*Maxwell's POV*

Walking down the hallway, I slowly laugh to myself, and a large group of people from a barricade in front of me blocking the entire corridor.

Oh look, it's the goons from yesterday...

"What do you want?!" I can't help but express my disgust for these guys.

*Flashback- Midnight Skirmish (Maxwell)*

Under the cover of night, I have one of the best ideas I've had all day here.

"Hey, you up?" I whisper to Nathan's sleeping body, as loud as I dare without waking up any of this school's staff. Neither he, nor the girl next to him, Sylvia, budges an inch.

Neither of them are awake. Good.

I smile and almost laugh, but I catch myself, knowing that too much noise will probably wake one of them. I pack up a few things, like my Shaymin's Pokeball, and sneak a glance at Nathan's wristwatch.

Well, it's almost 12:00. This would be the perfect time for some midnight partying! Let's see who I can get to help with this...

I slowly open the door to my dorm and silently move to another door, the one closest to me, and place my ear against the wood. I can hear two people shuffling about inside.

Perfect... I can get at least two people to join me.

I raise my hand to the door and slam my hand down on it a few times, for good measure. I wait a few seconds, and a tall man in a red sweater-vest opens the door. I assume his room-mate is asleep, which is good. I only want this one- he has a few protruding muscles, suggesting that he either plays as many sports a I do, or just works out too much. Both of those qualities would prove useful for a partygoer.

"Can I help you?" the man asks, not understand why I'm knocking at his door at midnight.

"I just came to tell you about a party someone's having at the cafeteria at around 12:30. I hear they're gonna raid it. Wanna come?" I ask, attempting to bait him with the idea of food. In reality, I just want to break this school, but raiding the cafeteria's food supplies could make it easier for me to accomplish that.

"Do I ever?!" he replies. The man's eyes gleam with malicious anticipation-

"I'll call up my boys and we'll meet you down there in a moment. Get ready for the biggest cleaning-house act we've ever pulled! If this works... Anyway, we'll be there in five. Get down there and start picking the main door's lock- I've got the tools to go from there."

"Roger that," I tell him, and he quickly pulls out his phone and begins contacting every one of his friends to inform them of this heist. Meanwhile, I head down to the cafeteria and begin fiddling with the lock there.

What's up with the security in this place? For a school, the locks are incredibly easy to pick... I think, snapping off the padlock with a single paper clip. THen, I bide my time and wait for that man and his cronies to show up. Luckily, I don't have to wait very long- in about five minutes, I have amassed a dozen rogues in the doorway.

"Ready for tonight?" I whisper to the waiting crowd, like I'm some sort of gang boss. They nod sequentially, and we take off into the cafeteria, each man running in with a separate tool used for breaking into a different part of the room.

A few of them rob everything in the vending machines, while another jumps behind a nearby counter and begins picking apart a cash register. Three of the men are sent to the back of the room to look for anything else useful to pick apart, while the rest of them guard the doors, making sure the teachers, if they're still on patrol, can't get inside. I laugh and join the group at the vending machines, tipping one over without making a sound and pulling my way into the coin return with a screwdriver.

I could get used to this- it's fun AND rewarding at the same time! It was a good move leaving Nathan- he would never have supported riches like this!

Ten minutes of thievery pass.

Thirty minutes.

An hours stretches by, and our group of thirteen continues to pick apart the cafeteria. Some of the goons have begun to pick through some of their edible wealth, scattering wrappers and trash everywhere.

Finally, after a solid hour and a half, the cafeteria looks like a cyclone had gone through it, and one of the men asks,

"Hey, someone want to fight me? I need to test the strength of my partner so I can take out Ms. Caytlen tomorrow. It's a big day for..."

"Shut it!" their "leader" orders him.
"I'll have to decline that offer- I'm not interested in wasting my time with..." I chide the man as forcefully as I can. This seems to rub him the wrong way, because he runs at me, yelling nonsensically.

I wouldn't underestimate me that easily...I think to myself, sidestepping the man's charge and throwing him to the ground with an uppercut to his gut.

This angers the entire group of thugs, and the leader screams out something in another language.

I know he's telling them to charge me- I just know it. But I don't think even I can take all of them at once. Wait a minute- I wonder if...

I throw my Shaymin's Pokeball to the ground, as the group of twelve runs at me.

"Do something!" I yell at the Pokemon, wrenching a nearby chair from a table just in case this plan didn't work.

The miniature Gratitude Pokemon appears out of the light, and the posse of thugs stops to laugh heartily.

