It was hot. Too hot. Too hot to move, too hot to think: a cloudless day, dead in the middle of summer. And Liu, Aeon, and Echo weren't faring well. But they weren't the only ones: all throughout Rebirth's Cave, pokemon were dropping like flies, stretched out on their backs, panting, or sweating.

"Ughhhhh." Liu moaned, as she had been doing for the last ten minutes, much to Aeon's chagrin.

"Liu, moaning and bellyaching is only making the rest of us hotter." Aeon panted weakly. "Could you stick a sock in it?" 

Liu's tail turned half-iron, but then uselessly flopped to the floor. It was too hot for her to even smack Aeon as she usually did. She contented herself with simply groaning louder on purpose. "UGHHHHHHH..." Aeon rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, from the back of the cave, they heard a voice. "Now, now, laying around in this heat won't make anything better!"

Everyone weakly turned their heads to see Team Rebirth standing there. Ninetales wore a smile, while Delphox crossed her arms, and Absol shook her head disapprovingly.

"That's easy... for two... fire-types... to say..." Echo mumbled, with as much force as he could muster. Ninetales chuckled. "Even so, don't you think there are better ways to spend the day? Say... going to the beach, perhaps?" Everyone's ears perked up and they leapt to their feet, energy surging where there hadn't been any before. "I know a nice place where we can take it easy and relax. It's in a mystery dungeon, naturally, but we'll keep you all safe on your way there. You should grab some towels and whatever else you need, so we can leave right away!"

Cheers went up from around the cave, and pokemon started rushing between piles of items, grabbing everything they thought they needed. Team Oddity looked at each other with huge grins, and joined in the fray without a second thought.

Once everyone had what they needed, Delphox announced "Now, as we said, this place is in a mystery dungeon: the Miracle Sea. The pokemon there are pretty tough, but not to worry. We'll keep you all safe, so long as you stick close to us. With any luck, we'll be there in an hour or so. Let's head out!" Again, cheers rang through the cave, and as soon as Ninetales released the fire wall from the entrance, a flood of pokemon rushed outside.

---

As Delphox and Ninetales had predicted, getting to the secret beach was no easy task. There were so many floors to fight through, and more than a few pokemon got hurt along the way. Thankfully though, the heat was less intense in the dungeon, so those that were able to help out and fight, gave Team Rebirth moments to breathe between battles. After an hour or two, they finally descended the stairs, and there, waiting for them, was a vast expanse of sand, water, and palmtrees with no wild pokemon in sight. Everyone jumped for joy and rushed as fast as they could toward the water.

Liu, Aeon, and Echo had brought a big, black bag full of inflatable beach toys and sand-digging tools. For now though, it was forgotten on the sand as they rushed towards the ocean.

"Aaaah, this is the best!" Liu sighed, floating on her back. "Team Rebirth made a good call; I wonder how many other places like this they know?"

"Beats me. After I swim, I'm gonna take a nap and sun myself on the sand." Aeon grinned, paddling around. "Echo probably has it the worst though; that fur can't be easy in this heat, yeah?"

"You said it." Echo nodded. "It's hard enough just keeping it from getting tangled, but when it gets hot, it gets all frizzy and dry too... Gosh, I'm so glad we came here!" He dived happily below the surface.

Aeon watched him go, then turned to Liu, who was relaxing in the water with her eyes closed. "Liu, you wanna go get the beach toys?"

"No." She responded, flatly. "You do it." She promptly got a splash of water to the face, and sputtered, shaking her head. "HEY!" She growled, her eyes latching onto Aeon, who wore a big grin.

"Come on. You're all cooled off now, so walking a few feet away won't hurt you! Besides, you'd be more comfortable on an inner tube..." He prodded.

Liu grumbled, but she knew he was right. "Fine. But when I get back, I'm gonna pay you back for that splash twice as hard! You just wait!" Aeon stuck his tongue out, and Liu had to make a conscious effort not to swim over and deck him in the face, no water included.

She shook herself off and got out of the water, walking to where they had left the bag. "Stupid Aeon. Lazy jerk, making me go get the—" Her voice trailed off, as she saw the dent in the sand where their bag had been, but not the bag itself. "—stuff... What?" She blinked in confusion. "It was right here!"

