A/N: General trigger warning for this chapter and most chapters until the end of this arc. The tags and content warnings are there for a reason.

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INTERLUDE - HER STAND

One week earlier

"This is bullshit," Pauline raged. She lifted her leg to kick a wall, but managed to stop herself. "Damn it. For my own good? Fuck you, Denzel." She bit her lip and gripped at her skirt.

Two minutes earlier, she had burst into the room with news that Maeve and the others had been anxiously waiting for. Chase, Denzel, Grace, Cecilia and Mira were going to deal with the poachers one way or another, and the rest of them weren't invited. Pauline let out a long, trembling breath, and Emilia rubbed her back with a mother's gentleness. Louis' brows furrowed, but he was silent. Justin was quiet too, although he had the tiniest smile on his face— a relieved one.

Maeve? Well, she didn't really know what to think. On one hand, she hated the fact that her friends were going to risk it all alone, but on the other, she felt relief and understood Justin's point of view. She liked not risking her life for something that the government should be able to handle. Now if only she could convince them not to go ahead and dive into the Pyroar's den, she would, but she knew them far too well for that. Grace, Mira and Chase especially. Once they set their minds to something, they were not going to change them.

"And they let Mira join?" Pauline hissed. "She has the same number of badges we do! That's fucking hypocritical!"

"Perhaps her psychics and her Porygon would be of better use than your brute force," Justin suggested. When the redhead glared at him, he shrugged. "I'm just being objective."

That was true enough. Plus, Haunter could hide places by slipping through reality, so Mira would have her uses. Maeve already knew that they had the 'power' thing covered anyway, so it wasn't like adding Pauline's team to the mix would add much. Sure, she had a Gothitelle, but—

"Now what?" Louis asked to fill the dead air. "It's not like we can stop them."

Nope. They couldn't. Not without doing something they regretted.

"The best course of action would be to alert the authorities of what they are planning," Justin suggested.

Yikes. Maeve hid a wince. That would be a horrible play that would irreparably destroy their friendships, which was par for the course for Justin. He wasn't looking at the problem correctly.

"Trainers love to solve random bullshit all the time," Pauline sighed. "It won't work. They'll let them do it."

That was true enough. Maybe Pastoria would want to get the credit, but there's no way they'd refuse free labor.

"So what, then?" Emilia said. "I want to help, but it's…"

"Dangerous," Louis completed the sentence. "This is beyond Solaceon, and you weren't even there for that," he said, nodding at Emi. She glared back at him, mirroring Pauline's earlier stare. If the situation hadn't been so desperate, Maeve would have called them cute together. Louis continued, "I'm sorry, it's the truth. This is far more dangerous, I'd say, with Abel involved. The Hunters had good Pokemon, but they weren't good trainers."

Maeve tapped a leg against the floor. It could be more dangerous, but they couldn't be sure. They had no idea how many people were actually in on this and the scale of the poaching operation.

"You don't know that," Pauline said.

There you go, Pauline. Maeve hummed in support, which made Pauline's lips quirk. Pushing conversations from the background like this was not something she had ever done. Louis had no idea if these poachers were actually good trainers or not. As much as Maeve liked him, he was out of line. Granted, she also didn't want to get involved… argh, why was this so complicated?

"I think you'd be lying to yourself. And we're on the same side here. I want to help too," Louis insisted.

"So we should run our own operation parallel to them, then?" Pauline asked. "Justin and I can fly, and we can both carry multiple people for protection, so that's not a problem. Maeve's Staraptor can only fit one person, though."

They were involving her already? Not that she didn't want to help, but… gah, this was hard. Could they at least let her sleep on it? She'd dug her own grave by supporting Pauline here, and she didn't want to attract the redhead's ire when she was already royally pissed.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I guess I can help."

Pauline smirked "Great. If they want to do this the hard way, we'll do this the hard way—"

"But we should probably wait a little," Maeve continued. "We should see what they do first, and shape our operations to help them as much as possible. Right now, you only have the vague plan of what Denzel said, right? Scouting and stuff. We need to help, but we don't want to get in their way."

"So you think we should wait a few days?" Emilia asked.

Maybe if she bought enough time, then this would all blow over.

"Yeah, just to actually figure out all of what they're going to do. They must have a plan beyond try to find the base and bust in. That would be stupid," Maeve said. "Let's just take a breather, okay? Scouting won't help if the two groups don't communicate about the areas they've already been to. There must be another way to help."

Pauline crossed her arms and clicked her tongue, but agreed nevertheless.

The meeting continued in earnest, with everyone throwing ideas to see what would stick on the wall. Pauline hated the idea of her loved ones being in danger without her being there. Emilia hated the idea of being a scared little girl like she apparently was in the past. Louis wanted to be as helpful as possible. Justin and Maeve were sane for completely different reasons. Arceus, if only she could get a meeting with Denzel to convince him to bail on this entire thing…

"We've exhausted most topics," Louis said. "So the plan is, try your best to figure out what they're doing. Spying is a bust. Togekiss, Sigilyph, Alakazam and Gardevoir can sense people, and sometimes I feel like Grace knows more than she should in that regard too. Maybe we can try to spy on Denzel. He doesn't have a psychic."

