So...I apparently forgot that this existed on my document manager, just like how I forgot to finish the following chapters that I wanted to post along with this one...months and months ago... Dear lord, Gen 8 is around the corner and I still haven't finished this story. I am truly a master at procrastination. *Runs off to go write something completely different again*

Disclaimer: Blu Rose doesn't own the Pokémon series—only this fic.

X-X-X

~Thieves in the Night~

After healing up my Pokémon and taking a bit of a lunch break, I left the abandoned village and returned to Route 14 proper. "Alright. Now I just have to follow the road and get to White Forest. The mist isn't so thick anymore, so it shouldn't be so hard." Then again, I've gotten used to things being made difficult for me. I only took a couple of steps before my Xtransceiver began to go off. When I answered, the screen was split into two, showing off Black and Looker. "Mr. Looker?!"

"It was you?!" Black exclaimed on the other end. "Since when did you have the numbers for our Xtransceivers?!"

Looker gave a brilliant smile. "Underestimation of the International Police should not be done!"

"Is that even legal?" Because it's sure as heck creepy.

"That is not an interesting manner! What is interesting is the search that is progressing for the Seven Sages!" Looker cleared his throat and assumed a professional-looking expression. "With the capture by Black of the sages Ryoku and Zinzolin, six of the seven sages have been brought into our custody. I thank you so much for your assistance once again! But there is a topic on which I must speak to you."

"Uh…what?" I asked, not really understanding that mess of words.

"A report has reached my ears of someone who has spotted a person like Ghetsis."

"Oh! That's great news! Where is he? Let's bust 'em together!" Black spoke quickly.

"Slow your pokes! For you see, this report was reportedly reporting the fact that Ghetsis was seen leaving the region."

"He…left Unova?" I asked. "That doesn't sound right." He said he was gonna get revenge, and he was having his henchmen go around trying to regroup Team Plasma and kill off anyone who refuse to rejoin. It didn't sound like the actions of a guy who'd just turn tail and run.

"Did Ghetsis really run away?" Black asked, in as much disbelief as I was.

Looker held his chin and nodded. "He learned most likely of the participation of the International Police in capturing him."

"That…does make a little sense, but..." My brother trailed off.

"The Shadow Triad did see Mr. Looker, and he did make it clear what he was doing here…" I began. "I guess the International Police are that terrifying?"

For a moment, Looker smiled and said, "Of course! We are a terrifying force of justice who sends villains running on the lambs!" Then he became serious again. "But, like you, we are not sure of this information entirely. And so, I must leave this region of Unova in order to see the veracity of that report, as it is my case to bring to a close!" Even though we're the ones who pretty much did most of the work? "However, before I leave, I would enjoy the pleasure of your assistance one last time and am sorry to be asking a request of you two."

"What? What else could there be for us to do?"

"To bring in Natural Harmonia-Gropius is the request I have for you."

"…Huh? Who's that supposed to be?" Black asked, looking as confused as I felt.

"Natural Harmonia-Gropius? Did you not over the course of your journey encounter him a lot of times?" We both continued to look confused. Then the policeman's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, yes! N is what you most likely know him as."

"N?" Black and I spoke at the same time.

"What do you want N for? He had to have known even less about what was going on than the sages did," I explained.

"His valuableness is not as Team Plasma's leader, but as Ghetsis's son. If even nary an inkling he has about where Ghetsis may have fled to, the imperativeness of his cooperation may determine whether or not justice escapes Ghetsis."

Black looked a bit worried. "I'm not sure if N and Ghetsis were ever what you would consider a normal father and child. I doubt he'd know what region he'd run off to."

"But even a sliver of a chance cannot be missed! So please, Black and White, find Natural Harmonia-Gropius so that he may help us with the capture of his father! Until our next meeting!" Without waiting for us to ask more, Looker saluted and hung up, leaving Black on the line with me.

"Well… At least we don't have to worry about N possibly getting killed," said Black. "Though it might be more difficult to find him. Unlike the sages, N looks like a normal guy."

I arched an eyebrow. "But by now, everyone knows who he is. If we asked, I'm sure someone would recognize him."

"True. Too bad you didn't think about getting his number when you gave him ours."

"Hey, you didn't ask for it, either!" I frowned and shook my head. "Anyway, we shouldn't forget that N was looking for Ghetsis, too. Who knows where he could be?"

"If we didn't find him in the places we found the sages, there's no chance of finding him there now, is there? Or is that wishful thinking?" Black asked as he shrugged. "Whatever. We were able to find all of the sages pretty quickly thanks to splitting up, so I'm sure we should be able to find him. Maybe we'll be even luckier and he'll call us before the day's done!" Oh, if only it could be so easy, but once again, I'd sadly gotten used to things not being easy. "Alright! It's time to get to work again! Good luck, White!"

"You, too. See ya." After Black hung up, I sighed, my head lolling over to the side in exhaustion. "This day has seriously been draining… Nightfall cannot come quickly enough…" I complained as I continued walking down the road.

