Pokemon Umbral Intermission: The Ensnaring Conspiracies

[Menarker]

Catherine and Miracle conversation
----------------------

As Catherine stood frozen at his introduction, Renny worried that he may had accidently did a faux pas of sort.

"Uhh...yeah, good to meet you, Renny, and your sentiments are appreciated but, uhh...might wanna step back...like, ten or so yards."

Renny was perflexed by the Miracle's suggestion and the deadpan tone she seem to speak with. As he look again toward the motherly figure, his vision shrunk as his face was stuffed in Catherine's cleavage.
"It's him! It's totally him!"
His face was totally flushed red, although no one could see his face where it was. His arms flailed up and down once or twice, as he tried to somehow alert her to his increasingly short breath, although he was too gentle to even have the thought of pushing her away cross his mind.

"Could you uhh...maybe get her off of him?" Lola asked Miracle. "I think she's going to suffocate the poor man."
"I'm not sure I can," Miracle sighed. "My mom's crazy about cute things, especially boys. I think she has Renny on her cellphone. Granted, his body's changed a little with the Gallade DNA but-"

"Say there, my little Renny," Catherine purred."How do you feel about...older women?"
"Forget it, Mom. He's already got a girlfriend,"
"Oh, come on. What does she have that I don't?"
"Youth, beauty, larger breasts,"

Suddenly, Catherine released him as she sunk below him in tears. Renny tried to help her up on her feet.
"Catherine? Catherine, please don't cry. I really hoped that I wouldn't make either of you feel uncomfortable."

"I thought Irene was just being colorful about her warning!" Renny was still blushing the entire time, but he couldn't help but smile from such a warm and affectionate... greeting, especially considering that he expected things to potentially be quite worse.

"By the way, I noticed that you didn't deny being his girlfriend."
Lola's cheeks burned. "And she still isn't denying it," Miracle said, turning to Renny. He felt his spirit rising from the exchange, daring to hope it was true. He didn't recall Lola saying anything. Was everyone else just spreading rumors? He listened to Miracle's apology and reassurance as well as their intention to join PATCA.

"Oh, you don't have to be sorry about what happened then. I went despite the fact that once I was alerted to the distress call, it was fairly clear that it was bad news. Admittedly, I was probably over my head, but Irene went by herself and I worried that more people would have been hurt if it turned out as bad as I thought it would. I'm all better now anyhow."
Renny rubbed the back of his head with a nervous grin.
"But I'm glad to know you both feel you will both be ok. If any of you need some help or advice in PATCA, feel free to ask around. In PATCA, there are a lot of wonderful people, which is a big part of why I'm staying. Of course, feel free to ask me too if you see me."

Renny offered his hand in friendship to both of them, smiling warmly. "I'm sorry that I can't stay longer, but I do have something really important that I need to manage. It was a real pleasure to have met both of you. Hopefully we will meet again soon?"

After the conversation, Renny turned to Lola.

"I think I'm ready. Do you want to stay longer? Or do you think we should go look for Milsha?"

"Yes. It looks like about half of the people here have already left," Lola said. "I wonder where we're going to find her?"


-----------------
Event with Milsha
-----------------

She stood up to go get more ice cream. Seriously, her calorie intake for the day was through the roof. Renny also went to grab a large milkshake in a to-go cup, feeling hungry since the funeral.
"Sorry. I guess my country drawl isn't good for something so serious. But honestly, Renny, you've surprised the hell out of me. I thought I was supposed to be brave and stupid at the same time. After all that happened that night, you still wanna get up the next day with the possibility of that same terror happening again."

Renny kinda shuffled his feet back and forth. The terrors that she mentioned did cause his nights to be uneasy many times. He'd hope he didn't have to explain his motivations further. Some of the fears and pains were so bad, he had wondered why he was doing it.

Milsha finished her ice cream and stood up. "You're getting more?!" Lola asked her.
"Nah, I'm done. I probably won't want ice cream again for fifteen minutes. C'mon, let's go! You have a car, right?"

Renny was eager to come along, hoping that Milsha had agreed to rent the place out to them. He hadn't finished his milkshake, so he took it with him to the car, still nursing on the large drink even as he entered the magnificent hotel lobby before he finally finished it and dumped the container in the bin with a hearty sigh. His eyes darted back and forth with incredible interest, listening to Lola talking with Milsha about how she came to have access to her apartment.

"Holy shit," Lola breathed, still mezmerized. "And it's okay for us to just live here?"
"Sure, why not? It's not a very large room, but back in the days when I lived on the farm, all I ever owned were some toiletries and a bunk...a bunk that I shared with my brothers, to be honest."

He stood there dumbfounded, looking at Milsha, awestruck at her generosity as the elevator door opened and they strolled into the apartment room itself. As he stepped out into the apartment, he released his pokemon so they could get a sense of their new home while Milsha continued to explain the details of the place for a while longer...

"Alrighty, then, I'm gonna go do some weapons testing. I'll go make sure that Pamilla knows about you two. Then you can get some keys to this place. By the way, that one bedroom is yours, so enjoy yourselves?"

Renny rushed Milsha with a big hug before she would leave. "I can't possibly thank you enough for this! I was so worried." He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve "Milsha, thank you so much for everything. This really helps me feel better about a lot of things."

"Seriously, Milsha, this is wonderful. It's so awesome to have a friend like you!" Lola smiled. "Wait, what one bedroom?"
Milsha blinked. "You know. That one I showed you. You'll share that, right?"
Lola slowly craned her head to look at Renny. "Us...in the same bedroom?" Renny looked toward Lola, struck mute by the sudden realization and his imagination ran as wild as his face glowed red.
Milsha folded her arms. "You wacky cityfolk and your sensitivity about gender. I slept with boys all you time when I was young."
"Uhhh..." Lola faltered.
"Out in the countryside, gender is almost entirely negligible. I lived with boys, slept with boys, even bathed with boys."
"Ahhh...bathed with...?" Lola faltered again. Renny's face was still red, especially now that Milsha conjured the mental image of herself naked with other boys.
Milsha simply shook her head and left.

Lola looked at Renny. "Wow. I didn't know any of this about Milsha. About her being hired by Cecilia's company, about any of it. Kind of a super shocker, y'know?"

Renny nodded, but stood there with a semi-vacant and blissful expression for a short while. He then became increasingly nervous about Lola's reaction to sharing a room with him.

"Errr, Lola. I... Ok. Here is what I'm thinking of doing. Before I go, I'll see Pamilla so I can get a set of keys and show her my pokemon, so they get acquainted with each others' presence. I'll head home and pretend to pack up to move away. Essentials in boxes and that sort of thing, but I'll teleport back and forth between here and there during the night before they know what's happening. I'll leave them a note at the end so they know I'm safe and they can go their own way to a safer place..."

He then looked toward her with more focus.
"I errr... I am also shocked that Milsha thought you would room in with me. I, I can understand if you'd rather not. Of course, I'll be very happy to have you here if you would be happy too."

Renny then approached Lola and gave her a warm and somewhat strong hug. "Lola, thank you. I already owe you so much. I know it's going to be hard and I'll miss my family a bit, but I'm starting to feel better like this, especially with all the help you have given me."

He then parted soon after, recalling his pokemon. "I'll go ahead and get started then. I hope I'll see you soon."

Renny took the elevator down and approached the young woman in the bunny suit costume which made him blush yet again that had greeted them earlier. It started to occur to him that his life since he entered PATCA had become increasingly absurd.

"Hello again. I beg your pardon, but is your name Pamilla? My name is Renny. Milsha told me that I might be able to pick up the keys to my residence from you? Also, I was hoping I could show my pokemon so you would not be alarmed by their presence, and the same for them. They are really quite gentle, but I would like to err on the side of caution."

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Chizuru

The Kimonos discussed his offer, but in the end it seemed they would each decide where they would stay. "Okay, well. I'll look around and let you all know what I find." Pierce said.

......

Pierce arrived at his apartment that evening, looking forward to a good rest. Like a week straight. As soon as he opened the door, a panicked scream rose.

