to only apologize if we ask." Noted. I will not apologize.

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Med Bay, Vertrag: "Ever get sick to the point where your body feels like it's made out of cement?" Kyle asked. "Kind of like that." He slid off the bed, taking a moment to balance himself. All in all, aside from a momentary dizzy spell, he seemed alright. "I'm good, though. Just wish we'd had enough time to finish them off." Emmerich gave him a stern look. "Considering the damage done, I would be thankful that you all managed to even drive them off." His tone was short and sharp. It was a captain scolding his troops for stepping out of line, or perhaps a father holding back from snapping at a disobedient child. Either way, Kyle had to stop himself laughing at the familiarity of it all. Under the circumstances, it felt ridiculous. Still, Emmerich had a point. By all appearances, it was pure, blind luck that had saved them. "Yeah, yeah, I know . . ." Kyle sighed. He stretched, averting Emmerich's eye. Sonja drummed her fingers against her knee. "So what was this thing that you wanted to show us?" she asked. "Right. That'll be upstairs." Emmerich picked up his coat from the back of his seat, draping it over his arm and moving toward the door. "Follow me. You two, as well." He directed this to Chloe and Ray. Without waiting, he stepped into the hall, leading the way back upstairs. The Command Center was just as they had left it: Quiet, completely undisturbed. If Gluttony and Adams truly had escaped through this way, they had not appeared to do anything to the computers occupying the space. Whether this was an oversight or intentional was impossible to determine. Still, there seemed to be only one computer that concerned Emmerich, and this was the console in the very center of the room. He set his coat over the railing as he moved into the center of the station. The others gathered around, waiting for him to explain what was going on. For several moments, he was silent, looking at the various screens. Finally, he found the one he was looking for. "Here." He began typing. "This computer . . . Someone was messaging me." The group exchanged a look. "Okay . . ." Kyle said. "That's not that unusual." "The very first thing they said was, 'Are you authorized to access,'" Emmerich said, obviously annoyed yet doing his best to hide it. "Who else knows that we were here besides Bounty and Ford?" He managed to open the chat logs. "And, look--it was responding to me without me typing. It was as if the computer itself was speaking to me--it reacted to what I said and did, the expressions I made. What's more, when those two creatures broke in, something happened." He described the phenomenon--the light that had surrounded him, the sensation and darkness that had encompassed his form shortly after. When he finished, the group fell silent. Finally, Sonja raised her hand from her temple, shaking her head. "That sounds like the light from the arena . . ." "What light would that be?" Emmerich asked. "When we were fighting Adams and Gluttony, there were these glowing lights that kept appearing in the sky," Ray explained. "Every time they did, something would happen--our Pokémon sped up or got stronger or were healed." "I think one even healed us, right before those evolutions occurred," Kyle added. "That's the only explanation I have for even surviving as long as we did." "Like a guardian angel watching over us," Sonja said, her voice quiet. "But how? And . . . why?" Because you are trusted. The strange voice caused the group to simultaneously jump in surprise, all of them spinning around to find the source. But there was no one--not at first. A glowing orb emanated from the ceiling above Emmerich, projecting downwards. As he stepped away, the light shifted in form. Before their eyes, the orb splintered into what could only be described as a miniature, outlined constellation, shifting into the shape of a spectral Jirachi. The entity raised a hand. Greetings, it said. I am Vertrag.

IC - Vertrag: A rainbow light danced in darkness. It was a faint glow against a black backdrop, twisting and fading in and out of sight. Intermixed with each motion echoed a sing-song cascade of voices, muted and distant, muffled by some unseen blanket. A grinning, eyeless face stretched before the shadows, before morphing into a bloodied, canine skull with antlers sprouting out from the top. A small, spectral figure emerged from nothing, arms hanging at its sides and casting a soft glow all around itself. It lifted a hand and snapped its fingers. Kyle groaned. His eyes drifted open. The ceiling above him drifted lazily into focus. He was lying on something that he couldn't decide was soft or not; it landed somewhere in between. The cool pillow under his head made up for any discomfort. Something was clamped down on his right index finger. As he came to, he became aware of a soft, repetitive beeping sound nearby. Kyle took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. His body ached somewhat, but that did not bother him--that much he was used to. What did bother him was how heavy everything felt. The weight was paralyzing, and he wasn't sure he would ever be able to move . . . "Kyle?" Someone was leaning over him. He felt a woman's hand on his forehead. "Kyle, are you awake?" He opened his eyes again, trying to focus on the face in front of his. ". . . e . . . n . . . ?" "Geez, that fight really took it out of you . . . Well, at least you're awake . . ." As she turned around, Kyle realized that it was Sonja. He lay still, trying to gather up the energy to move. Sonja waved to someone. "Hey--he's awake! Super out of it, but I think he'll be fine." She turned back to him. "You will be fine, right?" It took a second for Kyle to respond. "I . . . think so," he said at last. "I'm just . . . exhausted." "Clearly," she said. "Do you remember anything from before you passed out?" "Um . . . Yeah," he said. "Those evolutions . . . and . . . Adams and Gluttony . . . They ran." "So your memory isn't fried," Sonja said. "That's good." With a grimace, Kyle managed to sit up. "We can't just let them get away . . ." "Hey--don't overexert yourself," she said. "They're long-gone by now, anyway. We checked the entire base while you were sleeping . . . slacker." "Not like I wanted to . . ." Kyle shook his head. He looked around. This place was very similar to the many, many hospitals that he had found himself in within the past year and a half. But it was clear that this was not a hospital. For one thing, there were no doctors or nurses or even patients present--discounting the rest of his team. But they were all patched up already, and were busy running each of their sets of Pokémon through the two healing machines that were present. That alone was enough to indicate that this was a med bay as opposed to a standalone facility--which meant . . . "We're still in the base?" He looked at the pulse monitor clamped around his finger. With a disgruntled frown, he pulled it off and shut off the machine. "Right across from the arena, in fact," Sonja confirmed. "Tucked away beside the stairwell. Smart planning on Ford's part." Kyle pressed a hand against the side of his head. "Well . . . At least it's not another freaking hospital . . ." He shut his eyes, taking a moment to orient himself. "Is everyone else alright?" "Chloe's a little tuckered out, but not as badly as you were," Sonja said. "The General was pretty banged up; nothing too serious. Ryan, Ray, and I are all fine. I'm actually really surprised we did as well as we did . . ." She crossed her arms. "And the Grimoire is safe, too, as well as Bounty's cane. So we're still good to go." "Good . . ." He opened his eyes. Sonja was staring very intensely at him. Kyle drew back slightly. "What?" "Just thinking." She shrugged. "Are you good to walk?" "Maybe?" Kyle moved to swing his feet off of the table, but then paused. "Give me a bit, actually . . . Why?" Sonja tapped her fingers against her other arm. "Did you . . . see something in the arena? Something glowing above us?" "A glow above us . . ." Kyle thought back to the fight. He recalled several instances where . . . something had happened--where he and the others had been healed, where their Pokémon had suddenly become stronger or faster . . . And now that he thought about it . . . "I think so? I'm really not sure, though." Sonja nodded. She turned, glancing back at Emmerich. He was busy showing something to Ryan. "Emmerich said there was something he needed to show us on one of the computers upstairs. I'm wondering if it's related . . ." She shook her head. "Anyway . . . Whenever you're up for it, it'd be smart to check it out. Take as much time as you need, though--I think we're going to be here for a while, anyway." She stood up from her seat, turning to walk back to the others. She paused, looking back at Kyle. "By the way . . . When you woke up, were you saying . . ." Sonja trailed off. Kyle looked away. "It's complicated . . ." "With both, or just one?" Kyle didn't answer. Sonja placed her hands in her pockets. "Well . . . Let me know if you want to talk about it."

