Forum Thread

Chapter One: Questing By Night

Section One: In Search of Like Minds

Atop a tall moonlit building, a cloaked figure sat in the chill night air. The being was accompanied by two other figures, smaller creatures. In the gloom, the cloaked one could almost have passed for human, but the other two were obviously Pokemon. One of these, a Meowth, was lying down, relaxed, and listening to the others talk with an air of unconcern. The Pokemon not reclining, a Pikachu with odd markings on his ear-tips that hearkened back to those of Pichu, appeared to be arguing quite spiritedly with the largest of the three. "I understand your concern, G.J. However, my mind is made up." The tall being rumbled softly, sounding amused. There was something odd about his speech - and the timbre of his voice made it quite clear that he was male - but determining what was so strange would be tricky without seeing his features as he spoke. In fact, his words were arriving without first travelling past his lips - he was a telepath. "<How can you say that, after what happened last time?>" Demanded the Pikachu irately, "<Wasn't a memory-wipe enough?>" The purple-hued being in the cloak smiled slightly, before responding. "There is more to my choice than simple revenge, old friend, and it is not merely Team Rocket I intend to meddle with." Holding up a tri-fingered paw tipped with unusual bulbs to forestall further protests, he continued. "Rest assured, I know better than to show myself in such endeavours, and I have no intention of performing multiple Amnesias."

Stumped, the argumentative G.J. frowned up at the creature known as Mewtwo. "<How're you going to manage that?>" The 'chu inquired sharply. "Simple." The purple feline responded, "I will enlist the assistance of a human, to become my cat's paw." The Pikachu spluttered at this, caught between outrage and utter confusion. "<WHAT?>" He exclaimed, "<Surely not Ash!>" Shaking his head, the young legend - for he was indeed no ordinary Pokemon - sighed under his breath. "Of course not, that would be foolhardy on many counts." He murmured soothingly, "I intend to perform a telepathic search for a human whose mind does not revolve around capturing everything that moves. Someone whose thought-patterns are similar to my own." Albus, the Meowth, lifted his head slightly. The pale-pelted cat was intrigued by the thought, but wondered whether it was wise. "<Is there not the risk that someone with similar mind may not wish to be told what to do by a complete stranger?>" He mewed softly. This point caused the experiment to pause, considering this. "True." he responded, "But I have learnt from my past mistakes. I believe that I will be able to come to an agreement with them."

After G.J. had lapsed into sullen silence, and Albus had decided to take a nap, the cloaked feline closed his eyes. The being, who had named himself Storm for reasons best known to himself, opened his mind cautiously, sending tentative tendrils of thought out. Each probing whimsy met a human mind, and performed a quick search of the person's surface thoughts. Several attempts were met with resistance from the sleeping minds, and several more were clearly unsuitable. Could G.J. have been right? Storm didn't want to acknowledge that possibility, and he wasn't going to back down now. Extending his search beyond the surrounding houses, he encountered other minds. Many of these were also of no use to him, but there were a few whose surface thoughts had 'shapes' and 'colours' that gave him hope. Narrowing his attentions primarily onto these individuals, he searched for basic information on their identity. Two were ordinary Pokemon trainers, and were dismissed out of hand. Their minds might have been within the bounds of acceptability, but they were used to trying to capture Pokemon, and he did not relish the prospect of being seen as a target again.

One mind threw up hastily constructed barriers, indicating that they had dealt with curious Psychic types before, and another just seemed amused and curious, if wary. The one building barriers appeared to be an artist of some sort, but the other intrigued Storm, as this one didn't seem to fit an easy category. Directing his full attention to this person, the purple feline discovered that he was encountering a teenage boy. This made him immediately cautious, but the human didn't have any indicator of being a trainer thus far, which was puzzling. A quick zoom out revealed an Espeon by the boy's side, but there was none of the usual trainer psyche-print. The boy was awake, and aware of his intrusion, so Storm was careful to broadcast peaceful intentions. This was met with a chuckle, and querying impressions of thought. The boy was no telepath, but the Psychic type could not label him mind-blind either, which was promising. This human was the most likely candidate that he'd isolated from the entire location, so he decided to approach him. Floating discreetly towards the boy's mind, eyes now open, Storm hoped that he was not making a grave error. He approached the human from behind, and it was the Espeon, named Isaac, who spotted him first. "<Who are you?>" The other purple cat mewed, cautious. The human, a long-haired individual known as Arashi, turned to face Storm. The teen's hair was also purple, to Storm's amusement, and tied back in a loose ponytail. Peering at the legend through sparkling, deep purple eyes, the boy seemed surprised but relatively unruffled.

