A new world, a new mind.

Lala looked up from her spot behind the desk, folding the paper and nodding at the small party of Pokemon and mare that entered the building. “Hello. Renting, or visiting?” the Leavanny asked.

“Er...visiting. I’m looking for Alice Maximilion,” the Lucario in front said. “Tell her its from Jonathan Trace.”

Bit’s form had appeared at the stairs, but upon hearing that the party of ‘mon and pony were only here to visit, turned around and went to make for the basement again. Meanwhile, Vincent’s ‘voice’ made itself known.

Ah, hello. My apologies that I cannot greet you in person. I am a bit busy at the moment, but I can spare you some concentration for a greeting and directions.

“Ah...that’s fine. I was really just looking for my friend. Is Alice here?” he asked.

There was silence for a moment before Vincent responded again. Yes, but you won’t like what happened. Allow me to apologize in advance before I tell you...yesterday, she had a headache, and one of her partners asked for some headache medication. I accidentally gave her some that I used when I was an Abra, mistaking it for some over-the-counter pills. The effects of said dosage should have worn off by now, but if they haven’t...I apologize again. I would never do that knowingly or willingly.

Hearing that, Jonathan relaxed a bit. “Alright, I’ll believe you that it was an accident. Still, could you call her down?” he said...then face pawed when he realized how stupid the request was. “Right...she’s a Zoroark now. No psychic communications for her. Which floor?”

According to Bit, she and the ponies she came in with are on floor six. I’m...not sure where, they handled the organizing of who got what apartment themselves. But seeing as how there are only four choices, you have a 25% chance of finding her on your first shot.

“...works for me,” Jonathan shrugged as he walked up the stairs.

“So…” Echo started, the little Noibat flittering about, “Should we follow him, or should we give them some privacy?”

“...Let’s leave him be. And Echo, please choose your words carefully. Jonathan would never do that to Alice...at least not yet,” Howl sighed.

“So...what’cha got to do around here?” Heat asked.

This place runs on slash by Pokemon power when applicable. Seeing as how the refit is no longer going on, the only real things of note are James and the rooftop garden of Berries, or Jessie and Meowth helping Bit with his experimental computer in the basement, or the Wobbuffet sneaking up behind you.

“Wobbuffet,” the aforementioned psychic commented suddenly.

“I see…” Howl sweat dropped, as thanks to the warning, they weren’t too startled. “Hm...Jessie, James, and Meowth? Ex-Team Rockets?”

Wobbuffet leveled a glare at the gathered ‘mon in front of him. “Wob-buf-FET,” he stated.

Now now, you know they brought that on themselves. And yes, they are. Emphasis on EX. Once they arrived and settled in, James became our gardener, Jessie, Bit’s assistant, and Meowth was quite valuable for my research. Wobbuffet is of course our resident defensive expert, and I’d rather old grudges don’t resurface here.

The Pokemon just shrugged. “Fair enough. No point in picking at old wounds,” Howl said.

As this was happening, Alice’s team decided to give them some privacy, and thus went down to the lobby. Unsurprisingly, when they got to the lobby, they were greeted by the sight of Jonathan’s team who were conversing with a blue pony and...trying to talk to Wobbuffet with...limited results.

“Yo, looks like you guys are healthy as always,” Rascal started catching their attentions.

“Well now, if it isn’t Alice’s buddies. I was wondering where you guys were. Great to see you all, Rascal, Spinner, Charlotte...” Howl chuckled, but stopped slightly when he got to the end. “Shade…” he finished, before quickly moving away, trying to hide the small blush on his face.

Just then, the form of a Kadabra appeared next to Lala’s desk in a flash of blue light, a mug of coffee in one hand, the other alight with a blue glow. Her recently-finished paper jumped from the desk to said hand, and he began reading it with rapt attention. Though he had made an effort to clean himself thoroughly, anymon with a sensitive enough nose would be able to tell what, and who, he’d been doing ten minutes prior…

“Seriously? At this hour?” Howl groaned as the smell of sex hit his nose. “Can’t you and your mate wait till night at least?”

“You try reasoning with a Lucario in Heat,” Vincent said, holding the paper open with his power as he took a sip. “Tell me how that works out for you when you try denying them their favorite ‘toy’.”

“Yeaaaah...too much info,” Heat deadpanned. “Sorry we asked.”

“Don’t worry, Rascal here asked something like that the first day we were here too,” Shade commented, earning a glare from said Weavile.

“I’d apologize for the scent,” Vincent commented as he speed-read the paper, “But I do my best with what few breaks I can force her to give me, and I only end up coated in more anyways. I get the feeling I’m only going to stop smelling like this once her session is done with. After which, of course, comes the adventure of a pregnant Lucario, which I’m sure will be just so much fun.”

“...Well, at least you don’t have to worry about dying of exhaustion. That’s always a good thing,” Rascal snorted.

“Ah, that was the first day,” Vincent reminisced before returning to the paper. “Now, if we’re done talking about my sex life, is there anything either of your parties needs while they’re here?”

The group thought about it for a moment before shaking their heads. “Nah, I think we’re good for now. Anything interesting going on in this town right now?” Echo asked.

“You mean besides Fox coming here, or the slight uptick in anti-Pokemon stories her appearance has brought out? Not much that I can see at the moment, though I don’t like this...undercurrent in the stories as of late. I think something’s stirring in the town, but I don’t know what or how big it’s going to be,” Vincent said as he finished the paper and set it back on the desk.

“Well that certainly sounds ominous,” Heat snorted. “Somehow I don’t think that Fox is responsible for the anti-Pokemon stories though. Especially considering some of the younger ponies from the other towns we came through actually look forward to seeing her heists,” he snorted. “It’s just like back on Earth. That thief is just so good at entertaining a crowd, just one of her notices can sometimes bring crowds coming.”

“Oh I have my doubts as well,” Vincent replied. “Still, the art of the negative conversation… inferring things based on what is not said, and how it is not said, is something I picked up there. Normally I’d expect such a thing as what she pulled off to incur at least two or three stories about it, filled with anti-mon sentiment.” Vincent idly tapped the paper with one hand as he continued. “But the only thing in the paper is a main-story article, with a continuation on a later page as to how they think she did what she did. Nobody appears to be overly worried about her in general, from the common pony to the criminal ones, which worries me.”

“Welcome to our world. Even back on Earth, Fox was only really wanted officially. To the public? She was basically the next biggest sensation since contest idols. Heck, sometimes some people actually went to sites of her soon to be heists wearing cosplays of her. Not to mention that one time with a fan club...” Echo sighed, though all of them sweat dropped at the last one.

“Well, that’s certainly something. I’d ask Bit, but…” Vincent sighed and shook his head. “He’s...rather fragile right now. Doesn’t take failing well, and he tried to stop her.” He perked up and looked to the roof before sighing again. “Duty calls. Take care.” With that, he vanished in another flash of blue.

“Wobbuffet,” the other Psychic-type in the room commented.

“I still have no idea what you said, but I’ll assume it was appropriate,” Shade idly commented.

Once, there had been a unicorn pony whose talent lay with getting other people to understand what they could tolerate, then subtly manipulate them into going past that. He could have been a good pony, but Tolerance chose to work for the mob families in Las Pegasus, selling his skills to the highest bidder.

Once, he’d had a brother. A pegasus who not only enjoyed, but reveled in violence. His talent even showed that off: it was of a knife, its end coated in blood and dripping.

