"So then I told her, how many of these things exist now, anyways? She looked at her Pokedex and told me there were at least seven hundred. Can you believe that? There are only two hundred fifty something that you can find locally in Johto." Dill says over CrobatChat.

"Mhm." I say, holding the Pokedex up to my ear and letting my feet swing down. "You know, speaking of things they don't have in Johto... just look how versatile these Pokedexes are. Over in Johto they use Pokegears, but here the 'dex does just about everything."
"I know! Aren't they great? Anyways, so I'm looking at her Pokedex and I see she's seen all the Eeveelutions. She had the five we know, but also these three weird ones I had never seen before. So I look closer and I notice one is a grass type and that's when it dawns on me- Pickleons are real."
"What's a Pickleon?"
Bronze looks up from the TV seriously and says in a deep voice, "Did you say Pickleon?"
"Yes, but-"
"Can I see that?"

I hand him the Pokedex and he and Dill begin chatting it up.
"Yeah, that's awesome buddy. Shika has some really cool stories to tell."
"I'm pretty sure it's called a Leafeon."
"No, it's not blasphemy. It's really is Leafeon."
"I think it's a great name."
"If you want to get one and name it Pickles, no one is stopping you. Go for it!"

"Alright, bye!"

He hands me back my Pokedex. "Nice to know he hasn't changed at all."
I nod. "Have you met anyone from the old team?"
"I actually ran into Dill and Toxis myself a few days after meeting you. Did they mention they say me?"
I shake my head. "No, they didn't."
Shauna moves in next to us. "How would I know if I met one of them? Just for future reference."

"Well, they'll probably give you a gut sensation of some sort, and they may seem very Pokemon-like in nature. Golden eyes are the giveaway, naturally. We're looking for a Geodude, a Butterfree, a Crobat, a Hoothoot... and who were the other two after I... you know?"

"I actually saw Gaia. I think she's doing pretty well. The other two were a Gyarados and a Miltank. I wasn't particularly fond of either." Bronze bites his lip. "I really screwed up a lot of things after you left."
Shauna sits silently as we press against each other, comforted by our shared warmth. This lasts for a total of ten seconds before I hear Shruikan announce casually, "Oh look, there are riots by the Pokeball Factory."
"We should probably see what's up. Everyone got their team?"
"Not everyone." Chrona says. "Lilly, Nina wanted to say she was retiring to the PC for a bit. We got Ozzy out to take her place for the time being."
"Wait, is she okay? How did you guys get into my PC?"
Nephthys shakes her coat out and says briskly, "If you get any illegal charges of Pokemon duplication, give them your files and the crime will be traced back to an account in Kanto."
I don't know what to say to this, so I say nothing and instead take out Ozzy's Pokeball. "Alright, come on out then."
The tiny goo ball looks around, blinks, and sticks out his tongue.

"Remind me why Goomy is a dragon-type again?" Rune says with his trademark snark.

"We can introduce him to Crypt when we're outdoors." I say. It's a shame most of our accommodations don't have room for him. Chrona's pushing it too, but Crypt is a pushover while Chrona... not so much.

All three teams clamber down the stairs and outside. Ozzy finds a new seat on Crypt's head and we we find mobs trying to get into the factory. A large portion where Pokeball Factory uniforms. They yell angrily, "We'll sue for this!" and "The police will arrive with back ups any moment!"

This is interrupted by a police officer yelling, "Everyone, clear out! Vulcan, Fire Blast!"
"Aye-aye, Boss!" yells an Arcanine and a giant blast of fire streaks past me and blasts the door open. Inside are dozens of Team Flare grunts, ready for battle. Almost the whole organization must be here, and their Pokemon are nasty. I catch snarling Mightyenas and Houndooms alike, along with the rare Crobat or Toxicroak. The workers send out their own Pokemon, but their numbers pale in comparison to the amount Team Flare has.

"They're trying to take over Pokeball production?" Shauna asks.

"Worse. They're attempting to cut us off." Thistle says, tightening his grip around Shauna. "Be careful."
"There's no way the police can take this. They're outnumbered." Bronze says. "We've gotta help."
"Yeah, like they're going to let us in." snorts Rune.

A distance away, at the edge of the fighting Pokemon, I notice Valerie, the gym leader from earlier in the week. She points to us and says a few words. A police officer approaches us.

"Valerie believes you are capable of helping us make a difference in this fight. While we normally don't approve of civilian interference, we ask that you cooperate and help us dispatch these villains. As an incentive, we offer a Master Ball for your services."
"It's dangerous in there. What if we decline?" asks Shauna, although her voice sounds different. I notice Thistle whispering something into her ear and she continues, "There are risks involved in putting civilians in danger. These are perilous risks for both us and the integrity of your department." Thistle looks up. He must be feeding her the words. Shruikan and Rune are similarly aggravated by this, although Rune looks kind of bored if anything.

The police officer leers. "There just so happen to be certain risks in being an unregistered Goldeneye in Kalos, much less two and potentially three of them. We rarely interfere with your kind, so it's not a major penalty, but there's also the chance of this making headlines, which I'm guessing is something you'd rather avoid. Can we count on your assistance?"
"Are we really being blackmailed by the police? This is just low." Rune snarls.

"It would appear that way. Her aura indicates she is scared." Nico replies.

I look up at her, and my stomach churns. Bronze looks at Shauna and I in turn. "Bribery aside, it's the right thing to do. I have a score to settle with Team Flare."
"They did kill Hale." Shauna says to Thistle.

"I think we can take them." I say.

Bronze reaches a hand out and shakes the officer's firmly.

"I knew I could count on you."