"Sylvi's nice enough, now, so we could do that without being scared he'd strangle us when Denzel isn't looking," Emilia said in jest. Or was it in jest? Wait, what the hell? She was completely serious.

Still, spying, now? Maeve was at fault for this having come up, but by the Legendaries, for all she liked Louis this was a terrible idea. Oh well, she wasn't about to refute them. Maeve was at her best when she sank into the background and followed someone else's lead. Leading? That was for the others. She was content here, and at least spying on Denzel wouldn't get them all killed. The meeting dispersed, and Maeve went back into her room. Louis asked if she was alright, but she needed her alone time. The teenager collapsed onto her bed with heavy eyes and scrolled through her new phone. It'd take some time to get used to how fresh everything was. There was no lag when she opened an app, and the screen wasn't busted and cracked. There had been a certain familiarity to it that had been lost.

She released Gligar, who hopped on her head and picked at strands of her hair with his claws and mouth. Then, Staraptor, who plopped herself down on her pillow fort beside the bed. Starmie rolled below the bed, because he had loved cramped spaces for as long as she'd had him. Drapion was too big to be in the room and Infernape would accidentally burn stuff down with his fire. Maeve searched her name on Chatter and scrolled until an alert in the forums startled her.

Zoey_Miranda (Verified Trainer)

Hey. Wyd?

Maeve_Chang (Verified Trainer)

Big drama with my friends and it feels like a civil war, but nothing much. U?

Zoey_Miranda (Verified Trainer)

Hope you get thru that ok! Still looking for that Yanma?

Maeve_Chang (Verified Trainer)

Yeah, no luck yet. Looks like I'll get way busier from now on, so I won't be able to catch it for a bit. It sucks when your friends want to play hero and you're swept in it because you don't want to let them go through it alone.

Zoey_Miranda (Verified Trainer)

Wdym by that? Are they gonna play vigilante with the poachers?

Maeve_Chang (Verified Trainer)

No, no one is. We aren't involving ourselves with them. I was talking about something else. Politics.

Zoey_Miranda (Verified Trainer)

Aight. Well, tell you what, why dno't you tell your friends ot go get lost and come with me at the Safari Zone tmr? I can show you around, I've been here for a few months. I know where the good spots fro Yamna are.

Maeve_Chang (Verified Trainer)

Word? Screw it, I'll come, but not tomorrow. We can do it after my battle with Wake, I just want to focus on training atm. I can do one day without all this stress.

Zoey_Miranda (Verified Trainer)

Sounds good. Let's meet at Arlyle's near the docks for lunch first. I'll send u the address when you're ready.

Maeve smiled through the tiredness. Was she evil for this? It'd be nice to have someone not involved in this to vent to, and it wouldn't be the first time she'd hung out with Zoey. As soon as Mira had learned about her existence, she'd demanded to have Gardevoir check her out and had found nothing wrong. Zoey had been very anxious about meeting Maeve's friend, but it had all gone without a hitch. She'd lied about the poachers and would have to stay quiet, but she had far more worries than that, and they were mostly about time in the Circuit running out. Part of her considered going tomorrow to look for Yanma anyway, but it would be best to focus on Crasher Wake for now. She couldn't afford to mess around, not when she was consistently the underdog.

At some point, she dropped her phone on her chest and fell asleep to the sound of her Pokemon.

—

"Come on, pal."

Maeve held out her first, and Infernape bumped his into hers. How warm, she thought. He had kept her from freezing numerous nights together, from his early days as a Chimchar up until now. Maeve clapped his shoulder and congratulated him. After all, he had just managed to take down Starmie in one of their spars, and it had long been a goal of his to do so. Granted, Starmie hadn't been allowed to use his psychic type attacks, but a win was a win. Zoey had suggested that training alone might do her some good, and to be honest, the novelty of it all made it feel like she was progressing faster. Maeve hadn't been one to make her Pokemon spar very often, but the progress they'd made in two days was significant. Her Pokemon had grown too used to Louis' and Justin's, and having a new training regimen would do them some good.

Grace having suggested the beach was awesome for her too. The swampy arena was full a lot these days, and this place was empty. Her friend was busy meeting Mudsdale every day, but the next time Maeve saw her, she would thank her a thousand times. Her battle with Crasher Wake was tomorrow, and the nerves were starting to get to her. What if I lose? Then it would be all over, and she would feel like a complete failure despite that not being the case. She was negotiating with a shoe brand to sponsor her, and things were looking up money-wise. Now, all she needed to do was win, and everything would be alright.

Everything would be alright.

Infernape clapped her shoulder, the flame on his head dimming slightly. Trust in yourself, it felt like he was saying. The fire type grunted, giving her a thumbs up and flashing his sharp fangs.

"We'll win," she smiled. "I trust in you, and myself. Do you trust me?"

Infernape grinned, as if to say he always had and always would. Maeve slid her arms around her starter. The flame on his head was uncomfortably hot, but she didn't care. Infernape loved her, as did her other Pokemon. They did not judge her for her performance, they did not judge her for how quiet she was, they did not judge her for being Maeve. There was something about that that made her want to cry.