Once, that pony had been committed to a ward for the criminally insane, locked up beyond all measure. The guards outside his room were rotated on a weekly basis, and any who actually survived watching over him were paid extra.

Once, Mayhem had been imprisoned. But just the other day, the new guy on the shift had taken over, and commented to his superiors as to the ease of his job. That the prisoner hadn’t made a peep all night.

Once, that pony was locked away from prying eyes. Quick Notes really should have left him there.

“You understand what I want?”

The pegasus looked up from the table at the mare across the table, his eerie smile never leaving his face.

“Oh, I understand what...you want,” Mayhem replied. “You want me to find this...this Unity building,” he hissed. “And then you want me to find this family of Pokemon...and squeeze them just a little bit tighter.”

Quick Notes nodded her head. “That’s correct. I’m putting in a few things right now that’ll put pressure on them, and you’re welcome to any ponies or ‘mon of mine you need. I suggest going for Dark or Bug types, supposedly Psychics do terribly against them.”

“Never really cared for bugs,” Mayhem commented, one hoof sliding across the table towards the knife on it. “So...that’s all you want? Me to play with this family?”

“And in exchange, you can play in the city all you want,” Quick finished. “He took out Mind. I want him working for me before I go forward with any major plan. The newspapers listen, but it’s not enough.”

“So…” Mayhem looked back up to Quick Notes. “Where are these...Pokemon you think I should take with me?”

The knocking at the front door got Lala’s attention very quickly. She got up from behind the desk and opened the door, revealing the pony there. “This the Unity Building?” he questioned gruffly.

“Indeed,” Lala said. “May I ask-”

Her sentence was cut off by a thick brown envelope being thrust at her. “You’ve been served,” he commented before turning around and walking off. Perturbed, the Leavanny walked back to her desk and opened the bulging thing with one claw. A mess of legal papers spilled out, and she scanned them all quickly. Each one was some sort of agency or utility department filing charges for violations against either the building itself, or Vincent and the pony landlord.

Sensing her confusion, Vincent appeared in the lobby and noticed the mess of paperwork. “Is...oh this cannot be right,” he said after reading one. His mood only got darker and darker the more papers he went through, and by the time he read them all, he was livid.

“Whoever did this will rue this day,” the Kadabra vowed, a spoon in each hand and glowing slightly.

“Okay, so from what I’ve gathered,” Vincent said as he spread the papers in front of him, all of them aglow, “these charges are all about how we didn’t go through the ‘proper channels’ for our renovation, along with using untested technology for some of it.” The psychic sighed before forcing the papers into a neat pile.

“All of them say I need to go to the courthouse and dispute the charges in person, or rather, in ‘pony,’” he snorted.

“Sounds like a load of Tauros shit to me,” Jonathan commented. “While I can’t say for the ‘untested technology’ part, I know a few basic laws, and you already got the okay from the landlord, who as far as I’m aware, owns this land and building outright,” he said. “Furthermore, I don’t see anything about a defense attorney, or anything that should appear in a normal case in court. I dunno what’s going on, but I smell a rat.”

There was an indignant squeaking from a corner, as a small family of Rattata scurried on their way, though not without glaring at Jonathan.

“I didn’t mean you guys!” he quickly called after them.

“And as for him owning the building outright,” Vincent picked up, “I did pay him, both with Bits and with installing the technology, so we’re co-owners.”

“Still, something’s up,” Sam said, having gotten off of work not too long ago and eyeing the pile of documents. “Why didn’t we get any warnings or inspectors or the like?”

“I dunno, but I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Vincent growled. “These ponies are going to learn why not to mess with our family.” He set the documents to hover behind him as he went for the front doors, but stopped as he felt a paw on his shoulder.

“Not alone, you’re not. This whole thing reeks of something foul, and I wouldn’t put it past whoever is running this scheme to arrange for you to have a little ‘accident’. I’m coming along, AND I’m reporting this to Ace,” Jonathan said.

Vincent’s expression softened a touch at the Lucario’s words. “Fine,” he muttered. “Come along if you must, but I doubt anyone will get the drop on me.”

“Trust me kid, if its one thing I’ve learned, is that its ALWAYS possible for someone to get the drop on you. Of course, in my case, only Fox has ever done that, but the point still stands,” he said.

As the party of ‘mon made their way out of the building, a pegasus took note and smiled his eerie, never-fading smile.

That mare knew how to bait a good trap. He’d have to kill her last in thanks.

The town was eerily quiet as Vincent, Jonathan, and his partner ‘mon walked down the street towards the courthouse.

“Not to sound like some old movie, but...It’s quiet. Too quiet,” Heat said, his expression dead serious.

“Yeah,” Vincent commented. “But I’m not picking up on anything besides us, so...wait, scratch that, pegasus just came into range.”

“Well, we’d better see what he wants. Heat, if he proves hostile, submission maneuvers. Catch his wings, and if needs be, twist them,” Jonathan ordered, his voice cold as his instincts were warning him to be careful.

Around the corner came more than just a pegasus pony, though. He was accompanied by a Houndoom, a Liepard, a Mightyena, and even a Scrafty. The pony himself was rust-red with a grey mane, and his mark did not inspire confidence that he would be reasonable. His voice just removed any doubt.

“Pardon me, but is one of you Vincent Nurem?” he questioned as a knife was held by his right wing, somehow. That voice sent shivers down the Kadabra’s spine.

“Oh yeah? Who wants to know?” Jonathan growled, stepping in front of Vincent. His instincts were telling him that this guy was trouble, and the vibe he was giving...somehow he doubted Ace would be too upset if this guy came back in a body bag.

“Everyone calls me Mayhem,” the pony responded. “I’m here to give Vincent a little lesson in why you don’t mess with mob families.” The Pokemon next to him nodded in unison as he finished his statement. “So, is that him there?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Doesn’t matter, you’re not getting him. I’ll see to that. So here’s the deal. either you come quietly, and tell us who put you up to this, or we’ll do this the hard and PAINFUL way. Your choice,” Jonathan said as he and Heat stepped forward, their postures defensive.

“Oh, I love doing things the painful way,” the pony stated. “Others always make such interesting screams. And if you think I’m going back to that cell, well, you must be crazy. I’m getting that kid, one way or another.” The knife moved to a hoof and was pointed at Vincent’s shivering form.

“Get him,” Mayhem commanded of the four who’d accompanied him.

Jonathan didn’t answer, instead, he merely glanced at Heat, their eyes making contact, and Heat just smiled. No holding back. They were dealing with a maniac, and they would not let him get away.

The four Pokemon charged, yet the two Fighting-types simply stood their ground. Seeing an opportunity, the Houndoom and the Liepard lunged for them. However, just as they were about to pounce, the two officers moved.

Taking a quick step forward, both delivered devastating thrusts into their assailant’s abdomens, knocking the wind out of them, before grabbing them, and promptly flipping them like flapjacks, before throwing them at the remaining two Pokemon, leaving them tumbling into a heap. When they stopped rolling, Jonathan simply gave them a ‘come here’ gesture.

“You’re going to regret that,” Mayhem said, flipping his knife back to his wing and deciding to join the fray. “C’mon, get up you four. I need that kid, and you said you could do this.”