"This is the best you can do? I thought that you would have a tough Pokemon to match your tough exterior, but that?! That... that thing isn't even a foot tall! Do you really expect something so small to even put a dent in my..."

He stops, mid sentence- he, and his entire gang freeze in place. A grimace works its way across the whole group, growing wider and more prevalent with every second.

"What did...? How did...?" the leader fumbles.

I glance over at my Shaymin, and I see that its teal eyes have turned a bright blue, diminishing its pupils in the process. The Gratitude Pokemon turns its head towards me, and it smiles- a pained smile, but I didn't care. It had done its job well, and that's what matters. Then, the Pokemon speaks, and, without it moving its mouth, I can hear every word that it says.

It's like it speaks directly into my mind- this could prove useful...

"Come on, let's... Get going! I... I can't hold these guys back for much longer! Please, let's get out of here!" my Shaymin cries, and a wide smirk accosts my face.

Laughing, I run over, scoop up the Shaymin, and quickly leave the cafeteria, forcing my potential assailants to deal with the aftermath of the damaged area.

As I run, I can hear my pursuers fumbling to get through the door. Apparently, whatever my Shaymin did to them doesn't last forever.

Regardless, if I'm going to carve a niche for myself here, I think my miniature "partner-in-crime" needs a name...

"I got it," I burst out, immediately covering my voice to ensure that nobody hears me,

"Nathan used to talk to me about the meaning of names all the time- he was practically obsessed with word origins..."

The thought of Nathan's studying causes my arms to tense up, unintentionally crushing the Shaymin. It utters a weak cry of pain, but I pay it no heed.

A sharp cry of,

"ENOUGH!" from behind me causes me to start, but, as it rings in my ears, the sound of footsteps recedes. I realize that the shout had been from the leader.

He must've called his group off- I don't particularly care why, but at least I can continue playing this little "game" that Pokemon Tech has to offer me.

I laugh to myself, happy at all the chaos I've caused tonight and ecstatic at the power that I can weild.

Meanwhile, the other "students" begin to discuss a few things once I'm out of earshot.

"Do you think he's crazy?" one of them asks the leader of the group.

"No, in fact I think the complete opposite. Maxwell is exactly what we need for Giovanni. It was just as the other squad reported; his heart is fueled by control- complete and utter dominance. He will make a great asset to the Biology unit of Team Rocket. Report back to Mr. Seitzer and tell him what we've learned- he'll tell you what to do next. Meanwhile, I have another role to play- that of a "repentant" faction boss. In the morning, find Maxwell and act like you adore him. If he asks, tell him I ordered you all to surrender to his will. That will fuel his ego even more. Now, go!" the leader says, disappearing down the hallway...

Meanwhile, I am on the way back to my dorm room, when a large shadow appears in front of me seemingly blocking the stairs

"What is it now?!" I snarl at the ominous black in front of me,

"I'm not in the mood for any more of your stupidity right now!" I hold Riku in front of me like a ward of some sort.

The shadow bends slightly, and a voice emanates from the middle of it.

"Kekekek! You just think this is a grapple for power, don't you? Let me let you in on a little secret, Maxwell- you're not the keenest Gastly in the library, are you? I think that title goes to me! Kekekek! Nathan's going to show you what I mean, soon enough!"

Riku gives out a small, sharp cry of alarm and opens his mouth. A small green orb appears, and the Shaymin flings it at the menacing shadow, making it disappear when it connects.

I can't help wondering once the apparition is gone,

That was Sylvia's Gengar, wasn't it? Hah, I'll get revenge on you for that soon enough. The day your life ends it tomorrow- I'll bide my time till then!

I glance down at my watch.

3:09 in the morning... Not much time for rest. But, if I want it, I'll just go to an abandoned part of the school and crash there- it's not a good idea to have Nathan waking up before me. If he gets his hands on Riku, my chances of ever coming to power here are next to none! I think, prowling around the school for a few more supplies for my revenge tomorrow.

While the sun's still coming up, I might as well grab as many things that I can. There's quite a bit I'll be doing in the morning!

*Flashback End (Maxwell)*

And if Nathan, or the others, particularly cares, then more power to him. I have a Shaymin and the support of the majority of my peers- what can he do to stop me?

A tall man walking down the hall accosts me and my posse. I immediately recognize the man to be Mr. Richards, and I give him my biggest faux grin, acting as innocently as I can to play on whatever he's about to attempt to chew me out for. He doesn't respond to my little charade, acting like nothing I could do will faze him.