Suddenly, a paw clamped over her mouth, while two more wrapped around her waist. Her eyes widened and she aimed a kick at her attackers, but missed. In her ear, a silky, smug voice purred "Now, now. Be a good kitten and go to sleep. Spilar?"

A large shadow fell over Liu, and she looked up, which was a mistake. She saw a whirlpool of color, and instantly, she was gone.

---

Liu woke some time later, her head pounding. She was still groggy, but as she tried to move her arms and legs, she found she couldn't, which woke her up a lot faster. "Huh...? Where am I?" She realized she couldn't see either; someone had blindfolded her. "What?! Where the heck am I?! This isn't funny! You'd better let me go, right now!"

"Now, that wouldn't do. We'd never get paid." The same, purring voice she heard earlier had returned.

"Paid?" Liu growled, turning her head this way and that, as if she might be able to see better from a different angle.

"Paid." The voice repeated, with a giggle this time. "But we'll get to all that in a moment. You might not be able to see them, but I'll introduce you anyway. These are my teammates. Sparks—"

"Whatever." Came a surly, female voice.

"Lizzie—"

"Heehee! Hiii, Liu!" This voice was bubbly and somewhat ditzy.

"Spilar, whom you met earlier—"

"A pleasure." A deep, droning voice said.

"And I, dear kitten, am Maisy. Together, we are known as 'Team Double T'." The voice cooed.

"Fat lot of good it does not being able to see you!" Liu snarled.

"True enough. Spilar, if you would? I think it's time." The silky voice purred.

Liu felt large, thick hands move around her head, and undo her blindfold. She flinched as the light hit her eyes, but her vision gradually adjusted. As she looked around, she saw she was in a cave made of reddish stone. Torches were mounted on the wall, but there was no visible way out of the cave; no sunlight or window holes. Then, she looked around her body. Her arms and legs had been restrained by thick, metal cuffs, mounted to a wall behind her. Finally, she looked down, at her captors, and had to resist the urge to laugh. The ones who had kidnapped her... were a Purrloin, Emolga, Minccino, and Drowzee.

Maisy, the one who had spoken first, caught Liu's amused expression and scowled. "We're tougher than we look." She regained her composure, and smiled. "The Emolga is Sparks. The Minccino is Lizzie. And the Drowzee is Spilar." Liu noticed that spilar was a good two feet taller than a normal drowzee, giving him an imposing figure. She quickly put together that he had been the shadow that loomed over her before.

"Great. It's so nice to meet you all. You gonna tell me what you want with me?" Liu snarked.

"Hm hm. Certainly." Maisy giggled. "You see, we run a certain... business. One that doesn't fall within the law, if you still consider this region to have any. Obviously, the kidnapping is part of it, as you might have guessed. But that's not why we get paid." Maisy smugly put a paw to her mouth. "We get paid... to torture people."

Liu's face blanched. "T-Torture?! For what? And what kind?! I don't know anything!"

Maisy laughed. "That much is obvious." Liu's face drew into a glare at this, as Maisy continued "Fear not. We don't maim or hurt our victims. None of the horrible tortures you are likely familiar with. I can't stand the sight of blood, anyway. No, what we do is... much more enjoyable. Mostly for us, but sometimes for our captives, as well. It's always a nice little treat when that happens."

"Enjoyable torture? You made that up." Liu growled. "What the heck is that supposed to be, exactly?"

"Well." Maisy smiled wider. "I can show you, better than I can tell you. But first, tell me honestly, are you ticklish, Liu?"

Liu stared at her uncomprehendingly. "Ticklish? No. At least, I don't... think so?" She shook her head, baffled. "What? What does that have to do with anything? This is stupid."

"Stupid, you say? My, my. How cruel of you to insult our work in such a way." Maisy said, pretending to sound hurt. "You'll make me cry. Boo hoo."

Liu, getting frustrated, yelled "I'm gonna do a lot more than that when I get out of here!" Her paws became cloaked in flame, as she readied Fire Fist. "I'm gonna melt these cuffs and kick your butt!" The cuffs began to turn a bright cherry red.

