“A little more to the left.”
Felis moved the antenna left.
“Mmm, maybe a little more right?”
Felis moved the antenna right.
“Oh! I think I got–nope. Left again.”
Felis let out a heavy sigh, moving it left.
“Hmmm, okay just a tad to the right.”
Felis moved the antenna back to the ri-
“Wait a minute.” He said, “This is the same position it was in when we started!”
“And it works now!” Gloom cheered, clapping her hands together, “Great work Grunt.”
They’d set up on the rooftop of a small restaurant/apartment building behind the club, owned by a charming older couple. Gloom introduced herself as his aunt and “Pokémon Researcher”, and after sliding over some bills the couple was more than happy to let them use their rooftop at their leisure.
Of course, that’s when she opened up her bag and deployed an insane setup of technology that Felis couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around. It was all disorganized, and of course, Gloom wasn’t going to be the one to do the heavy lifting. She tried to first use his pride as a man to get him to lift the heavy machinery for her, but Felis was a firm advocate of equality.
But then she used the “I’m old” card and Felis resigned himself to his fate.
“Well then, it seems like everything is ready.” Gloom smiled, ruffling his hair, “Great work.”
“What are we even doing with all this?” Felis asked.
She handed him a headset, “Give it a listen.”
Voices. Music. This was…this was the interior of the club. Felis stood, looking down at the table that was filled with all sorts of buttons and knickknacks. It looked a bit like a DJ's set, minus the big disks.
“This one here lets you focus on certain sounds.” Gloom explained, “This one dampens noise from the outside, that one identifies any Pokémon through audio cues alone, and I don’t know what this one does but it makes a nice little boop sound when you press it.”
It did make a nice boop sound.
“Okay, so we have spy equipment.” Felis said, “Is this what we’re going to be monitoring all night?”
“Not tonight, no. We’ll be playing detective tonight.”
“The missing P.I?”
“The missing P.I.” Gloom nodded.
Felis yawned a bit before following Gloom down the fire escape. The night was beginning to stretch, and he was feeling just a little tired. Maybe detective work would be a little more exciting.
He wondered if Sirius was having fun on his end.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Omega felt her two pursuers getting closer and closer to her. She let out a content sigh, it had been a while since she was able to let loose. Most of her time the past few weeks was spent on reconnaissance and info gathering, she hadn’t had a proper battle in some time.
As if she’d squander that fun by letting a Grunt fight by her side. She scoffed, plucking one of her Pokémon from her belt. No, Sirius would sit his bald head down, and he would enjoy the show.
The footsteps arrived moments later.
“Nowhere left to run?” The first asked, he looked akin to the girl who was guarding the upper floors. Too old to be her father, a brother perhaps? He looked cautious, Omega decided he was the smart one.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” The second drawled, and Omega immediately placed “sleazy” as his moniker.
“He’s the unreliable kind, so I had to let him go.” She replied, tossing her ball up and down, “Mind telling me why you two are chasing after a woman in the dark?”
“Could be because we’ve never seen you before, and we know everyone.” Sleazy replied, unhitching his own Pokeball, “But let’s not drag this out, how about you come with us and answer some questions, and we brush this whole thing under the rug?”
Omega grinned, opening her mind and pushing her thoughts into her two opponents, “NOT HAPPENING. YOU ARE MY PREY NOW.”
“Shit. Psychic!” Smart said, both of them throwing their Pokeballs out. Immediately she felt her influence on their mind forced away as a Magneton and Lairon emerged.
Pokémon were gifted with naturally strong minds that resisted psychic types from completely taking over. A worthwhile evolutionary trait, as otherwise Psychics would dominate the ecosystem (Which they should, honestly). In any case, trainers could ‘borrow’ that trait with strong enough Pokémon, shielding their minds without the use of a Psychic.
Of course, that was only possible if those Pokémon were still conscious.
“Let’s have some fun, Bronzong.”
"I am at your command, my lady!" Her dutiful friend sent back.
Bronzong was not her partner, nor her ace in the hole. Bronzong was just the weakest member of her team, a standard issue Bronzor that she evolved through her own hard work and patience.
