Chapter #11: Standing in the living room of a quaint villa, Jaden couldn't help but feel truly comfortable for the first time since awakening in the field earlier in the day. Unlike the Kaminko manor, the homely atmosphere of the villa was a welcome change. On reflection, he noted that Agate Village, as a whole, seemed to resonate with the same kind of atmosphere in addition to being pretty. After making introductions, the group began to chat idly with Bianca's grandfather Eagun and her grandmother Karen. Also in attendance was a distinguished looking female Raichu and a peculiar little Totodile. The Totodile was male and spent a great deal of time glaring at them while muttering to himself. As his gaze swept the room, Jaden was pleased to see that Aerithtwo seemed to be in better shape then she'd been just after the incident with the robot. A slight limp was the only indication that something had happened to her. “I don’t like the way he’s staring at us, it’s almost like he can understand us and humans shouldn’t be able to understand us. I think it’s one of those shape shifting Magikarp, they’re out to get me I know it.” the Totodile piped up. Jaden cocked an eyebrow as the Raichu released an exasperated sigh. “Arien, give it a rest. We've already been through this and I'm not in the mood to argue with you.” she snapped. “So, when did he show up?” Bianca asked. “Just after you left, dear.” Karen replied. “You can take him with you if you want.” Eagun added. “I’m certainly thinking about it, that Totodile is rather intriguing.” Jaden responded. “I hope you know what you're gettin' yourself into, kid.” Raichu chuckled, shaking her head. “I've got a pretty good idea. After all, I'm sure he could amuse a few felines I know.” Jaden assured. Over the sounds of snorts and snickers, Jaden saw Aerith cock an eyebrow at him. Jovi meanwhile, stared blankly at him for about a second before miming the act of sticking her finger in her mouth and gagging. For his part, the Totodile, Arien, flinched a little before spouting off theories of being abducted by aliens before he was hatched. “You can't be serious about this.” Aerith whispered. “Serious about what?” The clone gestured toward Arien. “What, he's a reptile. I seriously doubt he constitutes a threat.” Jaden countered with a smirk. “Well, he's... really... odd.” “And... I'm sure we'll run into some real nutjobs soon enough.” The clone stared at him before sighing and shaking her head. Jaden meanwhile, struggled to stifle a laugh. “It's nice to see that there are such respectful and handsome boys where you work, dear.” Karen spoke up. “Grandma!” Bianca squealed, blushing. This time Jaden found himself staring blankly while Aerith fought the urge to laugh. Besides the overly paranoid Totodile the rest of the pokémon present looked on amused. “Although those two might work well together I was thinkin' 'bout another promising pair.” Kyle quipped. “Who?” Bianca demanded. “Well...” Kyle wrinkled his face as if in deep thought before responding. Jaden however, could easily tell that the cat-type was merely stalling for time and had already come to a decision of some sort. “...there's a certain young feline I know that could make quite an impression on wayward reptiles.” Over a chorus of giggles, Jaden noticed that Arien seemed confused, Jovi meanwhile, squeaked at the smirking cat-type, visibly offended. She also looked ready to hit him but before any violence could occur the front door bust open and an elderly man stumbled in gasping. “I hate to interrupt but we've got trouble.” he stammered. “What's wrong?” Karen asked. “A group of ruffians is terrorizing the town.” the man replied. “I think they're headed for the shrine.” Jaden and Bianca exchanged glances as Eagun raced out the door with Raichu hot on his heels. Karen meanwhile, jus looked worried. “Looks like the break's over. Let's go.” Jaden called out heading toward the door. A chorus of affirmations followed him. As he reached the door, Jaden turned back and saw Karen staring after them worriedly. “Be careful.” she called out. “We will.” Jaden and Bianca replied in unison. Glancing to the side, Jaden saw the Totodile watching them curiously. “You're Arien right?” he asked. The Totodile blinked before nodding. “Alright, come on.” After another blank stare and some encouragement, the little reptile followed him out the door. Outside, the situation was chaotic as Jaden tried to get his bearings along the town's uneven layout. All around him, trainers of all ages battled a group of trainers dressed in white ninja-esque outfits. Jaden just shook his head at the outfits as he passed by them. “Who are these freaks?” he asked. “They're Cipher grunts.” Kyle replied as the group reached the bottom of a hill. “My guess is that they're after the shrine again.” Bianca chimed in. Jaden nodded as an irritated female voice brought the group to a halt. Turning, he saw Aerithtwo hobbling behind them. “Would you slow down? My leg still hurts.” “You might find the going easier if you were flying.” Jaden replied. The clone blinked at him for a moment before taking the suggestion. A moment later, she looked around in surprise as she found herself floating a foot off the ground. “Better?” Aerithtwo nodded. “Good. Let's go.” With that the group set off once more. As they rounded a corner, Jaden spotted a pair of trainers battling a trio of grunts near the pokémon center. The center was located on the other side of a narrow wooden bridge. Glancing to the side, he spotted a foot path below