The next day, Maeve won her Gym Battle by the skin of her teeth.

—

Six days later

Zoey was a lot of fun.

She wasn't always joking around like Mira was, but Maeve still appreciated her awkward friendliness. They'd hung out a few times the past few days while Maeve waited for her team to heal— so much so that Maeve had to stop herself from being too clingy. Having a normal friend felt so good. Plus, when would she ever have another chance to give someone battling advice? That basically hadn't happened in the last two months! Spending time with Zoey also helped Maeve not obsess over this poacher issue. Just like in Solaceon, it seemed like her friends were going to take things into their own hands. Now that Grace had her Pokemon again, she roamed Pastoria's streets absent-mindedly when she wasn't with Mudsdale. Cecilia and Denzel often patrolled route 212 on her Golurk's back. Goodness, the ground type was so loud when he flew that he sounded like a military jet. Chase also scouted on Sigilyph. Thankfully, they hadn't found anything so far.

Sunyshore had been a nice little reset for her. A city where everything had been so normal she could cry. She had forgotten what normal felt like. It had been like tasting her mother's cooking after having spent years abroad or something. Nostalgic. Zoey reminded her of the normal she so desperately craved.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Zoey bent down to loom over Maeve with her hands behind her back. "The trouble with your friends?"

"Kinda," Maeve muttered. "Like I said, the group's having a bit of a civil war, and I honestly want nothing to do with it," she found her words. Zoey was also a great listener, and she'd learned a lot about Maeve's troubles. The fact that she was from outside of the group meant that she was also easy to vent to, for some reason. "It's private, though."

Zoey laughed. "Duh! I wasn't going to ask, or anything."

Maeve nodded. "I know, I know. Sorry. You've been a good friend… are we friends yet?"

"I'd hope so!"

"Then we are." Maeve smiled and checked on her new phone. It was almost time to go into the Safari Zone to find her Yanma.

Zoey had also surprisingly not had any ulterior motives. At first, Maeve had let Justin's words get to her and thought Zoey had just been trying to use her as a stepping zone to make connections, but she hadn't even bothered to ask about them beyond surface-level stuff, and that was only when Maeve brought them up first.

"Thanks for the help, by the way," Maeve continued. "This Yanma thing is eluding me. I've been looking every damn day and I've only found one that instantly run away."

"The Yanma line's pretty fast. Some of them even have Speed Boost, which is a pretty nifty ability," she said.

"Why do you think I'm trying to catch one?" Maeve smirked, speeding up her pace. "My team's lacking a true speedster, at the moment. I mean, Infernape and Staraptor are pretty fast, but—"

"They can't go as fast as you want," she completed the sentence. "I get ya. We'll get you your Yanma, no worries."

"You said they were in zone five?" Maeve asked.

"Well, four and five. You kept to zone three and less because they're safer, but I promise you that zone four isn't bad, so we'll stick to there. I mean, I'll have a hard time there, but you've got six badges now."

"I mean, I only beat Maylene's trainer, not her," Maeve said under her breath.

"A badge is a badge. Six badges in your first year? I keep telling you that you're a great trainer, but you keep moping about it."

She was right. A badge was a badge. It felt good to have someone to back her up like this. Mira was too busy to hang out with her these days, but even then they never talked about how Maeve was a good trainer. Am I a crybaby for wanting my ego to be satiated? She thought with a jerk of her arm.

"Speaking of badges, why'd you stop collecting them?" Maeve asked. "You've beaten Maylene and Volkner, but you haven't been trying Wake at all."

Zoey's lips went flat, then stretched back into her usual smile. "I just don't have the drive or talent for it," she answered after a short pause. "Better leave that to the prodigies like you."

Maeve snorted. "I'm no prodigy."

"Okay, maybe not, but you're good and I'm not. Battling is all Kalosian to me. I understand none of it, even though your advice has helped a little."

"So you'll give Wake a try?"

She paused again. "We'll see."

Maeve and Zoey entered the Safari Zone outpost the minute the clock struck two in the afternoon. They had gone to sign up there yesterday and had managed to nab two of the last remaining spots for the day. Now that there were news that Abel was hanging around the Great Marsh, the activity there had plummeted, and the city was no doubt going to be economically hurt by this. They listened to the not-Ranger's spiel, and after a thirty-minute class, they were let into the Marsh. Maeve released her Staraptor, who at this point was used to the routine of them flying around the Safari Zone. She eyed Zoey and let out a hesitant cry.

"Think she'll be too heavy?" Maeve asked.

Star nodded.

Zoey shoved her hands into her pockets. "Bummer. It'll be a big waste of time to walk to zone four, but I guess it's the only way. I hope you don't mind getting your clothes dirty."

"I mean, we could have her take turns flying us," Maeve said.

"Nah, better you have your flier with you in case of an emergency."

"Fair enough."

Avoiding the mud and water was basically impossible, so Maeve resigned to her fate. She released Starmie so that the psychic type would be able to sense any Pokemon attacking. Starmie hated getting his gem dirty, but he was willing to sacrifice his comfort if he could help Maeve get her sixth Pokemon. Star was flying overhead, keeping herself busy and stretching her wings after a long night in her Pokeball.