Maisy, unperturbed, turned to Spilar. "Spilar, if you would. Go easy on her and only use one eye, though — it's no fun if she's asleep." Spilar nodded and approached, looming over Liu. 

She glared up at him. "What do you want, now?!"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Spilar closed one eye, and instantly, his other one exuded a cone of bright color. As Liu gazed at it, the flames on her paws went out. The cuffs cooled down, turning grey, dull and lifeless once more. "Whaaaa...oooohhhhh... " Liu mumbled sleepily, her eyelids threatening to close on her.

As she grew weaker and weaker, Maisy stepped up and gently took Liu's chin in her paw. "No resistance, kitten. Or we'll put you back into a deep, peaceful snooze..."

Spilar stopped, stepping back, and Liu shook her head groggily. "That's... a dirty trick..." She muttered.

Maisy nodded. "Dirty, but effective. I trust there will be no further attempts at escape. Lizzie?" She called.

Lizzie stepped forward, revealing Team Oddity's black bag. Liu's eyes widened. "Hey, that's our bag! Did you take our stuff? That was supposed to be for the beach!"

"Oh, I know, kitten, but we've filled it with things that are much more fun than simple beach toys. Take a look!" Maisy purred. She unzipped the bag, and inside, Liu saw all kinds of odd tools. A bag of feathers, wire brushes, a few fine-toothed combs. 

"What in the name of..." Liu growled. "What the heck is all that stuff?"

"Our toolbox, naturally. Before we get started, I'm sure you still have more to say, so get it out  now, while you can." Maisy cooed, taking one of the brushes and patting it against her paw.

Team Rebirth, Aeon, and Echo have gotta noticed I'm missing. They're probably on their way to rescue me, but, how will they even find me in the first place? Maybe one of them saw where they took me? Either way, this is my chance to stall for time. Liu thought to herself. Aloud she said "Okay, well, let me ask this: who exactly is paying you to torture me? As far as I know, I don't have many enemies. Did someone from Sky Stairway ask you to do this?"

Maisy tutted her tongue. "I can't tell you that, unfortunately. More than our work, we value client confidentiality. We do the work, they pay us, and we never tell a soul. That's the job. Sorry, kitten."

Liu was disappointed. Well, no leads there. She asked "Fine. How about this: why do you guys do this to people?"

Maisy smiled. "Now, that is an excellent question. You see, our little group has had this happen to almost all of us ourselves, save Spilar. It's a service we offer that benefits us in more ways than one. We get to take our revenge on the world for our own experience, and we get paid for it. It's a win-win! ...Except for our victims, of course." Maisy smirked. "You get one more question."

Liu sighed. One more? I could ask where we are, but they'll never tell me. I could ask where they come from, or who supplies them, but those are both duds, too. They chose me for one of their 'clients', but I already know now they're not going to tell me that either. Whatever! It doesn't matter, I should ask something, anything, to get a little more time! She paused, then asked, in annoyance "Are you always this degrading to your victims?"

Maisy's eyes widened, and then she burst out laughing. "Haha! Unexpected, but a good question nonetheless." She smiled again, and shook her head. "Just you, kitten. And frankly, I'm excited."

Liu scowled. "Excited?"

"Mhm!" Maisy nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I've had many, many captives before. But to torture a Mew, and such a cute one, no less? Gosh. I just can't wait to hear you squeal with mirth, to slowly break you down and watch the tears run from your eyes. You're downright adorable."

Liu was disgusted. "You slimy creep." She spat.

Maisy rolled her eyes. "Such drama. I told you already, we don't do pain. Only pleasure. Now, shall we get started? Sparks, you're sure the cave is sealed and soundproofed?"

Sparks grunted. "Yeah. Same as always."

Maisy rutned to Spilar. "All witnesses' memories have been wiped?"

Spilar merely nodded, and Liu began to sweat. Memory erasure? How seriously do they take this garbage?

Maisy patted the brush against her paw again. "Then, it seems, the time for talking is over. Are you ready, dear Liu?"