---

Section Two: An Odd Accord

Arashi, the human in question, regarded the Pokemon in front of him curiously, intrigued by the newcomer's unusual appearance. So this was the one who'd sent whispering thoughts into his mind, and not the neighbour's Drowzee. Well, he had to admit that he was impressed - he'd never seen nor heard of the like - but he didn't allow it to cross his face. Straightening his small, rectangular glasses, which were actually just an affectation of his, the boy looked Storm in the eye. Such interesting eyes they were, too - deep purple like his own, unless the poor light deceived him. "Greetings, my name is Arashi." He began, deciding that his peculiar visitor wanted something from him. If nothing else, the odd stranger might respond in a dialect of the Pokemon tongue, allowing him to discern what he was facing without having to ask. If the Pokemon could speak, he'd be able to ask what the creature had been looking for in his mind.

A little surprised himself by the human's calm statement, Storm replied. "My name is Storm." The Espeon was looking suspicious, but not hostile, and Arashi smiled. "Pleased to meet you. What brings you here?" He asked lightly, fighting to conceal his excitement - a Pokemon that spoke a human tongue! He wouldn't even need the entirety of one hand to count the number of species recorded to have done so. Isaac stretched, and gazed up at Storm as well, adding his own introduction. "<I'm called Isaac, and I'd quite like to hear the answer to that as well.>" The larger feline felt strangely reassured when Arashi did not immediately pull out a Pokedex, but he supposed that the boy might not own such an item. As he had already ascertained that he was only being observed by his companions and by the pair he was conversing with, Storm answered. "I am looking for someone to act on my behalf, so that I may affect the world around me without alerting more people than necessary to my existence. Thus far, you are the most promising candidate."

"A proxy?" Arashi murmured, intrigued. He'd never heard of a Pokemon approaching someone for the like before - at least, not outside of comic books. "That's an interesting idea, but what does it entail?" Folding his arms, the human narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew that he was dealing with an unknown and probably powerful Pokemon, but he had no intentions of allowing that to intimidate him - nor did he want this 'Storm' fellow to underestimate him or view him as lesser. "I want you to know right now that I will not agree to anything that reduces me to your puppet. I do not object to your presence in my mind, but I will not be manipulated without my express permission and cooperation. We must stand as equals, or not at all!" Taken aback by the peculiar vehemence in the teen's voice, and the boldness of his remarks, Storm suspected that he had been manipulated by someone before. "We stand as equals." He murmured, looking at Arashi oddly - he was somewhat reminded of something he had once said to another. As he did so, G.J. and Albus came down from the rooftops to investigate. The Pikachu scowled at Arashi, while Albus approached Isaac cautiously. "<Who are they?>" The Espeon inquired, tilting his head. "These are my friends, G.J. and Albus." Storm replied, by way of explanation. He waved his paw vaguely at each in turn, so that it was clear which was which. "<Well?>" Demanded the Pikachu, "<Will he do?>"

Relaxing slightly, as the peculiar Pokemon seemed to understand, Arashi turned to face Isaac. "What do you think, old friend?" The boy inquired softly, seeking his companion's opinion. The Espeon gazed evenly up at the human he'd grown up with, and nodded slightly. He didn't fully trust Storm yet, but he didn't seem to mean them any harm. "Okay then, I'll help you." Arashi stated, looking back towards the Mewtwo. "But I need to know what sort of things I'll need, and what I'll be doing." G.J. did not appear impressed, being of the opinion that a human with so much to say, and so calmly, could not be trusted. He kept quiet, though, because the boy would probably not be able to do them serious harm. Storm was pleased that there did not seem to be any further issues, and hoped that things would remain that way. "Most of the tasks I intend to share with you involve spying upon and sabotaging Team Rocket, and other organisations like it." The purple feline explained, getting a wolfish grin in response. Well, that was interesting... "However, the first thing I require of you is your assistance in procuring an item known as the Masterball." This task was part of the reason that he had been so keen to avoid enlisting the aid of a trainer. For most, he assumed, the temptation of using the repellent object would be too strong.