Maeve groaned when her foot got stuck in a deep pit of mud. "Damn, this is awful," she sighed. "You know, you can release your Pokemon if you want."

"Pansear and Furret would hate this," she said. "I'll release them if you need any help with your capture. I doubt a six-badger will have trouble knocking out a Yanma, though."

"I don't plan on knocking it out. I want to convince it to join me," Maeve quickly specified.

"Oh. Right, my bad."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Don't worry. I know it's ingrained in the culture to catch Pokemon that way, but I'm trying to be better. Grace is right on that point. We treat our own Pokemon with respect… or most of us do anyway. So why not afford that to the wild ones? They aren't any different."

Zoey snorted, and Maeve couldn't help but think she heard a smidge of dismissiveness. "Going to join the UPAN like her?"

"You know about that?"

"Well you told me about the problem with politics in your friend group and she's all over the internet all the time, so it'd be hard to miss her getting involved."

"I assume you don't like the UPAN?" Maeve guessed as she stepped back onto dry land. Her jeans and legs were soaked in dirty water, and so were Zoey's.

"I don't involve myself in politics."

"I mean, at this point it's just common decency, not politics," Maeve said.

Zoey stayed quiet for a few seconds, then let out a half-hearted grunt. Was she really going to fight her on this? Maeve's shoulders uncomfortably twitched upward. Zoey was a friend, but… her moral fiber wasn't quite all there. They meshed well together, but Mira never would have said something like that. All of her Pokemon save for Haunter had come to her willingly during her journey. Maeve's eyes drifted to her own Pokeballs. It was hard not to regret the way she'd caught her own Pokemon now that she knew better. Infernape was a gift from her parents, and by Gligar, she'd known that convincing Pokemon to join her was better, but all of her Pokemon in-between? Staraptor, Drapion, Starmie? She'd knocked them out before catching them. Only Star had been in a group, and she'd taken the longest to forgive her.

Did she even deserve forgiveness? Maeve thought as she stared at her flying type high in the sky. She stopped when the sun shone in her eyes and blinked to chase away the light imprints.

"Look, I'm sorry," Zoey said, waving a hand. "I'll try to be better, okay? Let's just keep going. The faster we get you your Yanma, the better."

Relief flooded her veins. "Thank you."

It took forty minutes of arduous travel to reach zone four, and they quickly got started looking for a Yanma. At times, Maeve would hear loud buzzing and have Staraptor fly toward the sound, but it was always something else. Ledyba had been the latest culprit. After thirty more minutes of searching Star finally located a Yanma. She directed them to the bug type, who was fanning its wings on a tree and looked not to have spotted them yet. How would she do this without a psychic? Starmie weren't capable of telepathy to translate, and Zoey didn't have one either. Wanting to do this on her own might come back to bite her.

Maeve cupped her mouth. "Hello! Please don't be scared!" She quickly added. Yanma had been about to fly off and had summoned afterimages to confuse her, but it paused and hovered in the air. "My name is Maeve Chang! I'm a trainer and you should join me! We have a lot of fun!"

Yanme tilted its head. Too straightforward, maybe? Zoey had her hands in her pockets and just observed.

"I want to get badges and become a great trainer," she continued with outstretched arms. "If you enjoy fighting, we do that a lot." She stopped and whispered to Staraptor and Starmie. "Here, guys, do your pitch."

Starmie clicked in quick succession, while Staraptor was content to mostly listen, intervening every so often to no doubt correct something. Yanma seemed interested by their words, its wings fluttering in excitement at random intervals.

"I have other Pokemon too, but I don't want to release them to scare you. An Infernape, Drapion and Gligar. You'd be my sixth."

Yanma screeched, but it was apparently a good screech, because Staraptor cackled with a wing over her mouth. Maybe it had told a joke? But it still wasn't enough. Maeve needed something to push Yanma over the edge.

"How about a one-week trial period?" She asked. "If you don't like it, I'll come here to release you, and we'll forget this ever happened. I don't know how I can get you to trust that I would release you, but…"

The bug type happily nodded to that suggestion, and dipped its head— telling Maeve to catch it?

"Can I catch you?" Maeve asked.

Yanma nodded, and Maeve grinned. The Pokeball dinged without any hitches and Maeve released Yanma again to scan her, praying for the Speed Boost ability. Passingly, he was also a male.

Yanma, the Clear Wing Pokemon. Yanma is capable of seeing 360 degrees without having to move its eyes. It is a great flier that is adept at making sudden stops and turning midair. This Pokemon uses its flying ability to quickly chase down targeted prey.

Moves: Quick Attack, Double Team, Air Cutter, Supersonic, Detect, Bug Bite, Whirlwind, Uproar

Ability: Speed Boost

Yes! Even without Speed Boost, she would have kept him and worked with him, but she couldn't deny that getting the ability she wanted was a plus. She told Yanma they'd talk later and recalled him. Maeve turned away from Zoey to grab a water bottle for the both of them. It was hot, and it was important to stay hydrated. Might as well grab some for Star too, she mused. Staraptor, not Starmie. Her simple nicknaming style had come to bite her, and even Zoey had been confused at first. Since she'd caught Staraptor before Starmie, the flying type got the nickname first.