"You know, Maxwell, your class is starting soon- you should be heading to your Biology homeroom before you're late. Mr. Seitzer may be a little more relaxed than me, but I wouldn't dare underestimate his wrath," he says coldly, turning and beginning to walk back to his own room. My peers part to create a pseudo-walkway for him, but I catch a few of them trying to trip him as he passes.

"And that's an order!" Mr. Richards snaps back at me before disappearing from sight.

Once he had passed, one of the bulkier boys asks,

"So, are you sure about this? You're sure we won't, like, get into trouble for this?" He cracks his knuckles, and I laugh, knowing that anything that anyone else could possibly do to me is nothing in comparison. On top of that, the entire staff here seems to be completely oblivious to my schemes- the way that they watch me go about my business so much, I'd say they encourage this sort of fun.

First, Mr. Seitzer talking to me about the wonders of cutting things open, and now Mr. Richards handing me that test, complete with every answer right in front of me. It's like they want me to be evil... Ahahaha, this is the life for me!

"I'm sure we'll be fine! Besides, I've got a vendetta with somebody that I met last night..."

Many of the people around exchange nervous glances. Perhaps they hope that they aren't the "somebody" that I'm referring to.

"Don't worry," I address the crowd,

"None of you did anything wrong, but you're all going to help me get my revenge!"

The nervous glances are quickly replaced with shouts of joy and hearty laughter.

"Follow me, I've got something to show you all," I wave down the hallway, and my peers follow me to a small supply closet that I had geared out with smoke bombs, among other things, last night. When the first few guys see my stash, a smile crosses their faces.

This is gonna be good with all of these people helping- that Gengar's not gonna be haunting anything else this side of tomorrow! Ahahaha!

"Gear up- we've got a job to do. Meet me in the library in fifteen minutes," I tell them, as bluntly as a commander would, before jogging off to take my position near the library. As I walk, I throw my Master Ball to the ground, just in case I have to deal with someone, and as Riku appears out of the opening capsule, I quickly grab him in my arms. The Shaymin gives a few sharp cries of pain, but I ignore all of them.

"Your.. grip..." Riku pleads,

"Please... Please loosen it... I... I can barely breathe..."

I turn my head and keep walking.

If he's going to wimp out like that, I've just got to get to the library before he gets the chance to! My plan makes perfect sense in my mind, until I feel Riku's body go slack in my arms. I stop to look at him, and I realize he's unconscious.

"Fine, you useless little..." I hoist the tiny Pokemon above my head and throw it at the nearest wall in anger. Riku crashes into the corner and slumps forward. For a moment, I wonder if I've killed him.

"I'm willing to bet that little stunt of yours in the cafeteria was all luck, anyway. You don't have any real power, so you're useless! Sayonara, Riku!" I laugh and walk on.

Luckily, the other teachers are already teaching their respective classes, so I face no interruptions on the way due to my little detour, and, a minute or so later, I am face-to-face with the heist of the century.

Now I've only got about an hour and fifteen to get this done, but I can manage. This'll be easy!

The brass doors are already open, signifying that someone else is inside. I take a quick peek around before realizing that the entire place is vacant.

Or that's what it wants me to believe! I smile.

Staring at the inside of the library gives me a confidence unlike anything I've ever felt before.

I... I feel... alive! Like this is what I was meant to do! You messed with the wrong guy, you filthy Gengar! Me and my boys are gonna get rid of you right where you are!

The sound of footsteps behind me causes me to whirl around. My band of miscreants is right behind me, ready to wreck the place.

"Ahh, there you all are. You ready?" I call out. They nod, and each takes aim with their specified projectile.

Adieu, my Ghostly friend! I silently say to the library, and give the signal for the waiting hooligans to throw.

Immediately, the inside is painted with an armada of flying objects: everything from paintballs to smoke bombs covers the library in a flurry of smoke and debris.

The vandalists and I have to step back to avoid breathing in the fumes from our bombs, and we wait for a few minutes while the cloud of bits and pieces of paper and cushion dissipates. By the end of the escapade, each and every member of my group had expressed his gratitude. Most are something along the likes of,

"That was great, Maxwell. Can we do this to another part of the school sometime later?" but, amongst the joviality of our success, a pair of red eyes peeks out of the library's wreckage.

"You shouldn't have done that..." an unseen voice emanates from the eyes. A few of the guys jump backwards in shock when they hear it, but I'd grown accustomed to the annoying ominous voice of Gengar.

"You're not gone yet?! Hmph, insolent pest! Try this on for size!" I roar at the materializing Shadow Pokemon, readying my hand with another smoke bomb.