Arashi considered the information he'd just received, his hand on his chin. The sabotage and espionage were not an issue to him, but the theft of the Masterball was a trickier prospect. Still, he supposed he could understand why a Pokemon would wish to have the thing taken out of human reach. "Am I to assume that you possess a counterfeit?" The boy asked, tilting his head in a similar mannerism to that which the Espeon had displayed. "Indeed." Storm replied, "I constructed it myself." Nodding, the teen responded in mildly distracted tones. "Good. Along with that, I'll need rope, pins, a Swiss army knife, a laser pointer, night-vision goggles, a quick getaway method, and a costume." Arashi rattled off, while G.J. and Storm stared at him. Albus shut the dumbfounded Pikachu's mouth for him, amused, while Arashi kept talking. "I'll have to wear a belt with pouches, to keep everything in, but I can get most of that stuff at home." This said, the human started wandering vaguely into a garden. "I'm just going to fetch some things, I'll be right back." He announced, walking into the nearest house. "A costume?" Storm asked, hoping that the Espeon would be able to tell him what under the sun the human was going on about. "<So that he won't be recognised, of course.>" Isaac drawled dryly, obviously amused. "<If he is to be effective, he can't just stroll in as himself and expect to get away with it.>" While the pet had a point, the idea was somewhat less subtle than Storm would have preferred. Sighing to himself, the large feline wondered just what he had let himself in for.

When Arashi emerged, he was clad in dark purple, complete with a pouched belt, black gloves and a dark purple headpiece. This 'mask' was in fact a form of cat-eared hat with eyeholes, which were somehow being filled by the lenses of a set of night-vision goggles. Visible on the boy's chest was the black image of a feline pawprint, and he had plaited his hair. Mildly stunned, Storm gave Arashi a querying look of disbelief. "Explain." He rumbled, while Isaac grinned widely. "I've been trying to write my own comic books, and my dad helped me to make all the costumes, as he used to work in a theatre." Arashi informed the listening Pokemon, "I had to adapt this one a bit, but I think it'll work."

---

Section Three: To the Moonlit Mountain

Arashi smiled, now convinced that he had perplexed the odd feline with his outlandish garb. Well, The boy reasoned, full of nervous excitement, If he can have a cloak, I can have a costume. Now, what to call himself? 'Catboy' was clearly a stupid idea, something a little more relevant was called for. If he was to act as a cat-eared proxy to a feline, who wished him to engage in sabotage, espionage and the occasional theft, what was he but a Cat's Paw? He liked the sound of that. Storm, having decided that they had lingered too long, broadcast his intention to convey all concerned to a more secure location. There was, in his opinion, no reason to remain in such an exposed place for longer than was strictly necessary. He'd found a suitable operative, now it was time to leave before anyone else spotted them. "No problem," Arashi responded, upon hearing the decision. "My family are used to me and Isaac wandering off anyway, so they'll just think I spotted an interesting-looking Pokemon and followed it, or something." Technically, they would be right, a situation that amused both boy and legend, though neither said so.

As a result of the decision to embark, had anyone known when and where to look, a small group of blue dots was visible against the black backdrop of the clear night sky. For Storm, flight was a relaxing pastime, an activity that both soothed his thoughts and reminded him that he was free. Arashi, on the other hand, found the sensation of flying rather more exciting than calming. It was a new and marvellous thing to him, and he stared with greedy eyes at the spectacle of the suddenly small landscape. To G.J.'s profound relief, the boy refrained from whooping or shouting, though the Pikachu also felt slightly peeved that this left him without legitimate complaint. Albus, to Isaac's wondering amusement, appeared to have fallen asleep mid-flight. The Espeon couldn't fathom why anyone would wish to shut their eyes when presented with such a glorious view, but he left the Meowth to his slumber.

A lonely mountain, surrounded and partially blanketed by thriving forest, was becoming visible as they approached. The moonlight lent a silvery sheen to the setting, making everything look somehow unreal - the word ethereal came to mind quite easily. Drawing closer, it became clearer that the trees were not constructs of silver, nor the mountain spun from silken mist, but the grandeur of the place was not diminished. They landed on the flattened, rather wide peak, which put Arashi in mind of an extinct volcano. Storm, maintaining silence, lead the group towards a rough outcrop, which felt cold and moist to the touch. There was a gap, some form of cave, into which the reclusive legend ushered boy and Pokemon. The cave was narrow, but high, so not even Storm's head grazed the top, and it was not lit. Content to allow his own night vision to lead everyone, Storm had not bothered to set up a lamp. Gently, he led them to what seemed to be a wall, before rolling aside a significant portion of said wall. If this was indeed a volcano, then it was not unreasonable to expect cave systems, and Arashi was delighted to have his hypothesis vindicated.