Maeve snickered to herself as she grabbed the bottles out of her bag. "Hey Zoey, do you want some—"

The sound a Pokemon made when being released from a Pokeball was not something Maeve could ever miss. The hiss, followed by the pop as the device opened was so iconic at this point that everyone associated them with Pokeballs. Maeve turned toward Zoey.

Maeve's smile fell. Dread overtook her— so potent she could feel it oozing around her skin, clinging to every inch like a physical thing, making the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end. Her fingers twitched, yet they felt frozen at the same time, and the water bottles fell on the ground with a soft thud, rolling off of the island and into the swamp. Maeve's feet shifted in the grass and her throat felt so dry. Zoey stood with a Feraligatr and a Swampert flanking her. Her usual smile had faded, having been replaced by a hardened stare. Staraptor landed in front of Maeve with a loud crash and spread her wings protectively while Starmie let out a series of confused clicks. Upon closer inspection, Feraligatr and Swampert didn't look normal either. Their eyes were bloodshot, and foam constantly spewed out of their mouths. Thick veins shining turquoise under their skin ran the length of their bodies.

"Uh, Zoey?" Maeve asked, desperate to keep her voice from trembling. "That's not a Pansear and a Furret—"

"Don't move," Zoey warned. "If you even touch your Pokeballs or try to get onto Staraptor, I'll kill you. Keep your Pokemon back. Do not scream."

How, how, how, how? Mira had vetted her and made sure she wasn't involved with the poachers! Had she fooled Gardevoir's truthtelling abilities? She must have! Had Grace been wrong too?

"Zoey, I don't— I don't understand—"

"Listen to me. Slowly unclip your Pokeballs and let them drop to the ground. If I see you release even one of them, you're dead."

So everything had been fake, then. Maeve felt tears well up into her eyes, both because she'd been tricked and because of the danger she was in. Her bottom lip quivered until she bit it.

"W—why?" She stammered.

"Just do as I say, and you'll live!"

Maeve's heart pounded against her ribcage. Could she call for help? No, she'd said no screaming. Starmie? Her eyes drifted toward the psychic, who was fidgeting and clearly didn't know what to do. She slowly— excruciatingly slowly moved her hand toward her belt as she thought—

"Get a fucking move on!" Zoey snarled.

"You told me slowly!"

"Well faster than that!"

Not too slow, then. She sped up a little and gulped. Zoey didn't have a dark or a psychic type. Could Starmie assault her mind to kill her? Kill? Yes, kill! Now wasn't the time to have her fucking reservations! Zoey was a damn poacher! Gligar's Pokeball dropped into the mud, and Star glanced at Maeve, who kept her eyes staring at Zoey. Think, you worthless piece of shit! There was no one around, and they hadn't seen anyone for the last twenty minutes. Maybe she could stall and hope someone would wander here? But that depended on luck— what about hopping on Staraptor and flying away, hoping for the best? But she'd already dropped Gligar's Pokeball, and she'd have to recall Starmie from the air too. Fuck! FUCK!

"Are you sure you'll let me live?" Maeve asked. Not her priority, at the moment, but she needed to play the scared little girl and buy any extra seconds to get her to think, which wasn't hard considering how utterly terrified she was. Part of her worried that her hands trembled so much she'd release a Pokemon on accident and get herself killed, but she needed more time.

"Yes."

Maeve paused. "Was everything a lie?"

"Get a fucking move on!"

Why not just kill Maeve if she wanted to steal her Pokemon? There was no way she was an actual fan. Maybe killing people would force the League into action instead of the half-job they'd been doing so far. Better not to rustle too many feathers?

She dropped Yanma's Pokeball onto the ground. She was running out of time. Feraligatr and Swampert were barely holding on. Somehow, Zoey could control them. How strong even were they? They'd clearly been drugged up with something—

"Psychic on her!"

The words flew out of her mouth before she realized what she'd said. Starmie's gem shone, and Zoey collapsed on her knees as she gripped her head. Maeve expected her head to basically explode, but instead all she got was a nosebleed. How?! A mental shield? Her actions were quicker than her train of thought, and she leaned against the ground to release the rest of her team just in time for Feraligatr and Swampert to spring into action. She decided to keep Yanma in his ball.

"Motherfucker!" Zoey growled, still clenching her head. "Target her flier first!"

With a snarl that was more monstrous than Pokemon, Feraligatr and Swampert swept forward. Swampert easily glided through the mud while Feraligatr slipped and slid, stumbling on the way to them. The ground type opened his mouth, and a giant, foamy jet of water slammed into Stapartor before she could fly off and sent her tumbling toward the water.

What came next made Maeve's heart drop even further than she thought was possible. Zoey grabbed a radio from her bag and called for backup. Starmie tried to break bones instead, but somehow, no psychic type moves worked on her, and all Zoey got was pain in her arms.

"Drapion!" Maeve yelled.