“Now!” Jonathan suddenly shouted, as Heat rammed his right claw into the ground, hard with his special Rock Smash, the shock causing rocks to jut out, while also creating a shockwave that threw their opponents off balance. At that moment, Jonathan surged forward in a burst of Extreme Speed, his fist glowing with a Focus Punch, which he delivered right into the guts of the Scrafty and the Mightyena, before nailing the still dazed Liepard and Houndoom with a roundhouse kick, sending all four flying back. To top it off, he landed a haymaker on Mayhem’s side, while grabbing his knife, and wrenching it free. “Had enough?” he challenged, before casually snapping the knife in half, the weak metal worthless before his strength.

The pony got back to his feet and actually glared at Jonathan, his smile finally slipping. “I am not going back empty-hooved,” he hissed.

“Keep this up, and I’m going to have to send you back with BROKEN hooves. So do yourself a favor and come quietly,” Jonathan shot back.

“I don’t do quietly,” Mayhem replied, glancing at the shards of his knife. “And if you think I’m powerless without my knife, I’m going to wonder what you’re on.”

He proved his words by snatching one of the sharp metal shards with his wing and flinging it at high speeds towards Heat.

The Combusken didn’t look impressed, as a single burst of Flamethrower melted the metal shards to puddles.

“Fair enough,” the pony replied. “Still can’t go back without the kid, so your words are meaningless.” With that, he took to the air, hovering and looking behind the two intently.

“Oh no you don’t! Heat, Rocket Uppercut!” Jonathan shouted, as he immediately got down to one knee, his paws joined together in front of him.

“Gotcha!” Heat nodded, before stepping on his paws, and was promptly pushed upward, his claws glowing with a Sky Uppercut that was enhanced by the velocity.

Mayhem took the brunt of the attack on his chin, flipping over several times before landing on his back, more specifically, landing on his wings, which cracked audibly. While he didn’t scream, he did still pass out from the pain.

“Its not over yet,” Jonathan said, eyeing the other Pokemon dangerously. “Anyone else want some?”

The four Dark-types took one look at the scene, and made their choices.

“Screw this!” the Mightyena said. “Nobody said anything about Fighting-types!”

The other three voiced their agreement and bolted with him, vanishing down the road.

“Smart boys,” Heat smirked, before picking up the unconscious pony. “Should I check for consciousness?”

Jonathan simply walked up to the Pony, and promptly landed a sharp blow on a spot on his head that would guarantee that he was unconscious. “No consciousness,” he chuckled, before turning back to Vincent… “Wait...where did Vincent go?”

Heat looked around, and noticed that Vincent wasn’t there at all. “Huh? He was here a minute ago,” Heat said, perplexed.

A cry of pain from one alleyway, a familiar cry, got their attention.

“Found him!” Heat shouted, before they both dashed in the direction of the scream.

“Looks like we must have missed one…” Jonathan growled, before closing his eyes, and pumping his Aura into his legs. Whoever was doing this was gonna be in for a world of hurt.

Unnoticed by Heat or Johnathon, once they had engaged the Dark-types that were rushing blindly at them, there had been one who was slightly smarter than them and approached from the back. The only warning that Vincent got was a slight rustle of wings before a pair of claws strapped around his shoulder blades and pulled him into the air.

“Hey there kid, mind if we take this party somewhere a bit more private eh?” a playfully snarky voice asked from above.

Vincent’s breathing quickened as he was carried off. The panic kept him from thinking rationally or sanely, otherwise he might have simply tried to Teleport out of the claws holding him. At the moment, all he was doing was looking down and hoping whoever had him didn’t decide to just let him drop. The claws dug deeper into his skin and a few trickles of blood ran down from them before Vincent was suddenly falling towards the ground face first.

The first thing to come to mind was Luke’s lessons, thankfully...though probably only out of reflex, as the sensation of falling triggered his levitation skills so painstakingly earned. With a little less grace than normal, the psychic came to rest on the ground below, stumbling a bit as he did, before remembering to turn and face his attacker.

Said attacker flew into view, a large Honchkrow who was grinning from one side of his beak to the other. “Oh good, good, I didn’t want you to get too smoothed just yet, I prefer them silky when I can get them that way,” the Dark type said with a chuckle. “Did you enjoy your ride ‘milord’? Sorry you didn’t get first class seats but I can only do so much.”

Vincent slowly backed up as he recalled the facts about the species. He could almost hear Bit’s voice as the classification ran through his head. ‘Honchkrow. Dark/flying. My psychic powers hold no ground here. I’m...I’m helpless...again...unless he gets close enough for my Charge Beam to hit him, I’m not going to be able to hurt him...’

“What’s the matter milord, here I’ve heard all these amazing things about you,” the Honchkrow asked, tilting its head to the side as it began to fly lazily around him. “Way I heard it you like to go throwing your weight around like you’re some kind of Champion.”

“I do what I must to survive, for my family to survive. Not just that, but thrive,” Vincent said aloud. “Why are you here?”

“Same reason as you really,” the Pokemon replied with a chuckle as his wings suddenly flashed and he was in front of Vincent, slashing his dark glowing claws across the Kadabra’s face before skirting away as blood leaked down. “I’m making a living for my dear chicks milord.”

“Agh!” Vincent cried as he put a hand up to his face, considering using Recover already, but deciding not to tip his hand. “Try that again, I fucking dare yo-”

And in a flash of darkness the claws sank into his face, cutting deep into his cheek before the bird flew away again, chuckling mockingly down at him. “Oh milord, not the best time to be making threats I think.”

Vincent screamed again, but this time he knew better than to say anything before reaching for Charge Beam. His arms started to glow a little, but hopefully his natural colors would keep the move hidden from the bird. This time, he kept kneeling and waited for his cue, the sound of his attacker flying close. Flying was still weak to Electric, this should make him consider twice if it worked.

He heard the sound of wings overhead and aimed one hand skyward, already focusing his electricity up towards his foe. Before the beam could discharge however, he felt a powerful impact into his gut, driving the air from his body and launching the beam skywards harmlessly.

“Ahahahaah, a nice attempt milord but I’m afraid you’ll have to do a bit better than that,” the Honchkrow mocked him.

Vincent breathed slowly, deciding that if nothing else, he’d go down fucking swinging. “Recover,” he stated bluntly, picking himself up as his wounds closed over. He glared at the dark-type with all of his not-inconsiderable hatred while they did.

“Oh, oh that’s splendid! You know Recover!” the Honchkrow crowed in amusement before he dived back down and slashed against Vincent’s chest, opening up more flesh wounds before coming around for another pass at the back of Vincent’s head, claws opening up more bloody wounds.

Release, Vincent thought, though he didn’t really need to: the seal was already weak because of the situation. A small glow escaped his form as he teleported two feet to the right, just enough to make the bird miss his latest attempted blow.

The Honchkrow banked in the air and cawed out another laugh. “Come milord, attack me,” he looked at Vincent and closed with him before he could teleport again, slashing deeply across his chest, more blood leaking down him. “If you’re just going to stand there and take it this will only be so fun.”

In response, Vincent reached up and grabbed the bird by the neck, bringing his head down until the two were eye-to-eye. “My name,” he hissed, “Is Vincent Nurem. I have seen shit you would not believe. I have experienced pain you would not understand. If you think this hurts, try again. If not for your Dark-typing, you wouldn’t be so fucking jovial.”

“Oh milord misunderstands me, I’m only after a little foul play!” the dark type replied, bringing his claws out hard into Vincent’s chest, hitting him with the same amount of power that Vincent himself normally reserved for others.

The Kadabra staggered back and let go of the bird as he held one hand over his torso, glaring at his avian assaulter. “I’m not going down easy,” he stated simply. “In fact, who said I had to go down at all?” With that, there was a flash as the floor of the alleyway was covered in copies of the Kadabra.