X-X-X

I underestimated the size of White Forest. It was still daytime by the time I left Route 14 and entered it. Now, it was nightfall. That was how big the place was: I spent hours in there, wandering around with no signs of civilization to guide me, and ended up having to set up camp. Needless to say, the idea of spending the night outdoors wasn't a pleasing thought. Not after the last time in Pinwheel Forest… But maybe things would turn out differently this time. I'm not longer that girl who often fainted when she got too close to a Pokémon. From what I've experienced between today and the start of my journey, I could surely survive a night of camping! Probably.

"Okay… I think that's everything," I muttered as I double-checked the little campsite I'd set up—not that a sleeping bag and a little fire made it seem like a good camp. I wished that my mom got me a tent instead so I'd be better protected against the elements. I could only hope that it didn't rain or a wild Pokémon didn't come across me in the dead of night.

"Alright~! Let's tell scary stories and make s'mores!" Nico exclaimed as he flew circles around the campfire. "Just like on TV!"

"Yeah! I vote for s'mores!" Killia exclaimed.

"We're not making s'mores," I spoke flatly.

The Victini stopped flying and looked my way with a pout on his face. "What do you mean? We have to make s'mores. It's a camping tradition! S'mores and spooky stories!"

"Yeah, it's a tradition!" Killia exclaimed.

"You just want the s'mores," said Shion as she tended to her seamitars in a corner.

"What are s'mores?" Kain asked Tiny.

"Uh… I think they're a mix between marshmallows, chocolate and a cookie," the Raichu exclaimed.

"I don't know what any of those are…"

"Which shows how necessary it is for you to have some! Otherwise, you're gonna be an inexperienced runt forever!" Killia said as he began fussing with the Cubone's skull. In response, Kain swung his bone wildly until he made contact with Killia's stomach.

"Yes! S'mores are an experience that can't be missed!" Nico argued as well.

I gave them flat looks before I answered in an equally flat tone, "I don't have anything to make s'mores with. So, unless you guys have the ability to make the necessary ingredients, too bad."

Nico pouted. "Aw…! Well, at least we can still tell scary stories."

Killia snorted and stopped messing with Kain to look to the side. "I'd rather have s'mores."

I frowned. "No scary stories. You'll get so spooked, you won't be able to fall asleep." I was starting to feel like a mother now. If parenthood was like this, I was being turned off a bit.

"You say that, but you're the one who has a problem with spooky stuff," said Tiny.

"It's not unusual! Lots of people don't like hearing scary stories—especially when they're standing in the middle of a dark forest!"

"Hmph! You're no fun, White!" Nico complained.

Before I could lecture him any further, a rustling came from in the darkness that made us all alert. The rustling continued, followed by whimpering. I gulped and immediately inched towards the closest Pokémon, which was Mars, for the sake of safety. A dark figure was moving about in the dark, drawing closer by the second. Eventually, the figure stepped into the light, showing that it was Rosa.

"R-Rosa! What the heck do you think you're doing, pulling pranks like that?!" I shouted.

"Uh… She doesn't look so good, White," Mars pointed out.

Upon closer look of her face, she did seem like she was in a bit of a daze. She didn't look scratched up or anything, but she kept wobbling forward with a dazed expression on her face, not even noticing that she was getting dangerously close to the fire. Nico fortunately flew between her and the flames and gave her a light shove backwards—not with his psychic power, but his own two hands. That was somehow enough to make Rosa fall backwards. I quickly ran up to her and began shaking her. She still had that far-off look on her face. "Hey, Rosa!" I clapped my hands to try and get her attention.

"Huh…? What…?" I pinched her cheek. She squirmed in response. "Ouch!" She stared up at my face for a few seconds before looking surprised. "White? What are you doing here? And why am I on the ground?"

I stepped back as Rosa sat up and looked around in confusion. "I'm here because I got lost in the forest. But you're going to have to tell me why you're here."

"I…was walking through the forest and…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "I'VE BEEN ROBBED!" She screamed loud enough to cause the surrounding wild Pokémon to give their own loud cries. "Some crook held me up stole my stuff—bag and all! Does that sound like the sort of thing that should happen in a forest to you?!"

"You were held up?"

"I just said that!" Rosa buried her face in her hands. "I was wandering around lost when I saw him catching a Pokémon. I thought that maybe he would help direct me to a place to stay, but he ended up telling me to give him my Pokémon! When I told him I didn't have any, he had the nerve to demand I give him everything else I owned to make up for that! Of course, I said 'no'…but then he had his Pokémon use this move on me. And now I'm here."

"Be grateful that was all he did. It could've turned out worse..."

Rosa was immediately on her and walked up to me to begin shaking me. "You have to help me, White! That's all I have in there! Without it, I won't be able to survive!"

"Stop, stop! I was gonna help you anyway!" I shouted. When she stopped, I continued, "My conscience wouldn't let me do nothing, and I'd be up all night thinking some criminal is gonna sneak up on me." It seemed like it was gonna be a little while longer before this day would come to an end. I supposed I was going to have to take my exhaustion out on the thief.