"Master, help!"
Pierce instantly jumped, ready to beat the crap out of whatever, when he saw-

"Goddammit, Liz."
"Hiya!"
"Master!" A very confused Aria pleaded.
"Liz, stop groping my Nagarai. Aria, just zap her."
"Killjoy." Liz said mock-dissappointed as she let got of Aria before she could do anything.
"Why're you here, Liz?"
"Well, I just wanted to meet the hottie you've been hiding from me. Really, how could you Pierce?"
"Liz, I'm exhausted. I feel like crap. I just want to go to bed and sleep in tomorrow."
"Fiiine."

Pierce watched as Liz let herself out of his home, then turned to Aria. "You okay?"
"Y-yes. I think so, Master."
Pierce kissed her forehead goodnight, limped to his room and immediately threw himself down on the bed.

-----

Elizabeth awoke with a start from her nightmare. She was sweaty all over, and her sheets were messed up. Normally this wouldn't be strange, except she hadn't had sex before going to sleep.

But that didn't cover how horrible her dream was.

"Pierce, you son of a bitch..." She muttered, before lying back down again.

-----

Pierce woke up suddenly. His room was still dark, indicating that it was very early in the morning. He rubbed his forehead, trying to remember the dream he had.

Unlike the last one, this had been a happy dream. Sam had been there, alive and human, at his side. Irene, Chizuru, Shizuka, Jeanette and many others had been there too. Though, in a different way than Sam.

It would've been a very disturbing dream if he had done with Sam what he had done with all those women.

There was power. He was in charge. And he had accomplished something, something big. He had changed the world into something better. He had done it. And all that was left was to care for his new world, and enjoy the time that was given to him with his many loved ones.

... It was definitely a weird dream. Though, now he knew why he had had it.

With a yawn, he rose from his bed and reached for his pokeballs, grabbing one in particular. He released the pokemon inside, and realized this was the first time he was seeing it.

What looked like a cloud of pure, malleable darkness floated in front of him. It looked kinda scary, but then, he knew that was no reason to judge a pokemon. Adamantitar was scary.

"We need to talk."

----------------

Pierce and Irene

"Drinking with me, eh? You sure you're not into older women, Pierce?"
"Gweh? N- no, it's nothing like that." He argued nervously, blushing out of nowhere. He didn't deny her question, though.

Irene looked thoughtful. "Well, the day is still young. I have to handle a few things here and there, but sure, tonight. I'll contact your scouter when I'm ready. But don't you be getting too many funny ideas."
"Okay, great. I'll see you then." Pierce replied, trying to regain his composure.

After a while, Pierce left the funeral and went back home. He decided to change into something more casual for the evening, though he was just glad to get out of the suit.

[Astral Harmony]

Pierce & Jeanette

"Strength really doesn't have anything to do with it," Jeanette said, placing a hand on Pierce's shoulder. "I just have to believe. And trust in my friend, Irene. Sometimes you need to look beyond your own strength to find the support you need. I don't know what I would've done with myself without people supporting me like Darcelle and Irene."

"You're on good terms with Elizabeth and some others, right? Seek them out when you falter trying to rely on your own strength. It's often through having good friends to share our problems and happiness with that we find the power to overcome trials that would cripple any one person on their own."

-----
Renny & Pamilla

"Always a joy to help the agency's Cutest Agent," Pamilla said, holding open her cellphone. And there was Renny in a picture that looked to have been professionally taken when Renny wasn't aware.

Ugh, not this woman too!

Pamilla shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm not a crazy stalker, I just like cute things. It's the women who actually get processed with Gallade or Gardevoir DNA so they match with you that you should be a little scared for."

Speaking of someone processed with Gardevoir DNA...

-----
Whitney & Muon

"So what'cha thinkin' 'bout?" Muon asked her friend.
"I'm not really thinking about anything," Whitney said, gazing at the beautiful full moon.
Muon coughed. "Heh. Who the fuck do you think you're trying to fool, hon? You, your brother and I...this was kind of a special place of ours. When life was hard, we would always come here and just...clear our heads."
"I'm seriously not thinking about anything."

Suddenly, Whitney dove to the right as a Hyper Beam tore right through the space where her body had been.
"What the fuck, Muon?!" Whitney raged at her friend.
"I'm not your brother, Whitney. I won't even pretend to be," Muon said, obviously pissed. "But I won't simply let you treat me so distantly just because you feel you can't share your thoughts with anyone but him. I'm going to help you express yourself to others if I have to beat it out of you."
Whitney frowned...then slowly smiled. "Why don't you try me?"
"That's my bitch," Muon breathed, then they rushed each other.

Ten minutes passed with both Whitney and Muon exhausted from the superpowered brawl. "You didn't use your Pokemon," Muon observed.
"I would've killed you if I did," Whitney panted, wiping her brow with the back of her arm.
Muon thought about it for a moment, then came up with an answer. "It's that kid, isn't it? He went and got processed with Gallade DNA. Kinda looks like Wyatt when he was a boy."
"I don't want to talk about it," Whitney said, sitting back down and observing the moon.
"You either talk about it or you get another Hyper Beam," Muon suggested.
"No, it's not like that, Muon. I'd talk about it...if I knew what I thought about it. It's all so confusing."
"Ah, mixed feelings."
"Huh?"
"You don't know what you think about him, when in actuality you've got so many thoughts regarding him on your mind, and they're all trying to scream at you the loudest."

Whitney didn't respond. Muon strolled up and took a seat next to Whitney. "It's difficult to be sure of your feelings. I myself have to deal with the same thing, you know?"
"You, huh?"
"Yeah. I have conflicting feelings regarding someone, too." Muon said. She neglected to reveal that her conflicted feelings were about her friend Whitney. "My suggestion? Spend time with the kid. I think that'll help clear your head more than checking the moon out here would ever do."
"Spend more time with him..." Whitney sighed. "Yeah...I'll do that."

Muon wondered if she had suggested the right thing? Whitney was in love with her brother Wyatt. She lost that very precious love. If she fell in love with Renny, she might do something extreme to keep this new love intact. "I'm sorry, Nurse Bunny," Muon said to herself.

-----
Irene Interrogates Impact, Part Two...

Impact had walked along in silence, uncertain, but expectant. He'd certainly been curious as to the purpose of their meeting, but Irene's manner invited no questions. Eldys surprised him, Irene's words unsettled him. And then Irene put down her pokemon, and, even before she had spoken, he realized what would come next. He grinned wryly as Irene spoke her challenge. Somehow, he felt like he should have expected this. And then Irene lunged at Impact, her blade tearing through the air towards his midsection. Impact sidestepped to improve his angle, still trying to get used to the unfamiliar heft of the blade, but already appreciating the weapon's power. He brought the weapon up in a block, blade angled downwards, letting Irene's sword glance off, but still wincing at the force of the blow. He used that force, though, letting it push him to the side, rolling and coming to his feet a few metres away from Irene, blade at the ready. "You've known me, Irene? Are you going to mention some prophecy now?"
Irene whirled her sword. Her body moved like water. The two combatants circled each other. Irene had a rather disturbing smile plastered on her face. "No prophecy, Impact. More like a revealing. Your fate. Honmyr's fate. The world's fate. And the wretched role I am doomed to play in all of this. Everything has fallen into place, much as I strived to derail everything that has led up to this point in time. But even a woman of my caliber can put up and shut up."

Then Irene forced the conflict anew. Eldys observed them carefully and had single words to describe the two combatants.
Impact in one word? "Textbook". He had excellent training from what could very easily be some of the most talented swordfighters on this world, but his skills were mostly untested and he had never fought Irene before.
Irene in one word? "Zenlike". Irene flowed from move to move as though this was some kind of ritualistic dance she had practice for years. Her body was forged for this kind of battle in all the right ways. She was like a massive river, unable to be shifted from its unyielding course.
They clashed and pushed their strength against each other. "You know these swords that we wield, Impact? There's an interesting local legend about them. Legend says that if these two swords were ever separated, one to one master and the other to someone else, that they are then destined to kill each other. The swords can never be separated. I imagine that's why I took it upon myself to learn how to use both swords simultaneously."