“Oh no, what am I to do?” the Honchkrow asked seemingly helpless. “When confronted by so many handsome lords, oh what am I to do?”

“Shut up and go unconscious!” came Jonathan’s voice. The Honchkrow turned...just in time to see Jonathan’s foot plow into his face, and since said limb was being flooded with Jonathan’s aura...he soon found himself embedded into a wall.

“... bloody rouges...” the Honchkrow muttered before he passed out.

“You okay, kid?” Heat asked, as the Kadabra copies disappeared.

“Yeah, sorry we couldn’t help you sooner. Guess we were too preoccupied with the opponents right in front of us,” Jonathan said.

Vincent’s form glowed as he both channeled another Recover into himself, then sealed his strength back up again. He glared at the bird, before looking at Jon and Heat with only slightly smaller glares. “Which was probably their plan. I’m taking the Vincent Express to the station,” he said, before vanishing in a burst of blue.

“...gee, don’t mind us, not like we won’t mind a ride,” Heat said sarcastically, though there wasn’t much heat behind it considering what Vincent had just gone through.

“Come on, Heat. Walking is healthier anyway. Wouldn’t want to get pudgy now,” Jonathan joked, before the two of them shared a laugh as they hefted both the Honchkrow and the stallion over their shoulders and headed for the Guard Station.

“His name is Mayhem,” Ace said, looking at the newest arrival to her jail. “Or rather, that’s what everypony calls him. If there was anyone that knew his birth name, it would have to have been his parents. Shortly after having Tolerance,” here she snorted, “The colt grew jealous of all the attention they were giving him, and, well, that square is still burned down today. He just stood there and watched the fires burn. Luckily, or not, depending on how you look at it, we saved the foal, but quite a few ponies died in the surrounding buildings. And then he got worse.”

“Translation: He’s a psychopath,” Jonathan deadpanned, having run into his fair share of them back on Earth. “But what’s he doing on the streets? Shouldn’t he be locked up?”

“Mmhmm,” Ace responded. “I put him into a mental institution, and for the past ten years, he’s stayed there. Caught him mid-torture. He’s...unpredictable, save for one thing: he loves to bring others pain, and prefers to use a knife to do it. Likes to draw it out.” She said flatly. “Sometimes the mob families would pay him to do something, and he’d do that job, and do it well. But there was usually collateral. Eventually they stopped paying him, and he killed anyways. His death toll is relatively low, but that’s only because he didn’t like getting new ‘toys’ after the old ones broke.”

“Well...just make sure he STAYS in there this time. I’d recommend straight jackets with chains. Throw in a muzzle if needs be. Can’t be too careful with those types,” Jonathan sighed. “Anyway, he was after the kid. Any info on who sprung him loose?”

“No, and it infuriates me,” Ace growled. “Mayhem won’t sell out his employers, ever. Those other Pokemon you talked about, we can’t find them. And as for that wonderful amount of paperwork you brought me,” here she looked back towards her desk, “The only thing we can find is that as of so far, we can’t find anything. All of them ‘spontaneously’ decided to file charges against the building on the same day. That’s not an uncommon tactic, especially for the now-defunct PegasusAir, for when they want a building or to pressure the owners, but it’s nigh-impossible to trace. The one line we might have is the institution itself from when Mayhem was busted loose, but that’s going to take time to figure out how it happened.”

“Time you need assuming you do this the ‘legal’ way,” came a new voice, a distinctly feminine voice.

Turning to the source of the voice, they were treated to the sight of a certain someone fading into view.

“Fox?! What the hell?!” Jonathan gasped, not expecting to see the thief here.

Ace didn’t so much ask a question so much as launch a trio of small telekinetic ‘bullets’ at the figure’s forehead, all charged for stun.

The bullets hit...the wall, as they went right through the Zoroark.

“A little quick on trigger, are we?” Fox chuckled, as she was now suddenly leaning against the opposite wall.

“Better quick than dead,” Ace replied blandly as she looked over the Fox and then back to Jonathan. “This the girl who’s been eyeing you?”

“What?” Jonathan said flatly. “That’s Fox, not some girl.”

“Johnny boy is cute, especially when he’s flustered, but I just like to tease him,” Fox chuckled in amusement.

“I noticed earlier,” Ace said with the smallest of shrugs. “When he and his friend Alice met up in my office, poor dog got red as a rose.”

“The Maximilion girl? I’ve seen her from time to time. Honestly not surprised, seeing as they seemed close,” Fox simply said. “But enough about that. Before anyone does anything...rash, I’ll have you know I’m on your side right now.”

Ace let out a masculine bark of laughter. “Oh? Give me a single good reason why I shouldn’t slam your head into the table and cuff you myself, aside from the fact that you’re probably not where you appear to be.”

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. I honestly ought to thank Arceus for this new body. Its only fitting that I become the very Pokemon that inspired the first Fox centuries ago,” she chuckled. “But to answer your question, I’m here to help with your...recent incident, and from the info I’ve got, we stand a MUCH better chance of resolving this if we work together. That and I just knocked out the other officers in the building to get here. I think I can take one on any day.”

“Oh wonderful, there’s more of that senseless violence and problem causing that you seem to be so good at causing,” Ace shot back venomously. “Do you even realize how much chaos that’s going to cause here for us? I mean honestly Fox, the level of stealth that you’ve displayed so far means that you could have been in this office without anyone knowing a thing. Now I’m going to have to have everyone checked for concussions and possibly suspend them from duty.”

“Now don’t get ahead of yourself. I never laid a finger on any of them,” Fox chuckled. “I just didn’t want anyone interrupting. Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered spreading the Sleep Powder.”

Ace stared at her for a moment before glancing at Jonathan. “Is there any likelihood that she’s actually in this room?”

Jonathan sighed, before walking up to Fox. “Let’s find out I suppose,” he said, before poking the Zoroark on the arm. It was solid. “She’s real,” he reported.

“Aw...just a tap? I wouldn’t mind you doing more that that,” Fox teased, her lips puckered as though she was asking for a kiss. Jonathan blushed at the implication, but backed away with a grumble.

The next thing the Fox knew there were a pair of hooves planted solidly in her stomach and she was thrown into the wall. “That was for my husband, you arrogant bitch,” Ace said calmly. “Now let’s get on with it.”

“Fair enough, fair enough,” Fox said, grimacing slightly, but simply dusted herself off, not looking any worse for wear. “Anyway, let’s just say I know a thing or two about this incident,” she started, baiting them a little.

“Cut the ‘I’m mysterious and playful’ shit and get to the point,” Ace stated blandly.

“Geez, way to kill the mood,” Fox sighed. “Fine, I have no idea about Mayhem, but I got some info that one PegasusAir is starting up again. Looks like you weren’t very thorough in cleaning them up, seeing as one Quick Notes has taken over.”

Ace frowned faintly. “Ah,” she nodded her head. “I suppose I was still a bit busy keeping an all out street war from erupting at the time to focus on everything,” she said before frowning a little more. “Though the name does not ring a bell.”

“Well, according to my informant, she was apparently the secretary of the previous owner...well, former now I suppose,” Fox shrugged.

“Huh,” Ace said befuddled. “I suppose that would make sense, we did take in their higher ranking executives, it’s hard to grab every single pencil pusher.”

“And this is why I like being a thief more,” Fox commented, sticking her tongue out. “No stupid politics and protocols to worry about.”

