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Vivillon left no opening, instead he brought the Sleep Powder more into the field - kicked it up and danced it about. He was trying to lead Shuriken as he dodged the Air Cutters - his bugs and powder an orchestra of ability.

The Swifts cut into Vivillon, though it would be a stretch to call the attack truly powerful - Vivillon could take quite a few.

However, as a cover move it was a good one. Vivillon turned toward the approaching Skarmory, the spinning causing the Infestation to be thrown away. He moved to try and dodge but the Swift had thrown him off track - and the drill peck hit home.

Spun out and seriously wounded - Vivillon was recalled by Viola.

"Fantastique!" Viola shouted. She had her camera raised - she had taken a picture at the moment of Takamaru's victory.

"You and your Pokemon are really something," she said as she stepped toward the center of the arena and produced the Bug Badge. "With this you're ahead of the race, Mr. Takashi."

Santalune City - Gym

"You could use your Skarmory to fly," Viola said.

She'd then return to her end of the gym arena to prepare for the next match.

***

However Takamaru got up, Helena would be waiting for him on top of people to cheer for his victory. While one badge didn't make someone a celebrity, getting a badge immediately in the league would put Takamaru's name out there - it would be up to him to maintain his reputation from here on out.

Helena would wave to Takamaru from the crowd upon his arrival and she'd congratulate him, though it's unlikely he'd hear it over the sound of everyone else.

Santalune City - Gym

Helena gave TK a thumbs up and then stepped toward the exit to the gym. She still had a little time before her match, enough to speak with the boy before her gym match began.

She waved for him to follow as she headed over. A name was called over the speaker and the crowd, Takamaru's name saved to check up on later, looked back to the arena floor.

"Great," Helena said, though she had no idea how much he might have struggled. To her it was a series of attacks that landed or didn't, and she could only measure how well he did by how many more blows he landed before he won.

"I think you kicked butt." She offered him a thumbs up and remained standing in case she had to run into the gym for her match. "Where are you headed next?"

Santalune City - Outside the Gym

"You don't have a map?" Helena asked, her lips curled into a smile she couldn't help. She pointed north toward the end of Route 4 and said, "just head north and you'll reach the next city."

Helena seated herself next to TK and looked out at Santalune City. "So, any advice I can get for the gym from the famous Takamaru Takamaru Takashi?"

Lumiose City - Café Soleil

Navigating the crowd was difficult, even with the wide berth people were giving him. Apparently there was something about a jet black Pokémon with a nightmarish grin that made people a bit reluctant to approach you. Not that it really bothered Ivan, especially as it gave room for the little Snover waddling along besides him. "C'mon bud, we're almost there." The teen muttered to his friend, shyly looking around at the people surrounding him. He didn't like the fact so many people were staring at him, their looks making him have to resist the urge to slink out of sight. But he kept walking, maybe a little faster then before, but still slow enough so the tired Pokémon could keep up.

Stumps for his part gave a weary groan but plodded on, following his taller friend until they came to a stop outside a small red Café. "This looks like it. Right where the map said." Ivan said, looking through the window at the relatively busy interior. The thought of having to go in was a little daunting, but looking at how tired Stumps was an instant way to strengthen his resolution.

Taking a moment to collect himself, Ivan grit his teeth and pushed open a door, avoiding the majority of customers to sit a booth opposite another trainer writing something. "There you go, mister. Not that you really did any walking." Ivan smiled as Shiver stuck his tongue out, allowing the human to place him on the seat before the boy sat next to him. "You too Stumps, hop on." Not that the Snover really needed any encouraging to get off his feet, jumping onto the padded chair with a very happy groan.

"You sounded ready for that." Ivan gave the Stumps a playful poke which earned him a sound of agreement. "Now then, we've had a long trip, I bet you're both hungry." Both Pokémon responded enthusiastically, making Ivan smile softly again. "Right I'll get us something to eat then. Erm, excuse me?" His voice diminished in his throat as he tried to address a passing waiter, who promptly kept walking. He result was the same the next few times he tried, his shyness simply being lost as they bustled around the busy Café.