She wouldn’t need anyone stronger.
“[Thunder Wave!]”
“[Rock Slide!]”
“[Protect!]”
Magneton zoomed forward, the magnets on its ends whirling as electricity gathered, before spasming outwards. At the same time Lairon slammed its feet into the ground, causing a large boulder to appear before smashing its head into it and sending concrete scattering towards her Bronzong.
A shield of pink shimmered in the air, dispelling both electricity and stone, Protect wouldn’t last much longer, so she mentally commanded her Bronzong to activate Iron Defense, which it did so with haste.
She could feel her Pokémon's wariness. It hadn’t dealt with a two verse one scenario before, but it trusted her, and so would follow with stalwart grace.
“[Headbutt!]” Smart called, Lairon snarled, stampeding forward with reckless abandon. Bronzong wouldn’t hover too far off the ground to avoid it, lest Lairon aim for Omega instead, so it awaited its command.
“[Hypnosis!]”
“[Shock!]”
Hypnosis was a very unreliable move. Mental defences alongside its fluctuating range gave it around an average of 70% to hit. With Lairon charging headfirst into Bronzong though, things changed.
A gong sounded, and Lairon tumbled into the ground, asleep.
Magneton slammed into her Pokémon a second later, a flash of electricity illuminating the dim alleyway. It left barely a scratch as Bronzong retaliated, backhanding the Magneton away. She had time now, it was temporarily a one on one.
“[Extrasensory!]”
“[Electric Terrain!]”
Magneton’s scream was the sound of metal scraping against itself, but the Pokémon complied with its order. Even as Bronzong mutilated its senses, the magnets on the electric Pokémon whirred to life, sending out out a violent charge of electricity that had Omega jumping back to avoid being hit.
Electric Terrain, a false domain. She clicked her teeth as Lairon was jolted awake from the electricity that coated the ground. The Smart one seemed to be very satisfied with his choice of move, but Magneton looked didn't look so hot. Perhaps that’s why Lairon lumbered in front of it protectively, readying itself for combat once more.
“[Electro Ball]”
“[Extrasensory]”
Magneton hummed, electricity dancing in the air causing Omega’s hair to drift upwards slightly. The ball of powered electricity shot forward lightning quick, Bronzong’s pained cry causing her own mind to spike as the electricity coursed through its system. Still, her faithful Pokémon complied with her order, trying once more to rip apart Magneton.
Lairon jumped in the way, the familiar shimmer of Protect flashing grey as Extrasensory slammed into the forcefield.
That was how they wanted to play then, one guarding the other.
“We’ll just have to hit them both.” She said mentally to her Pokémon. It hummed in agreement, eager to wipe them both.
“[Confusion: Sporadic Burst!]”
“[Protect!]”
“[Electro Ball!]”
She felt a little bad for Sirius, he wouldn’t see what came next. It was as if the alleyway gained a second sun. Electricity hummed as Electroball shot forward, missing as Bronzong psychically pushed it off into the concrete. At the same time the whole field suddenly crackled and popped as air exploded in concentrated psychic bursts, nearly invisible to the naked eye until the flash of light that signalled its detonation.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Magneton was the first to go down, it was never a Pokémon renowned for its health. Lairon fared a little better, Protect barely holding off the attack. But Protect was never built for long term defense, and sure enough cracks began to form within the shield, before finally collapsing in on itself. Lairon couldn’t even scream as it was overwhelmed by psychic energy.
Omega felt their minds open up again, and she grinned.
“Next.”
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“This is it.” Gloom said, as they neared their location.
Felis walked about slowly, taking in everything around him. The “alley” that Vince’s PI had disappeared in was actually above ground. Two buildings that were connected at the hip before splitting off into their own towers gave space to an unassuming alleyway that was a respectable distance away from the Storage Box.
Far enough away that she’d remain unseen, but close enough to keep an eye on who went in and out.
“If there were signs of a fight, it’s gone now.” Felis sighed, chewing his lip. The alleyway was cleaned, recently too. Any signs of a fight were gone.
“The pain lingers.” Aken whispered in the shadows, “Sweet, but fading. I cannot trace it.”
