Ch.13 Body and Mind

 

Brandon Jindai, better known as the Pyramid King and leader of the Prussian Gym. He and Marco had never spoken when he finally arrived. Not that he spoke much anyway. The stands were near empty, only holding the Assistant Gym Leaders. That suited both men just fine, Marco wasn't in the mood to have a bunch of people around. Jean was already on the starting line and waiting for her opponent to be let out.

From the red flash emerged an Archmage, Isis. Her Egyptian princess wardrobe fitting the theme of the gym quite nicely. The staff she carried was crafted to resemble a snake of some sort and glowed with power. Marco's eyes flashed purple and he could see the intense and vibrate purple flames of her strength, a powerful pokégirl indeed.

Jean had taken lessons from everyone in Avalanche, learning what she could about her abilities. She already had use of her dark powers and had helped to train Carrie in their use as well. Unfortunately, Kelly was the only magic pokégirl in the unit and couldn't offer good instruction on magic use, her power coming from cards. There was light at the end of the tunnel, in the form of Vana. The Lady Luck was only slightly better than Kelly when it came down to it, but something was better than nothing.

The Nogitsune had her work cut out for her. Archmage's were the pinnacle of magic power next to a legendary or Hild and something told her that Isis could put a few of them to shame. The few magic powers that Jean had weren't going to be much help but she had others things going in her favor. When they made the gym they went all out on the details. Instead of light fixtures, there were burning torches lining the walls. They were magically enchanted to never go out and depending on where battlers were standing would cast a long and wide shadow.

'I guess there's no time like the present. I'll start hard and see what I'm dealing with.' Thought Jean while she adjusted her weapons. She had a thing for bladed weapons and carried various knives and daggers, but two weapons stood out. A twenty-five foot long ball and chain, and a metal rod she had luck bestowed on by Vana. The buzzer sounded and she opened the fight with Fake Out. The ball of dark light tore down the stone field and connected, causing confusion. Next Jean activated Illusion, creating three copies of herself and rushed her opponent.

Isis was already recovered from the confusion, naturally having enhanced concentration. Jean's illusions were visual only and with no cheering to mask her footsteps the Archmage quickly pinpointed her target coming in from the right. She faked her confusion a little while longer then fired a Mystic Bolt. Jean dropped down, dodging the bolt then launched herself forward attacking again. Isis didn't need the Nogitsune getting too close and unleashed a wave of magical energy, sending her tumbling backward.

With the distance reestablished she twirled her staff once and hit the ground. The two illusions disappeared from the floor moments later.

"I hope you have more impressive abilities than that." Said Isis, balls of light began to form around her staff.

"My magic ability doesn't compare to yours, it's true and makes me sad. So that means I'm going to have to just beat you until I feel better." Jean's shadow disappeared and darkness formed around her hand. 'I owe Carrie for teaching me this combo.'

The shadow flew from her hand striking the Archmage in the face and causing her to go blind. Next the torches flickered and dimmed causing the arena to go pitch black. Isis tried her spells but nothing was able to penetrate the Shadow Shot. She could hear the rustling of chains, then the thud of something hitting the ground and rolling. Running out of options, she summoned her Ultimate Shell Shield. The aura of light formed around her just in time to absorb the impact of the ball.

Jean was pissed, she knew the Archmage's body couldn’t stand up to physical attacks but didn't expect the shell of protection. She vented her frustration, striking the shell as hard as she could, but no progress was being made. The part of her shadow that was missing formed back in and Isis blinked rapidly while her vision was coming back.

For the first time since they had seen each other Jindai spoke. "That was a nice try but you better have more than that to beat Isis."

Marco looked on and started forming a plan. 'The only ability that Jean has to break that shell is banned. Archmages suck at physical combat, that's a given. Powerful casters... no shit, the enchanted staff is a focal point for their magic... perfect.' "Jean; possession, throw, and Lucky Knock Off!"

Jean always hated that part of battles, trying to figure out exactly what her master was saying using short speech. 'Possession? He must mean Shadow Possession... into a throw? That can't work.' She looked at the Archmage to figure out the meaning. With a wave of the staff the shell was gone and she started to cast another spell. 'The staff! Shadow Possession, throw the staff, and hit it with Knock Out! But lucky??? Oh the lucky rod.' Jean pieced his command in an instant and went to work.

Isis was in mid gesture when she suddenly froze in place. Jean knew she couldn't hold the possession for more than a few seconds and was going to make each one count. She reared back and threw like she was holding a javelin, the serpent staff sailed through the air and right towards her. She released her hold over Isis and grabbed her rod, striking the staff when it got in front of her.