The poison type moved in front of them and grappled Swampert with his two pincers, stabbing into his arms to inject as much poison as possible. The water type didn't even flinch, as if it was completely impervious to pain. Instead, it gripped Drapion's arm and pulled, yanking the first pincer away, not caring for the huge chunk of flesh the claw tore on the way out. They weren't manipulating the water around her, or the mud. Were they too drugged up to use anything but the simplest moves?

Starmie switched from assaulting Zoey's mind and body to stopping Feraligratr when it got too close. The crocodile slammed into his Psychic, but it was so strong. Infernape moved in, finding his footing on the mud and slammed a fiery punch into the water type's gut.

"Gligar, Pin Missile her!"

If Zoey wanted Maeve to kill her, then she would play ball and worry about the repercussions later. She had already murdered one person in Solaceon during the Darkest Day and she would rather live on and carry the weight of her actions than die a sinless girl. Sharp needles exploded out of Gligar's back as he hovered in the air, and Zoey gritted her teeth. There was panic in her eyes, like she hadn't expected Maeve to actually strike her.

"Swampert, get back here now!"

Her voice snapped the ground type out of his daze, but Drapion slammed a Poison Jab into Swampert's gut and kept him locked in place with a Vise Grip. Swampert would have to tear away the flesh if it wanted to get back to its trainer. Zoey bit her lip and started to run, jumping at the last moment to dodge the Pin Missile. That didn't stop five of them from tearing through her leg, turning it into a bloodied mess. Zoey let out a pain-filled, harrowing scream that made Maeve's heart wrench and crawled backward. Her screams only made Feraligatr grow fiercer. Blood fell out of his nose, mouth and eyes due to Starmie's psychic, but his muscles bulged beyond what should have been possible and he broke through the Psychic attack.

"Infer—"

He was already on it.

"Thunderbolt!" She yelled at Starmie.

Infernape's flame surged, and Maeve felt the heat tickle her skin. She gasped when Feraligatr simply elbowed him away like a piece of plastic. Infernape cried out, sending spit and blood out of his mouth. The crack in his skull that followed made Maeve's throat tighten. Electricity burst from Starmie, finally stopping Feraligatr in his tracks while Gligar Slashed across his back before continuing toward Zoey to finish her off.

"Keep your distance!" Maeve yelled.

The flying type extended his wings to stop in midair, and another set of Pin Missiles exploded out of him. Swampert shot him out of the sky with a quick Ice Beam, freezing his wings. Staraptor finally crawled out of the water with a broken wing. Out of commission. Infernape was unconscious on the ground and blood pooled from his head. Out of commission. She recalled both of them and bit down on her tongue until she drew blood to focus. She quickly recalled Gligar before Swampert could hit him with a Hydro Pump and released him next to her again.

"Brine. Aim for Zoey," Maeve told Starmie. "Drapion, Venoshock. You'll lose in close combat. Gligar, keep using Pin Missile—"

"Kill her!" Zoey cried out with her voice full of hatred as she held onto her stump. The sight of it made Maeve want to gag, but she swallowed the bile that made its way up her throat.

Pin Missile would keep Swampert pinned to her. Case in point, the ground type used a Protect to keep her from dying from both Pin Missile and the Brine. Feraligatr was the only one they had to worry about, then. Drapion spat out a huge glob of poison at Feraligatr's face, melting his eye and into the water type's flesh. He wasn't holding back for this one. Still, Feraligatr ignored what would have been debilitating, and his muscles swelled again.

Starmie hit him with another Thunderbolt that barely slowed him down, and Feraligatr grabbed onto Drapion's arm and pulled as his muscles bulged again—

Green blood spewed from Drapion's arm stump, and Maeve nearly collapsed. She wanted to puke, to scream, to cry, to give up— but she had to take a stand. Ditto cells can fix that if he gets to the Center fast enough, she reminded herself. Maeve called out to Drapion, who, although delirious from what had just happened, blinded Feraligatr with another pressurized jet of poison. Swampert wasn't idle, either. A Hydro Pump stopped inches from Maeve's face thanks to Staryu's Psychic, but the move had so much force that a few droplets hit her face—

"Argh!"

The world went dark. Sharp pain all over her face. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't open her eyes, she coouldn't stop herself from falling and rolling into the mud. Maeve clawed at her face, and the sound around her grew so distant. She slowly opened an eye and ran a hand on her face. It was wet— a distant burst of light, and a roar from Feraligatr— she drew a strained breath when she looked at her hands and realized it was wet with blood. She spat out a mouthful to try to get the metallic taste out of her mouth, but more kept coming every time.

She couldn't feel her face beyond a numbed sting.

Maeve crawled back as close to the edge of the island as she could and grabbed her bag. Feraligatr's legs were more bones than flesh, but even when it couldn't walk and couldn't see, it still tried to claw anywhere it could. Swampert was in a better state, but it was constrained to stick close to Zoey, or Gligar would kill her. Maeve send a half-coherent text to Mira and then called the police.

"Pastoria Police Department, what is your emergency?"

How the hell did talking work again? Maeve grunted, then coughed. "I'm— I'm getting attacked by—"

She flinched, instinctively protecting her face with her hand. Instead of stopping the coming Hydro Pump, Starmie deflected it and allowed it to hit the water.