“Hmm, perhaps.” Gloom said, with a tone that really meant “I know something you don’t”
He resisted the urge to sigh, “Alright boss lady, what do you have?”
“This.”
A flash of light, and a Musharna appeared. Not that Felis knew what that was, but the first thing it said was “Musharna-” so he assumed that’s what it was called.
But the use of a psychic Pokémon had him on edge. Was she also a psychic? She didn’t mention it before, maybe she was keeping her cards close?
“Here’s a fun fact, my current favorite Grunt.” Gloom said, gently stroking her Pokémon who hovered in the air, “Where people and Pokémon exist, they leave ‘impressions’ on the world. Thoughts, feelings, wants and dreams.”
“Hurt and sorrow.” Felis added, recalling Aken’s words.
“Precisely. Now usually, it is impossible to sense, let alone turn the impressions into something tangible, but we deal with Pokémon, Felis. The limits to their potential are only bound by your perception of reality and creativity. Let those run free and you may be able to do something like this.”
“[Remembrance]”
Musharna let out a cry that sounded like the pluckings of a harp, pink mist exploding outwards as it filled the alleyway, blocking Felis’s line of sight. For a moment, all he could see was Pink, and all he could hear was that faint strum of a harp.
But then it changed.
In the fog, Felis saw shapes. One was the shadowy figure of a woman, a Pokémon of sorts perched on her shoulder. He could smell her perfume from his position, hear the shutter of her camera, the whisper of her voice as she spoke to her Pokémon.
Felis dared not move, awe and fear keeping him rooted to the spot. The slightest of movements disturbed the mist, and his curiosity as to what happened overshadowed his curiosity of testing the limits of the move.
After a few moments, the shadow of the door they’d entered opened, and the woman went from neutral to hostile in a moment, her tiny Pokémon beating its wings to put itself between her and her adversaries. The battle that followed was short and violent, the small bird tossed off the edge of the mist and disappearing completely.
The woman struggled as hands grabbed her, but at her attempt of defiance she was beaten heavily, the sound of her shouts replaced by whimpers of pain before she was dragged away.
The mist finally faded, though one look at Gloom said that she saw all she needed to see.
“What…what was that?” Felis finally asked, “I’ve never seen, or even heard of a move like that.”
“It’s my own custom move.” Gloom smiled, though it didn’t seem to hold the same cheer it usually did, “It’s useful, for someone who often works the cases I do, only possible because of this little beauty here.”
Musharna preened at the praise given to it by its trainer, before slowly drifting towards the direction of where the woman was dragged off.
“Now come, let us find where they took this P.I.”
“Not yet.” Felis said, earning a raised eyebrow from Gloom, “There’s something I want to check first.”
The P.I’s Pokémon had been sent flying from the rooftop. He guessed the trajectory, estimating the curve of its fall before arriving at the street where it should have fallen. The street itself was mostly empty, but Felis spotted a few trashcans with dents in them. Moving it off to the side he found what he was looking for.
Her Pokémon was a Chattot, and it was dead.
If the broken wings and dried blood at the tip of its beak weren’t an indicator of its death, then the glassy eyes definitely were. He scooped it up gently, hearing the dry squelch of blood as it was torn from concrete.
“She’ll want this when we find her, if she’s still alive.” Felis said, “At the very least, she’ll be a little more amenable to us.”
Gloom said nothing for a while, before finally nodding, pulling out a type of Pokeball Felis had never seen, both in the games or while he was window shopping. It was all grey, with no other discernible features, but it worked like the rest, sucking in the dead Chattot before shrinking in size.
They followed Musharna for a while, and Felis decided that if he was going to be working under the woman, he’d learn everything he can from her. He doubted he'd get a chance to shadow someone strong after Eterna.
“You gave me a speech about Pokémon potential and limits. Why?” He asked, trying to gauge her thoughts on him.
“You seem very keen on studying me half the time, so I decided I’d throw something your way to keep your mind occupied.” Gloom responded easily.
“Can I ask you questions then?”
“So long as you’re not prying into me, then by all means.”