Down the hidden, rough-hewn stairwell, the party of assorted beings descended. Upon reaching the bottom, the way became both wider and more illuminated, as there were artificial lights within the cavern. "This is my home." The legend stated simply, waving at the surroundings. Storm noted with satisfaction that the human's carefully controlled expression, what little was visible of it anyway, betrayed hints of both amazement and awe. The Mewtwo, upon viewing the eerie caverns, complete with stalactites and a smooth, tranquil lake, mused that things were as they should be. It was well that the boy should be impressed. What the superclone didn't realise was that his human guest had not been struck dumb by the sheer beauty of the locale, though that was certainly part of it. In fact, what was currently occupying Arashi's mind was the striking resemblance of the place to a fictional location known as the Gligarcave, and an inevitable comparison of his own situation and location to those of various comic book characters.

Blissfully unaware of all this, which was probably fortunate for the eardrums of all those nearby, G.J. began shooing away the baby Nidoqueen which had come to see what was going on. Arashi and Isaac regarded the unusual infants with curiosity - they could hardly do otherwise, as such were not supposed to exist - but made no move to investigate more closely. Storm noted this behaviour with a half smile, becoming more assured of the wisdom (as opposed to foolishness) of recruiting this pair. It was not a test which he had actually devised, but its result was as promising as it would have been has the feline been responsible.

Once the young ones had been returned to their parents, who regarded the visitors with a suspicious gaze, Arashi and Isaac were led towards an adjoining cavern, which had been fitted with doors. Once inside, the guests quickly guessed that this was where their host spent a lot of his time. Most of the space was occupied by laboratory equipment and various books, but the presence of a mostly clear area near the back, containing only a circular mat and a wooden box, led the boy and Espeon to suspect that this was also where Storm slept. Not particularly caring what was going through his guests' heads, the tall feline began strolling between his tables in search of some device or other. "You mentioned the need for some form of getaway vehicle, did you not?" Storm mused aloud, neither expecting nor receiving a response.

Plucking a spherical object from one surface, the legend continued speaking. "As it happens, I anticipated this, and have been working on a solution. However, it is a relatively untested prototype at this stage." Storm was reasonably confident that it would function, particularly where Isaac was concerned, but he was dubious about the extent of its usability. Ever cautious, Isaac wasn't sure that he liked the sound of this, but was willing to give it a chance. Arashi, too, had his doubts, but he figured that it was better to try out an option than to dismiss it automatically without even knowing what it could do. "What is it?" The boy inquired, feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

---

Section Four: A Background Buzzing

As it happens, Storm and Arashi were not the only ones setting their sights on the Master Ball. In a less mountainous part of the world, another plan was being masterminded. Like Storm, the architect of this scheme had been preparing for this heist for some time, and had readied a faux Master Ball, but this being had already had accomplices. The human in question was at the head of a highly discreet group of cat-burglers known as the Hive, and was only interested in the artefact for the price that it would fetch, but her customers were likely to have more nefarious aims in mind. The ringleader, unknown to most upstanding individuals, went by the alias 'Queen Bee', and structured her organisation in a manner similar to that of the non-Pokemon organisms for which she had named herself, but neither she nor her subordinates trained Combee or Vespiquen, as that would be too cliché for their tastes. Members of the Hive held positions mainly based on their abilities, but it suited Queen Bee's fancy to assign them to gender-based divisions. Males were always Drones, but their roles varied from gathering intelligence, preparing food, providing security, and acting as decoys or intermediaries. Females, called Workers, had similar functions, but performed more fieldwork. Hive members as a whole were quite different to those of conventional 'teams', as each was carefully selected for their individual skill-sets, and none wore brightly coloured costumes. Needless to say, they were scornful of conventional 'teams', but they had no compunctions about stealing things to sell to them. After all, business was business.

The six Workers assigned to the mission were in the briefing room in their wing pairs. The Drone pair that had delivered their assignment were already gone, leaving the Workers to go through the information piled on the table. One member of Alpha Wing, Meggie 'Trace' Cafferkey, smiled to herself as she contemplated the raid to come. She and her wingman, Linda 'Magpie' Gibson, were accustomed to far tougher targets than museums. That such a valuable artifact could be left in such a vulnerable location seemed utterly laughable. The other wings were likewise occupied with reading the relevant information, though Delta Wing did so with no obvious expressions. Layla 'Hush' Fogarty and Claire 'Wraith' Morbey were absolutely focused on their assimilation of intelligence, neither willing to allow pride or contempt to interfere with the planning going on in their cold minds. Jona 'Trigger' Brake and Sana 'Kerosene' Franceschi of Gamma Wing were an altogether different matter. This pair were grinning with obvious relish. Their function was to act as back up in the event of a mishap, and both were explosives experts. This, therefore, was the 'heavy' Wing of Cell: Fury, a team that had been together since their recruitment.