The explosion of magical power was deafening and the resulting shockwave threw both girls to the field borders. The staff stood straight up, rotating in one spot. Isis was the first to recover and rushed to the center of the room to claim her staff. She could already feel a dramatic drop in her power. The staff was more than just a focal point; it actually housed a great deal of her powers. She was still far from helpless without it though.

Jean was having a harder time getting to her feet. Between the exhaustion of using Shadow Possession and the shockwave ripping through her body at close range, she was more than a little dazed. Her left arm was temporarily paralyzed and hung lazily at her side, having taken the worst of the wave.

The Archmage tried casting spells with her staff and was getting no results. "I'm going to make you pay dearly for that." She struck the head of the staff into the palm of her hand as she walked slowly to the downed girl.

“Then you better hurry, because I’m not going to lose to you.” She willed herself back onto her feet.

If you didn’t pay particular attention or care, you wouldn’t notice the two-inch rings going around the bottom of Jean’s vest. Isis certainly didn’t notice until the first knife was pulled from the vest. Jean flipped it and caught it backhanded before lunging forward and slashing. Her Primary arm was just getting feeling back into it as she lunged and swiped with the blade. The Archmage seized an opening and hooked her staff around Jean’s foot pulling it forward, then spun around and struck her in her injured arm.

The result was the opposite of what Isis wanted, having struck a nerve and revitalizing her arm. Jean flipped back, kicking the staff into the air then spun on her shoulder, sweep kicking Isis and knocking her to the ground. She spun one more time and teleported into the air bringing the knife down. Isis blocked using her wrist guards and the blade shattered like it was made of thin ice. With her opponent surprised, she launched her knee into Jean’s groin and threw her to the side.

Isis looked around franticly to find her staff, and then heard the high-pitched thud of something wooden landing outside the border. “Oh you bitch! You don’t get to the level I’m at being a one trick Ponytaur. You want to do physical, we can do physical!”

Jean was starting to think Isis had finally gone mad. She could swear that the Archmage was standing there clapping her hands. The clapping had started slow and was steadily getting faster with every passing second. Eventually Jean knew something was wrong. For a pokégirl with barely over human physical abilities she was moving her hands way too fast. “Let me guess, a spell?”

The clapping had gotten louder and faster and the armguards she was wearing began to glow. Suddenly she broke the rhythm, taping each of her limbs at blinding speed, then slammed her guards together. “Haste!”

“Oh fuck…”

The Archmage approached her rapidly and went on a full force assault. Jean took the first hit and staggered backwards, the following strikes came so quickly she couldn't count them and in desperation teleported to the other end of the field to catcher her breath. Finally all the feeling was back in her left arm and she pulled another ring knife from her vest. Isis attacked again but Jean was better prepared to the assault this time. Sparks were flying between the two of them, and neither were holding anything back. But for every strike Jean would land Isis would hit her with three of her own.

Marco was proud of the Nogitsune, it was a fight she really had no business hanging in there for but she wasn't backing down. With the Archmage's staff gone it was time to throw the battle in her favor. "Jean, Light Drain into Entangling Darkness, then do what you like from there.

"Yes Sir!" Jean flipped her knife right in front of Isis's face, breaking her concentration, then grabbed both of the girl’s arms and jumped, kicking her in the chest and flipping back. In mid flip, she summoned her dark powers and dimmed the torches in the arena, bolstering her own powers. Upon landing she clapped her hands together and slammed her palms into the ground, then let out a primal howl.

The Archmage was momentarily shaken but her enhanced concentration kicked in and she refocused. She started her approach again but suddenly found it hard to move. The shadows appeared to be sticking to her and with how dark the room was she was covered in them. Wasting no time, Jean returned every hit she was dealt tenfold.

"NO! Isis, keep your guard up!"

A forceful kick sent Isis tumbling backwards. "I can't, my arms are pretty much stuck to my sides."

"Oh trust me; it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better." Dark energy began to pool around Jean's hands. She charged forward and threw the first orb while the second formed into a barrier between the two of them. The resulting explosion hurled Isis backward and she hit the ground hard. "Well that's the end of that."

The return beam fired, taking Isis away. But before the win could even be marked on the board Brandon released his next pokégirl, a Phawhore. The mummy pokégirl hit the field and spotted her target instantly.

"Go Amunet, claim my victory!" Yelled Brandon.

Jean had hardly taken a step when she heard the new pokégirl come out. "Oh that is bullshit!" 'Marco is going to be pissed at me but I don't care. She is out.' Jean stretched and turned her back on her opponent. "Find me someone else to fight; she doesn't have what it takes."

Marco was biting his tongue. He knew that Jean was arrogant and stubborn, it came with the breed. But he didn't think she would refuse to fight someone just because she thought they were beneath her. Especially if it was a gym battle.

Amunet was furious at the idea that a lowly Nogitsune thought she was above her. She charged in a blind rage, intent on taking the fox out in a single devastating hit. Marco wasn't going to interfere either; it would just be the start of her punishment.