IC - Kyle Eston (Mega Jaeda, Mega Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Emmerich Coleman (Machamp, Hitmonchan)/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag: The impact against the back of Gluttony's head sent the Sin's world into a spiral. He lost his balance on what little foothold remained, and before he could stop himself, he fell into the pool of lava surrounding his island. He screamed as the molten rock burned at his body, scorching the white and brown skin and fur into black. With much difficulty, he managed to drag himself out, panting with each movement. His eyes were wide with pain. At this point, only a small section of his head remained undamaged. His bright, orange eyes shifted rapidly between his three opponents. Across the arena, he saw the damage done to Adams--multiplied with the next series of attacks, which left her form dangerously torn and bruised. For a moment, Gluttony did nothing but take in the reality of the battle. Finally, he snarled. A thick haze erupted from his mouth, enveloping the surrounding area. Jaeda charged through it, blasting flames as she did. When she emerged from the other side of the cloud, Gluttony was gone, blackened footsteps indicating that he had retreated through the stairwell. Sensing this, Adams's head whipped around. She uttered a low growl before extending her good wing, releasing a bright flash of light against her own opponents. She used the short time where they were blinded to turn tail and flee, tearing her way back up the stairwell and through the base. Just like that, the battle was over. Sonja breathed a sigh of relief, striking a button on the control pad. The field reverted to its neutral form. Aside from the damage to the stands and the arena doors, there was no evidence that any sort of conflict had ever taken place. "They're gone . . ." she said. Unconsciously, she leaned against the control panel for support. "That was . . . way too close." Near Ryan, Kyle was not so calm. He gritted his teeth as he took a step toward the stairwell, as if intending to follow after the two Instances. "You can't just run away now!" he yelled. "Get back here and . . . and . . ." He had hardly taken a second step when he fell over, suddenly overcome with the worst sense of fatigue he had ever felt. It was as if every muscle in his body had simultaneously ceased to respond. Across the way, Jaeda and Kitheus's evolved features faded. Kyle groaned, feebly trying and utterly failing to push himself back up. "What . . . What happened . . . to . . .?" He fell completely still, passed out from exhaustion.

IC - Kyle Eston (Mega Jaeda, Mega Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Emmerich Coleman (Machamp, Hitmonchan)/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag: Gluttony's eyes darted back and forth with each turn of his head. The floor around him was transforming further and further with each passing moment; it was not long before he found himself surrounded almost completely by rivers of lava. The heat rising from the molten rock made it difficult to focus, and the air distortions made it that much harder to tell what his opponents were planning. In the distance, the Gallade seemed to vanish, but he hardly registered this before the Typhlosion spewed forth another plume of fire, at the same time that the Charizard redoubled her efforts. Clenching fistfuls of rock in his hands, Gluttony breathed. A green, spiked shield appeared around him, protecting him for several precious moments from the heat and the attacks, locking him away behind an impenetrable wall. As it dissipated, he became aware of a movement underneath his feet, and turned just in time to raise an arm against the Gallade's Shadow Sneak attack. The attack hurt his already-injured arm; he could feel the burned flesh tear anew from the strike. Still, with a point-blank target in front of him, this was a prime opportunity. Gluttony opened his mouth, aiming to paralyze Ally with a Lick. Just as Adams had regained control of her descent, Zangetsu struck. The Iron Tail smashed into the golden plates lining her left wing; she screamed in pain as they shattered, and the wing, broken, shrunk back against her body. She dug her claws into the ground, screaming at him with a Disarming Voice that tore across the ground in front of her. As a sudden snowstorm enveloped her, she lost sight of the evolved Zangoose. In his place, Ren appeared. The Luxray charged at Adams with fangs of ice. Baring her own, Adams shifted into a bestial, quadruped stance. She screamed and charged forward, enveloping her body in draconic energy. As Ren bit down at her, she shifted, spinning on the spot and slamming her tail in Ren's direction. Kitheus, meanwhile, scanned the battle. The artificial blizzard was condensed on Adams's position, following her; thus, while visibility was hampered for her, it was not difficult to track her movements. Still, with Ren in direct combat, the Magnezone did not want to risk accidentally hitting his ally. Kitheus silently communicated with the brains of his two nodes, and all three hovered back as they locked onto Adams's position, waiting for an opening. OOC: Jaeda: Flamethrower > Gluttony Gluttony: Spiky Shield > Flamethrower (Jaeda/Quil) Gluttony: Lick > Ally Adams: Disarming Voice > Zangetsu Adams: Dragon Rush > Ren Kitheus: Lock-On > Adams

IC - Kyle Eston (Mega Jaeda, Mega Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Emmerich Coleman (Machamp, Hitmonchan)/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag: Finally, Ryan was back on his feet. Everyone was now. Maybe they had a chance after all . . . Sonja looked up. As far as she could tell, there wasn't much that she was going to be able to do to help. But she wasn't just going to cower in the stands, either. Her eyes settled on the podium where she had found Ryan. At the top, there appeared to be some sort of touch screen panel. As she pulled herself to her feet and activated it, she couldn't help but smile. The attack sent Gluttony stumbling back. His glowing eyes seemed to bulge in pain as Quil rolled back from the strike; Gluttony looked down at his chest, where smoke poured forth from two, massive dents in his body. He wheezed as the damage slowly regenerated, glaring at the six Pokémon and their trainers. "All of you . . ." he whispered. "Die." A large crack sounded from his mouth as he began to open it. At the sight, Adams kicked off, taking back to the air. Gluttony's jaw widened, seeming to dislocate, until his maw had stretched into a black void almost as long as his upper body. A rush of wind swept forth, pulled toward the gluttonous void, sapping specks of orange and green aura from everything in its path. Jaeda moved in front of Kyle, shielding him with her wings. She grimaced from the damage, but was not terribly bothered by the attack; it seemed to be a Type that she resisted. Luckily, she did not need to bear the pain for long. From behind her, Gluttony suddenly cut off his attack with a scream of surprise and pain. Confused, Kyle lifted the fold of Jaeda's wing. To his astonishment, the floor in front of Gluttony had transformed into a pit of magma. From the burns on his forelegs, it appeared that this had happened right underneath where he had planted his front feet to brace himself--and thus had been unprepared for the sudden drop. The beast stumbled back on charred stumps that left jagged, black footprints on the floor. "I knew it!" Sonja yelled. She stood triumphantly at the podium, a small stylus in hand. "Leave it to Ford to keep a customizable battle arena in his basement!" "Nice one, Sonja!" Kyle called. He turned back to Gluttony. "Jaeda, Flamethrower!" Jaeda whipped back around, baring her fangs. With a roar, she flapped her wings and raised herself off of the ground. The Charizard flew forward. Jaeda gathered flames in her mouth and unleashed a wave of fire at her target. Gluttony saw her approach and immediately moved, strafing to avoid her attack. The intensity of her flames was strong; even though they missed, it was clear that the aura of heat had some sort of an effect on Gluttony. He panted, scanning the field and planning his next move as the flames around him settled. As this was happening, Kyle turned to see what was happening with Adams. The white dragon had gathered energy around herself; he could not tell what she was doing, but it did not appear to