Once they had satisfied themselves with the information provided, the wings moved into the current equipment room to collect their gear. Alpha Wing sifted through the night-vision tech first, before moving on to grappling hooks, wires, manual and electronic lock-picks, and other such paraphernalia. Beta and Gamma Wings also secured wires and grappling hooks, but Beta Wing opted for long-distance night-vision apparatus and tranquilliser dart guns. Gamma Wing, naturally, went for discrete explosives, including smokescreen ones, but they also equipped themselves with flares and the same night-vision tech as Beta Wing. The last things to go in everyone's pockets were small radar and communication devices, so that they could (a) maintain contact, and (b) detect incoming people before they came within visual range.

Next, the wings checked their outfits to make sure that everything was in order. Alpha Wing were wearing grey and darker grey clothes, patterned after shadows and with cloth extrusions to break up the outline of each silhouette, while their short hair was tucked under their night-vision tech. This was a form of light helmet, covering their faces and with similar concealment features to the rest of the outfits. Beta and Gamma Wings had outfits similar in texture, concealment and colour, but in varying shades of grey. This raid had been planned for some time, and as such, the wings had a little back up. Over the course of a month, a Drone pair had been integrated into the museum staff, one wingman as a night guard, and the other as a camera-feed monitor. Both were on duty tonight, and the camera wingman was replacing the internal feed with footage from his partner's last shift, and the outdoor feed with footage from a quiet night a fortnight ago. Just like so many other operations, the Hive took this mission seriously. This, of course, meant exercising every bit of meticulous control over the situation as possible. To them, this was standard practise.

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Section Five: Sphere of Influence

Arashi stared in disbelief at the object in Storm's paw, and raised an eyebrow in incredulity at his slightly smug-looking ally. What was the large feline up to? The object was a Pokeball, of sorts, with both hemispheres dark grey, while the button and rim were a slightly lighter shade. "As I'm sure you are aware," Storm began smoothly, amused by the boy's expression, "When a lifeform is called into a device of this type, it is, for all intents and purposes, miniaturised and brought into an artificial environment simulated by the device. In this case, that environ is a simulacrum of a large pilot's cabin." Arashi stared at Storm, unable to respond. He had been rather hoping for some kind of Catmobile, but this turn of events had stunned him. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of being sucked into a Pokeball, but he decided to wait and see what else his host had to say. "I have removed the features that restrict the device to use on Pokemon, and those that permit only one occupant, but I have also added features such as extensible legs, a steering mechanism, and various sensors." The legend concluded, before falling silent and awaiting queries.

While Arashi was still confused as to whether he should be outraged or delighted, Isaac butted in. "<What about the bonding mechanism?>" He mewed, concerned. The last thing he wanted was for someone to get their hands on something that could render him and his partner instant prisoners. "I will key it once it is fully tested." Storm replied, pleased to recieve a question rather than an outburst. "You need not worry about being recalled by an enemy." Arashi hesitated for a moment, considering the likely consequences of accepting this mode of transport. It seemed convenient, if not as comic book style as he would have liked, but it appeared to be the best option available. With this device, he could sneak in and out of places with far more ease than if he relied upon his own agility alone. With Isaac standing calmly at his side, smiling quietly, Arashi reached out and pushed the button on the odd-looking Pokeball. With an azure flash of light, both boy and Espeon were conveyed rapidly into the spheroid. Satisfied, Storm allowed himself a small grin, before using a handheld device to check that everything was functioning as planned.

The inside of the Pokeball, which Arashi had decided to call the Sneak Ball, did indeed resemble some form of cabin, although it was thankfully not as cramped or button-laden as some aircraft cockpits. Instead, the place looked suspiciously like the bridge of a starship, albeit smaller. The place was mainly in shades of blue, including the cushions on the seats and the handles on the levers. Everything was clearly labelled, and Arashi was delighted to note that a feature was available that would allow the contraption to walk on spider-like legs. He'd been concerned that it might extrude wheels, which could be easily gummed up by dirt. Storm adjusted some components slightly from the outside, based on the readings he obtained from scanning the Sneak Ball, but most things seemed to be in order. Satisfied that his adaption of his previous invention, the Clone Ball, had been successful, he tweaked the settings that made the device more secure, recognising only registered users as permitted to work it, with a few exceptions.