“Indeed, but you get to waste the guard’s time with your antics along with their money and make them look like imbeciles,” Ace said with a grunt. “Hurray for you.”

“Point. So, what are you gonna do about it NEXT time?” Fox goaded with a slight smirk. “What are you gonna do the next time I, or someone like me comes along?”

“I wouldn’t tell you,” Ace said blandly.

“That’s fine,” Fox chuckled. “Now then, before we get off topic again, here’s the deal. Normally I’d go about my usual way of doing things, but...I decided that an unusual situation requires an unusual approach. My informants got a hand on what they were paying local Pokemon with. Looks like she’s managed to replicate Rare Candies and Pokemon Vitamins, and seems to be paying the Pokemon with them. Buuut...there is a flaw. Like all big operations, there must be documentation....” Fox simply said, leading her on.

“She’s right. If we can get those documents, we’ll have legal proof of their actions, and we can catch them, Pokemon be damned,” Jonathan begrudgingly agreed.

“Not just that. She’s got Pokemon on her side because she has a monopoly on what they want at the moment. If we can get the data on that too, we can publicly manufacture it, and thus break any chances of future monopolies happening,” Fox added.

“I see...” Ace mused before letting out a small sigh. “I wish Abby was here to offer assistance, the most reliable form of Pokemon help we have in this town is Vincent and much as I realize he tries to help, the kid is a few plates short of a suit of armor.”

“...you do realize the kid is in the room, right?” Fox deadpanned.

“Not sure she cares at the moment,” the Kadabra deadpanned right back while glaring at Fox. “What with you being here. Can’t say I blame her either.”

“Doesn’t matter. As long as the job gets done, I really don’t care who I work with. Though Police are ALWAYS preferable,” Fox shrugged.

“When you’re not using them to further your ego,” Ace said flatly. “So, Fox, do you have a plan?”

“...I’m surprised you didn’t ask about the stuff that PegasusAir has been making,” Fox commented.

“It doesn’t really matter in the end,” Ace said with a small shrug. “From Jonathan’s reaction it’s legally damming.”

“And potentially very bad,” Vincent pitched in. “Candies and Vitamins were used often enough at the lab...the Vitamins focus on one particular attribute and provide the nutrients needed to the ‘mon who ingests it. They then assimilate it into their systems and become better at whatever it was meant to help with. Taking hits, dishing them out. Faster, stronger, better. And quickly, too. The Candies...they help a ‘mon grow instantly. From whatever rung they were on to the next.”

Ace blinked. “You know. Your entire old world either annoys me or makes me extremely concerned,” she stated. “Because here candy is made of sugar and vitamins help your body work.”

“If you think that’s weird, hear this. Apparently eating rare candies can temporarily boost a Unicorn’s power...but after it wears off, its like a sugar rush,” Fox added.

“Oh joy, next you’ll tell me it’s impossibly addictive too,” Ace grunted.

“Wouldn’t know,” Vincent said. “Maybe not in small doses, but they’re not supposed to be eaten by non-Pokemon anyways. The only one that did overeat on Candies in the lab...escaped.”

“I fed a few of my Pokemon candies when I could, but they sure didn’t seem to get addicted to them, and I’ve never heard of a human who tried them getting addicted...aside from them wasting a good Rare Candy,” Fox shrugged. “But we’re getting off topic...again. Anyway, point is, PegasusAir is trying to make a comeback, and I KNOW that’s not going to be a good thing. But I’m not so sure going it the way I usually do would be a good idea this time, so I came to you with the information. So are you in on this little scheme of mine?”

“Oh no, please do walk into a lair of artificially enhanced ponies and Pokemon with the intent to steal from them,” Vincent said with more than a hint of snark to Fox. “I’ll warm up the popcorn and fetch Bit to watch the fucking fireworks when you do.”

“Maybe you should. Of course, the only fireworks I intend to set off are the ones signalling PegasusAir’s permanent end. So do put aside the animosity for now...or do you want PegasusAir to come back? I hear they’re not too fond of you and your family, and seeing as they might just try to take over the city next…” Fox simply said, seemingly not the least bit worried about Vincent.

“You. Broke. Bit. You may not have laid one finger or claw or whatever on him, but he doesn’t take failing at all well,” Vincent stated. “Were this any other time, I would break you in return.”

“I’ll say it once. I’ll say it a thousand times. I. Am. Sorry. Breaking someone was NOT on the list of things to do on my Heist,” Fox commented with a hint of annoyance, and surprisingly enough, a tinge of guilt in her tone. “It goes against my personal code to do damage like that, and so far, I’ve been able to avoid it back on Earth. I had no intentions of changing that.”

“Huh, it’s almost as if your actions have consequences that you should consider before you commit a crime for fun and drag down other people in the process,” Ace commented lightly. “Maybe you should think about that.”

“I always do. I did the exact same I did back on Earth, and if anything, I thought the police came out stronger for it. Johnny boy and his family being one of the strongest examples. And before you all start ganging up on me, let me put it this way, which would you rather have failed against? Me, or someone who actually wanted to take the items I’ve stolen? I’ll tell you straight. I could have taken any and all the items if I wanted to. But I didn’t. I have my reasons, but at the end of the day, I don’t truly mean anyone harm,” Fox explained.

“Fat lot of good that does to those that simply can’t handle you,” Vincent retorted, glancing at both Mayhem and Fox, before delivering a final barb. “Cause from where I’m standing, the both of you break your fair share of beings on your way. Maybe you should share a cell when all’s said and done.”

With that, he vanished, unable to stand the Fox anymore.

“Hmph. Easy for him to say. Like I said, I never intended to hurt anyone OTHER than the crime lords. Heck, I was only planning for the local Guards to begin with. The Porygon-Z was an unexpected variable. I adapted, he couldn’t. It’s cold, but its a fact of life,” Fox snorted. “But...for all it’s worth, he’s got a point. Maybe tricks that work on Earth aren’t the best for Equus. Speaking of which, with all our arguing, I never got to suggest that he go through Mayhem’s head. Maybe he can find incriminating evidence on PegasusAir,” she sighed, before deciding to ask something. “Actually...can I ask you all something? And be honest about it.”

“I’ll try,” Jonathan shrugged.

Ace just grunted.

“I’d like to think the Porygon was an isolated incident, but seeing as I can’t stick around long after heists anymore...anyone else I accidentally hurt?” she asked.

“Well...you already know the answer for Earth. Aside from our bruised pride, nothing but superficial injuries, be it both human and Pokemon,” Jonathan said, though he glared slightly at her. “As for Equus...none that I can think of...of course, I had to chase after you shortly after too.”

“My husband’s rather angry at you but honestly I’d say the only people who got seriously injured were the two or three mares who were robbed because their officers were busy dealing with you,” Ace said, her features tight. “You know, I’m sure that that’s not actually what you look like... mostly because every once and a while it flickers ever so slightly, so I’m guessing you could get a real job at some point. If you ever do, I’m sure a security company or two could benefit from your knowledge, or you could go into criminal justice.”

“My condolence to the mares. Again, I can only control what happens in the heist itself, and I do try to avoid any unnecessary injuries whenever I can. Also, not bad. You actually noticed. Yes, this is an illusion, but how its an illusion...well, you’ll just have to find out,” Fox chuckled. “As for a job...let’s just say that’s not an issue,” she chuckled. “Either way, I’ll be going now. I’ll come back if I find anymore info. In the meantime, I trust you and Jonathan can cover the rest.” And with that, she was gone, fading away into the darkness.