"By a trainer— a poacher in the Safari Zone. I'm in zone four," she stopped to cough. "Please help."

"We're on our way. Stay on the line with me, okay? The officers are tracking your phone. What Pokemon does your assailant have, and could you assess their level for me?"

"Feraligatr and Swampert," she exhaled. "They're stronger than my Pokemon and drugged up, I have five badges. I think— think I'm— I'm going to pass out. My face is hu—urt."

The operator said something, but it faded into the background. Maeve's vision shifted back to the battle.

Feraligatr was dead. Drapion has kept melting off its body with poison even after it had fallen unconscious, and it was now a pile of disgusting bones and flesh on the ground that wasn't even recognizable to her. Maeve threw up on the mud when the smell hit her. Like rotten meat mixed with noxious fumes. Zoey didn't seem to care. They weren't hers. The drugs made them listen, somehow. Drapion was barely able to function, spitting out poison at anything that moved, including trees and the water and her own Pokemon. Maeve recalled him before he could accidentally hurt her.

Zoey bared her teeth, still gripping her stump. "I didn't think you had it in you to go for the kill," she said with a bloodied mouth. She stopped when more Pin Missiles washed over Swampert's Protect. "Little fucking Maeve Chang, aiming for the throat. I should have studied you more."

There was panic in her voice. She was terrified, just like her.

"Fuck… you…" Maeve groaned. If you'd known what I've gone through, you would have fucking figured it out, you bitch.

Help would Teleport in any minute now, but they'd have no way to appear to her exact location unless they'd been here before, Maeve thought with a tired sigh. Her eyelids were so heavy— stay awake! Stay the fuck awake, Maeve! The battle was at a stalemate. They couldn't breach Swampert's Protect, and it couldn't hurt them with its attacks.

She balked when a Hypno and a woman in her twenties Teleported into the swamp. She'd forgotten about the backup! Hypno cleaned its pendulum with its fur as it studied the battlefield while the woman approached with a heavy step— then a blur! Darkness submerged her hand, and she punched Starmie right in his gem, knocking him out. Gligar tried to gain some height, but she jumped and grabbed him by the tail, slamming him against the ground when she landed. She raked across his chest with more darkness to finish him off.

Zoroark. Her friends had warned her about it, and she was here now.

"Ah, Zoey," the woman said. She crouched at Feraligatr's corpse and bared her teeth in anger like a Pokemon instead of a human. She touched the dead water type's flesh and dipped her head, then stood up again. "You know, I've always wondered why you would target her out of all people. You know the people she's friends with have connections."

"She called the cops! Get us out of here!" Zoey cried out, ignoring her.

Zoroark looked at her in disgust. "Answer the question."

"Infernape…" Zoey choked. "Please get me out of here. Please. I've lost so much blood, I think I'm— dying."

Zoey pointed to Infernape's Pokeball, and Maeve's heart dropped and she muttered a choked 'no', but Zoroark did not come to steal her Pokemon. Instead, the dark type just shot Maeve a sorry look. She ordered Zoey to recall her Swampert, then spoke again.

"Hypno, get us out of here."

An eye appeared above Hypno's head that Maeve felt compelled not to stare at. She sobbed, her head flat against the mud as she crawled in a desperate attempt to get them not to escape. If she could buy time for the cops to get here… a chill crept up her spine as the Miracle Eye reached its apex, and everyone winked out of existence—

Not everyone.

Zoey was still there. She'd been abandoned. But why? The police would be able to question her— Arceus, her entire face burned.

"No… no, no, no, no!" Zoey cried out. "NO! Pansear… Furret…" Zoey sobbed.

Serves you right.

Help arrived exactly fifty seconds later. They put Zoey under arrest and grabbed Swampert's Pokeball. Maeve felt hands grab onto her, and after a few minutes of questions that she didn't have the strength to answer, and some kind of first-aid she was too dazed to feel, both she and Zoey were hoisted into a helicopter.

She passed out somewhere in the air.

—

Where was she?

A falling feeling snapped Maeve back awake, and when she saw that she was in a hospital bed, she realized none of this had been a dream. Her heart dropped when her Pokeballs weren't by her side, but she calmed down when she read the post-it note attached to her desk. Your Pokemon are with the Nurse Joys. Thank Arceus, they were still with her. Zoey's comment on Infernape's skills seemed so sinister now. All of the compliments were because she'd wanted to steal him. Maeve clenched at her bedsheets and cried for what felt like an eternity, but she was too tired to even do that properly.

Maeve ran a hand over her face and winced. It hurt, but less. She paused when her hand passed over a soft dip on her skin, then another, and another. With a trembling hand, she grabbed her phone, still damp from her time in the swamp, and she unlocked her camera.

Lines.

Red lines ran on her face, thin gashes that had come from that fragment of Hydro Pump that had hit her. One from her right cheek to her forehead, one over the ridge of her nose, and one at the corner of the right side of her lip. Another running from her jaw to her ear— and so many more. Her face felt numb, and the pain was dulled, probably due to whatever was going into her system through that IV drip. Maeve sniffled, dropping her brand new phone on the cold hospital tiles, and the screen shattered.

Twenty seconds later, an alarmed nurse entered the room.