The lavender-haired boy lowered himself slowly into the seat in the middle of the simulated room, taking in the fresh metallic scent of the place. The seat was a little squishy, but not so much that he'd be able to fall asleep in it. Smiling, Arashi decided that this wasn't so bad. Isaac's seat, next to his 'brother's', was made in a similar way, with the same level of comfort, but it was built with a Pokemon in mind. The Espeon rather suspected that Albus had a hand in the design of this part,
as a large feline was unlikely to have much insight into the comfort of smaller felines with different proportions otherwise. Both were equipped with seatbelts, which amused Arashi, who wondered just how fast this thing was likely to go. Obligingly, both strapped themselves in, hoping that there would be no sudden acceleration until they were ready. The main screen blinked into life, showing them an image of their current location. An artificial voice began to speak, while arrows appeared on the screen to accompany the voice. They were being informed, with all the brightness a computer generated voice could muster, how to operate the Sneak Ball.

Once the computer was satisfied that the pair understood what and wheree verything was, it asked them to select a name for the device, and for itself. This was because the computer's data indicated that people liked to name their transport vessels, and it was programmed to want its operators to be at ease. It also requested their names. "My name is Arashi, and this is Isaac." Arashi began, "But I'd like to be called the Cat's Paw, if you don't mind, Paw for short." While the computer mulled this over, Isaac spoke up. "<Can you understand me?>" He inquired, curious. "Information accepted, and I am capable of interpreting Pokemon speech." The computer answered. "<In that case, I suppose I'd better have an alias as well, to be safe. Does Claw sound alright to you?>" Isaac responded. "Information accepted: Welcome, Cat's Paw and Claw." The computer replied, "Who am I?" It added, angling for a name. Amused by this, and by his friend's choice of alias, Arashi answered. "You are Marty, the AI of the Sneak Ball." He improvised, as the computer's voice sounded vaguely male to him. While all this introductory business had been going on, Storm had been making last-minute checks, and relaying instructions to the AI. Once he was sure that the Sneak Ball was fully ready, he passed it to his Fearow courier, who began the journey to the museum. Marty, who was delighted to finally have a name, cheerfully informed his passengers that the replacement Master Ball was on board, and that they were en route to the museum as he spoke.

---

Section Six: An Induction to Thievery

The sight of a Fearow landing not far away did not give rise to any concern from the prowling pairs of Hive operatives. Bird Pokemon often nested in this area, and were unlikely to cause a fuss unless you disturbed either them or their nests. Trace and Magpie were already slipping into the building via a door which their colleagues had managed to leave unlocked for them, so they saw nothing suspicious apart from one another. Keeping watch, Hush and Wraith had already discounted the Fearow as a threat, and were more concerned with ensuring that officialdom remained blissfully ignorant of their co-worker's actions, so neither of this wing pair were looking in the right direction to realise that the large avian was not preening, but depositing something small and round onto a window ledge. Trigger and Kerosene had no thoughts on the birds, other than idle fancies that they might be perfect for delivering smoke bombs for them. Therefore, the realisation that this particular Pokemon was a courier of a different sort never dawned upon them, although they would have appreciated the sense of it. Instead, they watched and waited, trusting Alpha Wing, but hoping that they would be needed anyway.

The Sneak Ball, under Arashi's manipulations of the controls, extruded a set of slender legs from concealed apertures. One of these, the boy lifted carefully, and pressed gently against the glass. He could not resist a relief-laden breath as this operation failed to create noise, but swiftly moved on to slicing a portal through which they could fit. Marty was quick to inform them that his proximity sensors detected others in the area, although his immediate assumption was that they were security. With this in mind, his pilot increased their velocity once they were inside. Isaac kept a careful eye on the locations of the other intruders, which were being displayed as dots on one screen, in relation to their destination. "<I think this just became a race.>" He murmured, noticing that they were all heading in the same direction.

"A race, you say?" Arashi murmured, after Marty had translated Isaac's words. "Time to crank up the pace, then." With a sliding motion, the costumed teen eased a lever forwards gently, prompting the spheroid craft to skitter more rapidly towards their goal. None of the Hive operatives were in sight yet, but the pilot didn't want to give them that chance. Display cases lined each side of the elongated space, and the Sneak Ball was capable of using relatively small footholds to boost itself to the correct level. This done, Arashi had to decelerate in order to maintain stability, and so as to avoid overshooting. When his craft's slender legs delicately touched upon the correct case, it was obvious that cutting through would not be an option. Fortunately, though, Marty had access to a device similar to that which was in common usage for transferring Pokeballs to and from storage. The activation of the teleporter in this environment was not as simple as it sounded, as caution was required in order not to trigger any alarms. A split second's lapse in weight would mean a museum-wide alert, and that was something that they couldn't afford, small target or not.