“Have to admit, that is pretty impressive,” Jonathan commented. “I’ll head over to the Unity Building, and see if I can get Vincent again,” he said, before he walked out of the office.

Ace just let out a small sigh before shaking her head. If the day kept going like it had been then pretty soon she’d be wishing Abby were back even more, at least with Abby she knew what to expect.

Vincent was in the basement, making sure that Bit was all right during his experiment. The Porygon-Z seemed to be stumbling on the same problem in the reconstruction of his makeshift computer, but at least he wasn’t stuttering or talking oddly. Though he definitely was more...irritable than usual. Considering his previous setting had been ‘You’d have to work to piss me off,’ it was cause for concern.

“Bit,” Vincent finally called out, distracting the program. “Why don’t you take a break, maybe read up on magic a touch, see if that helps?”

“I…” The program sighed in response. “Your words have merit, Vincent. Entering sleep mode for one hour.”

He then went rigid and closed his eyes. If Vincent put a little effort behind it, he could hear Bit going over all the manuals and tomes about magic he’d already read in his head, making an effort to try and understand the phenomena.

“He still shaken?” Lucy said from the entryway. Vincent turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re out of your Heat?”

“Luke let me go when he couldn’t find any trace anymore, cleaned me up, set me free,” she replied with a nod. “So, he still shaken?”

“How did you-”

“You’re not the only one who reads the paper,” Lucy snarked. “So?”

“Yes,” Vincent said with an eye-roll. “He’s still shaken and not taking it well. But hopefully he’ll recover. What about you?”

“I’m...adjusting to the thought of becoming a mother in the near future,” she said, placing one hand on her stomach already. “But as long as you’re there with me, I can handle anything. I know it.”

Unfortunately, the tender moment was cut short when Jonathan walked into the room. “...is this a bad time?” he blinked.

“You’d have to be more specific,” Vincent said. “To what do I owe the pleasure, officer?”

“You kinda left before Fox could finish her suggestion. She was suggesting we have a psychic rummage through Mayhem’s head, maybe get some info that could help us build up a case against Quick Notes and PegasusAir,” he explained.

“They’re back?” Lucy questioned, her ears going back and flat while she unconsciously snarled.

“I assume you’re Lucy. Glad to see you’re back to the right state of mind,” Jonathan said. “I’m Jonathan Trace, Baltimare Guard, and Canterlot Pokemon special division.”

“While I am...loathe to admit it,” Vincent said, his eyes shut and his fists balled. “She has a point. Is she there at the moment? I don’t think I could control myself if she was.”

“Nah, she vanished not long after you left. I think you might have given her some food for thought, since she’s only just realizing that Equus seems to be reacting differently than how it was on Earth in terms of her heists,” Jonathan said. “Just hope this doesn’t throw her off her game. For once, I’d prefer if Fox was at the top of her game.”

“Fine,” Vincent said. “I’ll help, but understand something, mister Trace. The moment, moment, that Quick Notes is down, I’m going after Fox.”

“Sure,” he shrugged. “But I’ll have to ask that you refrain from doing any lasting damage. She may be on the most wanted list, but she doesn’t exactly deserve death row as far as the law system is concerned, and as she said, she never meant any harm,” he sighed. “That’s also assuming she even sticks around. From the way she was talking after you left…”

“Really, I don’t care if she sticks around,” Vincent said. “I just want her as far away from Bit as possible. Fixing him is going to be an effort and a half. He already was broken once. He doesn’t need an encore. Her being around at all is going to hamper his recovery something terrible.” With that, he vanished in a flash of blue, supposedly on his way, leaving Lucy to examine Jonathan.

“This Fox, you’ve been chasing her?”

“All over the world for the last 5 years on Earth, and more or less the whole time I’ve been on Equus. Not easy, since I don’t have many of the tools I had back on Earth but…” he clenched his paw. “I’m making due with this new body. Honestly, if I could choose, I think I LIKE being a Lucario more than being a human.”

“Yeah, same,” Lucy said. “Of course, for me the choice was Riolu or Lucario, so no brainer there. And if mister high-and-mighty is to be believed, this was something you earned. So yeah, welcome to the Lucario family,” she smirked, before walking past him on her way out. “Now if you’ll pardon me, I have a few forms to practice before I join you in this endeavor.”

Vincent stared at the pony across the table. He’d been bound in a straightjacket, muzzled, and there were even chains and padlocks wrapped around his form. A bit excessive, but nobody wanted to take any chances with this one getting loose again.

“Let’s just do this,” Vincent sighed, holding a spoon out and closing his eyes, bridging the gap between their minds in an instant.

It was...different. Alien. The only thing he had to compare to it was when Mewtwo had thrown his past at him, in an effort to subdue him. This pony drew up everything he’d done and coated himself in the blood and violence of years past.

“Good luck,” the shambling mound in front of him hissed out of too many orifices. “No pony can break my mental defences.”

“Fortunately, I’m not a pony,” Vincent mused, thinking...and then deciding that he would show this pony the thing that had broken Business Mind, but a little more refined.

“Your soul is stained with your darkness and sins, the things you perpetrated against the innocent and less so.” A spoon appeared in one hand as he intoned the next words “Feel their pain as your own.”

The thing in front of him howled even as it disintegrated, the layers peeling off as screams echoed around them, revealing the form of Mayhem as a shrunken little colt, still crying, still feeling the pain of his misdeeds.

“I’m...I’m sorry mama...I’m so sorry, dad…”

Vincent was almost moved to care before he walked back along the stallion’s memories, looking for anything he could use against Quick Notes, anything at all. What little there was, the psychic gathered together, copied to his own head, and left.

Mayhem was still crying when he opened his physical eyes again, but Vincent merely turned to look at Ace...and apparently, Jonathan had decided to put in an appearance as well. How long had he been under?

“All she said was that she was putting a few things in the works, and that in exchange for help to ‘pressure’ us, he’d get the city to play with,” Vincent replied. “While she pointed the mad dog at us, she hid any proof that she got us out of the house for him to savage us from that conversation. As well, they kept him blindfolded and chained up until the meeting actually started, and there was nothing in the place they met to indicate that they intended to use it for more than that meeting.”

“Well that wasn’t as helpful as we would have hoped,’ Jonathan sighed. “Hopefully our other source will have better luck.”

Ace just leveled Vincent with a singular stare. “And you wonder why I dislike you,” she said very simply. “The hell did you do to him?”

Vincent smiled a sick smile then. “Made him really feel the things he’d done over the years. Not my fault he was just a little colt when he started down the wrong road.”

“Damn...you are one scary kid. Didn’t think you’d pull a Penance Stare on the guy. Oh well, I guess it was appropriate,” Jonathan shrugged.

“I need to find a mind shield of some kind,” Ace grunted before glancing at Jonathan. “Jon, is that normal for dealing with psychics?”

“Depends on how stable and/or sadistic the psychic is. Though, pulling a copy of a comic book anti-hero’s signature move is new,” he shrugged.

“It is not my fault they make it so easy,” Vincent commented with a huff and crossing his arms. “Seriously, the amount of things they’ve done is like a big red button, begging me to press it.”

“Just be sure to watch your own head, kid. You’re likely not the only powerful psychic in the world, so don’t go doing it too often. You don’t know who you might piss off,” came Fox’s voice as she faded into view again. “I’ve got more info on PegasusAir.”

