Chapter #17: Standing near the door that led to the arena, Jaden reflected on the irony of the current situation as he psyched himself up for the coming battle. It was only the third round of a tournament being held in Pyrite Town, but it hardly mattered considering he had more important issues to worry about. According to intelligence that had been received, the local coliseum had been taken over by Cipher and was currently being used to distribute shadow pokémon to tournament winners. His orders on the matter therefore were very clear and two fold. First; he was supposed to infiltrate the coliseum and subsequent distribution center and gather as much info as possible. Second; he was supposed to run Cipher out of town while snagging as many shadow pokémon as he could. Since this was his first real assignment since joining the Pokémon Rangers elite RRTS division, Jaden had no intention of screwing things up. At least he wasn’t alone. Somewhere in the waiting crowd was Bianca, who was eagerly awaiting the moment they stormed Cipher’s distribution center and actively cheering him on. Also nearby were his partner and her sister. If memory served, the pair had taken a position on the coliseum’s roof. A gaping hole in the structure provided an ideal vantage point while keeping them safely hidden from view; considering the alarm that would be generated if Cipher knew that Aerithtwo was in the area. The felines had also agreed, rather reluctantly, to take Arien with them. Jaden smirked as he wondered how that was turning out. Also present were a band of powerful mercenary pokémon who were providing the bulk of his tournament entries. The self styled Rogue Squadron as they were called. That group consisted of a Scizor, a Gardevoir, a Golem, a Gengar, and a Charmeleon. Rumor had it that the group were highly proficient killers and seldom worked with trainers. The fact that they were even bothering to listen to him at all was amazing. He’d been switching them out regularly over the course of the tournament, so fatigue wasn’t likely to be an issue. He was also keenly aware that the fate of the whole mission depended solely on his victory in the coliseum. Considering the state of most of the other thirty-one contestants, a tournament victory wasn’t going to be hard to pull off. It was what would happen at the distribution center that worried him. They’d already talked with the coliseum’s previous owner, a man by the name of Duking, who had helped them enter the tournament after discovering how heavily fortified the distribution center was. The distribution center itself resembled a run down two story where house, but the sheer number of guards had prevented them from getting inside undetected. Their only option therefore, had been to enter the tournament. Behind him, Jaden was keenly aware that the Rogue’s leader, a Scizor who went by the nickname Krauser, was casually leaning against a wall, scrutinizing him. “What's on your mind, kid?” Krauser asked in a deep, raspy voice. “Just thinking about what will happen when we get inside that where house.” Jaden replied. The insect snorted in amusement at him before speaking. “I didn't figure Lucario's prodigy would be turn out to be a worrier.” “I can't help it. Since this is my first real mission, I don't want to screw something up.” Jaden answered, turning to face the Scizor. “A wise policy in a leader...” Krauser murmured thoughtfully. “Isn't it important to be mindful of the future?” Jaden asked. “Yeah, but not at the expense of the moment. Just like overconfidence if you dwell on it others could die.” Krauser replied. Jaden blinked at the statement. He hadn't thought about things in that way before. His uncertainty must have shown as the Scizor spoke up again. “Don't sweat it, rookie. This job will be simple. Heh, me and the gang have broke into other facilities more heavily guarded then that where house. All you've got to do is focus on what's coming up and you'll be in the finals in no time. And we'll be in that where house soon after giving those Cipher scum what they deserve.” Jaden nodded, anticipating the coming raid. “Besides, this whole tournament is a sham, and a chance to give Alexia and the boys a little fun.” Krauser continued after a pause. Jaden smirked at the statement as he recalled that the Gardevoir was the Rogue’s sole female and the only other pokémon in the group to have a nickname. Moments later, the arena door buzzed and opened as a despondent trainer stalked past them. “Looks like our cue.” Jaden remarked. “Then let's give the fans what they want.” Krauser stated as the pair strode through the opening as one. *************** Meanwhile, up on the roof. Aerith watched events below unfold with little interest. They’d been stuck in the same location since early that morning; and if things continued as they were, they’d be in the same place tomorrow. Early on, Aerith and her sister had amused themselves by commenting on what was happening below them; but now the battles were starting to become one big blur and hardly interesting anymore. She