A normal teleporter could afford to leave a gap between taking and extruding, and did not have to minimise detectability, so it could be automated. The type that Arashi, with guidance from Marty, was operating was a more specialised sort, and required the attention of its user in order to ensure best results. Progress was slower than any of them would have chosen, but Isaac and Marty were still able to keep watch. As the boy's tense hands fluttered from control to control like a hummingbird between flowers, the silent forms of Alpha drew carefully closer, and the anxious Espeon could not halt the nervous flicking of his ears and tail. They still had a little distance on their unknown competitors, but the first head to peer around the Dragonite skeleton would instantly spot the spheroid perched atop the target case. Arashi, too, was acutely aware that their time window had been unexpectedly curtailed, and was working as fast as he could manage. Finally, with the first wingman only moments away, the boy sighed and nodded to Isaac. They had done it, but by the barest of margins. Guiding the little vessel down and away to behind a nearby exhibit took almost too long, but Magpie's eyes were fixed firmly on what she had no reason to suspect was not the Masterball.

The newly-minted proxies watched in silence as she and her partner set up a long, flexible device around the rim of the casing. This peculiar object lifted the glass slowly without taking the weight off the podium, and had an in-built gap for some reason. Through the window-like opening, a slender device was eased until it grasped the faux item within. Another fake was attatched to the outside end of the custom tool, and the Hiver holding it pressed a series of buttons carefully. Both spheres flickered for a moment, then the tool released the newer fake and was removed. Evidently, this was a different form of teleporter, specifically designed for weight-trapped objects. While its speed and usability were beyond that of Marty's, it required close contact with both targets of the switch. Once the ball was bagged and the lifting tool had extricated itself, the other intruders retreated briskly the way they had come. From both the efficiency of their methods and the way they were dressed, Arashi knew them for experts, and silently hoped that they would never find out who had pipped them to the post. "Let's go." He intoned, still slightly shocked by what they had managed to do, and how near they had come to failing.

Arashi and Isaac let themselves out of the Sneak Ball. While its former occupants strode towards the waiting feline, the spheroid scuttled eagerly after them. "Do you have it?" Came the sonorous query, which Arashi responded to by holding up the Masterball for Storm to see. It was at this point of victory that the young legend was most tense, as this was the moment that he had to be certain that he had chosen correctly. His trust had been betrayed before, and the Mewtwo had no intention of repeating the past. Reaching out with one paw for the hated object, he quietly prepared to grasp the boy telekinetically should he show signs of being about to throw. A flickering smile crossed the Cat's Paw's half-concealed face, and Storm felt a brief rush of alarm, but the human was passing the ball, slowly and with the button-side facing himself, into the Pokemon's outstretched paw. "Thank you." The legend responded simply, taking care to keep the relief out of his voice. Without further ado, he crushed the sphere, ignoring the sparks that issued from its shattering frame. The thing was an engineering masterwork, but one which he could certainly live without.

Nodding to acknowledge Storm's thanks, Arashi spoke up. "There were other operatives after it, with expensive-looking tools. Your forgery was only in the case for moments before they replaced it with their own." This news startled Storm, as he'd had Pokemon watching the teams he was aware of. "What did they look like?" He rumbled softly, tilting his head a little. Whoever his sneaky competitors were, he wanted to know as much as possible about them. "If the Sneak Ball's cameras are as good as Marty claims, we've got footage of them." Arashi stated, reasoning that images were generally better than description. "Good, I'll have Marty copy them to my computer." The large feline mused. "The pair of you should probably rest now. Albus will lead you to the quarters I've had prepared." It was likely that G.J. would give him earache about the risks he'd taken, once the Espeon was out of hearing range, but a heady sense of gleeful triumph had settled upon him now that there was nothing left guaranteed to snare him. A little ranting was, after all, a small price to pay for peace of mind.

~Chapter fin~

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Chapter Two: Gone Fishing

Section One: A Legendary Goof

A small, soft pink, form flitted silently through the darkened mountain, investigating every little nuance of the place. It had been a long time since this being had visited another legend's home, and longer still since this had been the location in question. Floating over snoozing Pokemon, wide blue eyes examined each sleeper, checking up on old friends. To the Mew's delight, the young Nidoqueen had grown since he'd seen them, and all seemed healthy. The place had changed in the time he'd been away, and it was a lot more organised than when he'd left it to explore, but there were no alterations so great as to cause him to get lost. Peeking into a previously vacant room, he was startled to see a human-style bed in the middle of the ovoid space. Interest piqued, the little feline drifted closer. Beneath the blankets, the Mew could see a human boy, while the curled shape of an Espeon reposed just to the right of the boy's chest. Both soundly sleeping, there was no fear that one or the other would awake to see him gazing placidly at them. What was his big-little cousin playing at? Didn't he have that old grudge he'd harped on about last time? Perhaps he'd been out of the loop to long. It was time to go check on his cousin.