Impact grinned. "And yet we wield them against each other now. Is only one of us going to walk away from this?"
"I have seen destiny itself, Impact. Yours' before you met me. Mine before and after the coma. The fate of PATCA before it had even been created in the first place. I could never accept then what that fucking gemstone showed me. I raged against that fate ever since the day I first laid eyes on it. You could say that even after the war, I never stopped fighting because I thought I could overcome my fate that way. But I was a fool. A complete and utter fool."
Irene forced Impact's sword back a bit then withdraw hers' complete and thrust Brymstone at Impact's right leg, forcing him to bounce back and lose his balance.
"Everything I did..."
Impact swung Sulphyr hastily to force Irene back, and he did, buying himself the split second he needed to regain his footing.
"All that hard work..."
Irene rushed forward and swung Brymstone upward, knocking Sulphyr out of Impact's hand. Another swing missed Impact's scalp by an inch. Impact quickly dropped his weight and planted a firm thrust kick into Irene's midsection, knocking her into a backwards somersault. Both fighters quickly came to their feet, swords in hand and separated by a few meters.
"Only served to bring me right back on the path that I've tried so hard to deny with my every breath. So I've come to accept it, Impact, but I will by no means simply let destiny sweep me with the tides. And that's why I brought you here, Impact. If fate has already decided your path, then I shall do all in my power to prepare you to stand up to it."
"More prophecies? What is fate, Irene? Is it predetermined? Is there a destiny for all of us? Is there one path, one destination, and we're just going through the motions? No. I don't believe in fate. Our decisions are my own. And I intend my make mine wisely. I walk my own path."
"That's good, Impact. I wish I still possessed your level of determination. Don't lose that spirit. It will see you through the most difficult times you will no doubt face in the future."

Irene stepped it up a notch. This wasn't the kind of shit you learned in military academies. This was what you learned when you became one with the battle itself. Irene switched her sword arm nearly every second. Each strike came from a direction that should have been impossible with the speed in which they arced at Impact. And in ways, Impact could see that Irene was using Brymstone in ways that made it seem like the sword was using her.
In one incredible move, Irene disarmed Impact by hooking Brymstone just underneath Sulphyr's guard and forcing it to slip out of Impact's hand. This time, Irene delivered a swift kick that landed Impact on the ground. And to finish the fight, Irene leapt and struck the flying Sulphyr with a powerful overhead chop, sending the blade directly into the ground a few inches in front of Impact's crotch. Irene made no further movements.
"Power," Irene said, her jet black hair riding the wind. "It comes in many forms and serves many functions, oftentimes contradictory purposes. One era it could place a king on his throne, the next era it obliterates his entire civilization. To acquire power lies deep in the hearts of all people. Some people would use it to protect. Others would use it to destroy. One day you shall obtain power incomparable for yourself. Tell me, Impact. Help me understand. When finally you acquire true power, what will you use it for?"
Impact calmly rose to his feet, not bothering to retrieve Sulphyr. This fight was over. "Power? Irene, power... is not a means. It is an end. Or a means to itself, if you prefer. When I acquire power, I will... retain it, protect it, further it. And I will never, never, let go, or fall back, or lay down and surrender."

Irene was silent for a moment. Then she shrugged. "Eh, I guess you pass. What do you think, Eld-"
Irene had turned around to look towards the long-eared woman. There was nobody there. Irene, frustrated, thrust Brymstone into the ground right next to Sulphyr. "Goddamnit, she always fucking does that!"
Irene examined the now-smoking car. A large anime sweatdrop condense in her beautiful hair. She then reached into her glove compartment and retrieved her scouter. "This is Bloody Rose. I need a Rig pickup for two at the Ruins of Resonance."
"Roger that, Bloody Rose. ETA forty minutes."

Irene removed the scouter and tossed it back into the car. "Heh. I need a drink. Or maybe thirty."

-----
Phantomere & Shevenston

Armored Bishoujo: "Charlotte cannot see Shevenston, just Phantomere. And naturally everybody else can't see either of them."

"Who...are you?" Antonio asked the giant evil-looking clown. "Ah...you would be Phantomere, would you not? I've read the files."
"I see your soul is still hanging around," Phantomere said. "Looks like you weren't truely set on leaving this world voluntarily, were you?"
Shevenston looked towards Catherine and Miracle, with the latter trying to console the former over losing Renny to Lola. "Catherine. Miracle. Travis. And the war. It's so difficult to let go of all of it."
"Memories more valuable than any tonnage of gold," Phantomere observed to himself. "This may in fact be the true reason that people consider life to be so precious."
"What becomes of those like me who simply cannot let go?"

"Your spirit will eventually fade into the ether," Phantomere informed him. "Like it or not, you will travel into the great beyond. Your memories simply keep you here longer."
"It's hard to forget what I will be leaving behind," Antonio said, his shoulders drooping. "And it does me little good to remain here. Even if my sweet family were to come to ruin in my absense, I would be unable to do anything for them, correct?"
"True," Phantomere shrugged. "But there's actually one way in which you might be able to help them directly."
Shevenston faced him. "You would have to allow me to devour your memories."
"You can't do that by force?"
"I've decided to turn over a new leaf, thanks to Charlotte's amazing ability to apparently show me mercy despite being an enemy and despite her being kind of a real bitch. So, while I could forcably devour your memories, I will not do so."
"You said you could some way help my family by devouring my memories? How?"
"You were a powerful fighter before your death, Mister Shevenston. I may be able to use your memories to extract your knowledge of battle. And, I may be able to help Charlotte with this knowledge, which could in some way help your family. You never know."

Shevenston looked at his wife and adopted daughter one last time. "Fate plays some really strange cards, you know? I fought and survived in a war that brought me to the brink of death several times, I created a family right out of the streets, and now I'm speaking to a creature like you. No offense."
"None taken. Will you agree to being released from the remnants of your consciousness?"
"Yes. It's time for me to finally retire. Phantomere?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you. Please take care, whatever destiny holds for you."
"You're a strange one, Antonio Shevenston." Phantomere said, then swung a rapidly-materialized greatscythe, disintegrating the former PATCA Regional Chief into total nothingness."May your journey be safe and your rest blissful, fate-freed soul."

[Dracorion]

Pierce meets Enmakki

"We need to talk."
"Hail and well met, Lord." Came a deep voice, speaking directly into his mind.
"Lord?" Pierce asked unamusedly.
"It is an appropriate title. In you is the potential to do great things, perhaps the greatest in all history, if you are only willing to do what is necessary."
"... Well I disagree. Are you seriously going to go with the old corruption cliche?"
"Not corrupt you, Lord. I simply wish to guide you."
"Rrrrriight. So whatever you did to Chizuru and Irene was entirely innocent?"
"I only wished to help, Lord. I could feel that you care for them, so I sought to bring them comfort. Empathy is your greatest strength, Lord, but you should exercise caution with it. I must note my suprise that you were able to sense what I did."
"Metagross and Starmie communicate with me by impressing basic feelings and instincts into my mind. It's made me somewhat sensitive, and whatever you did was similar enough that I was able to notice. What about my dream tonight?"
"After your restless sleep the night before, I only sought to give you peace. I rule the realm of Dreams, Lord. That is my power."
"Well, that's got to stop. No more dreamfucking me or anyone else. No mindreading, either."
"It could be a valuable asset, Lord. But if that is your wish, I will concede."
"Right. Goodnight." Pierce returned Enmakki to its pokeball and dropped back onto his bed.

He wanted to go on, but he was far too tired to do so. He'd figure out Enmakki's deal in the morning.

----------------------------

Pierce and Jeanette

"Yeah, you're right." He said. The fact was, Pierce would be in a much worse place if it hadn't been for his pokemon being there for him. Though, Liz wasn't really an option for someone to reach out to.

Still...

"Thank you." He said softly, giving Jeanette a quick one-armed hug. Shortly after he parted from her to see if he knew anyone else around.

----------------------------

Impact questions Pierce

Impact got out of his Taxi, gave the driver a nod, payed him, and then headed into the nondescript apartment block. Pierce hadn't actually given him his address, but he had access to the employee database... so here he was, knocking on Pierce's front door a couple of days after Shevetson's funeral, with some pressing questions.
"Dammit Kingdra! That's it, no pool party for you!" Came Pierce's voice from inside. Shortly after, the door opened and Impact saw the man himself. He seemed to have healed completely and was no longer leaning on a cane.
"Impact? What're you doing here?"
"I'm here for the pool party, what else? Or maybe I wanted to ask you about your past with Faynoc. One of those." A self-depreciating smile. "May I come in?"
Pierce smirked. "Well, you're not naked, so I'm guessing it's the latter." He stepped aside. "Sure, come in."
Impact stepped inside, taking a quick look around. "Nice place."
Pierce's living room consisted of a couch, a sofa chair, a lamp and a single glass coffee table. A TV set was mounted on the wall facing the couch. To the left of the living room, a counter with three stools was the only thing resembling a dining table, and behind it was the kitchen. A single bookcase stood behind the living room, next to the door.
Even so, it was spacious. It had to be, because Impact could see some of Pierce's pokemon around. Metagross lay in an empty corner, seemingly asleep except its eyes were wide open and looking right at him. Blaziken was rooting around a closet, and he could hear Kingdra's whines coming from behind a nearby door.
The couch seemed to be dripping water all over the floor, for some reason.