Defiantly, Liu shouted "When my teammates get here they're going to wreck your face! Do your worst! You won't break me! I'll never give in!" She still wasn't sure what, exactly, they were going to do. However, she figured showing weakness would be bad.

Maisy dropped the brush, and her claws grew to twice their size, glowing white. She rushed at Liu, who flinched, but at the last moment, Maisy stopped, and instead traced Liu's face with a claw, whispering "Believe me, reckless kit. I will." She giggled, and retracted her claws, picking the brush up again.

Aeon, Echo, Team Rebirth, where are you?! There's no more time left! Hurry up and save me, already! Liu thought desperately. I hate the idea of being damsel in distress, but at this point I don't have any options...

Maisy paused, and then said cheerfully "Well then! Here we go!" Without further ado, she put the wire brush to Liu's soft, exposed stomach, and began brushing. Almost immediately, the sensation jolted through Liu's body, electrifying and hard to describe. It was pleasurable, but not in a way Liu wanted, and she had to try her best to hold in snorts and giggles as the brush ran up and down her body. She briefly thought back to what Maisy had said, and her heart sank. Wait. Ticklish? Oh. Oh NO. She bit her lip, and as Maisy continued to tickle her, it became harder and harder to hold it in. Yet, somehow, she managed.

"Oh? My, my, impressive!" Maisy snickered. "Such resolve. That will make this so much more fun. Sparks, Lizzie, grab your tools."

Sparks and Lizzie smiled, and reached into the bag, one grabbing a feather, the other, a comb. They started in on Liu too, tickling up and down her stomach and armpits, and her face began to redden from the effort of trying not to laugh. This went on for several minutes, before Lizzie spoke up. "Hey, Maisy? Maybe she's really not ticklish!"

"Shut up." Maisy hissed. "It was hard enough to get her here. Besides, look at her face. It's clear she's barely holding it together." Then, Maisy got an idea. She raised a paw, motioning for Sparks and Lizzie to back off. Surprised, they stopped, and took a few steps back. Maisy twirled a brush in her paw, and asked smugly "Any final words, Liu?"

Liu gulped, panting heavily. She had a feeling that, whatever was coming next, wasn't going to be fun. But even still, she tried to put up a brave front. "I'll... never... laugh..." Liu gasped. Catching her breath, she yelled, louder "I won't do it! You can't make me!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Maisy admonished. "That fiery attitude will end up getting you into a lot of trouble, someday. Nevertheless, I like a challenge. So, let's kick things up a notch, shall we?" Without warning, Maisy experimentally brushed Liu's hindpaws. Liu's eyes widened and she let out a lout snort of laughter, and everyone in the cave froze.

Then, smiles spread across all her captors' faces, and Liu felt as if they were eyeing her like predators. "L-listen." Liu tried to sound tough. "You... y-you better let me outta here right NOW! You're gonna get in big trouble if you don't!"

Maisy slyly answered "And why, in the world, after having found your spot, would we do that? Everyone has a spot, kitten. And yours just got let out of the bag." Without waiting for a response, Maisy started brushing against Liu's hindpaws, and Sparks and Lizzie quickly joined in.

Liu immediately burst into loud peals of laughter, her body straining against the cuffs. "HAHAHAHAHA! I HAHAHATE YOU ALL SOHOHOHO MUCH!! LEHEHET ME GOHOHOHOHO!"

"No dice, kitten!" Maisy yelled triumphantly. "You're stuck with us, and we're going to enjoy every minute of it!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOHOHOHOHOP! PLEHEHEHEASE!" Liu begged, tears welling in her eyes. "I CAHAHANT TAKE IHIHIHIT!" But her pleas went unheard. This is pokemon hell... it's gotta be... I can't imagine anything worse... Liu thought, her head clouded through the ticklish sensations. For almost three hours, Liu was trapped there, every part of her tickled over and over again. She had long stopped trying to speak, and simply became helpless to the laughter that seemed determined to force its way out of her, again, and again, and again...

Nobody's coming... Liu thought hopelessly. It's over... I'm going to be trapped here, as their helpless toy, forever... someone... anyone... please, help... Her thoughts became hazy and tears streamed from her face, her cheeks in pain from laughing and smiling so much. Her paws were beginning to twitch involuntarily from the constant tickling, and she felt herself beginning to lose consciousness. It seemed like there was no way out.