Jean's hearing was top notch and the quickly approaching Phawhore was almost in range. She waved to her master who had an angry and then puzzled look on his face when she gave a thumbs up. They had gone through the briefing on Jindai's harem and she had just the illusion planed for Amunet.

Ten feet out Jean unleashed her Illusion and Heart of Darkness. She turned abruptly and was engulfed in flames, the skin on her body had melted away and all that was left was a burning skeleton. Amunet froze in place, the figure she saw terrified her to her very core.

"I TOLD YOU, YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES! NOW YOU WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!" Jean roared and sprung forward, grabbing the Phawhore by her chest armor. Her devious mind kicked in and she couldn't resist and dismissed her illusion. "Just kidding." She planted her foot firmly against the Phawhore's chest then teleported them both to Brandon's side of the field before rocking back and launching her out of the border.

'I can't believe she just did that.' Thought a chuckling Marco. Ever since he was a child he thought a pokégirl battle won by Ring-Out was cheap, but what Jean did was downright hilarious. He looked over to his sideline and the rest of his harem was respectfully containing their laughter... but just barely. "Time out! Jean, get over here!"

The referee blew his whistle and waved a yellow flag. "Time is called, Tamer Readman you have five minutes."

Jean teleported in front of him with her arms crossed and her head turned away. "You can be mad all you want, he had it coming for trying to rush another girl on me."

Marco reached out and gently took her chin turning her head to face him then planted a firm kiss on her lips. "That was great work out there, are you set to go for another round or do you need a break?"

Her eyes reopened, fluttering slightly. "You're, you're not mad at me?"

"Naw, he had that one coming. I thought you were going to refuse to fight for a second, but you had everything under control. That was ingenious, and pretty damn funny. Nice work."

Her heart skipped a beat and she threw her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. "Did, did you really mean what you said back in Pewtit? That even if I never evolved I was capable of great things? That I was valuable as I am right now?"

Marco was quickly trying to cope with the sudden change in her attitude. "Of course, I'm not sure if ours was the 'right environment' but since you've been with us you have done many great things."

"I have? I've been a constant pain in your ass since you've got me. What have I done that was so great?" She pushed away and looked into his eyes, searching for the sincerity that his voice carried. She found it.

"You helped train Carrie in the use of her powers, you assisted in a mission to save the lives of Henrietta's friends... and when I lost her, your voice helped to bring me back to who I was." He inhaled deeply then let it out slowly, storing his sorrow away.

"Would you get rid of me? Just cast me aside, forget I ever existed, and send me to another like I've had done to me before?" Her head took its previous spot on his chest.

"Not on your life. You are in my life for good..." He turned his head and looked at the rest of his harem. "I'd take on each legendary with my bare hands if it meant you all would stay by my side."

A tear rolled down her cheek as she began to glow in a dark light then burst into flames. She tightly clutched Marco when he pulled back in shock. To his surprise the flames weren't burning him and instead felt warm and pleasing. Her fur lightened slightly, going from black to a deep red and cream to where the white fur was. She pulled a knife from her vest and sliced a hole in her pants, allowing her tails to spring forth.

"I have my home and my tamer, now and forever Master Marco. I am at your service."

"Then go forth Jean. I don't need proof of your loyalty, your commitment, or your servitude. You have given me everything I could want. Your trust and your love. Bring us home."

"That I will."

Time had ran out before they had finished but Brandon stopped the referee from butting in on a tender moment and waited patiently for them to finish. Cleopatra, his Sphinx, was on her starting line and had witnessed the evolution. Freshly evolved pokégirl normally tend to have an unusually high level of power to start that tapers off as they adjust to their new body. On top of that, most injuries that occurred were healed and their stamina fully recovered. It would be like fighting a fresh pokégirl. Cleopatra's tail swayed as she contemplated the best way to go about fighting the Dark Kitsune. She had been around for over a century and had plenty of experience.

Jean took a single step away from Marco and flickered as if she were never there, appearing on the field. The buzzer sounded and she ignited in a burst of dark flames. She slowly started spinning a dagger around her fingers as she approached the Sphinx. The blade erupted into a flaming scimitar and she dashed in, swinging for Cleopatra's torso.

The Sphinx was already in motion, blocking the flame sword with one of her own and holding her back with her immense strength. Her wings rose high behind her then flew forward, throwing a burst of air and knocking her away. The Dark Kitsune flipped once then appeared to hover before landing. Her red tipped tail began to glow and fire balls formed around her hands. The balls of flame shot forward leaving a trail of light behind them and homing in on their target.