The ubiquity of pokemon that Pierce seemed to keep around did unnerve him somewhat -What the hell was that Blaziken doing anyway?-, but Impact rolled with it, walked up to the couch before realising that it was dripping wet. He turned to Pierce, eyebrows raised. "So, uhm. Do you sit on the floor, or...?"
"Take the chair. Kingdra had a little accident on the couch." Pierce said, pulling up one of the stools from the counter to the opposite side of the table.
Impact shrugged, plopped down on the chair, opposite Pierce. It wasn't his furniture after all. "Allright then. To, ah, business. I'm no longer Glorious Leader, so I suppose I can't say I'm on this errand for the good of the team... and you certainly don't owe me answers. But... well, last mission revealed a couple of troubling facts about your past... And I'm curious, to be honest. You willing to talk about that?"
For once, Impact's stated motives actually matched what he thought. Pierce's past had turned out to be surprisingly eventful. It certainly had potential. It could be a tool against him, a way to use him... or harbor a multitude of threats. Certainly relevant.
Looking down, Impact saw a few magazines lined up on the table. From the titles he could see they were science magazines, and Professor Ricewood was even on the cover of one of them. From his new vantage point he could also get a proper look at the bookcase. There were a few books on it, and he could make out some of the titles as being about science, history, philosophy and psychology. He grinned. He had many of the same books. Perhaps there was more to Pierce than met the eye. He paused mentally and corrected himself. Of course there was. That had just been proven extensively. In front of one of the rows, because there was no need for a shelf to put it, Impact guessed, lay an open case with the Honmyr Gym Badges standing proudly on it. Impact payed them no regard, though. He'd always disliked the concept of battle for its own sake.
"Tell you what. I'll tell you about myself if you tell me what the hell you were smoking to make you hand over team leadership to Charlotte." Pierce said somewhat aggressively, drawing his attention back.
Impact chuckled. He could play this game, and he could play it well. "You have to admit, that could have gone a lot worse. You're alive, aren't you?"
Pierce snorted. "No thanks to her."
"Hey, go easy on her. She's a competent commander..." He paused. "But more to the point, she is one that has absolutely no problem making tough decisions." Impact paused again. "And I think, sooner, rather than later, this will be a valuable trait, in a leader. We need someone who'll push forward, who'll do what's necessary." He grinned. "Not to mention, Burkmont is gunning for our officers. In the field, Charlotte's better protected than I am."
"I disagree." Pierce said simply. "And that's a shitty explanation. But, I'm not privy to secret matters, so what do I know?"
"Honestly, I don't think her new rank is going to harm the team. She's smart enough to take advice. And christ, maybe there are secret matters. Maybe there's an ulterior reason why Irene approved the switch. But you'll have to ask her yourself. I can tell you only what I know. And that is that I think Charlotte can do the job. Though, in hindsight I probably should have discussed this with you guys."
Pierce sighed. "All right, what did you want to ask me?"
"Well. You've always seemed like an upstanding member of society. Almost... heroic. I suppose I'd like to know... why? Why did ya throw your lot in with Faynoc?"
"I never threw in my lot with Faynoc. I never knew Horace was working with him until three days after our mission at the plaza."
Impact shrugged. "Fair enough. No cultist, then. But as I understand it, Horace was far from a savory individual himself. Certainly not someone I'd have imagined as your employer."
Pierce nodded. "Yeah, but it was... harmless. All I ever had to do was get what I was told, and I managed to do it without hurting anyone. So I could turn a blind eye to everything else."
At this time, Aria came out of one of the rooms, brandishing a mop. "Master, I found it!"
"Thanks." Pierce told her with a smile as she started by happily mopping up the water near Impact. Meanwhile, Blaziken stepped out of the closet and moved toward the couch. He began carefully breathing small clouds of fire over it to dry it up.
Impact gave them both a quizzical stare, then turned away, trying to ignore them.
"Tell me... what did 'Everything else' entail? How much were you aware of?" He paused, went on more kindly. "I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, here. But I'm trying to... understand, y'know?"
"I knew the other guys on the payroll were weren't as nice to security and police officers as I was. But that's not what you're asking. I knew Horace was selling high technology. I didn't want to know why or to whom."
"And... you didn't bother to ask. I see. How did you manage to be nonviolent when your colleagues were as brutal as they were?"
"Well, I didn't say non-violent. I just didn't seriously hurt anyone. As for the other guys, I guess they just didn't care."
Impact paused for a moment, hoping that Pierce wouldn't mention Charlotte again. He wouldn't have any option but to agree, and that'd make the whole leadership issue that much more awkward. "But you were aware that the whole thing was... shady, yeah? Why'd you do it? Couldn't find any legal ways to earn cash?"
At this, Pierce broke eye contact with Impact and looked down dejectedly. "No, I could. But they were... boring. I wanted excitement. It started out small, until I got noticed by Horace's operation. Then I just climbed the ranks."
Impact just sat there, expression unreadable, eyes fixed on Pierce's face, his gaze... piercing. Inside, though, he cackled. This was a crack, a hairline fracture in Pierce's mighty armor. He could use this. Somehow. He stayed expressionless for another moment, then his face broke into a smile. Not a happy smile, but... understanding. Relieved to some degree. "I... think I see your point, Pierce. And I'm grateful that you spoke to me about this." He stood, still smiling. "I'm done here, I think. I understand what I came to understand. Did you have any other questions?"
"How's Latios doing?" Pierce asked casually.
"I'm no trainer, and it certainly doesn't get as much freedom, as, say, your Blaziken. But I think we've... reached an understanding. It's helped me. That's the point, isn't it?"
"I guess." Then Pierce smirked. "But if I find out you're mistreating it, I'll find you."
"I assure you, we are the best of friends." He returned Pierce's smirk, held out his hand."It's been a good conversation."
"Yeah, sure." Pierce stood up and shook Impact's hand.
Impact turned to leave, went towards the door, paused in his tracks, as if suddenly remembering something. He turned around one last time. "In regards to Charlotte, put your mind at ease. I'll keep an eye on her. Keep her... on the short leash, if you will. And if you're ever feeling like excitement again..." He paused, grinning, met Pierce's eyes. "Give me a call."
"Eh?" Pierce suddenly looked surprised. "Uh, sorry dude. I am not a homosexual."
Impact stared at Pierce for a moment. "Dude, why would you even..." He held the bridge of his nose. "Listen, I very much doubt you got freaky with Horace. And believe me, my interest in your skills is no less professional in nature."
"Oh. Well, learn to word things better, sheesh. It's not my fault you're enough of a mystery that no one's quite sure what you like."
"It's not my fault your mind's in the gutter." Impact retorted. He paused again. That had been the worst attempt at a job offer ever. "Okay, look. This is incredibly awkward. I am going to leave now. Enjoy your... pool party."
"Yes, please go." Pierce said with relief.
Still not meeting Pierce's eyes, Impact turned and left, taking the elevator, welcoming the few moments of silent privacy as he rode down, still holding the bridge of his nose. He really should have phrased that better. Pierce had shown potential, though. Maybe... just maybe... he hadn't learned his lesson from working with Horace. And if he hadn't, he could be a useful ally to have.

Pierce sighed as he closed the door. That had been... he was trying to think of a better word than pointless. Impact hadn't really given him anything, even almost outright admitted that he was lying, and a lot of what Pierce told him had already gotten out via the PATCA rumormill. The only things new were Pierce's admissions of his motivations, but it's not like he wouldn't tell anyone, if they asked.

And then there was the fact that he thought he had Charlotte on a leash. Regardless of whether or not it was true, it meant Impact hadn't intended to really give up leadership of the team.

----------------------------

Pierce and Shizuka

Pierce was just leaving the mess hall when he saw Shizuka walking by. Since he didn't see her around often, and he had something to discuss with her, he quickly caught up.