In the end he slumped back, his shyness taking its tole on his spirit to carry on, causing Shiver to give him a jab to the shoulder. "I know, I know..." He said meekly, the fear of talking to others still fresh in his mind. "Just... Give me a second to straighten my nerves..."

Thin glass rattled in its frame, set into old stone. Over half the buildings in Lumiose City had stood for hundreds of years; if one were to pay attention when walking the streets, they would see centuries of craftsmanship standing side by side. A silent history where a dozen different eras passed by in the space of a minute's walk. In one particularly ancient building, whose architect had a fondness for yard-long stone bricks, and far above the city streets where the sound of brewing festivities was but a distant drum, Gabriel Leroux reached for the fire iron.

He imagined it as a sword as he swung. Flailing like a child, he backed through his study until he nudged against the windowsill. Dulled shouts and pokémon cries carried on a cold breeze at the back of his neck. He held the fire iron, still black from the previous night's fire, and began to splutter.

"Don't! Don't come any closer!" His full jowls wobbled with each syllable spat, face plum-coloured. The creature opposite stopped moving, gaze hidden by a white mask with the painted-on face of a pokémon Gabriel had never seen. The mask stood atop a sea of ragged black cloth, which hung from the creature's body like tendrils of shadow. They shifted in the window breeze, and the creature seemed to melt into the darkness of the bleakly-lit study.

"I'm warning you!" Gabriel said, emboldened by the creature's obedience and a noble's natural arrogance. "I-I'm a court noble! My guards are already on their way. Give up now and you won't be harmed."

The creature tilted its head, then produced three blood-stained pokéballs. With an outstretched arm, clothed in simple black with ornate steel plates covering the fingers, it dropped the balls to the floor. They each clattered, then rolled away harmlessly, leaving behind streaky trails of dark red.

"Oh."

"Gabriel Leroux," the creature said in guttural the voice of a man, muffled and echoing because of the mask. "You have been judged, and found wanting."

---

Lumiose City - Café Soleil

Zack glanced up as Ivan entered the café. He had seen plenty of people coming and going, some chattering excitedly about pokémon or their hopes to see a famous film star. None seemed quite as awkward as the newcomer. Zack sighed inwardly from his table just outside the door, then turned over his shoulder.

"Hey," he called to Ivan. With a quick nod to the pokémon, and with a smirk he added, "Nice pets."

At that moment, a window at the top of the building opposite exploded. Glass rained down, onto the crowd below, the body of a fat, well-dressed man along with it. People shrieked, gasping and drawing away from the scene in a circle. The glass glowed with psychic energy, hanging in the air away from the crowd, then dropped onto the city street without touching a soul.

Zack stood up in his seat when he heard the commotion. From his position, he couldn't catch a glimpse of Gabriel Leroux's lifeless body, but when he looked at the broken window, he saw a dark shape staring back. Its white mask peered onto the street, then seemed to linger on Café Soleil. A second later, the creature vanished a brief flicker of light.

"What the hell just happened?"

---

Santalune City - Pokémon Gym

The battle arena was suspended at the corners by thick arms of spider web, hanging above a shallow pit, which had been painted black. In the darkness, the pit seemed to stretch on forever. The audience stands were split onto two levels: at arena-level, the spectators were invisible save for weak reflected light, buzzing like a hive. The upper level held more stands, screens showing the battle, as well as drinks and food shops where pokémon enthusiasts congregated between matches. A staircase at the back allowed spectators to switch between levels, while trainers were expected to descend into the arena by climbing a network of strong spider webs.

Light streamed down from the circular pit separating the two levels, and illuminated the arena floor. Its webs actually acted as a series of safety nets, but to a trainer who chose to climb down, they would give the impression of crawling into an insect's domain. The proverbial queen bee stood with her hands on her hips and a honey-sweet smile on her face. Undeterred by her loss to Takamaru, the gym leader awaited her next challenger.

The score board read 'VIOLA VS. HELENA'.