the bridge that lead to a nearby cave. “I'll assist the pair at the pokémon center!” Bianca called out. “I'll back you!” Jovi bellowed. “We'll back Eagun!” Jaden spoke up as the group reached the bridge. “Take the next left to reach the trail. From there it's a straight shot to the shrine.” Bianca said pointing to the trail below the bridge. Jaden muttered an acknowledgement and headed in the indicated direction. Aerithtwo and the Totodile meanwhile, were hot on his heels. Within moments the trio slowed down as they reached the entrance to the cavern. Upon entering, Jaden noted that the structure didn't resemble a cave so much as a maze of large, twisting roots. A shallow creek flowed beside the foot path that snaked around the maze. As they traveled, Jaden spotted the prone forms of at least four grunts and their assorted pokémon scattered into moaning heaps. “Wow, Raichu did all that? Remind me not to piss her off.” Jaden muttered in awe. “I will.” Within minutes the group reached the end of the maze and entered a forest clearing. At the center of the clearing was a stone pedestal of some kind. Nearby, he saw Eagun and Raichu battling another grunt. Unlike most of the grunts, this one's outfit was altered slightly indicating that he was of higher stature then the others. As he approached the pair, Jaden released Miko from his pokeball. Raichu meanwhile, seemed to be in the middle of a pitched battle with a Sneasel. As they fought, the eyepiece on Jaden's snag device suddenly snapped down and locked onto the Sneasel. At the sight, a slow smirk spread across Jaden's face. Raichu meanwhile, sidestepped a Slash Attack and retaliated with a powerful Iron Tail. She quickly followed up with a Slam Attack that knocked the Sneasel off its feet. Looking on, Jaden couldn't help but be impressed as he realized the Sneasel was a female. For her part, the Sneasel seemed to smirk as she climbed to her feet. The creature then gave a slight nod to Raichu before assuming a fighting stance. “Finish it, Raichu!” Eagun called out. With a nod, Raichu lunged forward with a Quick Attack. The Sneasel countered by suddenly performing a backflip kick that knocked Raichu off the ground. While Raichu was still in the air, the Sneasel recovered and followed up by leaping after her and bringing both fists down on the rodent's back leaving Raichu in a dazed heap on the ground. “Oh no, Raichu!” Eagun shouted as he raced toward the fallen creature. The grunt meanwhile, recalled the Sneasel as Jaden stepped forward. “Who are you?” the man grumbled. Even as he spoke, Jaden could hear Miko snickering. “What’s it to ya?” “Fine. I'll crush you too!” the man snapped. “We'll see about that.” Jaden retorted. Jaden then turned toward Aerith. “Why don't you sit this one out. After all, I think you've had enough fun for one day.” With a nod, the clone limped over to where Eagun and Raichu were standing. “I suggest you walk away now cause I've already had to put down an overgrown toaster today and I'm really not in the mood for you.” Jaden snapped. “What, the toaster burned your breakfast kid?” the man sneered. Jaden merely cocked his head and gave the man a pointed glance. “We'll have a two on two battle then.” “Fine by me.” Jaden then turned toward Arien and Miko. “Alright guys, it's time to go to work.” With a nod, the pair stepped forward. The grunt meanwhile, released a Geodude and the Sneasel. Just as before, the eyepiece on Jaden's snag device suddenly snapped down and locked onto the Sneasel as it materialized. “Geodude, use Rock Throw. Sneasel, Slash those chumps.” the grunt shouted. “Arien, use Water Gun on that Geodude. Miko, use Thunder Bolt on the Sneasel.” Jaden snapped. Nodding, Arien dodged the stream of rocks and released a powerful, well focused water gun attack at the Geodude. Jaden saw the grunt gawp as the Sneasel suddenly lunged forward and swatted the jet of water aside only to be struck and stunned by the thunder bolt. Without hesitation Jaden prepped and threw a pokéball at the Sneasel. The pokéball collided with the creature and sucked it inside. After a few tense moments the pokéball stopped wiggling around and became still. “My, Sneasel!” the grunt stammered in disbelief. He flinched a moment later as the Geodude was blasted into a tree and knocked out. “You know, overconfidence can be a serious weakness.” Jaden remarked casually. “You'll pay for that!” the grunt yelled throwing a trio of pokéballs into the air. Jaden merely grinned in reply as the pokéballs opened to reveal a Primeape, a Combusken, and a Staravia. His reaction to the new arrivals caused the man to snarl in fury. “Boys, walk all over 'em!” Jaden stated. With a chuckle, Miko stepped forward and assumed a fighting stance. Arien hesitantly followed him a moment later. The battle began as the grunt's pokémon charged forward in mass. Miko easily sidestepped a kick and a punch from the Primeape and countered with a Quick Attack/Tail Whip hybrid attack; knocking the creature off its feet. Arien meanwhile, barely dodged a series of slashes from the Combusken only to be knocked off his feet by a Quick Attack from the Staravia. The little reptile then had to roll to the side to avoid being impaled by the Combusken's claws. As he sat up, Arien began muttering obscure concepts such as Murphy’s Law to himself before releasing a powerful, well focused water gun attack; the impact of which hurled the fire chicken into the monkey causing both to sail into a nearby tree and knocking themselves out. Ironically the tree was the