be an attack quite yet. He looked to Kitheus as the Magnezone hovered back toward him; all three eyes were locked on to her. "Think you can hit her with a Zap Cannon?" Kyle asked. Kitheus nodded. "Bring her down!" Moving forward and up, the Magnezone rotated its magnets. Electricity gathered within them, and Kitheus unleashed the attack--a massive blast of electricity that raced directly toward Adams, followed by two smaller, half-powered bursts. Adams beat her wings, retaliating with a sudden Draco Meteor attack. As the chunks of energy descended, two managing to hit the small blasts of electricity and erupting midair, the others slammed into Kitheus, forcing the Magnezone back toward the ground. At the same time, Kitheus's main Zap Cannon struck Adams in the chest, and she elicited a pained shout as she dropped, barely managing to regain control just a few feet above the ground. Above the arena, the spectral Jirachi appeared again. It unleashed the sphere of light in its hands. Jaeda, Kitheus, Zangetsu, Ally, Quil, and Ren felt a shielding presence encompass them. The Jirachi faded back into darkness. OOC: Gluttony: Demonic Hunger > All Jaeda: Flamethrower > Gluttony Kitheus: [Locked-On] Zap Cannon (x3) > Adams Adams: Draco Meteor > Kitheus Sonja: BATTLE ARENA ENVIRONMENT CONTROLS > Magma Terrain Vertrag: INTERFERENCE (Defense up) > Jaeda, Kitheus, Zangetsu, Ally, Quil, Ren

IC - Kyle Eston (Mega Jaeda, Mega Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Emmerich Coleman (Machamp, Hitmonchan)/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag: A gust of wind hit the stands again as Adams rose higher into the air, out of reach from Zangetsu and Ren. She grinned as the ice across her body began to melt, dripping bloody water down below, a result of the temperature emanating from her wings. "Chloe is right, Ryan," Sonja urged. "You can be afraid. I was afraid when I went with Sophia, I was afraid when Missing Zero appeared, and I'm afraid now, too. But you can't let that stop you from acting." As if to punctuate her words, another crash sounded, preceeded by a brief flash of light. She ducked down, covering her face as a shower of dust and rock swept over them. When she looked up, Adams was gone from the sky, and now occupied a crater in the ground. She growled, pushing herself back to her feet. A moment later, the massive form of Gluttony slid into focus mere feet away from the stands. His back was to them, and it was clear from the gouges in the ground that something had sent him skidding several yards. She couldn't see his face from her position, but Sonja could feel the glare emanating from him, directed at Jaeda and Ally as they appeared across from him. Kyle slid off of Jaeda's back, giving a brief look at Adams before noticing the transformed Zangetsu, and finally refocusing on Gluttony. "Five on two now," he noted. "Still not worried?" Gluttony glanced over one shoulder, spotting Zangetsu and Kitheus. Over the other, he saw Ren. He shook his head, apparently unperturbed by the fact that he and Adams were surrounded. "I said before, it doesn't matter." He lifted an arm, closing his hand around Adams's back. His orange aura merged with hers, and in mere moments a number of her wounds appeared to have healed. Gluttony released her, pushing the Creativity Instance forward. She shook her head, then rose to her feet. "Besides . . . The stronger your spirit, the more delightful the meal. I wouldn't have it any other way." His words were disgusting, and Sonja could do nothing but grit her teeth at them. She looked toward the stumbling, barely-conscious form of Loki, and then to Ryan. "Have you heard anything that they've been saying, Ryan?" she asked. "This isn't just about you anymore--Adams, McKinley, and all of the Sins, they're not coming for any single person. They're coming for the world. You should hear them, and you should be furious. It may not seem like it, but you beat Gluttony once already. You can do it again."

IC - Kyle Eston (Mega Jaeda, Mega Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Emmerich Coleman (Machamp, Hitmonchan)/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag: Zangetsu's sudden arrival and strike proved enough to knock Adams back several steps; the seats and floor creaked and bent out of shape where she planted her feet to regain her footing. Though the attack did appear to have hurt her, she seemed to have resisted a large portion of the damage--presumably a result of her Typing. That was enough, however, as it gave an opening for the others to join in. Ren leaped beside Sonja and Ryan, his large, lion-like form crouching low before he lunged forward, managing to land a hit on her neck with Ice Fang. Adams roared in pain, clawing at the Luxray as her massive wings beat through the air around her, sending gusts of wind in every direction. She managed to pry him off just in time to kick backwards, and then off into the air as the rest of Ryan's team bore down on her, blocking Garchomp's claws with her own and kicking back at Quil, sending him into Samurott. Togie slammed into her chest and she grappled the Togekiss in the air, spinning and hurling him down into the crowd as she had done with Jaeda earlier. She flapped her wings, flying higher into the air. Her scales glowed gold, and she unleashed a rain of meteor-like energy upon her opponents and the stands. It was a lot to take in at once. Sonja collapsed back, too shocked to do anything but stare at where Adams had been only a moment ago. The battle had moved further down the stands; as such they did not appear to be in any immediate danger, even as Adams's attack crashed ahead of them and send sparks and shrapnel flying in every direction. She covered her eyes to protect herself. When nothing hit, she peeked over her arm. Kitheus had moved to hover in front of them, his large, metal form serving as an effective barrier against any debris that had headed their way. Sonja breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Kitheus . . ." she said, all too aware of the shaking in her voice. "Do you mind giving us some cover for a bit?" The Magnezone whirred in response, which seemed to indicate his agreement. Even so, his eyes remained fixated--and oddly focused--on Adams. Sonja turned around to face Ryan. He was muttering something. "What?" "It is real . . ." Ryan said. "I couldn't save Adams . . . I caused Sonja so much grief . . . I couldn't overcome Gluttony . . . that's why he's come for me . . . Because no matter how much I try to better myself, it's the same result each time. People get hurt, even die, because of me. The idea that I can somehow redeem myself . . . that's the real illusion." "Ryan . . ." Sonja sighed, unsure of what she could even begin to say in response and looking to Chloe for help. "Look, Ryan . . . I don't know what you went through between Fortree and the Egg, but--" She instinctively ducked her head as a loud crash sounded from where Jaeda and Ally battled Gluttony. "--but that can't all be true. And it isn't all true. Okay? You didn't know Adams, but everything I've heard about her and saw for myself--if she died for any reason, it was because she didn't think she could make it out. That isn't your fault. And it's not your fault that she and Gluttony are here now. None of us could have predicted that they would show up." Something occurred to her and she lifted her bag, showing it to Ryan. "Think about it, Ryan--if they were after you, why didn't they attack us when the group was split in half? They only came after us after we went into Ford's room. Why does Adams keep on charging toward me?" She shook the bag. "It's the book that they're after, Ryan! Not you! Ford sent us here to get the Grimoire, and they must have some idea of how he kept it secured, because they were waiting for someone to come to get it. This would've happened even if you hadn't come with us." Sonja looked over her shoulder. The smoke from Adams's attack was still dispersing, but it was clear that it had done a number on its targets. She wasn't sure that any of Ryan's Pokémon were even conscious, though it was hard to tell. She turned back to Ryan. "And . . ." She took a deep breath. "Look--I won't lie and say that you didn't make any mistakes, or that you didn't get on my nerves with the dance and everything. But you're beating yourself up way too much over all of that. It happened. But I'm not upset about it anymore, and I don't want you or your Pokémon to die because of it. They're out there risking their lives for you right now, Ryan. What's it going to take to make you see that? If you can't break out on my word alone, then do it so you can help them." OOC: Adams: Draco Meteor > Ren, Zangetsu, Ryan's team