wished there was something, anything, to do to pass the time but knew she couldn’t leave because that would jeopardize the whole reason they were in this miserable town in the first place. Turning away, Aerith let her gaze drift across the town and was surprised when the term ‘Slum’ suddenly came to mind. Wait, what did that word mean again? Aerith thought about it for a moment, trying to remember ever hearing it back then. Once. Once she thought she could recall hearing about it. Wait wasn’t that... wasn’t that an overcrowded area of a city in which the housing is typically in very bad condition. The term certainly seemed to apply to this place. How anyone could choose to live in such a desolate spot was something she would never understand. Behind her, Aerith heard her sister sigh in exasperation as Arien continued one of his many rants. The little lizard had been at the conspiracy theories nonstop and was currently mumbling about his second cousin twice removed being the mastermind of some hidden organization called Team Aqua, bent on causing disastrous flooding. If he kept at it, Aerith thought she might go insane. Judging by the looks her sister had been giving the reptile, the kitten was halfway there; which would likely lead to an amusing outburst of some sort. Glancing back, Aerith noticed that Jovi was staring at Arien as if trying to figure out if she wanted to shoot him or not, before looking away. Aerith watched them for a moment before sighing softly to herself. There was something that had been bothering her lately. “Hey, Jovi?” “Yeah?” the kitten asked, turning to her. Aerith was silent for a moment. “I think... what they told me a while ago... I think I already knew.” The kitten’s full attention was on her now. Arien meanwhile, was watching what was happening below them with abrupt interest. “What makes you say that, sis?” “Well... I've been having these dreams lately, about a human child. I-I think it’s me...” Jovi made a sad sound before speaking. “It is.” “You know everything, don't you?” “No, but I know that, at least.” Jovi replied. Aerith swished her tail thoughtfully as the kitten nuzzled her before continuing to speak. “Besides, we're family, sis! The fact that you survived the transformation process is a testament to that. Don’t worry; I won’t let anything happen to you.” Aerith nodded. “Memories can be such a mystery.” Arien piped up suddenly. She blinked. What was he talking about now? The Totodile had been quiet for so long that she'd all but forgotten he was there. Judging by the startled yelp, Jovi had too. For his part, Arien had a strange look in his eyes and a small smirk on his face. “...and did you know a pokémon called Unknown has relations with a legendary pokémon called Entei?” he continued. Huh, what now? Aerith shook her head, wondering what the reptile was babbling about this time and where was he getting all this information from anyway? Sneaking a glance, she noted that Jovi seemed just as confused by the remark as well. She would have laughed at her sisters' expression if she hadn't been completely confused herself. “You are a strange individual.” Jovi muttered softly, shaking her head. “Anyway, spout off with anymore of your 'wisdom' and I'll test the theory that Totodile are able to fly.” she continued louder, pointing at Arien with her tail for emphasis. “We can't fly. We're not genetically suited for it... and have you heard the rumor about Diglett and Dugtrio stopping people from building a dam to protect their environment and some guy making high score on Whack-A-Diglett because of it?” Arien protested. “Oh, I know...“” Jovi growled before blinking suddenly. “Wait, that last thing you said... damn, you overshot. Well, guess I have no choice.” she went on, lassoing Arien with her tail and hauling him into the air. Aerith laughed as she watched them; wondering how high Totodile bounced. The sudden sound of her sisters' manic cackling caused her to blink, uncertain when she'd actually voiced the question. For his part, Arien seemed rather freaked out by the whole ordeal and frantically struggled to get away. His struggling only intensified as she and Jovi began discussing which of the nearby buildings they should 'bounce' him off first. Snickering, Areith glanced down into the arena and noticed that the next match was about to start. One particular trainer catching her eye. “Pity, as much as I'd like to see that it seems there won't be any flying lessons today, after all. Jaden's up.” she called back, turning to see how the others responded. Still giggling, Jovi released her hold on Arien and watched as he landed with a thump before muttering to him about being 'lucky' and joining her at the roof's edge. Arien meanwhile lay on his back for a moment before sitting up and mumbling some more conspiracy plots, one such conspiracy was something about Jovi and her mind probably scaring away other psychic pokémon. Aerith fought back an interesting noise and shook her head as she looked into the building. Things were starting to become very interesting.