Storm was curled atop the soft mat in the chamber he reserved for his personal use, not really asleep, but reflecting in mellow quiet on the unidentified infiltrators who had by so narrow a margin been dealt defeat from within victory's jaws. A flitting motion in the hushed darkness of his surroundings caught the reclining feline's attention, and he was surprised to spot the petite silhouette of his more well-known counterpart. "Pax?" He began, not entirely sure what to think of the Mew's unannounced presence in his abode. "What brings you here? You have been gone for some time, and I had assumed that you had chosen to reside elsewhere." Pax snorted a little at his relation's serious demeanour, turning a slow backflip as he did so. The giggly soul's response was non-verbal, consisting of a brief mental slideshow of locations the small legend had visited, impressions of vague boredom, and a curiosity that had always been a part of this pink drifter.

Once satisfied that the larger Pokemon had understood him, Pax sent a querying thought Storm's way, an image of the sleeping boy and Espeon nestled within it. The tone of this questing mind-tendril was slightly teasing, but not irritating enough to provoke more than a mildly huffy expression. "Them? They are my agents, not my enemies." Storm responded, "No, the human is not a trainer, strange as it may sound." Pax giggled at this, having encountered enough bone-headed youngsters to form a humorous impression of mankind's juvenile population. Determining that a contact as well-travelled as the Mew might have noticed some of his secretive rivals, the purple legend opened a new line of conversation in order to angle for information. "Have you noticed any humans acting more strangely than usual?" He asked, "Any new behaviours, groups, attempts at stealth?" Pax took a moment to mull over this inquiry, blandly accepting the change in subject.

"<There were a bunch of them all doing a funny dance in skirts the other month.>" He supplied, his child-like soprano vaguely dubious, but definitely amused. "<Even the males were at it! At least, I think they were males... Oh, there was a crowd of those sailor folks with the nifty bandannas playing hide and seek a few Sundays ago, but I left to go look at the guy who kept ranting about Clefairy. The way he gets everywhere, he's more likely to be an alien than they are! Then, last week, I saw a lady trying to fly off a cliff with a weird wooden thingummy! Good thing that Aerodactyl was there.>" Bemused, and in the act of trying to make sense of Pax's outflow of apparent nonsense, Storm could at least tell that the Mew probably didn't know anything relevant to the museum mission's complications. Something about this 'intel' was bothering him, though, and it wasn't just the gossip-like quality. He wasn't able to get much more out of the hyperactive little legend, though, so he let his older counterpart whiz off - it wouldn't do to have Pax floating around while he was trying to rustle up breakfast.

It was not unusual for Arashi to awaken in places not his own bedroom, given his penchant for wandering around in the woods of an evening. Finding an inquisitive pink face just centimetres from his newly-opened eyes, however, that was new. "<Good morning, not-stupids!>" Pax mewed, backing away a little once he was sure that the human was no longer sleeping. "There was a Mew in my face?" Arashi mumbled blearily, taking a moment to process this new information, while Isaac tried not to giggle at the childish legend's turn of phrase. "<My big-little cousin will be here soon to talk to you, with food.>" The dainty feline stated, upside down, before flipping back over with a naughty gleam in his round azure eyes. Posing his tail to resemble Mewtwo's and treating his bewildered audience to a cross-eyed mock scowl, Pax proceeded to imitate - and seriously parody - his relative.

"<Good morning, puny mortals! I will now crush you with delicious pancakes of destruction! Let's blow stuff up and roast marshmallows with the embers!>" Rather taken with his new comedy routine, Pax chortled and floated off to show someone else, leaving the boy and Espeon alone with their befuddled incredulity. "Was that real?" Arashi asked, concerned for the state of his sanity. Nodding, Isaac replied. "<Yep, and I think he may be a little barmy.>" The domesticated Psychic type knew that his friend couldn't understand his speech, but he reckoned that they had both been thinking the same thing, so why not say it? When Storm strode in not long after, he was indeed carrying a tray of pancakes, which he had actually baked himself. He found human food preparation fascinating, and was hoping that understanding cookery would help him understand mankind. "Good morning." Arashi smiled, wondering where the tray had come from. "Er, there was a Mew in here a few minutes ago, and he or she seemed slightly demented. Is everything okay?"

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