IC - Kyle Eston (Mega Jaeda, Mega Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Emmerich Coleman (Machamp, Hitmonchan)/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag: "Four of them!?" For the first time, she sounded panicked--an odd emotion to hear amidst the demonic rumbling of her voice. "Just two of them were enough to--" Gluttony huffed and directed his piercing gaze toward Ally. A spiked shield of energy formed in front of him again, blocking the attack. "We don't need to defeat them. Focus!" Something about Gluttony's words seemed to affect Adams. She fell silent, and then her monstrous grin returned as she stepped back, raising her arm to defend herself. Ren's fangs dug deep into her forearm; ice began to spread from his jaws and across the bone-white muscles and scales. She roared, prying him loose with her free arm and jumping back several yards with a massive beat of her wings as he fell to the floor. The folds of her wings seemed to pulse in a strange rhythm. "That's more like it," Gluttony growled. He spoke in a calm monotone that nonetheless betrayed a hint of the malice evident in his eyes. "They can't win--only delay, just as countless others have done. In the end, it's all the same story, over and over." "Not with us!" Kyle yelled. "Whatever you did to those other worlds . . . We're not letting you do the same to this one! We'll find a way to stop you, and we'll start by destroying you Sins as many times are it takes to make you stay dead!" "Yes, kill us--again and again," Gluttony said. His bloodied mouth cracked into a grin. "It doesn't matter. We'll keep coming back until we have consumed every last piece of this world. I'll make sure of that, just for you." "Then start with this one!" Kyle turned. "Jaeda, Inferno! Kitheus, Tri-Attack on Adams!" The two Pokémon charged forward, faster than Kyle had ever seen them move. Jaeda took to the, flying in a wide circle above Gluttony. The Sin crouched down, watching her and waiting, massive antlers turning in time with her flight path. With a furious growl, Jaeda swooped down, flames erupting along her arms and down her back as she unleashed a massive torrent of fire upon her opponent. Like a massive flea, Gluttony kicked off from the ground in a movement almost too quick to see. He landed with a massive lurch several yards away, easily avoiding the flames. As Jaeda redirected her aim, trailing fire along the ground behind Gluttony, the quadrupedal beast opened his jaw wide. A screaming gust of wind sounded as he inhaled, pulling energy out of the air in a cone directly in front of him that encircled Jaeda and Ally. Jaeda sensed the temperature around her rapidly decreasing, airborne ice crystals forming in the blink of an eye, and soon felt her energy beginning to deplete. She rolled sideways through the air, out of the line of fire of Gluttony's Demonic Hunger attack. Across the arena, the shock waves from Gluttony's heavy landing resonated like an earthquake. Sonja had just begun moving back toward Loki when it hit, knocking her over and spilling her bag--Grimoire included--onto the ground. She cursed under her breath, keeping low and doing her best to avoid notice. She had little chance, however: As soon as the book hit open air, Adams jerked her head around toward Sonja, slamming her wings downward as she finished her Dragon Dance. The massive, dragon-like Instance did not utter a word as she charged on all fours in Sonja's direction. Sonja managed not to scream at the sight, and instead scooped the book into her arms and ran as fast as she could toward the nearest sanctuary: The stands. She managed to reach it and had begun to climb over the walls when Adams bore down on her. It was lucky, then, that Kitheus was en route. The Magnezone hurled silently through the air, his three brains communicating with each other. With an electronic brr of confirmation, the two nodes split off from Kitheus's main body, swirling around him. They took aim, gathering energy. One, two, and three, they each launched a powerful, triangular beam in rapid succession, one large and two smaller ones. The first exploded just in front of Adams, just barely missing her. The second hit the ground where she was moving, erupting in an explosion of ice, fire, and electricity beneath her that threw her off balance and into the third, which sent her tumbling mid-sprint. The attacks from above contributed to the result of her swing: Just barely missing Sonja as she fell flat on her back between the lower wall and the seats, next to the center podium--where Ryan hid. "Ryan?" she gasped. "What are you doing--?" "You can't hide from me," Adams growled, her voice alone enough to freeze the air. Her massive claws appeared over the railing, gripping tight and bending the metal in her grasp. "I . . . can . . . smell you!" She appeared, rising to her full height. She was bruised, parts of her body frozen in chunks of ice, and her muscles spasmed with every movement, but she did not let this slow her. Drool dripped from her lips, a disgusting rain falling on the stands. Yet, Ryan did not move. Sonja glanced, horrified, between him and Adams as she realized that he had not broken free from her illusion attack, after all. Without a second thought, Sonja pushed herself forward, moving in front of Ryan and covering him with her arms. All the while, she stared back at Adams as the dragon crawled onto the stands, teeth bared as she inched forward. With her wings down against her back, she looked more than a little like a demonic moth. "Aw . . . Cute," Adams cooed. "Surprising, though. I thought you were sick of him, Sixth? Wasn't that why you came crawling to us?" "Ryan, that isn't true," Sonja whispered urgently over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off of the monster before her. "Just like that illusion. Adams is a liar, and you--" "Me? A liar?" Adams couldn't contain a harsh laugh. "Please, Sixth . . . I would never lie. I've seen the truth now." "I don't know what you're seeing, Ryan, but you have to break out of it--now," Sonja urged. "We can't do this without you . . ." "Now who's the liar?" Adams said. She stopped where she stood, licking her lips and taking a breath. When she spoke next--to Sonja's horror--her voice mimicked Sonja's. "I'm so sick of him, always treating me like an object. I don't know what I'll do if I have to spend one more minute alone with him." "I never said that," Sonja said, her voice cracking. "Ryan, I never said that . . . " "He's useless. We're better off without him dragging us down." "You're not useless . . ." "He can't do anything right. He couldn't maintain a relationship if he tried . . . much less save his parents, or contribute to this whole mess . . ." Adams cackled, her voice returning to normal, tilting her head. "Am I off the mark?" "Ryan--none of this is the truth!" Sonja cried. "Please--wake up!" Above the battlefield, the spectral Jirachi appeared again. It focused upon a globe of energy within its hands, and then extended its arms. As the energy washed across the field, Adams's and Gluttony's opponents felt a surge of power. The Jirachi faded back into darkness. OOC: Gluttony 1: Spiky Shield > Ally Adams 1: Dragon Dance > Self Jaeda: Inferno > Gluttony Kitheus: Tri-Attack x3 > Adams (Partially frozen, paralyzed) Gluttony 2: Demonic Hunger > Jaeda, Ally Adams 2: Disarming Voice > Sonja, Ryan Vertrag: Interference (Ally Attack Power/Critical Rate up) > Jaeda, Kitheus, Ren, Ally