same one that the Geodude had been blasted into earlier. Miko immediately followed up by electrocuting the Staravia as it maneuvered for another pass. The grunt meanwhile stammered and grumbled in disbelief at the battle's outcome. “Nice job guys, they didn't stand a chance.” Jaden spoke up. Miko grinned cockily while Arien looked around at the aftermath with an expression that resembled a cross between shock and elation. Glancing back, Jaden noticed Aerithtwo was wearing an intrigued expression on her face while Eagun and Raichu were looking on awestruck. “How dare you interfere with Cipher's affairs.” The grunt snapped. “I tried to warn you but you wouldn't listen. Oh, well sucks to be you.” Jaden retorted. The grunt clinched his fists together as though ready to throw a punch. “I wouldn't do that if I were you.” Jaden warned. With a growl, the grunt lunged at him. Shaking his head, Jaden easily blocked the punch and countered with a devastating five hit combo that knocked the man off his feet before he even knew what happened. Jaden meanwhile, assumed a fighting stance as the man struggled to get to his feet. “You'll regret interfering with us kid and I'll make sure of it the next time we meet.” the grunt snapped before recalling is pokémon and running off. “I'm looking forward to it.” Jaden replied softly. “That went well.” Miko spoke up after a pause. “Let's head back, the rest of those hooligans should have left by now.” Eagun stated. With a chorus of affirmations, the group headed back toward the clearing's entrance. *************** Standing once more in the villa's living room, Jaden tried to adjust to everything that had happened to him within the last few hours. During that time he had joined an elite organization, met a pair of rare pokémon, had a fight with a psycho robot, and caught a pair of pokémon with the possibility of acquiring a third. Speaking of the pokémon, they were all spread out around the room. To his right sat Bianca's grandfather with Raichu standing next to the chair. His newly caught Sneasel, Taelia, leaned against a nearby wall and examined her claws. Meanwhile, to his immediate left stood Aerithtwo, leaning heavily against the back of a stool. Her sister Jovi hovered nearby while Bianca and her grandmother sat on a couch. The rest of the pokémon were spread out between the two points. As he looked on, Jaden noticed that the Mew was busy bandaging a paw. He also noticed that bandages were wrapped around her waist and part of her tail. Jaden just shook his head. “I'm ok, just a little sore is all.” the kitten stated while continuing to wrap the paw. “What happened to you?” “You might say she went several rounds with a rabid Bellsprout.” Kyle snickered. Glancing up, the little Mew scowled at the grinning cat type. Jaden looked on amused. “By the way, what was that sparkly black ball thing you did earlier?” Aerith asked cocking her head. “Oh, that... the move is called Shadow Ball. Don't worry sis, I'll teach you how to do it.” Jovi replied flicking her tail. The clone nodded. “You said that you fought an overgrown toaster today. What did you mean by that?” Arien asked. Jaden couldn’t help a small but decidedly wicked smile as everyone in the room turned to him. “Well, let's just say that a short time ago we ran across a thing while picking up supplies.” “What sort of thing was it?” Arien asked. “A big thing that wanted another thing.” As he looked on, Jaden noticed that Bianca was watching the Totodile in amusement. Jovi meanwhile, buried her face in her paws and giggled as Aerithtwo just looked confused. Taliea and Raichu however, were watching him curiously while Kyle and Miko pretended that they didn't know what he was talking about. “Really? That's fascinating. Now about the thing.” Kyle spoke up, stifling a laugh. “What thing?” “You know the thing that wanted another thing.” Miko quipped amused. “Oh, that thing. What about it?” Jaden asked trying not to laugh. “What exactly is this thing?” Kyle asked. “Would you guys please stop saying thing? It's starting to get annoying.” Taliea snapped. “The incident they're referring to occurred at the Kaminko manor earlier today.” Bianca chuckled. “Oh, I want to know even less now.” Raichu muttered dryly, rolling her eyes. “Hence the toaster thing.” Jaden smirked, oblivious to the interruption. Jaden struggled to stifle a laugh as he ignored the glare the dark type gave him. The sight of Aerithtwo trying to do some sort of mental arithmetic at his statement was far more amusing. “That was one freaky thing.” Miko chuckled. The rodent suddenly swore as the Sneasel shot him a murderous glare. He then began to run, Kyle hot on his heels, as with a growl Taliea launched herself at him yelling threats and obscenities that Jaden chose to ignored. “Take it outside guys, we don't want to cause any damages.” he called out as the trio ran around the room. “Thank you.” Raichu commented. As the trio fumbled their way outside, Jaden turned toward the Totodile. “By the way, there are some details I'm a little confused about.” Arien cocked his head to the side curiously. “What is a shape shifting Magikarp and is it related to Bigfoot?” The Totodile stared blankly at him for a moment before spouting off theories on the subject. “I'm sorry.” Jaden mouthed sheepishly as Raichu, Jovi, and Aerith glared at him. Bianca meanwhile, sat grinning at him as her grandparents laughed. “I can already tell we're gonna get along real well.” she snickered. Jaden just shrugged and grinned back as he enjoyed the moment.