“You created the move. What goes into move creation? How do you decide to just create a move?’
Gloom chuckled at that, “You need to look at both a Pokémon's natural abilities and your own. Musharna is the Pokémon of dreams, she can look into minds and recreate almost anything.”
“But that wasn’t a dream. That was an…an impression, as you called it.”
“I did say both a Pokémon's natural abilities and my own, did I not?” Gloom smiled.
Shit, then it was confirmed, “You’re a psychic, then?”
“Oh no, nothing like that. But anyone with a Psychic Pokémon develops some sort of ability towards it, mine just happens to lie with impressions. I can feel desires left in certain places, wishes, doubts, regrets. With Musharna, I can bring it into reality.”
So a unique ability, only available to her specific set of circumstances. It wasn’t mainstream, that meant two things, one, he and Arun were mostly safe. And two, this woman was very dangerous.
“...So how did you actually make the move?” He asked.
“It’d be no fun if I simply told you.” Gloom chuckled, “Again, anything I say or do will create false boundaries in your mind, so discover on your own, interpret creation your own way. Only then will you figure it out.”
Felis nodded, the gears in his mind turning. But before he let his thoughts wander, he had one more question, “And what about affinities? You mentioned them back at the Warehouse.”
Gloom slowed her pace, looking about the area. They were back in the slums now, walking past an abandoned scrapyard that was empty save for a few Rattata’s that skittered about.
A flash of light from her belt, and an honest to god Lucario formed into existence. Whoever said Lucario’s were 3’11 could go die in a ditch, the one standing in front of him was nearly as tall as Cyrus.
“This is Lulu,” Gloom smiled, “I’ve had him since I was a little girl, he’s been my partner since.”
Lulu had signs of age. Despite his tall and muscular stature, there were lines about his eyes, wrinkles and grey muted fur that should have once been vibrant.
Still, the motherfucker was scary, a soft growl emanating from his lips when its eyes met Felis’s.
“There are three things that make up a Pokémon's power. The first, the Pokémon's affinity towards a move, we call this STAB, or same type attack bonus. The second, their trust towards you, and lastly, a trainer’s affinity.”
Gloom motioned towards a broken down rusted car.
“Now Lulu, use Force Palm without my Authority please.”
Lulu did as asked, growling as blue energy coalesced around its palm, before slamming it into the car, a sizable dent.
“Now that was all Lulu’s power, without the benefit of my authority as a trainer, or my affinity to Fighting type energy. Now how about you give it a go?”
“I don’t think Aken compares to your Lucario.” Felis said flatly, despite the cry of indignation from his partner.
Gloom chuckled, “With Lulu please, he will follow your command just this once.”
“How does that work? I thought it was your Pokémon.”
“Less questions Felis, we are on a schedule.”
He shrugged, turning to Lucario, “[Force Palm!]”
Energy surged once more, and Lucario left another dent, though it was just about the same as before.
“Now that is the power of a trainer with no affinity to Fighting, nor any trust towards the trainer. Your authority offers little to no boost towards Lulu’s own power.”
There it was again, that word ‘authority’, “What do you even mean by ’authority’?”
“I’m sure you’ve already recognized it.” Gloom grinned, “That pressure in your voice, the power leaving your system. That is a trainer’s authority, though you’ll have to ask Omega if you want to learn more, I never bothered to learn its true meanings.”
Great.
“Now this is what happens when one has both trust, and affinity towards the same type.”
“[Force Palm!]”
Lulu’s eyes flashed, and he struck, the blow causing the car to collapse in on itself as it tumbled backwards for about 30 feet, before finally coming to a stop.
“....holy shit.” Felis breathed.
Gloom took a small bow, before ruffling Lucario's fur and sending him back into his ball, “Of course, there's more to affinities than just boosting the moves of your Pokémon. Each affinity offers its own gifts, though I think I'll keep mine a secret, don't want to spoil the surprise."
"Am I ever going to get a straight answer from you?"
"Nope! Come now, we have work to do.”
“Wait! One more question!” Felis asked, jogging after Gloom who’s already started walking, “How do you even find out about your affinity?”