IC - Sonja Baron - Accumula Town, Unova: A familiar stump in the front yard. This was where a withered ash tree had once stood; at the telltale signs of its progressing disease and impending death, Anton Baron had commissioned its removal. The wood had been cleansed and cut, made into an ornate rocking chair that sat upon the front porch. Marya Baron sat there now, knitting a red scarf, the ruddy color of her nose and cheeks the only indication of effect from the winter air. The stump remained, a favorite spot where his youngest daughter now lay, staring, cloudy-eyed, at the house in front of her. It had been a long time since she had come here. She had completely forgotten what it looked like--the single-story stretched along the top of the hill; the garage and driveway further down, where a rusty blue truck rested with its cracked windshield. Both buildings a soft, baby blue on the outside with dark, reddish-brown tiling on the roof. Smoke poured out from the chimney of the house, courtesy of the fire burning and bringing forth the warmth within. The cold wind blew, and Sonja remained still, staring. Her mother caught her eye and smiled. Sonja felt herself instinctively smiling back; when Marya looked away, she felt the smile fade, unconsciously, from her face. She felt numb. She recognized her home. She knew it was real. This was where she belonged. Everything she had experienced . . . It felt like it was fading away, a long dream from which she had finally awakened. Just that morning, she had helped her mother prepare breakfast--plus early preparation for Christmas. They had made sugar cookies alongside quiche and bacon. Mother had cooked Sophia's favorite breakfast potato recipe, a celebration of her return from the Championships. It was perfect. Why did she feel sad? "Sonja," her mother called. "Be careful." "Of course, mama." Something weighed on her heart. She didn't understand what. Tears fell and hit her hand. Sonja blinked, looking down. What was she reading? It was a strange book, bound in leather. Swirling patterns rose across the cover, and there was a unique symbol inscribed in each corner. In the center, the gem of a four-point star glowed. She picked at the two leather straps binding it closed. She didn't recognize this. Where had she gotten it? She picked it up, turning it to read the spine. "Baby sister." Sonja looked up. Sophia stood in front of her. She smiled warmly. "Aren't you cold out here?" "I'm okay," Sonja said. "It's okay." "What are you reading? Is it any good?" Sonja lowered her gaze back to the book. Grimoire des Panneaux. She shrugged. "I . . . I just found it. I don't know . . ." Sophia sat beside her. "You look sad. What's wrong?" What was wrong? "I . . ." Sonja shook her head. "I don't know . . ." "Mm . . ." Sophia stared at her. She pulled Sonja in close. "That's okay. You don't have to know." "Thank you . . ." Sonja rested a hand on Sophia's arm, squeezing it gently. "Sophia . . . I missed you a lot." "I missed you, too, Sonja. You, and mom, and dad. I thought about you every day." "Did you really?" "Really." Sophia kissed Sonja's forehead. "I love you, baby sister." Sonja's throat tightened. Her chest hurt and she fought a losing battle against the tears welling in her eyes. "I love you, too, Sophia." They sat there for some time. They never moved. Even when the smoke expanded, surrounded the case now burning bright against the night sky, they never moved. When the flames reached out and spread to the garage, they never moved. And when the yard caught fire and the stump along with it, surrounding them and signing them away to a quiet demise beside the bodies in front of them . . . They never moved. SONJA! A jolt shot up Sonja's spine. She gasped as a bright, rainbow-colored light overtook her vision . . . IC - Kyle Eston (Jaeda, Kitheus)/Emmerich Coleman (Machamp, Hitmonchan)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag: It was a whirlwind of chaos that completely changed the course of the battle. There was a series of light flashes, five in total, where Ryan's team had emerged onto the field. Evolved, partially-evolved--it did not matter; five Pokémon of various sizes and Types had manifested on the field, each ready to lay down their life to protect their trainer. Ryan had appeared to awaken from his . . . vision? Dream? Nightmare? Kyle wasn't sure what the correct word was. But he had come to with a start, witnessing the engagement. The tide had turned for the better. It was not to last. Adams and Gluttony. By now, both were enraged. Whatever their goal, whatever their target, it was clear that they would not reach it at their current pace. Playing with their opponents had lost its appeal, and it was obvious from their movements--they faster, heavier hits, the angry glow of the eyes. But they were distracted, and that distraction was an opportunity. Kyle had managed to rise to his feet, just barely; he stood, kneeling, where he had fallen. They could do this; they could survive. That hope was dashed quick, far too quick. Adams and Gluttony were backed up against each other. They seemed to communicate, falling completely silent for a moment. And then they moved. With a burst of energy, Adams expanded her wings, returning to the sky. Gluttony clenched the ground, digging fingers into dirt. A golden glow emanated and a hail of meteors, spinning, spiraling down toward earth, descended upon the field, targeting Pokémon and trainers alike. A flurry of wind and a roar of pain erupted as Jaeda charged toward Kyle, taking the hits meant for him. He gasped, too shocked and devoid of energy to even shout out for her. She rolled off of him, panting for breath. This was not the end. With a great heave, Gluttony inhaled. A whirlwind erupted around him, drawing energy from anything and everything. Emmerich and half of the Pokémon on the field collapsed, too weakened to cry out or resist the call of Gluttony's Demonic Hunger. When he finished, an orange glow surrounded Gluttony, an empowered aura that visibly healed the shallow wounds that had accumulated on his body. Just like that, the entire arena had fallen into silence. Stunned, the Liberty and Rocket forces watched the Sinner and his accomplice. The beast lumbered forward, observing fainted foes. Gluttony approached Kyle, matching his glare. With a huff, he turned to Adams, who had moved again toward Sonja's hypnotized form. Kitheus stirred. "End them," Gluttony growled. The mirth was gone from his voice, replaced with the guttural rumblings of the creature that had fully devoured his human nature back in Fortree. "We'll fish out the book when we're done." Gluttony's jaw unhinged and he approached Kyle and Jaeda. "No . . ." Kyle panted. He crawled toward Jaeda, pressing his back against her and holding his arms out in a hopeless attempt at shielding her. "You won't . . . touch . . . any of us . . ." He looked past Gluttony, spotting the grinning form of Adams. She raised a claw above Sonja, planting her feet firmly in the ground. Kyle's eyes widened. "SONJA!" Kitheus awakened. Jaeda's eyes opened. As Adams brought her claw down, as Gluttony's widened mouth glowed with power, and as Kitheus shot from his position on the floor and Jaeda spun, snake-like to protect her trainer, something happened. Brilliant spheres of light exploded into existence around the Magnezone and Charizard, blinding in their intensity. Gluttony roared, diverting his attack into the open air above instinctively from the sudden light; Adams found her claw blocked by the surge of energy as Kitheus managed to move directly between her and her target. With a sound like breaking glass, the spheres shattered from around the two Pokémon. Kyle uncovered his eyes, in shock at what had just occurred. Jaeda had swirled protectively around him. As she uncurled her body, coming to a full stand beside him, he saw the entire extent of the changes that had occurred. She was much, much larger now, taller and leaner than she had been mere seconds ago. Her wings had expanded, almost matching Adams's wingspan. The two horns on her head had transformed into a three-pronged crest, extending back. Smaller, blade-like wings had extended from her arms. The red rings that had burned at Jaeda's wrist had stretched into lines extending down her arms, spine, and tail; with a roar, she unleashed a line of flames from them. Across the way, Kitheus had transformed in a familiar way. The same changes that had occurred to the Magnezone on One Island had come to pass with him; his body had split into segments again, streamlined and brimming with electricity. Kitheus's main body glared out with a bright red eye; his nodes' eyes had transformed to match, bright green on the left, electric blue on the right. He hovered protectively around Sonja, who had stumbled back, stupefied but aware now of her surroundings--freed from the illusion Adams had placed on her. "No way . . ." she whispered. "This is . . ." "Kitheus . . . Jaeda . . ." Kyle said, staring in utter awe at the Flame Pokémon before