X-X-X

Although she didn't know exactly where she'd been robbed, I assumed that Rosa couldn't have stumbled very far from it if it didn't take much for her to fall over in that daze she was in. So, after packing up the camp, we simply headed back the way she came from. I didn't think it would work, but we came across a shady person in a clearing after only a couple of minutes. What made him shady was the pair of sunglasses he wore in the middle of the night and the surgical mask he wore over his mouth, hiding any of his face's distinctive looks. That man was crouched down and searching through a duffel bag, which appeared to be filled with white and blue Poké Balls.

"That's him! That's the guy who stole my stuff!" Rosa whispered into my ear.

"Really? Wow, that was almost too fast," Tiny said just what I was thinking.

"Let's go confront that crook!" The other girl ran towards the shady guy without waiting for me. "Alright, lowlife! The jig is up! Give back my stuff or suffer the consequences!"

"She's pretty confident for a girl without Pokémon…" I mumbled as Tiny and I walked up beside her. "I'm the consequences, by the way."

"You mean 'we'!" The Raichu exclaimed as electricity crackled around his cheeks.

The shady guy stared at us, but I couldn't tell if he was surprised, or scared, or even angry. "Huh? What's this? A pair of cute girls?" He asked, sounding strangely mellow.

"Compliments won't get you outta this, bub!" Rosa exclaimed. "Gimme back my stuff, now!"

"I don't really know what it is you're talking about. I didn't steal anything from you, my dear. Perhaps it was somebody else."

"The chances of that are impossible!"

I frowned. "You can't try and say 'I'm not a thief' when you're dressed like one."

"That's rude. Judging people by their appearance like that," the shady guy said as he turned his head to look at me. "Since you seem keen on labeling me as a thief, I may as well steal your Pokémon. Your Raichu should catch a nice price…" He trailed off as one of the lenses of his shades glinted ominously and he took out a pair of Poké Balls.

"…So you're admitting that you're a thief now," I said. That certainly didn't last long.

"I'm not just any thief! They call me…the Crow!" Then, in a flash of light, he sent out two black bird Pokémon, one small and the other large. Both had plumage on their heads that resembled hats, while the larger one had red feathers on the underside of its wings and white feathers that surrounded its neck and covered most of its chest. According to the Pokédex, the small one was Murkrow a Dark/Flying type, while the other was Honchkrow, Murkrow's evolution. Murkrow's most outstanding trait was its love of shiny thing, and Honchkrow's was its ability to summon large numbers of its Murkrow cronies with a single cry.

"Is…that supposed to mean something to me?" I asked as I took out a Poké Ball and sent out Kain.

The thief ignored my question to marvel at Kain. "A Cubone as well! If all your Pokémon are so intriguingly rare, the cash will flow! Murkrow, Tailwind! Honchkrow, Swagger!" The Honchkrow puffed out its white-feathered chest and began to crow with mirth as he looked down at Kain and Tiny. The Raichu wasn't riled up, but the Cubone began to shake with rage as a red aura surrounded him. As this happened, the Murkrow flapped its wings a few times, causing a strong breeze to be created. Even after it stopped flapping, the wind continued blowing.

"Tiny, Thunderbolt! Kain, Smack Down!" Tiny charged up and made to zap the Honchkrow with a bolt of electricity, but the large crow Pokémon moved quickly enough to avoid the attack. Kain, meanwhile, spun in a circle and threw his bone at the Murkrow instead of doing what I asked—or at least, he tried to. The thick bone hit a tree a few feet away instead and fell on the ground afterwards. Kain's reaction was to stomp and cry in anger. "Come on, snap out of it!"

"Night Slash!" The Honchkrow cawed as its talons began to glow with dark purple energy, then it sped towards Kain.

"Tiny, use Quick Attack!" The Raichu jumped in front of the Cubone and quickly jumped towards the bigger Dark type. He headbutted the Pokémon at the same time that it used its feet to viciously scratch him, knocking it back. Although the attack looked like it really hurt, Tiny continued standing.

While that was happening, Kain ran towards his bone, only for the Murkrow to swoop down and pick it up. "Good boy, Murkrow! Now, use Night Shade!" The Murkrow cawed and began to glow with an ominous, swirling black aura. A similar energy swirled around Kain, but it made him flinch. "Wing Attack!"

"Substitute, Substitute!" When the Murkrow swooped down and its wing hit Kain, the Cubone disappeared in a puff of smoke and was replaced by his skull before he reappeared above the crow Pokémon. The Murkrow turned its head to look above itself too late and Kain landed on top of it, burying his face into the Murkrow's body as they fell to the ground together. "Good, good! Now, whack it with Bone Club!"

"Honchkrow, use Night Slash on that thing!" Once again, the Honchkrow flew towards Kain as its talons began glowing.

"Thunder Punch!" But Tiny jumped at the large crow Pokémon and delivered two swift, electrified punches. The final blow was enough to knock the Honchkrow out of the air. At the same time, Kain managed to grab his bone out from under the Murkrow and used it to whack the Murkrow on the head once before it was knocked out. "Okay, Mr. Crow. Hand over the bag and I'll let you scurry off," I said as I recalled Kain—after he put back on his skull—and Tiny returned to my side.

Although his face was mostly hidden, the thief seemed to be in a bit of a panic. "Waah! Murkrow! Honchkrow! I'll save you!" He recalled his unconscious Pokémon and cradled their Poké Balls like they were fragile things. "How rude! Knocking out my Pokémon like that!" I just rolled my eyes at his complaint.