Then, suddenly, a loud BOOM sounded throughout the cave. Liu's vision was foggy as she watched light stream through the new entrance. She vaguely heard yelling, and blue and orange sparks began to fly; pokemon around her were fighting. One by one, she saw the blurry forms of her captors go down. Finally, she began to pass out, and the last things she saw were two faces, filled with worry, looking at her; one black, one white.

---

Liu slowly came to hours later. Her sleep, if it could be called that, was not restful. The sounds of her own screams and laughs plagued her dreams, and she sat up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. As she looked around, she noticed Echo, asleep nearby. Then she turned the other way, and Aeon sat next to her, also soundly sleeping. She waited for a few moments, then Aeon's ear twitched, and his eyes cracked open. "Whuh...?" He noticed Liu and his eyes widened. "Hey. Hey, Echo, everyone! She's awake!" The cave's floor began to quake as many, many pokemon came to surround Liu.

Aeon breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Arceus. We thought something terrible had happened to you."

"What... happened?" Liu asked, in a somewhat numb tone of voice.

Aeon took a deep breath, then began "Well, after you didn't come back from getting the beach stuff, me, Echo, and Team Rebirth started to get worried. We called your name and tried looking for you, but you didn't answer, which only made everyone more scared. Luckily, we saw a winding trail from where the bag had gone; seems like they were dragging it along the ground. We followed the trail out of the dungeon, but after that, it went cold. Luckily there were some pokemon with a pretty good sense of smell, so they helped us track you down. The rest, you probably saw." He chuckled. "We busted into the cave they had you in and me and Team Rebirth beat them up. I took on the Purrloin and Emolga, and Team Rebirth took on the Drowzee and Minccino." He paused. "The Minccino wasn't a big thing, but... they took on that massive Drowzee and wiped the floor with him. It was... awe-inspiring, but... terrifying, too. I wouldn't wanna get on their bad side." 

He looked to Liu. "When we brought you back, your stomach and the bottom of your hindpaws had turned all... red, and rashy. I don't know what happened in that cave—" He took note of Liu's face. "—And I've never seen you make that kind of face before, so, it's probably best I don't ask. But listen... Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

Liu looked at him, then gazed down at her paws, which were trembling. She'd never felt more powerless, more vulnerable... more weak, than she had in that cave. She reached out, almost grabbing Aeon's arm, as if for comfort. But at the last minute, she stopped, and dropped her paw. She clenched her jaw and said tonelessly "I'm fine."

Aeon paused. "But—"

"I said I'm FINE!" Liu yelled. "I need some time to myself, so just BACK OFF, CASANOVA!" It was an insult. Not a nickname, this time.

Aeon took a step back, looking hurt. Liu's eyes widened as she realized what she'd done. She stared at Aeon for a few moments. Then she backed away, before turning and flying out of Rebirth's Cave, fast. "Liu!" Aeon shouted in worry. But a paw rested on his shoulder, and he turned to see Delphox standing there. She shook her head, and Aeon turned back to the entrance, sighing sadly. "Oh, Liu..."

---

Back at Team Double T's cave, they were stewing. "Beaten by a bunch of nobody survivors, how pathetic." Maisy hissed.

"We're a disgrace." Sparks muttered. "That's the first time we've ever been found AND lost a victim."

"Yeah, but don't you guys think she was cute? Hehe... I like Liu!" Lizzie giggled, gently stroking her own tail.

Then, Spilar spoke. "We must have revenge."

The other three looked at him in surprise. But one by one, their faces soured. "Revenge... I like that idea." Maisy spat. "We'll get them back for this, mark our words."

"We're going to need to prepare. And we'll have to clear it with... 'him', too. But I'm all for it." Sparks growled.

"I can probably dish out some nasty bumps and bruises if I try real hard!" Lizzie smirked, snickering in a mischievous way.

"We're coming for you, Liu." Spilar said darkly. "You, Team Rebirth... and everyone who gets in our way. This isn't over. We're just getting started..."