him. "You . . . evolved . . ." Jaeda peered at Kyle from the corner of her eye, smiling at him. This transformed into a frown as she turned her attention back to Gluttony and Adams, both of whom appeared too stunned to move. Jaeda roared, pulling her head back and then pushing forward. To Kyle's amazement, a plume of fire burst forth, missing Gluttony by mere inches as he regained his senses enough to move. "No . . ." Gluttony slammed his hand into the ground. "This is . . ." He fell silent, taking a breath. "Unexpected. But it won't save y--" His eyes widened. "What . . .?" He was staring--not at Kyle, but at a point above Kyle's head. Confused, Kyle followed the Sin's gaze--and he, too, stared in wonder. A spectral figure had appeared. At first, it appeared incorporeal, but it quickly took the shape of a small, caped creature with a star-like head adorned with paper-like cards hanging from each point. It held its hands at its sides, eyes closed and smiling serenely. It was a Jirachi of some kind--one that raised its hands, creating points of light above Kyle, Ryan, Ray, Emmerich, Sonja, Chloe, and several of their Pokémon. The lights shone for a brief moment; a second later, Kyle felt his strength returning. His wounds seemed to close themselves, and the chills that had overcome his body vanished into a warm glow emanating from his chest. Above, the Jirachi faded, though a light continued to twinkle in darkness above. The winds of change had shifted once more. "Alright," Kyle said. He stood straight, shaking out his hand before pointing at Gluttony and Adams. "We're finishing this. Now." OOC: Jaeda > MEGA EVOLUTION Kitheus > MEGA EVOLUTION Vertrag > INTERFERENCE (HEAL)

IC - Kyle Eston - ???: The world went quiet. Kyle stood for a moment, perfectly immobile, eyes squeezed shut and one arm covering his face against the bright white light. Even after it faded, he dared not move, listening yet hearing absolutely nothing. Any second now, he expected Gluttony's jaws or Adams's claws to tear through him--but nothing came to pass. The air was still, deafening and oppressive all at once. He blinked his eyes open, slowly lowering his arm. The arena was gone. Everyone was gone. He stood in absolute darkness. Nothing but shadow surrounded him, though he felt as if he were encased in a space too minuscule to comprehend. Turning around to gain his bearings, he thought he felt his hand brush against something soft, like fabric, yet the sensation vanished just as quickly as he had noticed it. Slowly he became aware of a single sound around him, a rhythmic ticking echoing in the distance--tick . . . tock . . . tick . . . tock . . . A flame atop a tail danced in the distance, swaying back and forth and begging to be followed. A chilling laugh carried on the wind, met with a roar of defiance. Something heavy crashed into concrete and dirt. Kyle pressed his hand to his eye, grimacing. His head ached, throbbing incessantly as he tried to rationalize what was happening. What was this place? What had Adams done? He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. His lungs burned, much like they had back in Kalos. The thought spurred a rush of anxiety. He struggled to breathe. The air was thick and powdery, like another cloud of the toxin. He covered his mouth, but he had already inhaled it; it choked and strangled him from the inside out. No . . . no, no, no, not again, not again! It was just like before--he was trapped, subdued, helpless to save himself from the horrors that awaited him. Heart racing, he stepped, first toward nothing--toward anywhere else where the air might be clear--and finally toward the flickering light, but it grew no closer. "Hey--snap out of it! What's wrong with--" An unearthly, piercing scream cried out and a gust of cold swept forth. Gravity shifted and they fell, wrapped in a protective embrace. "###### it . . . What did they do to all of you . . .?" He stumbled and fell. The curtains he had only briefly touched, that he had thought not to truly exist, now engulfed him, trapping him and dragging him down into a murky abyss. Sonja! Chloe! "Protect them!" Hundreds of threads entwined into his muscles, hampering every movement until he felt he could no longer breathe without the permission of whatever force had now taken hold of him. All the while, that ticking continued--tick . . . tock . . . tick . . . tock . . . Ryan! Ray! "Everyone, protect them!" He brought his hands to his throat, struggling in the liquid black. Please . . . someone . . . "The more you struggle, the worse this will be. Give it to us." Kyle felt his eyes drifting closed. I thought . . . I thought I still had time . . . He went still, letting the waves wash over him. Images faded in and out of his vision; each brought upon him, further and further, the full weight of his regrets. Suicune, his failure to save her in Castelia . . . Gecynde, her disappearance, the truth of which he would now never uncover . . . His team of Pokémon, soon abandoned with no trainer to keep them from Missing Zero's clutches . . . Nicholas Leitner, the specter of a man he had never met and now never would . . . His friends, near and far, all likely doomed now that he himself had fallen into the depths . . . Levi Alaric, the child he had promised to protect, now abandoned . . . Esen Windred, a much-needed light in the darkness . . . Kyle opened his eyes--a soft blink at first, and then, with a start, a more forceful awakening. No; he couldn't let it end here. He had to keep going, until his last breath. This isn't real . . . This isn't real . . . This isn't real . . . He repeated this to himself, over and over again--silently at first, and then softly under his breath as he fought upward against the many hands of cloth dragging him back down. A light appeared in the distance, the same fire as before, high above him. Now, it remained steady, a much-needed light in the darkness. "This isn't real . . . This isn't real . . . This isn't real . . ." Shift had destroyed him with hallucinations. He wasn't the only one. But no more. He was beyond this. He had suffered enough because of these tricks, and it was time to prove it, once and for all. The strings binding his movements gave way, one after another in rapid succession. It was within reach; he raised a hand toward the light. Esen . . . Everyone . . . There's still time . . . He touched the fire, welcoming it back into his heart. With a gasp that quickly turned into a fit of heaving coughs, Kyle awoke. He rolled over onto his stomach, taking what brief moments he could to recover. He didn't know at what point he had fallen over, but he soon became aware of the fact that he was freezing. His entire body shivered and shuddered violently. Slowly, carefully, he pushed himself up onto his knees, managing to assess the situation. Ice covered a large swath of the arena, as if the entire place had experienced a sudden, massive flash-freeze. Gluttony and Adams had separated, neither any worse than they had been previously yet each kept busy fighting off a group of Pokémon--the combined teams of Kyle, Ray, Chloe, Ryan, and Sonja that had previously occupied the field. Among these, too, fought a Machamp and a Hitmonchan. They were battered and bruised, evidently having not done much better without their trainers than they had with their direction--and yet they remained standing, as much of a toll as it took on them. On the outskirts of the field, Emmerich darted. He, too, bore obvious signs of injury--bruises and an arm that did not look in perfect working order. Yet he fought on. It was clear that he had taken it upon himself to salvage the situation as best as he could, as he belted out the orders that currently kept their foes' attention off of Kyle and the others. As Kyle watched, Adams tore into Loki, Kitheus, and Machamp with a massive Draco Meteor attack, pinning them down long enough for her to kick off in a beeline toward Sonja. She did not get very far, however, as a shout from Emmerich prompted Jaeda to slam into her from the sidelines, dragging the massive, white dragon back into the fray. It was a hopeful sight. But as much as it might have invigorated Kyle, he found himself stuck, too weakened from shock to lift himself to his feet or call out to his teammates. "Jaeda . . . Kitheus . . ." he panted. "Just . . . hang in there . . . a little longer . . ." Above him, a light twinkled in the darkness . . .