Vincent clenched his fists and studiously looked away, not giving Fox the courtesy. Only Ace’s right eye twitched a little bit as Fox appeared. “Fine. Out with it. Sooner we get this over with, the sooner things can go back to bucking normal, whatever it is that means these days.”

“There’s gonna be some big shipment coming in from Canterlot. Apparently one of the mob families that owe PegasusAir have finally payed up. Its scheduled to come in tomorrow night,” she said simply.

“Hmm…” Ace said. “While I can’t go poking around the shipping manifests of what few import and export companies remain after the first time without probable cause, you have no such restrictions. If you’re truly as solidly ‘behind’ us as you say I’d request that you and a certain Fighting-Type escort you to make sure you don’t break more laws than absolutely necessary on your jaunt around the city. And no, I don’t care if you’d prefer to go alone.”

Fox just sighed. “Personally, I’d rather go it alone, but I can read between the lines. Alright, Johnny-boy can come with me. Might need that muscle anyway if a fight breaks out,” she shrugged.

“I’m gonna just take that as a yes. Honestly, the only reason I’m willing to do this is because at least I can count on you to not stab me in the back,” Jonathan sighed. “Alright, then, we’ll be ready tomorrow night at 8 PM. We’ll coordinate further from there. Would that be alright with all of you?”

“Fine by me,” Ace said, and Vincent gave a curt nod, not looking at anyone in particular. “Oh, and Miss Fox? Just so you’re aware, I’m fairly certain once this operation of Notes’ is swept up, I’m giving you more than a buck to the stomach”

“Awww, and here I thought we’d be such good friends,” Fox chuckled, before her face became more serious. “Understood. Though all I ask is one thing in return when this is over.”

“I make no promises,” Ace said. “But speak.”

“Five minute head start,” Fox grinned.

“You’d be lucky to have five seconds,” Vincent hissed. “You two can deal with her. I’m off to make sure Bit isn’t stuck in a loop.”

The Kadabra vanished again, leaving the Guard and Jonathan with Fox and a heavily weeping Mayhem.

“Charming kid. I feel sorry for anyone who’s dumb enough to really hurt someone he cares for,” Fox mused. “So then, 8 PM tomorrow. Its a date, hope you’ll show me a good time, Mr. Trace,” Fox chuckled, before her cape wrapped around her before she vanished.

“Oh, and Ace, bring as many able bodied officers you can. I HIGHLY doubt this is going to be as clean as I would prefer it to be,” Fox’s voice rang out, before fading away as well.

“Is your life always so interesting, Mr. Trace?” Ace asked with a dry tone. “Because I much preferred my job of a month ago, when it was routine and boring.”

Jonathan simply stared at her, before saying in a long suffering tone. “Every. Damn. Day. It’s why I’m the only one who they have to deal with Fox. Everyone else who’s ever dealt with her case was smart enough to quit.”

“Let’s check our friend here back in the nuthouse and co-ordinate what we can for tomorrow,” Ace said. “I think the first thing I need once this mess is done with is a damn massage, and I know just the Thestral to give it.”

“...ookay, not gonna ask anymore there. But...got any drinks to go with one of those? I’m technically underaged, but at this point, I’d like to see if it works,” he groaned in response.

“Not while we’re on the job,” Ace commented before pulling out a file of the still-in-business shipping companies. “Now let’s get cracking on who could possibly receive such a shipment.”

“Right, right. An officer’s job is never done,” Jonathan shrugged helplessly.

Vincent sat in the guest bedroom, the one Jeanne and Sam used (Sam had the bed, Jeanne had a small sleeping bag). He was sitting on the bed, his knees brought close to his chest, and he was shaking. His little experience with the Dark-types had left its mark on him, both physically in the sense of the marks the Honchkrow had given him, and...mentally.

Oh sweet Xerneas, but...it was like I was back there again. I couldn’t sense them, I could barely do a thing to them. I...for all my supposed strength, against them I was helpless…

The Kadabra shuddered again in fear at the thought of what could have happened, what might have happened, had John and Heat not been there to help. It could have been so much worse. I might’ve actually…

And suddenly he was being cradled against someone’s chest, a hand rubbing gently against his back, the other pulling him close. Oh my son... Luke said softly in his mind. Do not fear, I am here for you.

Vincent was grateful for the physical comfort, but the memories were still too fresh, his mind still ablaze with the fact that against certain types, he was only as strong as he had once been as a human. They...Heat and John handled the five that came at us, but then that Honchkrow...Oh dad, I don’t fear the dark, but the Dark-types...Any of them could be around, willing to do harm to me, and I wouldn’t know!

Luke nodded his head once and hugged Vincent tighter, something that he was only willing to do to two other people on the earth. Shhh... shhhhh.... Dark-types can be dangerous my son, I know... but you mustn’t live in fear of all of them, he continued as he stroked Vincent’s back. I have seen a great many good ones as well as a great many bad ones... just as it is with all Pokemon.

It’s not just the inability to sense them, but the fact that as a Psychic and with only a minor familiarity with Charge Beam, I can’t deal with them, Vincent said, his shaking slowing as he put a name to his fear. I...I don’t want to be helpless again. Ever again.

Well then... you simply won’t be, Luke said with a small smile as he looked down at his son and pulled away from him. My son, would you like to know what type of move Dark Types hate the most?

Besides being punched, which is something Lucy excels at and I can’t do? Vincent questioned with a small tilt of his head. Or perhaps you mean Sam’s Bug-type moves? Again, something I can’t do naturally.

Luke chuckled and stood up fully. Oh no my son, something that they fear far more... because Bug Types are almost for a rule, weak, and if you’re fast enough you can avoid any punch but... Fairy Moves are a different story.

...Well while that is nice to know, Vincent mused, I don’t know any, I don’t think.

Then isn’t it splendid for you that Abby’s parents were eaten by a Hydreigon? Luke asked with a smile before it dimmed. Alright, that’s a horrible, horrible thing to say, but... it does mean that I know a rather effective Fairy move.

Oh no, by all means. If anyone can get away with making light of tragedy, it’d be us or her, Vincent commented with a slight smile of his own. Still, it’s one thing the know the move. Teaching it might be hard...assuming I can learn it.

Oh, I know you can. I learned it from an Alakazam, Luke said with a chuckle as he kneeled down and placed a hand on Vincent’s forehead. May I come in?

Two seconds, Vincent said, calming himself with no small effort, even with Calm Mind. Eventually, though, he found his peaceful center, then reached out towards Luke again. Ready.

Luke smiled and carefully walked into Vincent’s mind and ‘buried’ the technique Dazzling Gleam within it before withdrawing. Can you grasp it?

It’s...not easy, Vincent commented. Not only did you put it in there a little deeper this time, but it seems really hard to use.

It’s a lesson for you... you must find a way to harness it yourself, Luke said with a smile. Things would not be half as rewarding if I just gave it to you as fast as I could... you would quickly be at your limit.

It might be easier if you showed me how you would do something like this, the Kadabra mused. Then I might be able to make some headway.

True, it is rather hard to try something without an example to draw from, Luke agreed, taking a step back away from Vincent and a sheath of soft light appeared around his body. Do you see how I’m drawing on the light energy around me?

...Okay, now I get why Fairy moves are so effective against Dark-types: they use the light, Vincent said wryly. I might-should’ve picked up on that myself, but at least now that I know...

Try it my son, Luke instructed him with a small smile. That way I may make suggestions.