"Boy, that was almost disappointing. I thought with that name, he'd be a challenge, but he was really weak," Rosa commented. "He didn't even use the same Pokémon he used when he held me up the first time."

"…What?" I asked in a flat tone. I turned to look at Rosa. "Are you trying to tell me that this guy isn't the person who held you up to begin with?" Because if he had another usable Pokémon, I didn't see any reason why he wouldn't use it.

"O-of course not! I can't forget a guy who looks like that!"

"How can you even remember him? You can't see his face!"

"Well, what're the chances that there's more than one person who'd dress that weirdly?"

"Oh? Are we having a party?" Right on cue, another person dressed exactly the same as the thief arrived from the left: same clothes, same face-hiding accessories, and even the same duffel bag. He approached the other thief "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Rosa and I stared at the newcomer in silence. Then we looked at each other. The other girl began to look embarrassed. "Well…we can say we were both surprised, huh?" Oh, yeah. I was definitely surprised about this turn of events.

The Crow turned to face the new shady guy. "Bro! Help me out here!" He pointed at me without bothering to look at me. "These crazy girls attacked me and accused me of stealing from them!"

"Excuse me?! You tried to steal from us!" I snapped, pointing a finger at the thief.

"Go on, teach 'em a lesson! An older brother should protect their younger brother from bullies!"

The new shady guy probably would've looked skeptical if his face was entirely seen. He sighed and turned to look at Rosa and I. After a few seconds, he nodded. "I see. Well, I'm not sure how much I believe that, but a Raichu will probably go for a pretty penny. It would be worth it to take it and the rest of your Pokémon." He then took out a Poké Ball and sent out a single Pokémon: a cat-like Pokémon with cream-colored fur whose red gem sparkled in the moonlight.

"Oh! That's a Persian!" Rosa exclaimed. "I've only ever seen them on TV! It's just as classy-looking in real life!"

"Persian, huh? Who're you, then? The Cat Burglar?" I asked sarcastically.

The new shady guy nodded. "Oh, my reputation precedes me! Indeed, I am the Cat Burglar—a class act thief!"

I gave the thief a weak glare. Then I silently took out a Poké Ball and sent out Mars. "Mars, Toxic!"

"Fake out, Persian!" The prim-looking Persian suddenly got a wicked glint in its eye. It quickly darted towards Mars as he reared his head back and swiftly struck him with a paw. It seemed like a weak blow, but it was enough to make the Scolipede flinch and stop attacking. "Now, use Power Gem!" The gem in its head glowed before firing a bright red beam of energy right into Mars. He recoiled in pain and stepped back to try and get away from the beam.

"Iron Tail!" The tail end of his carapace suddenly became encased in a metallic coating before he spun in a circle, knocking the Persian back with his tail in the process. "Try Toxic again!"

"Use Taunt!"

"Fufufu…! What a sad creature, having to rely on such crutches to win," said the Persian. "It's a sign of how weak you truly are!" Mars looked shaken by the not-so classy cat's words and ended up not using Toxic again.

"Hey! Don't let it tell you stuff like that!" Tiny called out.

"Use Slash!"

"Gyro Ball!" The Persian leapt forward as Mars curled up into a ball. The Normal type swiped with his paws and slashed across Mars's carapace just before it gained a metallic coating. The Scolipede was quick to retaliate, however, and spun in place for a few seconds before rolling forward, ramming into the Persian and sending it flying backwards. It landed on its feet, but it certainly looked like that blow was strong enough to make it unsteady on its feet. "Steamroller!" Mars then began to roll towards the Classy Cat Pokémon with the intention of crushing it underneath him.

The Cat Burglar began to look panicky. "Uh! Um! Use Power Gem!" His Pokémon once again fired a beam of sparkling red energy at the approaching Mars. Maybe he was expecting the attack to push him back or knock him out, but Mars powered through the beam. The Persian eventually got the sense to stop attacking and attempted to run to evade him, but Mars quickly caught up and rammed it from behind, sending it flying headfirst into a tree. The Persian fell on the ground and gave a weak meow before it rolled over and fell unconscious. "Persian! NOOOOO!"

"What are you doing crying?! Just send out your next Pokémon already!" said the Crow.

The Cat Burglar recalled his Pokémon and, like his brother before him, cradled its Poké Ball tenderly. "Are you crazy?! I'm not going to send out my other elegant Pokémon to be beaten up by this...girl's savage Pokémon! B-besides, Persian was my strongest one…"

"Oh, come on! Grow a pair! I'm sure your grumpy cats could take her!"

"So, that's two thieves down, I guess." I noted as Mars approached me. I patted the Scolipede on the head. "Good job, Mars!" I looked at Rosa. "Is he the one?"

Rosa shook her head. "The guy who stole my stuff wasn't a weird cat person. The Pokémon he used on me looked more like a dog…"

The other thieves, upon hearing her say that, stopped their whining to loudly exclaim, "OH!" which drew our attention.