IC - Kyle Eston (Jaeda, Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Chloe Hikari/Ray Hakuda/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag: Quil charged forward. Kyle couldn't blame the Typhlosion; tensions were high, and Ryan . . . He couldn't imagine what was going through Ryan's head right now. But a head-on attack was suicidal, and they couldn't let Quil take that kind of risk without help. "Kitheus! Jaeda! Go!" As the Magnezone and Charizard kicked into action, Gluttony and Adams shifted to respond. The white, dragon-like creature that had taken the Third Child's place swept her massive, golden wings back and forth, sending dirt and dust flying in all directions as she hovered above the ground. Meanwhile, Gluttony stood his ground, the sickening, blood-soaked grin never leaving his face as his eyes swept around to gaze at each of their opponents. Quil was the first to reach them, the Volcano Pokémon baring his fangs and lunging at the wendigo-like creature. Gluttony did not even move, and yet Quil found himself slamming into a spiked energy barrier that seemed to drain his power the longer he stayed in contact with it. As the Spiky Shield dissipated into the air, Gluttony jerked his head to the side, raising a foreleg up and clamping down on Kitheus, who had attempted a flanking tackle. As the Magnet Area Pokémon struggled against his grip, Gluttony reared shoulder back, bringing it forward and hurling Kitheus straight into Quil's midsection to knock them both back. Above, Jaeda loosed a roar and swerved downward, spinning to slam her tail into Gluttony. She had moved hardly five feet before Adams tackled her in midair, easily overpowering the Charizard with her much larger frame. Adams pulled Jaeda tightly against her chest, matching her shocked gaze with a wide, toothy grin, before spinning and hurling Jaeda into the ground below. She landed beside Gluttony, taking a step toward the enemy trainers. "So much for your survival." Kyle froze. Four moves. That was all it had taken to neutralize the first wave of attack. And as far as he could tell, only one of them had actually been a powered move. "It seems your spirits were not strong enough, after all . . ." It was strange to hear a sigh from such a monstrous creature, accompanied by a short shake of the head. Gluttony paced back and forth in front of the group, ignoring the groans of the downed Pokémon as they recovered from his and Adams's counterattack. "A shame. You truly seemed to have promise. But I suppose that is how it always goes with these things . . ." Ray seemed stunned as the entire wave of attacks were stopped cold in their tracks. He wanted to act, but what could they even do against foes this strong and monstrous? "We can't give up!" Chloe's voice pierced through Ray's uncertainty. Despite the unsettled look on her face from everything that had happened, she looked even more determined to stop them, if that was possible. "This doesn't look good at all, but we can't lose hope. Come on, everyone, let's keep giving it our best shot!" The psychic girl grinded her teeth together as her eyes glowed a slightly brighter shade of green than normal. With her psychic powers, she focused on Loki's concrete girders - though the look on her face seemed like she was wishing it had been something else she could have used. They began to shake where they lay . . . If Sonja was trembling before, she was straight-up shaking in fear now. The Grimoire in her bag seemed to sense this, as it emanated an equally shaken pulse. Something gave them pause. Gluttony stopped mid-pace, tilting his head. Adams tilted her head back, drawing in two short breaths. Her lips peeled back, enlarging the grin already present across her mouth. She turned toward the stands, toward Loki and Sonja. Sonja clenched her fists tightly around the straps of her bag, taking a step back at the unwanted attention. Adams chuckled and lurched forward, dragging her claws along the ground. "What are you hiding, Sonja?" Adams asked. She made a show of taking another breath. "You can't keep secrets from us . . . You should know that." Loki uttered a guttural growl that transformed into a shout as he charged toward the Instance. He swung a right-hook, which Adams dodged, before transitioning into a left-swing. She raised her hand, catching his fist in her claws and squeezing. Undeterred, he swung with his other fist, catching her lip as she moved her head back. Adams raised her other hand, grabbing his arm and forcing the Fighting-Type to the ground with a kick to the stomach. She laughed, extending her wings. "Stop toying with the food," Gluttony called. He turned to face the confrontation between Adams and the Conkeldurr. "Or at least do it quickly." Adams chuckled. "Ironic that you say that." Her golden scales began to glow. "This will only take a second. Hold still." In reality, Adams should have listened to Gluttony's warning. As she advanced on Sonja, she and the Sinner suddenly found themselves on the receiving end of a slab of concrete each. The massive blocks slammed into them, staggering both and freeing Loki, who pushed himself back and away from the pair of Instances. They quickly regained their composure--Adams more swiftly than Gluttony, it seemed. She whipped around, baring her teeth at Chloe, Kyle, and Ray. The sight, strangely, pulled Kyle back to reality. He took a breath, steadying himself. "Jaeda, you okay?" The Charizard huffed, slowly rising to her feet. She returned Adams's look of rage. "Kitheus?" The Magnezone elicited a series of beeps and whirs before managing to float haphazardly back into the air. Kyle nodded to them, and then to Chloe. "Okay . . ." He turned back to Gluttony and Adams. "We're not giving up. You can keep knocking us down, but we're going to get out of this, no matter what." "Still as confident as before . . ." Gluttony chuckled. He rose to his full height, each movement accompanied by a sound akin to branches creaking. "Perhaps Mr. Sanders could tell you how well that might work out." His eyes shifted to Adams. "Or, perhaps we could show you ourselves." Adams said nothing in response. Instead, her frown shifted back into a grin, and she spread out her wings to their fullest extension. Massive gusts of wind flowed as she beat her wings, rising high into the air. She clenched her fists as her wings began to glow, and with a shrill cry, she unleashed a blinding flash of light against the five opposing trainers . . .

IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston/Quincy Adams/Gluttony - Arena, Vertrag: The pressure in the room was unbearable; fear, dread, anger, horror, all of these emotions and more weighed heavily in the air, suffocating rational thought. Ryan felt it; Ray felt it; Chloe felt it. It was obvious from their movements, sluggish, uncertain, feeble. Sonja felt it. Loki had moved back toward her, never letting the two enemies out of his line of sight. When he reached his trainer, he held an arm out to his side, doing what he could to shield her. But he could not hide her from them completely. Sonja could not find words to speak, only managing to stare, petrified, at the two creatures before her. Unconsciously, she dragged her bag around to her front, gripping it tightly against her chest. The Grimoire seemed to pulse in rhythm with her racing heart. A sharp laugh erupted from Adams at Ryan's words. "We shouldn't be here?" She shook her head, grinning as if to revel in his discomfort and confusion. "This was my home, Sanders. If anything, you're trespassing." She tilted her head back, running a finger down her jawline, eyes glossy. "Wait a second . . .Isn't that kind of like what you told the Second Child? How ironic." "Come now, everyone, let's just calm down," Gluttony said. His words spoke peace, but it was clear from his tone that he reveled in the tumultuous atmosphere. "This isn't what we came here for, this isn't . . . what I want . . ." He closed his eyes and sniffed the air, first in short breaths and then one long, deep intake. "I think . . . Yes, it must be . . ." The orange light pierced the world again as Gluttony glanced between each of the five trainers in front of them. He gave them all a toothy smile. "This will be easier if you submit without protest." "What, and let you turn us into more of Missing Zero's . . . things?" Kyle demanded. His fist shook at his side; at this point he wasn't sure if it was from stress, nerves, anger, or some combination of the three. What he did know was that Adams hadn't been in a situation she could have survived in the Egg; what they were looking at now was not a ghost, but a puppet, one mutilated and transformed from the original thing--likely against her will. The sight disgusted him. He clenched his fist tighter, and then released. Though his hand still trembled, he managed to keep it steady enough to pick through the Poké Balls lining his belt, though he never took his eyes off of the pair of Instances. "No thanks." Suicune . . . He recalled the Zapdos in Ecruteak City against what he now knew to be the incarnation of Wrath. Not an option . . . "Heh . . ." Gluttony leered at Kyle, then Chloe, and then slowly turned to Adams. "You know these ones?" Taia and Torith . . . Completely out of the question . . . Quincy glared. "No. Not personally." She cracked her knuckles, and then placed her hands on her head, cracking her neck, licking her lips. "I like that defiance, though . . . Reminds me of me." Daiga . . . Ruj . . . Rodax or Vailian . . . The hand through the door. The creature in the night. Kyle closed his eyes. I've seen what it can do to Ground- and Rock-Types . . . "Mm hmm . . ." Gluttony inhaled again. He rested his hands on the back of his head, turning back to Kyle. "But you're all talk . . . I can smell what you're hiding . . . I can smell the fear . . ." He gripped his hair with both hands, pulling his arms in opposite directions. Gluttony's human form tore in half like paper, face and body and clothes all shredding apart into specks of green and black shadow. A creature stood in his place, easily nine feet tall and thin as a month-starved hound. Gluttony's glowing eyes stared forth from the dark sockets of a skull-like face bloodstained at the mouth, topped with branching antlers. It leaned forward in a hunch on its massive, trunk-like forelegs; at its angle, blood seeped from exposed guts. "T-That's what we saw . . ." Sonja stammered. She stepped backward, toward the bleachers. Kyle opened his eyes, instinctively grimacing at the sight. Lyxek, Kovian, and Sanshou aren't strong enough without their powers . . . "Oh, Sixth . . ." Adams shook her head. "You haven't seen anything yet." With a loud crack, she twisted her head sharply to the right, instantly drooping. Her body dissolved, and like Gluttony, revealed something much more monstrous beneath her humanoid exterior. This was something that could only be described as a dragon, though one much more monstrous than what any of the group had ever witnessed before. Golden wings attached by thin limbs stretched from its back, the weight of its upper body pulling it down into a permanent hunch. Its head stretched out from its torso, eyeless, like a great, white worm broken into a permanent grin. The creature salivated, stretching its claws as it looked from Kyle to Chloe and back again. It opened its mouth, loosing a vicious roar. In response, Kyle pulled Jaeda and Kitheu's Poké Balls from his belt, releasing them in front of him. Though his entire body had begun to shake, he returned Gluttony and Adams's glares with his own. "Alright, then . . ." Gluttony said. "We'll make this quick for you."