"Hey, Lady Shizuka. Hi." He said casually, with a friendly tone. "How've you been?"

"See," he continued, "I don't know if you've heard, but I've been trying to find a place in Fainas for the Kimonos to stay, and I think I found the perfect place. It's this old dojo owned by the Combat College. They haven't used it in years, so I'm getting it cheap, though it needs some work done to fix it up. But we're" he avoided saying 'I' "sparing no expense so it should turn out pretty great and downright homely for you."

"So, uh, I just thought, since you're their leader and all, that I should ask you for the go-ahead. And if you give it, I'll finalize the paperwork and get the work started right away."

"What do you think?"

----------------------------

Pierce and Renny

About a month after the funeral, things had been going well for Pierce. He felt like he was finally in an okay place, emotionally-speaking. Aria was behaving, Enmakki had bonded well with the rest of his pokemon and turned out to be actually quite friendly. Who knew.

Yet for some reason, Pierce was going around PATCA HQ looking for something.

Aha! Pierce finally found Renny when he rounded a corner and almost crashed into the little guy. Seriously, he'd been looking all over headquarters for him.

"There you are, Renny. I've been looking all over for you." He said casually. Renny might've noticed that Pierce was carrying a basket full of all different kinds of berries.

"See, your parents told me a while back that you were looking to start your own business with the Mollesk wine. They asked if I could help out and, well, considering that incident at your party, I agreed."

"So, here." He said, holding out the basket for him. "How's it going, by the way?"

----------------------------

Elizabeth and Renny

It wasn't long after his conversation with Pierce that Renny rounded another corner and-

BAMF.

His face was suddenly smushed in two of the loveliest pillows in the world. When he tried to pull back, he found that somehow his head had made its way under the woman's top, whoever she was.

"Oh dear. He's stuck and he can't get out." Said an amused voice.

----------------------------

Pierce and Elizabeth

Pierce paced impatiently up and down his apartment, thinking. Over the last month, Liz and Aria had somehow hit it off.

Pierce had literally no idea how that happened.

Seriously, how? Aria knew he had dated Liz. Why did she still have a face?

Regardless, the two were watching movies together, playing games and doing girl stuff. Somehow, they'd become friends.

No, seriously, what?

Even so, Pierce was suspicious about Liz's motivations in befriending Aria, so he confronted her.

"Liz, what're you-"
"Relax, Pierce. Aria is my friend for real. This isn't another part of my passive-aggressive campaign to make you pay."
He looked at her calculatingly for a while. Then, "Okay."
"It's adorable watching you try to figure out how it happened."
And that was all that needed to be said.

Aria was jealous and possessive and would've spat acid at other women if she could. She had literally once tried to drop a piano on a girl for winking at him. So how?

He sighed. Well, it could really only be a good thing for Aria to have a friend. Maybe he'd just wait and see.

----------------------------

Pierce and... Mio?

Carrying a tray laden with food, Pierce was just about to look for a seat in the mess hall when he saw an opportunity. He walked over to the table where Mio sat alone and joined her. He'd been meaning to talk to her, anyway.

"Hi, Mio." He said in a friendly way. "How are you?"

"So, uhhh... what do you do in your free time?" He asked casually.

[Menarker]

Renny gave a sheepish grin as Pamilla flashed her cellphone and made know she was one of his fans.

"Who could have possibly managed such a clean shot without me noticing?"

"Oh, thank you kindly. I admit I only found out about being voted "cutest agent" today, so it is still quite surprising to hear."

Renny then called out all of his pokemon a short distance from Pamilla in a straight row.

"Everyone, this is Pamilla. You all saw where we will be living soon, right? If I'm not mistaken," he looked briefly to Pamilla, "and I beg your forgiveness if I am," he looked back again "she helps keep an eye on things around here. So, treat her kindly and try not to make too much noise, ok?"

They looked at her closely and nodded pleasantly as they broke into chatter. Renny was content enough to let them be, giving her time to remember the shapes of the 6 new pokemon residents as he waited for her to prepare his keys, which he graciously accepted at once.

"Thank you kindly. Also, just to let you know, I'm going to be teleporting back and forth from my old home to the apartment transferring my things soon.

Anyhow, unless I see you sooner, I hope you have a good evening Pamilla. Thank you!"

He then recalled all his pokemon back and teleported out.

--------------
Renny changed out of his funeral clothes and into his more casual clothing. He gathered some boxes and organized his critical items like clothing, his computer, and all his trainer equipment and tools and personal identification. Some of the items like toiletry goods, he figured he could buy replacements at the hotel. He also started putting items he wasn't planning to take in other boxes. At the very least, if his parents saw the room in between him teleporting, they would have less reason to be suspicious if there was still lots of boxes remaining.

Finishing off with his room, and getting closer to the night, he took a long look at the place he had long called home, quickly being stripped down to the bare bones by Maria and Dominic in their haste to move.

"Oh Renny, you're home." Maria hugged him and gave a peck on his cheek. "There is pizza on the kitchen table. Go ahead and have some. Your father and I are just going to be a while longer."
"Yes mom..."

Freshly ordered pizza was on the table. Obviously bought to maximize the time spent on packing instead of cooking. Renny took a slice of cheese and mushroom for himself. It would have been a nice treat, but today, it was somehow lacking.

"Is everything ok, hun?"
"It's been a long day. It was a funeral after all."
"Ah yes. I'm just glad it wasn't yours... You know, Renny, there are so many people who do difficult work. Some of it isn't fantastic or glorious or we just hate the job. Sometimes we put up with people we don't really care for. Sometimes we hate to see the people we love put themselves on the line. There are a lot of people who seek to accomplish great and noble deeds. That in itself is fine "
She hugs Renny deeply as she took a breath. "But sometimes, the most wonderful people are the ones who accomplish humble tasks as if those too were great and noble. So don't worry. You'll still be able to do wonderful things for people without needing to put yourself at risk."
"I see." Renny was still discouraged deep down, but he managed to crack a small smile, which satisfied Maria as she left to attend to other things.

Renny saw several open boxes, still in the midst of being packed, and saw the berry mixer. Thinking hard on it, Renny finally took it upstairs with him, hiding it with a few layers of selected movies and books on top.

"Renny, can you help me with this sofa? Snorlax is taking a break. I don't blame him. He's been helping all day."

Renny rushed downstairs and helped grabbed one leg corner of the large sofa which was heaved into a moving truck with little difficulty for its weight, although the cramped truck was struggling to close its door without damaging it.

"Alright. That's the last of it for today. See you gentlemen tomorrow"
"You got it, Mr.Tresserhorn." A moving company truck had already started taking some of the heaviest items out of the house.
"Thank you son. They are taking the big stuff to a storage facility first before it get sent to us when we're settled in a our new place. You definately got a lot stronger with that form."
"Thank you."
Renny felt a large pat on the back as his old man continued.
"You're young now. I know you seen quite a few things as a trainer and perhaps even when working in PATCA. But the world is so much bigger than that. You scarcely realize that things change rapidly over time, especially in a place like this, and few things are so precious that they stay that way. At your age, thinking you found something you feel you could die for is a foolish thing... A cause which you sacrifice everything is only as valuable as what it leaves you with... And death tends to leave you with nothing."
"...I see, father."
"We both love you dearly. We don't care about if you manage to do heroic things. Just as long that you are safe and sound. Renny, could you go ahead and get Snorlax and Latias inside? I already got Electrode and Butterfree rounding up the Shuckles, so it should be fine."
"Yes, dad."

Renny wandered the edge of the yard. It was empty and the walk made think on his parents' words. In some ways, he felt it was insightful and in others it annoyed him. He continued to circle the place until he came across Snorlax, also wandering around who pivoted and jogged toward Renny with a smile.

"It's time to go back inside."
"Ooor. Snor snor"
"Snorlax. We known each other for such a long time. I'm... I'm going to miss you a whole lot."
"Snor?"
Renny hugged the pokemon warmly as the large lug hugged back, still confused about the unusual choice of words before the two broke off.

As Renny walked back to the house, Latias greeted him, hovering as Renny petted her head.

"Hi Latias! You doing well?"
"Tias! As!"
"Do you like it here?"
"Lati..." Renny sensed from her expression and dropped elevation her disappointment.
"I'm sure you'll like the next place too. Mom and Dad will surely continue to take care of you."
"Lati? as?" It craned its head to the side as if curiously looking at Renny who merely half-smiled and walked upstairs toward his room with the night falling.