Cleopatra had faces hundreds of fire types and dealt with thousands of fire balls. One wing flapped and a sphere of air formed around her, the balls of flame impacted and flew in different directions before fizzling out. "Your strength is great, possible lesson in tact necessary? A win in your future, not possible today, the keys aren't in your hands, maybe another?"

"... What?" Jean scratched her head.

"She said that you are strong but don't know the best way to utilize your powers. And that the key to victory is not with you, but someone else in the harem. I say, there is no victory without effort, the power to observe is the power to conquer." Clarified Marco while looking through his pokédex. Jean's evolution was new to him and he was quickly looking through a list of attacks and abilities.

"The tamer speaks well, true, and comprehends, but does he have courage to commit? Does she have the power she needs; are you willing to use it? A possible win, a possible death?"

"To battle is to duel of risk and reward, to compete is to risk and to win is your reward. When my ladies step onto the field they risk everything but my praise is not the reward they deserve. As I said before, to observe is to conquer. If you understand then prepare for battle."

"If the key to victory is not in my hands then they are in the hands of Master Marco. And if that is the case then victory is mine!" Jean charged forward.

Cleopatra raised her wings and forced them forward again, unleashing Feather Shuriken. Jean teleported in and out of the glowing feathers and appeared next to the Sphinx. Cleopatra swung her sword quickly, piercing Jean through the chest, or so she thought. The illusion disappeared and Jean came in from the other side and swung for her face. It was Cleopatra's turn to teleport, reappearing behind Jean and swinging down, cutting through another image. The game of teleport tag was getting bothersome with neither girl landing a hit. That ended when Cleopatra teleported into a corner and unleash a squall that covered most of the floor and forced Jean to the other side.

"So what do you think her chances are of winning?" Asked Ashley.

"Admittedly not as good as yours. On the other hand, she's coming fresh out of evolution and has excess power to burn."

Carrie gave a quick tug on Chesra's armor to get her attention then started signing. 'I much rather have fought here. Not as many eyes.'

"You fought well, especially for being out numbered. And you gave a good hearted tamer a good start."

"When did this happen?" Ashley questioned, though never taking her eyes off the field.

"I'll explain in detail later. Things are about to get interesting."

Marco flipped his pokédex closed and took a deep breath. He had a plan but he wasn't sure how willing Jean would be to follow it. "Jean, do you trust me?"

"I wouldn't be in this form if I didn't. No risk, no reward, right?"

He gave a broad smile. "Well said. Jean, Perfect Synch."

What Jean was hoping for was when she used the ability was a faint psychic connection that would allow her to receive his orders the instant he thought of them. What she got was a complete link with his mind. Every thought, every plan, and every tactic he had was at her disposal. As well as his Aura Sense. When she was a Nogitsune he couldn't use his powers on her, but now she could see the power of her opponent clear as day. On Marco’s side he suddenly had a list of every attack combination Jean could feasibly preform.

"Master's intellect combine with my strength, we will be victorious."

"You declare victory? The power of one, the mind of another. A test to prove your superiority? Success grants victory."

"Marco spoke before, your comprehension needs improvement. The power to observe is the power to conquer, and we see all." Jean noticed a flare in Cleopatra's emotional and threat flames, clearly hitting a nerve with her insult.

Cleopatra wouldn't take that slight lightly. The fur on her back bristled and her wings enlarged as she got down on all fours, transforming into her battle form. The deafening roar ripped through the arena, shaking the very ground they were standing on. A single flap of her wings was all it took to get her airborne.

"Cleo, Mach Breaker!" Shouted Brandon.

“Everybody hit the deck!” Yelled Chesra.

Jean was still in the center of the field when Cleopatra descended towards her. The crack of the sonic boom rattled the whole arena. Even though she managed to get out of the way the force of the shock wave ripped through her. Both Marco and Jean went down to a knee and clutched their chest. The Sphinx rose to the top of the arena to admire her work while the two of them collected themselves.

“I think… I think you pissed her off?” Groaned Marco.

“I believe you may be correct, open your mind and assist me… wow, yeah like that.” She knew her master was brutal and creative but never imagined that he would come up with something like that. “Well your attacks are good but your comprehension still needs work.”

Before Cleopatra could begin her dive Jean had teleported onto her back. Both of her tails were glowing with power, one knife erupted into the flaming scimitar while the second swirled with psychic power. She thrust each weapon into the Sphinxes scapulars and held on for dear life when the wings curled in and they began to spiral down. At the last second Jean jumped off and floated safely to the floor.

Both of the knives snapped under the pressure of her muscles and fell to the ground. Even though the handles were gone the blades were stuck inside and kept the wings from functioning properly. Blood dripped onto the floor with every step of Cleopatra stalking around Jean, her claws digging into the stone floor.

"Well we disabled her flying abilities, what's next?" Asked Jean. The Sphinx was circling her like corned prey.