"There's an idea! Let's go find Big Bro—by which I mean Bigger Bro—so he can beat this girl and steal her Pokémon!" said the Crow.

"Yes, that's not such a bad idea!" the Cat Burglar agreed. "Compared to us, he's more experienced at Pokémon battles with trainers like this."

"Yeah!" Thief #1 then looked at us and pointed, saying, "You two! Wait right there! Our brother will pound the living daylights outta you when we get back with him!" And with that, they both fled deeper into the forest.

I arched an eyebrow. "Are they really that stupid? Do they think we aren't gonna leave?" I returned Mars into his ball and slipped it back into my bag. "Still, maybe this 'Bigger Bro' is the one who stole your bag. It might be worth it to go find him instead of just sticking around here—just to make things go faster."

Rosa slumped forward as she held her head. She looked like she was on the verge of a headache. "I hope so… I'm praying they aren't octuplets or something..." I would hope they weren't. Otherwise, it would take forever for me to get to bed.

X-X-X

We continued to wander around the woods, attempting to follow the foolish thieves to find their big brother and hopefully Rosa's stuff. It took a while, but we eventually came across another shady-looking man, dressed in the same suspicious clothing, in the middle of catching a Cottonee. Standing beside him was a Pokémon holding its tail, the brush-like tip tinged with black. We watched as the Grass type disappeared inside of a Poké Ball, which disappeared in a flash of light as soon as it clicked. "And that is thirty. I think I've reached my quota tonight. Time to round up those two losers and go home." He turned and jumped when he saw us. "You? I thought you'd have been wandering around the forest in a daze. Not only did you snap out of it, but you brought along a friend."

I looked at Rosa. "This ishim, then?"

"Oh, yeah! It's him! I'd never forget that Pokémon after what it did to me!" Rosa exclaimed.

"All I did was send you away. If I knew you'd try and come back, I would've had Smeargle put you to sleep instead, kid." The bag thief then looked at me. "Now I'm gonna have to take this girl's things, too. That Raichu looks pretty decent."

I frowned and folded my arms across my chest. "Look, pal: I've already had to deal with your crow and cat buddies, and I came out on top. Why not just give up now and give back the bag with everything in it before your Pokémon gets hurt?"

The thief arched an eyebrow. "Oh, those two? They're good thieves, but average Pokémon trainers. Don't think I'm the same as them." He held a hand to his chin. "Since you seem so proud of your battling skills, how about this? I'll give you back her stuff if you can beat me in a Pokémon battle."

I arched an eyebrow, as did Rosa and Tiny. "Seriously?" We all asked at the same time.

"Well, you were planning on doing that, weren't you? Because I really don't mind. Maybe you'll be more entertaining than the wild Pokémon I've had to find tonight." He took out an Ultra Ball. "Then again, if you don't wanna agree, that's fine with me… I'll just take your Pokémon by brute force and leave you snoozing on the ground!" In a flash of light, a large, brown bear Pokémon with a round circle on its body appeared before the bag thief. It wore a band around its neck with a small, orange orb hanging from it that glowed dimly. The Ursaring did not look pleased to see us and roared loud enough to disturb the local wildlife.

"He's got that kind of Pokémon with him?!" Rosa exclaimed.

Not really paying attention to her motivating, I took out the Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon. "It's Ursaring, the Hibernator Pokémon. The evolved form of Teddiursa. Says here that it can distinguish any aroma, is skilled at climbing trees, and is strong enough to snap said trees with its forelegs." Definitely not the sort of Pokémon I'd expect a thief to use.

The other girl quickly calmed down, though she still seemed a bit shaken from that information. "W-well, you can take it! I know you can! You've got the power of justice on your side!"

I wasn't sure about the justice power thing, but I wouldn't stand to lose to a crook. "Okay. Tiny, go get 'em! Start off with Thunder Wave!" The Raichu nodded and ran forward. As he was moving, he zapped the Ursaring with a harmless bolt of electricity.

"Wh-what?! No! But my Flame Orb didn't kick in yet!" The thief cried out. "Well, if my Ursaring can't be burned…fling it at them!" The Ursaring ripped off the Flame Orb that had been hanging from its neck and chucked it at Tiny. It hit the smaller Pokémon on the head, but more importantly, its attack left a burn on his head. "Heh-heh! That should do some harm. Now, use Slash!" The Hibernator Pokémon ran towards Tiny as quickly as it could while paralyzed…which was too slow to be an actual threat.

"Trip it with Grass Knot!" Wincing slightly from his burn, Tiny stabbed his tail in the ground as the lightning bolt-shaped end began glowing green. Blades of glowing green grass immediately grew in front of the Ursaring and wrapped around one of its feet, yanking back soon afterwards. It was enough to make the large Pokémon lose its balance and fall forward and land with a heavy thud.

"Sweet Scent!"

I arched an eyebrow. "Sweet Scent?" While still on the ground, the Ursaring glared at Tiny and began to wave its paw wildly. The smaller Pokémon sniffed the air and his posture suddenly became more relaxed while a smile appeared on his face. In a few seconds, I could faintly smell the same thing, like a bunch of fruits and other delightfully scented things. It was good enough to make Tiny move closer to the Ursaring to get a better smell. "No! Don't go any closer! Snap out of it!" I shouted as the Raichu approached the Hibernator Pokémon, that dumb smile still on his face as his opponent smirked.