--------------
*A few hours pass and everyone SHOULD have been asleep*

"Ok... 1, 2... About 10 boxes. Can't waste any time..."

Renny grabbed the first box containing the first set of pokemon equipment and soon vanished. Depositing the box in the apartment, he arrived back empty handed soon after. The next 4 boxes continued much the same without a hitch.

After the 5th box, Renny saw Snorlax and Latias with their heads poking inside his room, he jolted nervously from having being uncovered as he desperately put his finger to his lip. They seem to heed him as they wandered inside.

"Look... I can't stay. There is so many things going on. You saw what happened a few months ago right? It can get even worse unless we put a stop to it. You can't tell anyone that I'm going!

"Snor as snOR snor tias lati snor..." Snorlax and Latias started babbling pointing to themselves and to the direction where the other bedroom with Renny's parents were.

"Please. There are people here I care for. Those who have helped me and I'm sure there will be people who will need my help. Just like back then. I know I can do it. Snorlax, you've been one of my best friends for as long as I could remember. I'm asking you just one more time."
Snorlax looked tearful but finally nodded as it gave Renny a quick hug. Renny petted them both, as he took another box and vanished.

After Renny teleported to the apartment with the 6th box, the tension was grabbing at him.

"They saw me... I'm still not finished yet. Should I go back for the other items? Will they stay quiet?"

For a moment, Renny hestitated, but then teleported back. He looked around quickly, but the room was entirely empty and there was no sound. Renny hastily grabbed the next box and teleported. The next two boxes also got taken in the same way. After the 8th box, Renny arrived and saw Snorlax and Latias in the room again. For the briefest moment, he feared they might told his parents, but he didn't see mom or dad in sight. He looked at them sadly as he prepared to leave with the next box.

"I'm sorry. I can't stay any longer. I'll really miss everyone."

Snorlax then thrusted his arms toward Renny, as he held two standard pokeballs in his hands, one in each paw, Latias standing docile beside him. From their ordinary appearance, they were probably Dominic's pokeballs that would generally hold them whenever they went traveling, as opposed to letting them roam free around the house.

"Snorlax? What do you want me to do with these?"

Snorlax shook his head as he shook his paws as if beckoning Renny to look closer at his hands and the pokeballs. The young trainer then leaned closer, quizzically, wondering what was so special about them.



*CRUNCKSTIK*


With a strong exhertion of his grip, Snorlax crushed the containers mere inches away from Renny's eyes, the well built and delicate components crunched and shattered from the intense and deliberate destruction as the huge pokemon chuckled as it dumped the broken pieces in the trash can Latias mirthfully provided, amused by the impressive display.

"SNOR-snor. Orlax!"
"Lati! Lati!"

"... Are you saying you want to come with me?"

They nodded. Suddenly, they all twitched as approaching footsteps were heard in the hallway. Renny quickly grabbed two ordinary pokeballs that he couldn't make room for from the other boxes. Snorlax and Latias promptly tagged the button and the balls instantly clicked and disappeared with their new residents into cyber-storage. Renny grabbed the 9th box and hastily vanished, leaving the 10th box, consisting of his warmer clothing, the house and his family with no expectation to return to it.


Renny reappeared in the apartment, still shaken from the nervousness. This bypassing the point of no return. The teleport spam didn't help either. With a huge sigh, he left the boxes on the floor and slowly made his way to the bedroom for the first night in his new home.

[Astral Harmony]

Pierce & Shizuka

Shizuka looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Okay, do it. We'll make sure to pay you back in full, of course. You did say it was a dojo, yes?"
"Training pupils, eh?" Tsubasa caught on to Shizuka's thoughts. "We usually only train our own troops in the Hungry World, but I am getting kind of bored of waiting for the next battle since our forces aren't here with us."
"We can certainly offer a broad variety of schools given our individual merits," Kiyomi observed. "Spears, archery, claws, katanas, shuriken, tonfas, all kinds of things."
"I hope a lot of pretty girls will enroll when we open up the dojo Piercey just bought us," Rio drooled.

Piercey? Feh.

-----
Pierce &...Mio?


"Hi, Mio." Pierce said in a friendly way. "How are you?"
"I'm on standby for the next mission," Mio said without the slightest hint of emotion.

Huh. "So, uhhh... what do you do in your free time?" He asked casually.
"I go on standby until the next mission," Mio said simply.

Pierce had a way of easily breaking the ice with women. However, when Mio was the woman, he might as well have been trying to shatter a glacier with an ice pick.
It was kind of sad in a way. Mio was still a little girl, but her complete lack of emotion made Pierce uneasy. It was like talking to a machine...or some kind of corpse.

-----
Renny & Pamilla

"Have a pleasant day, sir," Pamilla bowed politely as Renny left. Then she sighed. "Why did a cute boy like him have to be born after I already passed my prime? Fate isn't fair."

-----
Irene Interrogates Impact, Part Three (Finale)

Wilhelmina was the one who drove the Rig all the way to the Ruins of Resonance. "Woof. What happened to your car, Lady Crosswald?"
"I stabbed it," Irene shrugged.
"Was it an accident, or-?"
"I didn't like the color anymore," Irene said, knowing that she wasn't making a whole lot of sense.
"Couldn't you have just-" Wilhelmina started to suggest.
"Just drive us home, please. It's been a rough day and it's still not over for me." Irene cut her off.
Wilhelmina bowed politely. "It would be my pleasure, Lady Crosswald."

Impact got into the Rig wordlessly, still shell-shocked from his near-death experience, certainly tense. Irene had stopped trying to cut him up. That didn't mean this was necessarily over.
Irene activated the sound shutter. "As an android, Wilhelmina most likely has very good ears. She doesn't need to hear what I have to say here."
After a few minutes of sitting in silence next to his commander, he summoned the strength to ask the question foremost on his mind.
"What the fuck was that all about?"
Irene leaned back and folded her arms. "Like I said, one day you will be in command of vast power. Even if I were to try and kill you out there, I would not be able to thwart the fate of this world. Ultimately, I'd just end up making it worse. So, I have instead elected to simply guide you on your way. Power misused is power that can just as easy harm you as it can help."
"Your confidence in me is inspiring, but as I said, I don't believe in fate. Our destiny is what we make it. My rise to power, whatever form it may take, isn't certain." His finger traced a thin cut on his neck, absent-mindedly tasting his own blood. "And I bleed as well as anyone. I will accept any help you have to give, though. I've long since needed a... guide. Speaking of guide, who was the elf?"
"The woman you met out there is one Eldys Asherah. It doesn't take much observation for one to discover that she is not human. I'm sure she will reveal herself to you when she chooses to, which will happen when you prove yourself worthy of her confidence. She can be a valuable ally, Impact. I would advise you to impress her, though there's no doubt in my mind that you will."
"I... will do what I can. I'm curious, though. For all my talk of making my own destiny, I'd like to know. What do you think the future has in store for me? And what of the world? What compels you to devote yourself to someone you've known for a few months?"

Irene looked towards the ceiling of the spacious vehicle. "Our world is beset by evil, Impact. The arrival of Eldys who is a fugitive from a world far beyond ours, the attacks of Gaea and Sexy, the revealing provided to me by the White Catseye Gem, and the existence of the being called Chroma all suggest that this world is not one that we own, but rather is one that we are simply borrowing...and the ones who paid for our world's creation will one day come to claim the benefits of their investment."
Irene turned her crimson eyes back to Impact. "Eldys is seeking someone to unify this world in preparation to halt the advance of this nemesis, and given the gravity of the situation, trying to do so peacefully and diplomatically would be a pipe dream. I, armed with what the White Catseye had told me, put your name forward. In my opinion, you're pretty much the least of many evils. The duel we had was kind of way to have you show off your skills and determination to Eldys. We'll see how effective my plan is should she ever show herself to you again, though I imagine the next time she does, it will be only to you. That would be the best time to learn more."