"Things are about to get very physical, keep on your feet! Don't let her get you down or back you into a corner!" Commanded Marco. There was no way Jean could go head to head against Cleopatra and everyone in the arena knew it. Suddenly she pounced forward, slashing down with her claws. Jean narrowly avoided the hit, leaping to the side and out of the way. "Agility, Psychic Charge, then Flash."

Jean's cream tail glowed with power and in blur she was moving around the field. Cleopatra had lost track of her, the rapid footsteps coming from too many places at once to pinpoint. That was until Jean stopped nose to nose in front of her, one hand holding a tiny orb of light the others cupping her chin. "Say cheese!"

The blinding light flashed in her face and cause her stagger back and swipe randomly. Jean leapt back and inhaled deeply before firing her Flamethrower attack. She couldn't hold it anywhere near as long as some of the others but it did the job that was intended. Cleopatra dropped and rolled on the ground to try and extinguish the flames as quickly as possible. Smoke rose from her body as she rolled back onto her feet. The majority of her fur had been burnt off, her wings were completely useless, and she was still seeing spots from the Flash, the roar she let out didn't carry near as much intimidation as it did in before.

Jean's eyes flashed purple again, her threat flame was starting to diminish but her power and emotional flames were still burning bright. "Give it up, there is no way for you to win now!"

"Said from far away, fear of proximity?"

"Suit yourself then." Jean reached down and pulled one of her remaining ring knives from the bottom of her vest then pulled a set of throwing knives from her breast pocket.

The throwing knives she carried were long and thin with no real edge to them. Meant to pierce and be difficult to pull out but not cut. The Sphinx was just starting to get her bearings back when she picked up on the whistle of something coming at her. She jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the knife then charged. Jean was still a safe distance away and tossing more of the tiny knives. Cleopatra was quickly approaching and teleported at the last second, ramming Jean with her head and knocking her down. Before she could get back to her feet a claw came down, ripping into the vest she was wearing.

Marco hit the ground clutching his chest; the link with Jean was more than just mental. He could feel every bit of pain that she was in. Slowly he rolled over and staggered back onto his feet. “Getoutofthere!”

Before the claw could come back down Jean teleported out of the way and appeared overhead. The red tail was glowing and little orbs began to form around them. Jean jumped away, having expended to last of her psychic powers and watched the orbs hit the ground and explode. The smoke and dust kicked up from the multiple blast covered field.

Cleopatra roared weakly and came stumbling out, having transformed back to her human state. Her left arm was missing a huge chunk of flesh and her mane was burned and dismayed. "I can’t battle any longer." Were her final words before collapsing.

Jean let out a final huff and hit the floor. "Good..." Marco was fortunate that Jean severed the mental link after she had taken the charge or he would have been out too.

"Winner, Marco Readman." Announced the judge.

Chesra leapt onto the field and started healing both girls. In her eyes it was a spectacular battle and even though she wished she could have fought, it was worth it to see Jean evolve.

Brandon left his side of the field and made his way across to Marco. He looked upon him with an appraising eye and extended his hand. "It was a great fight and an honor to witness the evolution of a Dark Kitsune. It is rare in this area to see a tamer who cares so deeply for his pokégirls."

Having finally shaken off the after effects of the Perfect Sync, Marco shook the Gym Leaders hand. "I thought that being from this area you carried the same attitude as its inhabitants. Not exactly one of my favorite cities in Indigo."

"This place has its charms and beauties scattered, you just don't find them in the form of the people normally. When Cleo comes around I'm certain that she will speak fondly of you, rare is it that she finds one who can challenge her mind and body."

Marco laughed then grabbed his side where some pain emerged. "Man it hurts to laugh, I'm sure that if she and I had an extended bout she would prevail. A mind as sharp as hers is always prepared for one like myself."

"You're modest, I like that. You can tell your girl to save her strength, I have a healing unit on site and would be more than happy to put Jean in as well."

"I world really appreciate that. Chesra, just make sure they are stable. Got a question for you, when I came in I was surprised to not find any statues donated by Brock Stuart. Did he ever come here?"

"Oh that," Brandon reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote, pressing a large green button. There actually was artificial lighting in the arena, it was just well hidden. On Brandon's side of the field was a large mural of detailed carvings depicting his primary harem. "He said he normally only travels to the female Gym Leaders to show off his work but this was a one of a kind."

Ashley and Carrie had taken up spots behind their tamer to get a better look. "It's exquisite." spoke the Peekabu.

"Made to my specifications. So where is your next gym battle to take place?"

"I’m not sure, I have some business to take care of here first."

"Oh, sorry to hold you up, I'll get her healed right up for you." He recalled the Sphinx and waited for Marco to recall Jean before motioning for one of his assistants to come over. "Make sure that they all get fully healed and cleaned then bring me an Eye of 'Ra badge."