"Good. Now, use Slash!" With Tiny so close and in a dreamy state, the Ursaring was able to slash at him with its large paws and knock him back. The Raichu landed on his back and swooned from the blow. He tried to get back up, but ended up collapsing and sighing from exhaustion. "Do you like that? My Ursaring's ability is Guts, increasing his power when he's hurting from something like a burn—or in this case, paralysis," he said as the Normal type stood up.

I recalled Tiny into his ball. "At least one of us gets to sleep early tonight," I whispered to myself before slipping the Poké Ball into my bag and taking out another one. In a flash of light, Shion appeared. "Use Swords Dance!" Shion drew her seamitars and twirled them around, causing a red aura to glow around her. If the enemy hit hard, we'd have to hit hard, too.

"Ooh, a Samurott! That's ultra-rare!" The thief exclaimed. "Ursaring, use Sweet Scent again!" The Ursaring tried to use the same attack again, but he suddenly became paralyzed and his paw hung in the air.

"Aqua Jet!" Water enveloped the Samurott's body before she rocketed towards the Ursaring. With a powerful headbutt, she made her opponent stumble back, but he didn't fall down. "Razor Shell!" She followed up with a single swift slash of her sword that made the Ursaring roar loudly, but not knock it out.

"Hammer Arm!" Bellowing, the Ursaring formed a fist and swung at Shion. The sheer power behind the blow was enough to send her flying back a few feet, and when Shion landed, it took a while for her to get back on her feet. Another blow like that would certainly knock her out, but the Ursaring looked like he wasn't far from fainting as well. One more attack seemed like it would finish him off.

"Go for Water Pulse!" Shion raised her head and a large ball of rippling water formed at the tip of her horn. With a shout, she fired the attack at the Normal type. When it hit, the explosion of water knocked the Ursaring off of his feet and onto his back. He groaned from his spot on the ground, but made no attempt to get back up.

As the bag thief recalled his tired Pokémon to its ball, the two thieves from earlier appeared on the scene. "Big Bro! We need your help!" The Crow cried out.

"There's this trainer that's threatening us and we need you to pound her mercilessly in a battle! Please!" The Cat Burglar begged before he noticed that we were already in the middle of something. "Huh? It's her!"

"Yeah, can you guys shut up for a second? I'm having fun over here," said the bag thief, genuinely sounding excited. "Okay, girly! Check this out!" He took out another Ultra Ball, and in a flash of light, a human-like Pokémon. It resembled a woman with dark purple skin, blonde hair, and plump lips, wearing a red dress. It was actually a Jynx—an Ice/Psychic type whose natural movements always made it seem like it was dancing. Even now, this particular Jynx was swinging its hips in a rhythmic manner. "Okay, Jynx, use Lovely Kiss!" The Jynx held a hand to her lips and literally blew a kiss towards Shion in the form of a pair of glowing lips. It was moving slow enough for Shion to lean to the right to avoid the attack. "C'mon, Jynx! Keep it up!" The Human Shape Pokémon began to fire kisses at a rapidly increasing speed. Shion had her hands full dodging the attacks, especially with her size.

"Try Scald!" After ducking beneath a kiss, the Samurott sprayed a stream of boiling hot water at her opponent. The attack hit the Jynx in the face just as one of her kisses smooched Shion on the tip of her snout. Shion's quickly drooped until she fell over, fast asleep. "No!"

"Aha! Now use Dream Eater!" The Ice type took a deep breath, causing a cloud of pink mist to rise up from Shion's head and drift towards her. The Jynx sucked up the cloud and licked her lips afterwards, making a sound of pleasure.

"Shion! Wake up!" I cried out in vain. The Samurott remained deeply asleep, not even jostled by the attack she took just then. "Dang it…!" Not wanting to risk her getting hurt again in case she decided to keep sleeping, I withdrew Shion and replaced her with Nico.

The thieves were mystified by the sight of the Victini. "Oooh! Never seen that Pokémon before!" The bag thief exclaimed. "I can't wait to get my hands on it!"

"None of you are gonna lay a finger on him!" I snapped.

"Heh-heh! We'll see about that. Jynx, Lovely Kiss!" Once again, the Jynx began blowing a barrage of kisses Nico's way, but he was small enough and fast enough to avoid getting hit more easily than Shion could. "Shoot! Okay, try Blizzard!" The Ice type wiggled her hips a few times as she took a deep breath, then she started to blow out a cold and powerful blast of wind. Of course, because of his type, the Victini took the attack easily. "So if Ice type attacks don't work…"

"Flame Burst!" Nico held out his hands and a ball of flame suddenly formed in front of him. With a shoving motion, the fireball was sent flying into the Jynx. When it made impact, it exploded, scattering a few flames around the human-like Pokémon in the process. The Jynx swooned and sang out in a mournful manner before fainting and falling over.

The bag thief gulped and began to shake. "M-maybe I've bitten off more than I could chew…" He stuttered before recalling his unconscious Pokémon.