"But, I'm not simply going to dick around with you until we know that you did well in piquing Eldys' interest, so let me offer additional advice. When you can find the time, seek out Garus Wilderschmidt AKA Amethyst. Tell him to introduce you to one named 'Abereth', and tell him that I was the one who gave that name to you. He will take you and introduce you to her. She's an information broker. A very powerful information broker. You would be wise to seek out her wisdom, but I can see that you understand how powerful information can be. Anyways, don't worry about Eldys or this extraterrestrial threat until you see her again. When it comes to that girl, I think you're gonna be working alongside her on her time."
The Rig pulled into PATCA HQ, and whether or not Impact had more questions for Irene, the woman had already started to walk into the building at a brisk pace, making a phone call with her scouter.

-----
Irene & Charlotte

"Ah, good to have the time to sit and speak with you, Beaufort. Please, have a seat. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. It concerns our next mission."

Irene fished in her candy dish and popped a root beer flavored Dum Dum into her mouth. Who knew Irene had a thing for candy? Maybe she just wanted something to suck on?

"The next mission is taking place at a beach. It's a birthday party for Rachel McConnelly covering up the fact that we're going Ruin General hunting in the ocean. But there is one more thing," Irene said, opening a folder and drawing out what looked to be some kind of contract form. "There's going to be a celebrity there that we're going to be hanging out with. Her name is Alphonsine Dionne. You can ask any of the original Thirteen Eevee Threat for information about her. Anyways, her manager has this idea in his head about doing a special swimsuit edition to their magazines called 'Angels of the Agency.'"

That's fucking stupid.

"It's fucking stupid, isn't it?" Irene chuckled. "But they're serious about it, and I've agreed that I would make sure everybody is informed about it, especially us women. You're one of the last people I need to inform about it. Anyways, you basically pose for some cameras in a swimsuit or two and that's about it. Of course, it's totally voluntary and there's no pressure at all. I know that you're thinking I must be pretty goddamn stupid to be asking you about this kind of thing, but, y'know, just puttin' it out there."

Irene left it there for Charlotte to do whatever she cared to do with it. "If you're interested and of course you'll be paid for doing it, please just sign the contract and leave it there for me. Otherwise, you can down a bottle of Mollesk wine in an attempt to forget that we ever had this strange conversation. As for me, I have to go see a man about some binge drinking."

-----
Burkmont & Myrie...But Not In That Way

"If this technology works the way you're telling me it will, I could easily see us making a deal with your boss, Myrie," Vladier said, observing the strange device in his hand.

Vladier Burkmont had been informed ahead of time that Myrie Ricewood, now a Shadow Pokebrid, would be arriving at the Prideguard HQ to let him check out some new tech that wasn't about to hit the markets. According to Myrie, the device was capable of blocking scouter scans, preventing scouters like the ones PATCA uses from gathering intel on targeted units. Plus the device was able to be applied directly to the skin of humans and Pokemon to hide the majority of their data as well as to Pokeballs to prevent scouters from picking up a trainer's Pokemon roster.

Burkmont held the device up to the poor lighting in the room. "But I'm surprised you would come to us at all about doing business. I'm sure you know that I sent a hit squad to Millenium House to steal all the data I could get before Faynoc was eventually to be assassinated by PATCA, Hiroshiho and the Republican Guard, if not my Prideguard itself."
"This does not matter to my mistress," Myrie told him. "We are offering to do business with you because it will prove to be very convenient for us. Not only can we put your money to good use on our continued efforts, but for the time being PATCA is becoming a possible hindrance to us and our partners in business, and you are the greatest active threat to them at this point."

"Hmm. Well, I can honestly say I'm glad that you're not holding my own terrible actions against me. Tell your mistress that I appreciate the business and promise to give my full support to her so long as she can continue to produce exciting things such as this."
"I shall let her know that these devices meet with your approval," Myrie promised with a bow.
Burkmont sat up. "Faynoc really did a number on you, didn't he? I don't remember you very well, but I'm sure you were a very energetic girl before the processing. At any rate, would it be too forward of me to ask you what else your mistress might be planning in the future regarding further business opportunities?"
"We are working closely with Adonova. Team Rocket, who keeps in contact with them, has been assigned a difficult project by Lady Bezelain with the purpose of replicating the technology that created Shadow Pokemon, the Heart Flayer. If we are to believe Lady Edelweiss, this technology should be ready in just a few weeks."

Vladier leaned back in his chair. "Shadow Pokemon. That could certainly help us in thwarting PATCA. Despite the death of Antonio Shevenston, PATCA's overall strength continues to skyrocket. They don't match us in number, but individual unit strength dwarfs that of my men."
"We are hoping that the benefit of these devices and all future inventions will see you more successful in the future," Myrie said, then turned to leave. "Feel free to test the devices we have given you so far. They have already proven successful, but we would like to make sure that you are satisfied before dipping into your budget."
Burkmont nodded as Myrie left him alone. "Heh heh heh. Finally, a female with some goddamn respect, and not the kind spawned from fear. It's terribly awful that she's only a child. Oh, but just you wait, agents of PATCA. You've pissed all over my efforts to gain so much from Faynoc, but I'm done letting you enjoy the sweet taste of victory. It's about time you learned to fear the Prideguard and the name of Vladier Burkmont."

And from his immense, disgusting belly, Vladier bellowed outward with an eruption of laughter that sounded like he about to cough up a Humvee or something.

-----
Pierce & Irene...And Probably Some Sexy Lingerie

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get a good, long look, Granger."

Pierce certainly was. I mean, c'mon! Irene in a dress? Holding a purse? Wearing high heels? Jewelry? Alluring makeup? Not the kind of thing you get to see except maybe once in a leap year.

But Pierce had to admit, this was certainly a delightful surprise. Irene's dress was mostly red with some pure white thrown in that clicked so well with her shiny black hair. As for the hair itself, Irene had styled it so that it flowed straight down as opposed to the loose wavey look it usually had. The dress hugged her body and had a single slit on the right side of the skirt that left one long, sexy leg exposed. The stocking suggested that she was wearing garters underneath. Yep. Irene's still got it.

"I'm not overdressed for the evening, am I?" Irene asked him with a tilted head and sly smile that made her diamond earrings sparkle. "I think all you wanted was to go drinking together, after all. Either way, let's go. I'm so hungry. And don't worry, I can pay for myself. You don't have to be a complete gentleman."
Irene walked closer and let him see deep into her shiny red eyes. "In fact, I think I'd prefer it if later you could act like a beast," she said with a devilish smile.

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Irene

"Hot... damn..." Pierce mouthed. He simple stood open-mouthed when Irene showed up looking downright spectacular. Then he took a few moments to engrave that image into his memory.

Every single thing about her attire complimented everything else, nothing was overdone, and the result was quite something. Pierce blushed as the thought came to him that he wanted to see that dress crumpled up on the floor next to his bed. Heh.

"I'm not overdressed for the evening, am I?" Irene asked him with a tilted head and sly smile that made her diamond earrings sparkle. Hot. Damn.
"Errr, no." He replied, shuffling nervously on the spot. "I think I'm just underdressed."
Compared to Irene, Pierce looked like a chump. Since he thought they were just going out for drinks he simply wore his new everyday clothes. He was tired of the "high school bad boy" with the black leather jacket look he'd been sporting since forever. Instead he was wearing a plain white t-shirt under an unbuttoned long-sleeved blue shirt and jeans. His hair was combed elegantly, but not in that "momma's boy" way.

Yeah, a chump.

He considered going for a change of clothes, but it would be rude to leave Irene waiting. So he settled for just buttoning up his shirt and tucking it into his pants. And he thanked God he decided against wearing sneakers.

"I think all you wanted was to go drinking together, after all. Either way, let's go. I'm so hungry. And don't worry, I can pay for myself. You don't have to be a complete gentleman."
Irene walked closer and let him see deep into her shiny red eyes. "In fact, I think I'd prefer it if later you could act like a beast." she said with a devilish smile.

Unfortunately for Pierce, his experience with Liz still didn't prepare him for those kinds of advances, and he just blushed and laughed nervously. "You look beautiful." He complimented her, though he worried he might've overdone it, and they headed out.

Given Irene's look and her comment about being hungry he decided to go to a restaurant. Fortunately, he knew a classy restaurant that was actually decent, in that they didn't just care about looks. They actually served full plates at the same price as the pretentious servings of tiny food that other fancy places served, and the drinks were affordable instead of two inches of scotch costing enough money to pay off the national debt.