____

An hour later Marco and Chesra were walking back down the rain slicked sidewalk. She had taken her normal spot on his right side. "That was interesting, I didn't think she would evolve so quickly."

"I know Ches, she's been with us for a little over a month now. It's kind of scary."

"What is?"

"To think that I could gain her trust and get her to the point she would evolve. I haven't done anything to really deserve that kind of trust."

"You are you, that's enough. You had her trust before you ever truly met her. If she feels that way I wouldn't question it, just make sure that you keep that trust."

"You're right as always, let's go ahead and get this operation going." He said while pulling out his pokédex. The locator was marking Echo already in the area and zeroed in on Selena to make the connection. "Selena, what does it look like?"

"Afternoon Colonel, it's all clear so far. It's a small office building from the looks of things. There is a chance they could be holding pokégirls on site but if they’re doing something special it's at another location. There is an antenna for a transport system though, so that should confirm that theory."

"Excellent, where is Kelly?"

"She was still working your new data into the system the last I spoke to her. That was an hour ago, so if you check your dex now it should be updated. Bella was getting things set in the safe house."

Marco pulled up his roster and at the bottom was a Dire Wolf. "Good job, has there been any activity since you got there?"

"Three young tamers entered through a door in the back. One was working his arm like he just got it."

"That must be the bully we ran into earlier; Carrie broke his arm so it's still going to be fresh... This might cause a problem though."

"Why is that sir?"

"Well if those are the guys that do the retrieving then they know my stats. Sure my harem composition is blocked but they will recognize the names."

Another tone sounded in his headset then he could hear Kelly's voice. "You can remove the names and just have them listed by types only. There is still the problem of them recognizing you though. It may be safer to just have someone from the unit pose as a tamer and take your place."

The tone sounded again when Selena spoke. "You're right, Renae and Alex would make a good pair. How long will it take to transfer the data?"

"Already copied to a new dex."

"That's a bad idea." Warned Marco. "The people around here tend to scan anything that moves. I have a better equally bad idea, Alex?"

The comm. link clicked over and his pokédex registered the Cherub. "Yes sir, what do you need?"

"Did Chris start work again?"

"Noo? She said that she was going to take two more weeks."

"Kelly, contact her and ask her if she would like to help."

"You know she'll say yes, should I just go there in person?" Said the Duelist, she was still busy changing the data over to the new pokédex and had her hands full.

"She took losing Henrietta just as hard as we did. There is a chance she may still be grieving. Ask and if she says yes then go. This isn't a rush mission."

"Yes sir, what will you be doing?"

"I'm going to walk around some tamer hot spots and go fishing. There is always the chance that they won't care if it's me again and approach anyway. If and or when Chris is on board, get her a comm. unit and she'll take my place. Alex will still be with her, but list two more pokégirls. Everyone at the shop can stay put for the time being."

====

Stone Town, Residential district

Kelly teleported in on the side walk and looked around. It was a fairly nice area from the looks of things. Some of the neighbors were out tending to their yards and looked up in surprise when she teleported in but took note of the uniform and went back to their work. She rang the bell and stood back, waiting patiently for a response. Seconds before the she was about to knock the rattle of a latch being undone caught her attention.

The door open and there stood Chris in a pair of baggy sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. "Kelly? Come in, what can I do for you?"

She stepped inside and looked around. The last time she was there wasn’t under the best circumstances and she didn't notice how well her place was furnished. "Good afternoon Chris, how are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, I should be asking you that instead. How is Marco? He was still pretty shaken up the last time I saw him, all of us were."

"He's dealing as best as he can. Actually that's why I'm here; we have an issue in Prussian City. There was an increase in pokégirl thefts and we believe it has something to do with Team Rocket. We think they are stealing them then selling them to tamers who would be none the wiser.

"The Rockets, I would love to help but that is a bit outside of my jurisdiction." Her eyes beamed at the idea.

"You would be working directly for the IRS and Avalanche. Marco inadvertently made contact with the three suspects so there is a chance they may avoid him if they see him. Or act with extreme hostility considering what happened."

"What happened exactly?"

"They were accosting another tamer when Marco was on his way to the gym. Long story short, they challenged him, they lost, he got three of their pokégirls, and Carrie broke the main guys arm."

"Ouch, I'm in, what do you need me to do?"

"He wants you to act as a tamer and try and lure them out. We programmed this pokédex with you having three pokégirls, one being a Dire Wolf. We placed an order at the shop for that particular girl and given how rare they are it should make you an immediate target if you get scanned with one. Alexis will be acting as your out girl and we'll set you up with a comm. unit."

She looked herself up and down before looking back at Kelly. "I just got done working out, do I have time to get a shower and change first?"

"Yeah, this isn't time critical. If Ariel would like to help we can change the registration on the ball to a different type and you can carry her too."