"Are you having second thoughts? You gonna hand over her bag without anymore fuss?" I asked.

The other stupid thieves decided they had to speak up. "No, Big Bro! Don't do it! You can't avenge us if you just give up!" "You shouldn't lose to a child like this! Think how bad it would look!"

The bag thief suddenly looked at the other two. "You guys aren't motivating me in the slightest!" He then looked at me as he took out another Ultra Ball. "I don't wanna lose, but I don't wanna run off like a coward, either…! I'm putting all my hopes on you!" The next Pokémon he sent out was large and white with a purple underbelly. It had a curled up tail that was long and thick, and similar horn-like appendages sticking out of its head, and its body dripped with some sort of slime. Out of all of the thief's Pokémon so far, this one looked the least dangerous, but whether that was true was unseen since the Pokédex couldn't identify it. "Okay, Goodra! Use Aqua Tail!" The Pokémon named Goodra made a wet-sounding cry as it charged towards Nico, its tail becoming enveloped in water.

Not really knowing what type it could be, I could only bet on it not being a Dark type. "Nico, use Psychic!" The Victini attacked with a semi-visible force of psychic energy, but the Goodra powered through it. When the unfamiliar Pokémon was close enough, it around to smack Nico with its tail and send him flying to the side. The Victini fell to the floor covered in a thick layer of clear slime. Nico whined in disgust and struggled to sit up.

"Dragon Pulse!" The Goodra opened its mouth and fired a beam of purple energy with a dragon-shaped head down at the Victini. The explosion naturally made a decent-sized hole in the ground, and Nico was lying at the bottom of said hole, still conscious, but on the verge of getting knocked out.

"Talk about strong…" I mumbled to myself as I weighed my options. "Nico, U-Turn!" The Victini struggled to shake the slime off of himself before he got back on his feet. He was enveloped in a blue light before he flew towards the larger Pokémon. When he headbutted the Goodra in its stomach, Nico became a beam of blue light before racing back into his Poké Ball, and soon after that, Mars popped out of the ball that was in my bag and behind the Goodra. The dripping Pokémon turned around to look at him and growled.

"Just a Scolipede? Don't you have something a bit rarer?" The bag thief asked, sounding disappointed. "Whatever. Goodra, use Fire Blast!" His Pokémon opened its mouth and flames began to form in the back of its throat. It spat out a condensed fireball that expanded into a five-pronged symbol before hitting Mars, undoubtedly doing a lot of harm to him.

"Megahorn!" Mars bowed his head and charged forward, ramming his antennae into the Goodra's stomach and shoving it back a couple of feet. The impact left his head covered in goo that wouldn't come off no matter how much he shook it. "Never mind that! Go and use Steamroller!" The Scolipede looked mildly disappointed, but continued attacking. He charged into the Goodra once more, pushing it into a tree as he kept ahold of it with the claws along his neck.

"Fire Blast!" Mars's opponent, who was forced to remain in close contact with him, managed to open its mouth and release another fireball aimed at the centipede's back. This time, it didn't get a chance to change shape, but its power was just as strong. When it made contact, it created a small explosion that managed to engulf them both in flames. When the flames faded away, Mars was revealed to be lying on the scorched ground, burned and unconscious. The Goodra didn't appear to have been affected by the fire, but if the sickened expression on its face and the purple-tinged puncture marks along its neck were anything to go by, Mars at least managed to poison him.

"Uh… I don't mean to sound like I don't have any faith in you…" Rosa began, reminding me that she was there. "But you look like you're having trouble with this guy. Are you sure you can handle it?" I wasn't having trouble. But when you don't have the perk of knowing your enemies even a tiny bit, that lack of knowledge can seriously work against you.

"Ooh, yeah! You should've whipped out your Goodra from the start and totally mess up her Pokémon!" said the Crow. Or the Cat Burglar. At this point, I'd forgotten who was who and I didn't care to figure it out.

"Well, it's not like I can have any fun if it goes by too quickly," said the bag thief. "So, little girl, are you still in the mood to fight? Or are you willing to part with those valuable Pokémon of yours?"

I frowned. "Of course not!" I then looked back at Rosa. "And would it kill you to have a little faith in my Pokémon? They've got this!" I then looked back at Mars and returned him to his ball. After dropping it back into my bag, I took out Killia's ball. "Okay! I'm counting on you, Killia!" I shouted before releasing the Hydreigon.

"A Hydreigon?!" All three thieves exclaimed. The frightened tone in their voices made me think that behind their masks and shades, they had looks of absolute horror. Even the Goodra appeared to be intimidated from the way it was shaking a bit.

"Dragon type Pokémon are Goodra's one weakness!" The Cat or the Crow exclaimed.

"Well, that and Ice types…" The Crow or the Cat added.

"H-hey! It wouldn't kill you to have faith in my Pokémon!" Bag thief shouted. "I-I mean, even if it's a terrifyingly powerful Pokémon, it's a Dragon type, too, right?! I've totally got a shot at winning, right?!" Neither of his friends said anything, and that silence spoke volumes about what they thought. "G-Goodra, use Outrage!" Though initially frightened, the Goodra regained its confidence and roared loudly. Its body and eyes began to glow bright red as its expression became savage. With another roar, it rammed into Killia headfirst before it began furiously swinging its fists and horns.