“You just need the right Psychic.” Gloom hummed, waiting for Felis to connect the dots.
“Omega. She…she has a psychic type affinity then, doesn’t she? How strong are her powers?”
“Oh Felis, you have no idea.”
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was honestly exhilarating, seeing surprise in the eyes of her foe. More often than not Omega was underestimated at first glance. Her shorter stature and (not to brag) pretty face was enough for others to create the assumption that she was weak or demure.
So seeing the attitude change really did wonders for her.
She could feel their fear too, her opponent’s Lairon’s (Sleazy’s second Lairon, it seemed Chronos wasn’t very diverse in their donation of Pokémon) weren’t looking the best, and although they still had one each, her Bronzong was still in the field.
It wasn’t looking too hot though.
“Keep your head up, Bronzong, you can do this.” Omega said, “I know it hurts but we’re in the final stretch.”
“Your will…be done, my lady.” Bronzong groaned, a gong chiming as it forced itself upright,
There were two reasons she refused to switch out her Bronzong. The first was pride, she was better than these nobodies, borrowed Pokémon or no. Plus, she had to show off to her junior, who’s mind told her he was looking for any opening to step in.
The second was fear. 9 out of 10 times, fear caused the mind to unintentionally lower its mental defenses. It was such a visceral feeling, primal, real, she suspected it was one of the first emotions humans had felt since Arceus bore them unto Earth.
Fear kept humans safe from the physical, the tangible.
But Omega was a Psychic, she was the incarnate of intangible.
Her mind sneaked their way into her opponent’s, even with their Pokémon out they were too weak to form a barrier of actual substance. She could scramble their minds now, if she wished it. Turn everything into literal mush before they even had an iota of what was happening.
But she wouldn’t, they were better alive, and she’d never done that before, nor did she want to. So instead she probed their mind, images, words, friends and loved ones flashed through–
“[Screech!]”
“[Iron Head!]”
Grinding metal snapped her out of her thoughts as Bronzong groaned, its defenses weakening. The second Lairon stampeded forward, only its limp giving Omega time to react.
“[Protect!]”
Shimmering purple slammed into existence, stopping Lairon from smashing apart her poor Bronzong. She needed to start turning things around, however. They were starting to learn how to work with their Pokémon, and teamwork was getting annoying.
Bronzong was a slow Pokémon, it was tough for her baby to outmanoeuvre anything, even slow moving 'mons like Lairon. She’d been waiting for her chance to turn things around, but she wanted her Bronzong to understand what it was like being pushed to the edge.
She figured by now her Pokémon understood enough, however.
“[Trick Room!]”
Another false domain, but one that worked in her favor more than anyone else's. Bronzong’s eyes flashed, the deep toll of a bell ringing out once, then twice, then three times in quick succession. Bits of reality began to warp around them, she could sense the confusion of her opponents as they tried to make sense of what was happening.
Bad idea, that just got you dizzy. Omega learned firsthand it was best to just ignore it and go with the flow.
“[Extrasensory!]”
Her Bronzong was relishing its new speed, she could tell. No longer was it one of the slowest Pokémon in existence, now it moved with speed and grace that would put even a Ninjask to shame. The Lairon’s were fast too, but their movepool left much to be desired. Bronzong danced and flew, tearing them apart bit by bit as they desperately tried to catch up.
It was over before they knew what happened.
Smart and Sleazy looked at her with unhidden fear in their eyes. Both had a single Pokémon left, but then again, they had not taken out a single one of her own. They fought a losing battle, she knew it, they finally understood. She increased the hopelessness in their minds, influencing them to try and surrender.
But then they turned and ran.
“Wai–shit!” They bolted out the range of Trick Room, meaning Bronzong was not catching up to them. She sprinted forward as much as she could, but she was a little shorter than most so her legs didn’t carry her as far. Shit, she could not lose them, they were a source of information! A hand drifted to her belt–
Two meaty smacks were heard as she turned a corner, and she spotted Sleazy and Smart slumped over, with Sirius standing over them.
“Does this count as needing my help?” He asked, though she couldn’t get a good read on his face.
“...Help me carry them back and we’ll see.” She decided.