"It’s a favor for Marco, she'll jump at the chance to help. Make yourself comfortable and give me a half an hour."

"Where is Ariel?"

"Upstairs taking a nap, I'll wake her to keep you company."

____

 

Back in Prussian the rain had let up and the sun was shining. Marco was waiting patiently in one of the tamers gathering spots. He was still under the reprieve time for his salvage battle so not many were paying him too much attention. A few of the tamers recognized him from the Prussian Arena and congratulated him on his win, while others were boasting about their adventures.

Things got quiet when they laid eyes on the beautiful brunette walking into the area. Her long wavy hair fell to her shoulders and the beret she sported gave others even more reason to take notice. She was gorgeous even by pokégirl standards and the female tamers wore looks of envy. The Cherub that walked with her was cute as a button and knew it, having increased the size of her wing and wearing them over her shoulders like a white cloak. The female scanned the area before locking eyes with Marco and approaching his table.

"This seat taken?" She said in a sultry voice.

He had to give Chris credit; he couldn't imagine how she squeezed into those pants. If for no other reason than being hot she would get scanned. "No at all, if no one said it yet, welcome to Prussian City. I'm Marco."

"Hailey, you seem to be pretty well traveled are you up for a battle?" She brushed her hair to the side and any pokégirl with enhanced hearing would notice the sound of pants tightening and fabric shifting.

Marco pulled out his pokédex and scanned hers. 'I'm going to strangle Kelly.' "26-6, that's quite the impressive record you got there. Good thing I'm on battle reprieve."

"Aw, that's too bad. Alex, say hi to Marco."

The Cherub's sweet and cheerful voice sounded. "Hi Marco, hey, he's not thinking dirty thoughts like the others are." She teased.

"If a guy is around enough beautiful women he starts to look for other things, not that your master isn't eye catching."

"See Alex, that's a seasoned tamer for you. I just needed to rest my feet for a moment, but maybe we'll meet again." She stood and started walking off.

"The pleasure was all mine, till next time."

Chesra nudged him in his side playfully. "Are you sure you don't want to go after her Master, she seemed to have a thing for you."

"Don't kid like that. Let's get going, we have a couple of shops to get to."

The two of them made it to the designated rendezvous spot and signaled for their pickup. Kelly appeared a few feet away and grabbed them both before teleporting to the safe house where they were standing by. "Really Kelly?"

The Duelist wore a puzzled look at the question. "What? I knew she wouldn't mind if I spoke to her in person."

Marco scowled when he realized what she did. "What I was talking about was her having a 26-6 battle record. Who has that kind of record with only three pokégirls? But you disobeyed my orders and went to her directly? What am I supposed to do with you?"

"I don't know what the problem is. She was jumping at the chance to take on Team Rocket. And yes, 26-6 is a good record when you have three high level, rare pokégirls."

"That's not the point and you know it. It's hard to refuse when the person asking is right there with you. I don't want her to take unnecessary risk on my part!" He said, pacing back and forth.

"Yeah, and it's equally hard to refuse when the person asking saved your life! Just knowing you is a risk but we all deal with it! If you didn't want to bring her in then you shouldn't have suggested it!" Kelly yelled back.

"I can't have her getting hurt, I owe her that much!"

"Who! Who do you owe that to?!"

He stammered trying to find the right words. His thoughts were jumbled and he plopped down onto the couch holding his head. "Hen... Henrietta... I can't let one of her friends get hurt. I owe her that much. And what did I do? I turned Chris into a walking target." Kelly sat on the back of the couch and started to rub his shoulders like her fallen sister use to. He let out a deep sigh, feeling the tension release. "My issue with her record is that when you see something like that, and you plan to steal from them, you'll want to hit them hard and fast. The last thing you need is a powerful harem to deal with, and after their run in with me they may not play nice with the next person."

Selena turned around in her chair where she was watching the monitors. "Colonel, how long have you known us?"

He raised his head and thought for a second, looking at each girl in the room. "Not counting Lily, four years at the earliest. Why?"

"And you had the final say in whether or not we were chosen for Avalanche, as well as making sure that we were trained and educated?"

Now he had the same puzzled look that Kelly had earlier. "Yeah? What's your point?"

"That you know we aren't fools. We considered the possibility of that happening as well and took the appropriate action, giving her a locator watch and an E-Release bracelet. In the Dire Wolf pokéball is Arianna from Delta, just in case something happens. Even though Alex mainly does support we all know that she doesn't fool around in a battle and kills quickly, on top of that Ariel is there as well. Chris isn't some rookie; she's an officer of Indigo and a hell of a fighter." With no more to say, Selena turned back to the monitors.

"Shit, that reminds me." He quickly released the harem pokéballs. "Sorry ladies, things got a little sidetracked."