Vincent closed his eyes and focused his mind on the light in the room. While it was slightly tiring for him to use, a small, soft sheen of light did slowly coat his body as well as the move came into effect.

Good... good, Luke said as he walked closer and put a finger to the center of Vincent’s forehead. Feel how focused the energy is around my single finger?

Yikes! Sheesh, you’ve got a lot of practice with this move! Vincent nearly opened his eyes in shock, but realized that if he did, he’d break his tenuous grasp on the power he’d grabbed ahold of.

Indeed I do, part of my quest when I was younger was to subdue any Dark Types that I ran across... so I perfected this technique, Luke admitted, sighing. Being forced to stare at an Absol’s crotch for most of your childhood will instill a bit of hatred, I’ll admit that.

I sorta figured that might have had something to do with it, Vincent admitted. And whether it was you thinking you should learn this move to punish him, or Abby wanting you to learn it for the dragon, the point is, you learned to overcome your Type-disadvantage and became stronger for it. Which is all the reason I have for wanting to learn this move.

Yes, Luke agreed with a nod. Now... do you feel the energy rising around you, building towards an explosion?

Slowly, but yeah. I assume practice will help with the speed at which that happens, the Kadabra commented.

It just struck me how easily this conversation could be misconstrued, Luke mused in Vincent’s mind. At any rate, when your power reaches its climax, let it explode off of you, and keep your eyes closed.

Not inside, Vincent replied. Another explosion in the building and nobody will be willing to give us any insurance whatsoever.

Luke chuckled and suddenly Vincent was able to feel wind on his face. Release it when ready.

The Kadabra held the explosion in for a moment longer, and then let go of his grip on the stored energy. It burst out of him in a small wave of bright light, softly bringing a brighter glow to the roof.

Good, Luke said, nodding his head as he quietly dispelled his own energy before taking a step back. Now then, we will work with its opposite. Darkness.

Uh? Vincent opened his eyes and turned to face Luke. Um, pretty sure my options for using any Dark-type moves are limited if not null.

Moves perhaps, but in the end it’s all really just energy, Luke said as he drew darkness to his fingers and approached Vincent again. I promise this will not hurt you.

...Only because it’s you, the Kadabra said, taking a breath and going slack.

Luke closed the distance with him and took Vincent’s hand. To Vincent it felt as if his hand had just been submerged in a pool of ice water and Luke held it there.

Numbing, the smaller psychic pointed out. Normal, right? At least for this.

Not so, only at first, Luke said steadily. Focus on the Darkness Vincent, it ebbs and flows like water does it not?

Now that you’ve pointed that out...yeah, I’m picking up on that. It’s...oh dear. It’s like a heartbeat, like a living thing. Vincent shuddered at the implications.

Dark Types as a rule even if they do not understand it are the antipathy of ‘light’, Luke explained as he continued to hold the darkness against Vincent’s hand. Meaning... they are also in some cases holders of the opposite of life. Darkness is that calm, cold thing that takes you when your end has come Vincent but... that is not always bad. Darkness can be a strength to yourself as well as a hinderance.

Something we both know quite well, the smaller of the pair idly pointed out. And something we should both stop using. Accepting the darkness is one thing, but using it...

That implies that death is an inherently evil thing Vincent, Luke said simply. Ask Xerneas if Yveltal is evil.

No, but insanity, for us, would be a worst-case scenario. If we relieved our pasts over and over...rather than just accept they happened, and put them behind us. Vincent said softly. After all, if I’m not allowed to dredge up Total Recall or anything like it, neither should you.

Luke just smiled at this. My dear boy... while my original motivations for learning this power may have been that of revenge, I promise you that it is only energy like any other, he said with a small chuckle. While the Darkness may be ‘living’ it is not truly alive, it is simply energy to be used as any other. And one of its greatest strengths lie in its power to resist the darkness of others.

And what of the darkness we carry with us? Vincent said softly, looking at his own hand. I’m...I’m not quite there yet. But I know I can almost put it behind me. I just have to remind myself that I’m stronger than he ever was or could be. The Kadabra looked up at the Gallade and tilted his head. What about you? When will you truly put your past behind you, father? If ever?

“With my help, hopefully soon,” a certain Mismagius said as she floated over to float behind Luke, wrapping them around his chest and pulling him into a hug. Vincent saw Luke freeze for a half second before he melted into her and pulled the Darkness away from Vincent at last.

Luke smiled and leaned his head back to nuzzle Mage’s face. Indeed my Angel, and I thank you for that, he said quietly before he looked back at Vincent. My son, if you truly wish to never fear the Dark again you must find a way to embrace it.

Hopefully in a less literal fashion than yourself, the Kadabra snarked. I think Mage might take offense to that if I did.

“Yes, yes I would, Luke here is all mine,” she said with a smirk, kissing Luke on the cheek. “And no offense Vincent, but you’re a little young for me.” She winked at him playfully.

None taken, Lucy would get upset if I did, Vincent said. And I don’t want to think about her trying to punch you, despite your ghost-nature.

“Hehe, I’d deserve it, but yeah, she’d go right through me,” Mage agreed with a nod. “But Luke’s right Vincent, I suggest mastering the Darkness too. It’ll make you harder to K.O.”

I can try, the smaller Psychic said with a nod. No promises on me succeeding or not, but I can and most certainly will try.

That’s all I ask, Luke said with a smile. And Vincent... if you’re ever in trouble like that again, call me. His tone was deadly serious.

I’ll...keep that in mind. Though, you might be too far away, Vincent said, tugging at his mustache.

I can hear you from almost anywhere in the city provided you project yourself out, Luke said with a small shrug. But again, if you need me, I will be there for you.

For which, I am grateful, Vincent said. I’ve said that before, right? Thanks for caring?

You may have mentioned it, Luke replied with a slim smile. Now... I suggest you go to spend more time with Lucy. The poor girl only got her mind back recently and I hate to think what she’ll do to me for keeping you apart for so long.

Heh. She wants to hurt you, she’ll have to go through me first, Vincent said with a smirk of his own before homing in on Lucy’s location and vanishing, leaving Luke and Mage alone on the roof.

“You know... he’s a good kid despite it all,” Mage said as she moved around Luke so that he was holding her in one of his arms.

Yes, yes he is, Luke agreed with a happy smile as he walked to the edge of the roof and leaned against it, his angel in his arm.

Vincent stood in the lobby, Sam, Lucy, and Bit before him. Sam appeared to be minorly agitated; he hadn’t bonded as well with Bit as the others, but still considered him a friend. His claws would flex occasionally. Lucy tensed and untensed in agitation as well; this was the first time in a while that she was free to move again, and she was dipping right back into the fray with a fight. Bit…

Bit just hovered there. Even when Vincent scanned him, the usual drone of numbers that he recited in his head was silent.

Bit scared Vincent.

“Okay, so when Jonathan or,” here Vincent had to fight to retain control, “The Fox...find where this shambling corpse of PegasusAir is operating out from, we join their operation with the strictest intention to just distract their goons for as long as possible, make it easier on the others to get in and get what they need. Avoid actual confrontation for as long as possible, keep them guessing as to where we are.”

Sam nodded and snapped his claws shut, and Lucy merely clasped her hands together and gave a short, sharp nod. Bit didn’t even reply.

“Bit, do you understand?”

It took him a minute, but the program eventually voiced his reply.

“Understood, master Vincent.”

Correction, Bit fucking terrified Vincent.