Something told him he was in for more than just a nice dinner tonight. Even so, considering the unfortunate results of his last few drinking binges, he was going to cut down on that tonight... and maybe try to keep Irene from drinking too much as well.

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Pierce and Shizuka

Shizuka looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Okay, do it. We'll make sure to pay you back in full, of course. You did say it was a dojo, yes?"

"Oh, err... Th- that's really not necessary. The renovations aren't costing- I mean, they're not as chea- errr, expensive as I thought they would be, s-so it's not really hurting me much." Oh Jesus Christ. That was just terrible. He was usually a pretty good liar, but somehow trying to do a nice things for the Kimonos for nothing in exchange was reducing him to a stuttering idiot. Get it together, man!

Pierce wanted to slap himself, or smash his head into the wall. Instead, he took a deep breath to regain his composure and continued. "Just consider it my way of saying thanks for everything you've done for us." He told them, looking at Shizuka in particular. The fact was, he still felt guilty about ditching her in Millenium House, and then her having to rescue him.

Pierce fell into his thoughts as the Kimonos discussed training people there. Another fact was that the dojo plus the renovations plus furnishing plus now procuring equipment for the dojo was going to eat up his entire savings. Everything he had from his criminal days, the finder's fee for discovering Adamantitar and his own money.

His living expenses and rent weren't much, so he could get by on his PATCA salary by himself. Unfortunately, what his pokemon consumed and the damage they did to his apartment simply by walking around would put his income in the negative numbers. But he couldn't bear to just stick them in their pokeballs all the time, he knew they went crazy in there.

He sighed. Then he remembered he was still with Shizuka and the others and that some of the worry was showing on his face. He quickly corrected that and nervously tried to excuse himself. "Well, I'll go on ahead and get that started now because why not." He said hurriedly.

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Pierce and Mio

"I... see..." He replied to Mio's comments. Damn, this kid was stone cold. It was rather sad. Pierce knew Mio had been through horrible things in the time she spent with the Harbingers, and even without considering that she seemed entirely devoted to family.

Which was great. Probably the best thing about her. But watching her go around like a robot was just too sad. "Okay, let me just throw this out there: what if, instead of just being on standby most of the time, you went out and did something you like?"

[Bard The 5th LW]

At the funeral

"May your journey be safe and your rest blissful, fate-freed soul."

"You talking to yourself?" Came the voice of Charlotte as she approached Phantomere. "Well, I hate to interrupt whatever it is you are saying with yourself, but its time to head out." There wasn't a strong hostility in her words, more of a relief that they may be done with the funeral.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can have a riveting conversation at home if you're still feeling lonely."

Charlotte and Irene

"The next mission is taking place at a beach. It's a birthday party for Rachel McConnelly covering up the fact that we're going Ruin General hunting in the ocean. But there is one more thing," Irene said, opening a folder and drawing out what looked to be some kind of contract form. "There's going to be a celebrity there that we're going to be hanging out with. Her name is Alphonsine Dionne. You can ask any of the original Thirteen Eevee Threat, myself included, for information about her. Anyways, her manager has this idea in his head about doing a special swimsuit edition to their magazines called 'Angels of the Agency.'"

'Thats fucking stupid,' Charlotte thought to herself with a shake of the head. 'We've already been to Renny's party. Whats with all these underage agents?'

The lady proceeded to say that apparently the women in the agency were to be informed of the photo shoot thing. "Are we posing for a calender or something. 'Cause if so we'll probably give them enough material for about 4 years. Anyways, I'll 'think about it'" she provided little air quote with her hands, "I think you can garner my answer from that. Tell Rayleen I said hi." That last sentence was oddly polite.

Charlotte left Irene's office without another word, just an annoyed sigh. This organization was just over the top, it really was. Photo shoot while hunting the Locke Ness monster? There was some heavy focus on women in little clothing here.

With Jeremy

Jeremy walked the halls of the agency headquarters, now being an official member of this branch of PATCA. He didn't feel much like member though, as he had yet to make the acquaintance of anyone beyond Mattias, who he hadn't spoken with since the funeral. In fact, Matt was the only he spoke with there. After the conversation with Matt fell through he figured a funeral just wasn't the place to socialize.

As he meandered his way down to the next room, where he notcied a fellow sitting at a table, seemingly drawing. Jeremy wasn't so rude as to just hover over the man's shoulder and look down at it, so he sat at the seat across from him. "Hey there, I don't think we've met. Mind if I take a seat here? Anyways, my name is Jeremy, nice to meet." He extended a hand across the table, hoping he wasn't being too intrusive.

[Menarker]

After time skip
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"There you are, Renny. I've been looking all over for you."

Renny turned to face his co-worker, not expecting him to be carrying berries, of all things.

"Oh Pierce. You seem to be doing much better! That is good to see. You seem to have gotten a lot of berries there."

"See, your parents told me a while back that you were looking to start your own business with the Mollesk wine. They asked if I could help out and, well, considering that incident at your party, I agreed. So, here."
He said, holding out the basket for him.

"Oh... Thank you kindly. I can certainly use these." Renny graciously recieved the large basket of berries from Pierce's possession, consuming one of the berries with a smile.

"How's it going, by the way?" Renny's expression softened.

"Errr. Well... I'm not living with my parents anymore, Pierce. They wanted to move away after they got worried that I would gravely injured, ever since that last mission and that battle with Sexy you warned me about got media coverage in a huge way. I left and found my own place in secret. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't try to go back to them. They'll probably guess I'm coming here anyhow, but I don't want anyone to get involved. It will be a headache that no one else needs to deal with."

Renny soon changed the topic a bit just a bit, to try to get out of a rather depressing turn.

"It was a good thing you gave that call. Sexy was inconcievably strong... All of my pokemon fought with me, but we couldn't really do very much..." Renny was a little shy in admitting this embarressing fact to him before he cheered up a little.
"But at least I was able to give Irene a breather. She tried first and was beatened badly. She was about to throw herself into it again. I kinda edged in before she could do that. Then this lady I don't know and Charlotte showed up. Sexy left soon after, although she really had the upper hand. I wish it ended better, but I'm glad it wasn't any worse than it could have been."

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After Renny parted with Pierce, he turned the corner and

BAMF.

Renny's face wedged into a pair of astoundingly soft and large "pillows". His face heated with embarressment and shame for his accidental misconduct, he tried to pull away promptly. However, his head seemed to have gotten trapped underneath the gifted woman's top.
"Oh dear. He's stuck and he can't get out." Said an amused voice.

Renny put the basket of berries he was holding down gently on the floor and with one hand, gently grasped the hem of the shirt holding him in place as he pulled his head down. He took a few steps back as he quickly accepted responsibility as a conditioned reflex, his modesty making him avoid direct eye contact with her chest after such an incident.

"I'm so very sorry! Are you ok? Did I hurt you? I'm really sorry! I never meant to do anything like that...!!!"

As he waited for her response, Renny memory triggered from her vaguely familiar looks.

"Hey... I think I remember you. You helped against that fight against Sexy last month after I tried fighting. You were a tremendous help. I hope you can forgive me.

I'm Renny." He smiled toward her, but still red in the face, wondering if he was too forward with someone he had possibly offended. "May I ask your name? I haven't seen you around PATCA before."

[Dracorion]

"I see. I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner to fight Sexy... And I'm sorry about your parents." Pierce replied. Somehow his sympathy for Renny went up.

"Can I give you some advice? Don't let it destroy your relationship with your parents. And don't be afraid to go back. If you do, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Trust me." He said with something of a sad expression.

Then Pierce gave him a brief pat on the shoulder. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

He smiled. "Actually, I was wondering if I could buy like four bottles of wine off you? Don't worry, I'm not going to down them all in one go or anything. I just want to get 'em before the price goes up."

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"Oh no, I'm fine. I should be the one apologizing." Liz replied with a warm smile to Renny's worried questions. She gently cupped his face in her soft hands, looking for any damage. "Good, you look okay." She said happily. It wasn't like it had been a particularly hard bump.

"I'm Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Liz. I've been with PATCA for a month now, I guess we've just missed each other. Which is a shame. You're even more handsome than the stories say." A wink.

"Say..." She placed a hand gently on his arm and leaned forward, putting her ample bosom directly in Renny's line of sight. Her position gave him a splendid look. "If you want to thank me for helping with Sexy, I've actually been looking for a strong guy like you to help me out with something." She said flirtatiously.