Lily was the first to notice the new girl in Marco's harem. "Who is that, I don't remember her?"

Jean smiled politely before bowing. "It's me, Jean, what's going on here?"

Kelly slid off the back of the couch and looked her up and down. "Ah, you look good, evolved into a Dark Kitsune I see. How was the gym battle?"

"A clean sweep, three to nothing. Good thing I evolved because that Sphinx was really good." She faintly picked up on the grief and exhaustion Marco was giving off and took a seat next to him. "I feel so... aware now, all thanks to you." She punctuated by planting a kiss on his cheek.

"You give me too much credit. Ok ladies, here is the situation..."

Several minutes later…

"... Oh, we try and figure out who is supplying the store." Said Ashley.

"Well that was the original idea, but something has been bothering me." Grumbled Kelly. "Given how many ways there are to have a pokégirl evolve, how would they guarantee a particular evolution?"

Carrie raised her hand and started signing. 'Everything I can think of is bad. Forced battles, torture, psych manipulation of their emotions. If they are doing that then we can't just stop the collectors and dealers, we need to find the production area and shut that down too.' Everyone in the unit had already picked up the T2 for sign language and Chesra translated for Marco.

"The little sister is right, this is throwing the world out of balance and we need to put an end to it." Said Selena.

Marco nodded while he was thinking. "I agree, get a hold of Chris and tell her there may be a change of plans. I still got the registration data from those three guys, can you track it?"

"Yeah, what are your plans for getting to the main facility?" Asked Kelly.

"Pokégirl transport machines aren't cheap. Get Isabella to see if she can track the location they are being sent to, and to start with the Prussian Roulette."

"I... I...doubt they would use s… such a place, Colonel. If th... they have been under investigation that mm... many times and pokégirl thefts are c... c... common knowledge I wwwwouldn't do it there. From wh... what I have been taught, if yo... yo... you have the right access codes and the re... receiver has the pr... proper reception codes, you can s... s... send a girl anywhere." Lily meekly stated before backing away from the group. It was her first full operation and she didn't know how to approach the higher ups with her ideas.

Chesra nodded and smiled at the girl. "Fresh minds bring knowledge that we forget about, but you must speak up if you want others to listen. Do you have an idea?"

The Gloomy nodded and stepped forward. "I... I... th... think..."

Chesra looked to Selena, she was the Beta of Echo now and Lily was her subordinate. Chesra wouldn't correct a member that wasn't on her team unless they were lent to her. Selena on the other hand had taken notes on how Henrietta was breaking the girl in and it did have its desired effect. "Damn it she said to speak up! Now put that voice to work, throw some effort into it, and tell us your idea!"

Lily snapped to attention and sounded off. "Bring them a pokégirl and tell them you want her to evolve into a particularly difficult breed, something that requires more than just an evolution stone. Send her with a tracker so that as soon as she is released we can go and get her back." She spoke confidently.

The entire room was silent and everyone stared at her. A few seconds went by and she was starting to think that she screwed up. Marco scratched his head for a moment before he spoke. "I like it, I won't use anyone from the unit for that job but I like it."

"Why not use someone from the unit?" Asked Lily.

Kelly shuffled a deck of cards as she always did when thinking. "Teleport jammers, signal jammers, and conditioning cycles just to start. Also possibly being stolen or killed. I hate to say this but we can buy a Common pokégirl for a pitons and not feel completely horrible if things go wrong."

"You're right ma'am, sorry to ask?"

Selena smile at the thought. "It's only a bad question if no one is willing to ask it. I agree that your plan is good though, keep speaking up and you'll have a bright future."

"If we are going to do that then I'll leave it up to you all to get her set up. Put a tracker on the pokéball, a chip in her, and she wears a locator watch and collar. Try and find a girl with a wide range of evolutions, fairly young, and can't speak English. Selena, tell Chris to go to the rendezvous zone, we need to talk. I'll be outside." He stepped out after issuing the last of his orders.

Kelly began pulling up pokégirl auction and purchasing sites on her laptop. Carrie tapped her on the shoulder and began signing. 'Is he going to be ok, he looked worried.'

 

 

 

Delta

Echo

Indigo

 

Beta- Chesra- Warrior nun	KIA- Henrietta- CalamityJane	Beta- Mina- Kunoichi
Emaline- FireMaiden	Field Beta Selena- Caphoochie	Renae- IceMaiden
Arianna- War Hound	Alexis- Cherub	Isabella- Mecha Musume
Kim- Bombshell	Rebecca- Smokey	Zianna- Lupina
Nikki- SexSlash	Lily- Gloomy	Leona- Lamia

 

Harem

Chesra- Alpha

Carrie- Penance

Ashley- Peekabu

Jean- Dark Kitsune