"Killia, grab its horn with Crunch!" Too concerned with dealing blows, when one of the Goodra's horns struck Killia across the face, the Hydreigon opened his mouth and quickly bit down onto it. The Dragon type was too busy continuing its attack to even wince in pain. "Now, throw it!" With some effort, Killia dragged his opponent and threw it aside, putting a bit of distance between them. But it was quickly back on its feet and charging towards him. "Dragon Pulse!" The Hydreigon opened his mouths wide and roared loudly, firing a trio of purple energy beams that merged together to form a single dragon-headed beam aimed right at the Goodra. When the attack hit, the other dragon was sent flying back into a tree with enough force to topple it on impact. "Alright! Way to go!"

Killia started spitting on the ground with a look of disgust. "Blech! Water! I need water! Anything to wash this taste out of my mouth!"

The thieves once again appeared to be horrified by what they saw. The bag thief shuddered. "Goodra…!"

"Oh…my…gosh…" One of the other two thieves spoke in shock. "She defeated Big Bro's strongest Pokémon!"

I held my hand out. "Now, about that bag…"

The bag thief shuddered once more, but remained silent. He took a look at his Smeargle, the only one of his Pokémon—as far as I knew—that was still conscious. At first, I thought he would keep fighting. But when the Smeargle nodded, it held up its tail and a blinding light filled the area. "CHEESE IT, FELLAS!" I heard the bag thief shout, followed by the screaming of the other thieves. When the light faded, the thieves and their Pokémon were gone, and what was left in their place was a bag.

Rosa ran past me and Killia to get to the bag. She picked it up with a smile at first, but the smile quickly dropped as she shook the bag. After taking a peek inside, she shrieked, "Seriously?! He gave back my bag, but he still took some of my stuff out of it! Of all the nerve!"

I walked up to her with a look of concern. "Sorry… I should've known better than to trust a guy like that. I should've just had Killia force that guy to give it up…"

The girl searched through the bag for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I-it's okay… It's mostly stuff that can be replaced. There was this one thing I'm sure was very valuable. After joining Team Plasma, I never used it again, but I didn't have the heart to just throw it away because it was a gift from my mom." Rosa sighed before she turned to me and bowed her head. "Thanks a lot for getting my stuff back…or some of it. Sorry for bringing you into my problems. Have a good evening!" She turned and began to walk away.

I frowned. "Hey!" I snapped. "Where do you think you're going?!" Rosa whirled around to look at me in confusion. "You're in the middle of the wilderness without any means of protecting yourself from wild Pokémon or…crooks that dwell in the forest." I continued as I approached. "Trying to go off on your own could lead to something worse than having some stuff stolen. So…until we at least get to the safety of civilization, why don't we stick together?"

Rosa began to blush. "To…together? No, I don't want to wear out my welcome…"

"Don't be stubborn. You were willing to stick together with your Plasma buddies, so why not stick with me?"

The other girl looked aside. "Um… I… Okay then. Until we get somewhere safer…I'll travel with you. I'll try to be useful!"

I smiled at her. "It's not necessary, but I appreciate it." I may have been a little happier than I ought to have been. It hadn't been that long since I split up with Black, but I guess I was just missed human companionship. "Okay! First things first: we have to find a place to set up camp for the night again!"

"Ooh! Does she have marshmallows? Ask if she has marshmallows," said Killia from behind me.

I whirled around to give the Hydreigon a look when I noticed he was holding the Flame Orb with one of his smaller heads. "Hey, gimme that! You might burn yourself."

"Ask about marshmallows first."

"Enough with the marshmallows!"

"Uh… Marshmallows?" Rosa asked in confused. "What about marshmallows?"

At that moment, I just remembered that Rosa didn't exactly know me that well—at least not well enough to know about my…gift of understanding Pokémon. Despite knowing that she was a pretty nice person, past experiences made it…difficult for me to say the truth. So I lied. "Oh, ignore him. I gave him and the rest of my Pokémon some marshmallows earlier, and now he seems to think camping must equal marshmallows."

The other girl continued to look confused about it for a few seconds before smiling. "I guess even something like a Hydreigon has a cute side like that…"

"Who you callin' cute?! I'm not cute! You're cute!" Killia exclaimed, seeming like he was about to go on a little rampage to assert his point.

I began to smile as well. "Yeah, he can be surprisingly adorable sometimes." The Hydreigon instantly shut up and bowed his head as he started to blush. In that moment, I snatched the Flame Orb from his grasp and hid it inside of my bag. "Now, about that campsite…"

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Notes

The Burglar trainer class does not appear in the Unova games.

Jynx learns Dream Eater via TM. Victini learns U-Turn via TM. Goodra learns Fire Blast by TM.

Gooey is Goodra's hidden ability (and also Sligoo's and Goomy's).

Flame Orb causes the Pokémon holding it to become burned. In White 2, Flame Orb is obtained in Reversal Mountain, while in both versions, it can be held by wild Heatmor in dark grass or obtained from the Battle Subway.

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