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron - Arena, Vertrag: "I'm fine--on my way now," Emmerich's voice crackled back. " it, how far down do these stairs go?" A pause, then a metallic sound as, presumably, his hands gripped the railing. "I can't even see them anymore . . ." With Loki's Poké Ball gripped tightly in her hand, Sonja snapped her eyes from the pedestal to the door, then back again. Throwing it as high and far as she could, there was a chance--a chance--that Loki could materialize near enough to the pedestal to grab it. But he would also have to carry it from there back to the door, and with his usual speed, she doubted he would be able to manage it. But the fact remained that there was nothing else else to block the doors with-- Sonja hurled Loki's Poké Ball into the air--towards the door. As the Conkeldurr materialized, Sonja called his attention. "Loki!" She pointed. "Barricade the door!" With a devilish grin, the Fighting-Type stretched, and then gripped the two slabs of concrete that had appeared alongside him. With a great heave he lifted them into the air, and then hurled them diagonally toward the entryway. They struck the ground, skipping across the artificial floor and landing with a solid thud, one against each of the now-dented doors, effectively bracing them from the inside. It was just in time, too, as the doorknob jostled barely a moment later. "Nice," Kyle said. "We should probably tell Emmerich to head back--" A loud banging sound cut him off. Something large and heavy struck the doors; they bulged and groaned under the weight, pushing hard against the concrete blockage that stopped them from opening. Once, twice, thrice they were struck, warping more and more with each hit. A silence fell as the attacks ceased. And then, a sudden explosion of sound and debris. A massive . . . thing, almost like a tree stump, bone-white and four-pronged, had obliterated the heavy doors. The force of the hit was enough to send Loki's concrete slabs rolling back twenty feet along the floor, finally skidding to a halt. A thick cloud of dust covered the air, forcing the Liberty Agents (and Ray) to cover their mouths and eyes. As the cloud dissipated, two figures strode forward, their glowing eyes cutting through the dirt. One was a tall, young man with brown hair poking out from a red headband. A tan scarf billowed in the wind behind him as he raised his arms and hands up high in a mocking greeting betrayed by the loose grin on his face. A vague, orange outline surrounded him, matched by the orange aura emanating from his irises. "My, my, my . . ." Gluttony said. "Mr. Sanders . . . Mr. Hakuda . . . This is rather an unexpected reunion, isn't it?" But as shocking as it must have been for Ray and Ryan to see this man again, their surprise paled in comparison to the stunned horror that fell upon the group as they realized who was with him. "No . . ." Sonja said, her voice quiet. "I thought . . . They killed you . . ." "I found a new purpose, Sixth Child." From beside Gluttony--no worse for wear than when the group had last seen her, save for her eyes now aglow with a dark green light--stood Quincy Adams, the Third Child.

IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston - Arena, Vertrag: After everything else they had seen in the base, Sonja quickly got over her surprise at the sheer size of the arena. At Ryan's suggestion, she pulled a Poké Ball from her belt, thinking. "You know, without powers, Loki might actually stand a chance against a Psychic-Type like Gallade . . ." she mused. "Sure, why not?" IC - Emmerich Coleman - Command Center, Vertrag: There were a lot of options to choose from; General Coleman was not sure where to start. It did not help that he had no idea what any given terminal would provide access to. Was Ford's operation set up in such a way that each computer specialized in specific intel? Or were they all connected to the same network, and thus it wouldn't matter where he logged in to access the information? If that was the case, then why have so many access points at all? And how, exactly, would he get into the network to begin with? He sighed. So many questions, so relatively-limited time . . . In the end, the logical choice seemed to be the middlemost console. In any given Rocket base--and from what he had seen of several Liberty outposts--the central console was where command operations were led. Presumably, Ford's designs would follow suit. He approached the circular platform, moving up the small flight of steps and opening the gate. A chair stood in the middle, able to rotate toward any of the given keyboards, switches, and screens set around it. He took a seat, letting his instincts guide him on where to start. To his surprise, the computers--which had appeared so vacant until now--lit up when he sat down. One bore a login screen. Emmerich sat still for a moment, simply staring at the screen. There was no possible way that Ford would set this system up so that just anyone could access it; indeed, a quick input of a random password quickly snuffed out that suspicion. So, he was going to have to either figure out the password from what he knew of Ford, or try to force his way inside. Neither option was going to be easy. Frowning, he pressed a set of keys, opening a command prompt and beginning to type out a string of code. He was not sure how long he had been at it when he noticed a soft, flashing light on the next screen to his right. Emmerich glanced over, turned his attention back to the first screen, and then jerked his head back to the right. It was a message. He pulled his hands away from the keyboard, somewhat alarmed--even more so when he clicked on the screen, opening and reading the message: There was no indication of who this message had come from; on the screen, its sender information simply read 'System.' But this was not phrased the way any other computer would phrase it. And there was no means that Emmerich could see of responding. It sent a follow-up: A pause. Emmerich's palms were sweaty with discomfort, but the tone of the messages made him calmer. It did not feel as if he was being threatened, only inquired to. He looked around for an associated keyboard. Finding none, he took a breath, shook his head, and spoke: "Yes." Another pause. A sudden noise like muffled banging erupted from the main room. Emmerich jerked his head toward the door. Another flashing light caught his eye, only this time, it seemed more urgent--much more urgent. He opened the message. A light glowed above Emmerich. Before he could react, a muted sensation washed over him. The lights went out; sound became muffled, but not gone. He felt as if he were floating. Though his body seemed to have vanished, his mind was still there, and through the darkness, he became aware of the noise nearby. A creaking, groaning of metal erupted from the doorway; he could only assume that something had torn the door down. Voices spoke that sounded as if they were underwater, a man and a woman. He heard a sniffing sound, like a hound tracking a scent. Another eruption of metal, and then silence. A moment later, General Coleman returned to the center seat of the command center. It took him a moment to regain his bearings. Once he did, however, he saw the results of what he had heard: A gaping hole stood in the wall where once had been a door, destroying the only wall between the command center and the main room. More concerning: A similar hole leading down the hallway where Ford's room, the library, and the stairwell were located. The dim light illuminated the fleeting figure disappearing down the stairs. Emmerich jumped to his feet, moving as quickly as he could after them. He pulled his comm from his pocket, calling a message over his radio, stern and clear: "Unknown entities in the facility, I repeat, unknown enemies in the facility. They are headed your way. Secure your position."