Her words were far away, even when she was close. After picking up her phone and its shattered screen, she called for more personnel, and they ran a few checks on her. She was going to be fine, they repeated. The lines on her face would fade in a few months, and only the deepest ones would stick, so at maximum she would keep only a few scars from this. They called it a miracle. Her stomach still felt like it had sunk into the deepest pits of hell. It was hard, to push yourself when you did not have Shiftry's domain to let you not care. For an instant, Maeve wished she was Justin. He'd be picking himself up without a hitch while she… well, she didn't know what to do.

The person who did this to you was arrested, the nurses and doctors kept telling her. She'll go to jail as soon as her wounds are treated. Zoey was gone and would be put behind bars, but the fact that Maeve had been tricked so easily by the first person to give her any attention said so much more about her than she'd wanted to know. She had risked so much today. Almost lost Infernape. Had Zoroark not spared her from this fate, then she wouldn't even have been able to think of how much grief would have destroyed her. She didn't know why Zoroark had even done so, but she could only thank the Legendaries. That was the true miracle. Not some fucking scars on her face.

Her friends came an hour after the nurses and the police officers asking her questions, mostly because they wanted to make sure Maeve was ready for visitors, and they would only let them see her one by one. Pauline, Denzel, Emilia, Louis, even Chase came in. Most of them had similar reactions. They apologized for letting this happen to her, which made Maeve even angrier, although she hid it well. This was on her. At least Chase told her she did well, kicking Zoey's ass. Justin surprisingly came too, and displayed more emotion than she'd ever seen out of him since the Darkest Day. He hadn't cried like a baby like Louis, but he was shaken. Like when Corviknight had almost died to Louis' Vespiquen, from the way her crush had described it. Even Lauren swung by, having gotten to Pastoria two days ago, although she only said a few words the entire meeting. Cecilia was hard to gauge. They were friends, but never that close due to having different cliques. Maeve couldn't help but think she wasn't even looking at her, but at something far away. Calculating.

It was somewhat terrifying.

Mira was inconsolable. She blamed herself for everything. Had Gardevoir found something wrong with Zoey, then none of this would have happened. She was a sobbing mess when she entered, and the same when she left. Maeve thought that she was used to getting hurt more than people around her being hurt.

Grace was last to come in. She walked swiftly, even with her crutches at her side. It was like she glid across the hospital floor, as if every step had meaning.

"Maeve."

There was an unsettling rage in her eyes that Maeve had never seen before. Blink, and you'd miss it, but her face was also utterly still and relaxed. It was as if she let the rage fill her and did not even try to fight it. She was rage, and rage was her. Grace's voice was steady, almost too calm for the way Maeve knew she actually felt. The blonde sat next to her, dragging her chair close and tightly clasping one of her hands.

"Zoey Miranda did this to you," Grace said. It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes."

It was a simple answer, but what else to say? She'd almost died because she was so much of a loser that she trusted the first stranger to give her compliments.

"I'm sorry… I killed Feraligatr. It— they were drugged, and probably didn't know what was happening. Drapion was out of control after getting his arm ripped out, and I was in too much pain to tell him to stop—"

"Feraligatr's death is a tragedy," she spoke. "But it is also not on you."

The scarred trainer stared right into Maeve's eyes, her own unblinking.

"Zoey was just one facet of the entire operation," Grace said. "We'll get her to tell us where the poaching base is. Since Zoey isn't part of Team Galactic, the League has no authority to rip out her memories like she deserves. She's sitting pretty in her hospital bed and has policemen guarding her, and odds are, she's not going to talk to the cops."

The next statement was left unsaid, but it was obvious. She was going to do something about it.

"Grace, you shouldn't—"

"I should," she interrupted. "The people who had her do this to you? The people in charge that revel in evil and give the orders? I'll kill them. I owe it to you, to Alex, to Carnivine and to Croagunk. I owe it to the trainers who had their Pokemon stolen. Them being gone will be a net good for the world. The tools? The one that carried out the orders? I'll have them rot in prison to pay the long price like Harry Rodriguez."

Maeve gulped. Not one bit of hesitation in there. "I won't be the one to cry for them," she finally said. "But the Poketch Company and the danger…"

Grace clasped her hand tighter. "I'm tired of events happening to me or the people I love, Maeve," she said. "I want to happen to people before the thought of hurting my friends even pops into their heads. No one will know. The League will keep things hidden."

Maeve did not know how she planned on getting Zoey to talk, let alone get to speak to her when the police wouldn't let them do so. They wouldn't let anyone get close, let alone friends of the victim.

Maeve sighed. "Just be careful, okay? I'm… I'm alright. I just need a few days to recuperate and get my thoughts in order."

Grace's face did not change, but her eyes softened. "You're lying. Take a breather," she said. "I'll have the poachers pay their due."

The blonde girl sat up, crutches in hand. She was the only one that had not asked Maeve how she was, or even expressed a few words of worry. There was only the thought of revenge consuming her like a relentless fire burning deep within her soul, and it would not end until she had the culprits' heads on a pike. So simple, and yet so terrifying all the same.

"That was a promise," she said as she pushed the door open.