Unbroken Disguise

N let his curiosity get the better of him. Was it a wise decision to investigate the stranger who had Nurse Joy on edge? Definitely not.

But he felt compelled to do so anyway.

Nurse Joy had been concerned about this person, to the degree that she had foisted an egg off on Brock. N didn’t exactly spend a lot of time around Pokemon Centers, but this was the first time that he had heard of such a thing, and he felt fairly confident that it was far from standard.

Could they be a criminal? She could be scared that they would steal the egg and sell it off like the other crooks he had run into recently. Even if they didn’t know what was inside, he was certain that some horrible person would be perfectly fine with purchasing an egg like that. Or, if the potential thief knew what sort of egg it was, and it would become a Pokemon that was on the rare end of the spectrum, they could wait until it hatched and get an even better profit out of it.

The issue with that line of thinking was the fact that she hadn’t called the police. The Joy family was more than happy to turn over what abusers they were aware of to the authorities, so she would have no reason not to at least have them escorted off the premises… unless they couldn’t be. Or had no reason to, at least.

So who would that leave?

The only thing N could come up with was some League official. The people running the region had little reason to fear the law, after all. Their abuse of Pokemon, their promotion of competitive battles, their might makes right approach… The Joy family may have enough sway to establish Pokemon Centers world wide and run their organization the way they pleased, and he doubted that most of the League officials would be foolish enough to just brazenly start a conflict between them, but that didn’t account for those who were particularly greedy or arrogant.

Of course, this individual had backed off once Nurse Joy put her foot down on the subject, but was that truly them throwing in the towel, or had they simply retreated temporarily to come up with a better approach?

As he walked into the side room, hoping to follow after them, he wondered which of his suspicions would be confirmed.

The room was rather bare, with a few small tables giving weary trainers a spot to rest, and a handful of fake shrubs adorning the edges of the space to give it color. His target was standing on the other side of the room, watching a Pokemon battle on the television. Now that he was getting a better look, their clothes matched the refined voice he had heard. Black dress shoes and a suit somewhere between maroon and magenta that looked like it cost more than the average person might make in a month. They held a book under their left arm, though N couldn’t make out what it was.

Mimikyu nervously shuffled on his shoulder. “Uh, N? I gonna recommend that you maybe reconsider before ya go an’ start up a not-so-friendly conversation with an Elite Four member.”

…an Elite Four member? N wasn’t quite as brushed up on who filled the current seats across the League as he should have been, so it was a possibility… but it was also very odd for Mimikyu to be better versed on a subject like that than he was. Though his knowledge so far has proven to be accurate…

N paused, turning his head to let the ghost know that he held his full attention.

“I migh’ be misrememberin’, but I’m pretty sure that’s Lucian. Fourth member of the Sinnoh Elite Four, specializes in Psychic types. His ace is a Bronzong, but I couldn’ tell ya the rest of ‘is team.”

Wonderful. So not only did he specialize in the type that could cause the most problems for N, but he was good enough to be the highest ranking Elite Four member in the region. Maybe it would be best to wait on this matter… N didn’t have the power needed to stand up to the likes of the average trainer yet, let alone an Elite Four member. And if Cynthia already disliked him, he didn’t need to draw the attention of any other high ranking League officials either…

He didn’t like this bastard trying to coerce Nurse Joy into giving up an egg, but when you aren’t at the top, you have to choose your battles wisely. He’d just have to remember this when he finally was at the top. That day couldn’t come soon enough, but he was certain that it was only a matter of time. Turning around, he made to rejoin Ash and the others.

“Leaving so soon?” That refined voice called out to him.

Shit.

“I was just exploring the Pokemon Center a bit, I didn’t want to bother you,” N lied, hoping to escape the situation as soon as possible. He didn’t turn around to face the man, keeping his eyes trained on the door, but struggling to keep his body from tensing.

“Is that so?” Lucian probed. “I was informed of what happened with the Gallade in Nimbasa. You have my apologies for that. The Pokemon who come up under my care are normally much better behaved, but he always did have a bit of a problem with acting independently.”

N had a sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to be able to just walk away. “You know who I am?” He asked, finally giving in and turning around. Lucian was looking into his eyes. His wavy lavender hair matched his glasses. Tinted glasses? An accessory and not a necessity, then. Probably to play into the “elegant and educated” look he seemed to be going for.

“Indeed. I’ve been rather busy after the little incident that you and your friend were a part of. Though my work has been hampered by how susceptible my preferred Pokemon Type seems to be to the infection.” Though his words were skittering the line of accusatory, Lucian kept his tone relaxed.

“Sounds rough.” N tried to keep his words cordial. “If you’re aware of what happened with Gallade, then I hope you’re wise enough not to go probing through our minds? I would prefer not to have a repeat of the last time.”

Lucian smirked. “Of course. It would be rather rude of me to do something like that. We’ve only just met, after all.”

But could N trust his words? Lucian had known that he and Mimikyu were behind him without even turning around. Did he hear Mimikyu and immediately conclude that it must be them? It was possible, but with how close the man was to the television, he’d have to have rather impressive hearing to make out Mimikyu’s cries over the battle commentary.

N feared that the more likely conclusion was a forewarning from the man’s Pokemon. He’d seen what powerful Psychic Types could do. A team on the level of the Elite Four though…

It would depend on the specific Pokemon the man had. What sort of specialties they held. But only knowing a single team member, and not even knowing much about Bronzong at that, N could only guess at their skills. Was Lucian the type who liked to focus on one specific subject? Someone able to reach that high of a position couldn’t afford to slack when it came to combat. If N was lucky, Lucian would be a battle junkie, focused on nothing other than training Psychic types who could crush any opponent in battle. A Psychic team had to spend a considerable amount of time working on counters to Dark types, after all.

But Lucian had spoken of the Gallade as if he had personally raised it. If the Pokemon was doing Teleports between regions, it must have dedicated a significant amount of time into the subject. Maria’s Gardevoir had struggled to Teleport just a short distance, and N could only assume that Cynthia had Gallade Teleport her from Sinnoh to Unova. Even just the Teleport from Undella to Nimbasa should have taken a lot out of the Pokemon, but he hadn’t looked winded at all…

If Lucian had the time to raise a Pokemon like that just to move Cynthia around, N would have to assume that the man’s team had a varied skill set. One that might even allow the man to peer into their minds in a less obvious way.

“Ah, but I’m afraid that I’ve been rather rude regardless of that,” Lucian continued, finally breaking eye contact with N. “I apologize for ignoring you up until now, Mimikyu. I’m told that you’re quite clever. Something about a rather interesting conversation with Cynthia?”

Mimikyu didn’t say anything as he pulled out his notepad.

“I’m afraid we really must be getting back to our companions,” N tried, not liking how relaxed Lucian was about all of this. How in control he looked. Did he have a Psychic probing their minds right now? Trying to peel all of their secrets away? N could only hope that the same principle which had protected him from Team Rocket’s disguises while in contact with Mimikyu would also protect him from any subtle Psychic touches Lucian’s team might be attempting.

“I won’t keep you for long, I only want to see your friend in action myself,” Lucian replied, a smirk on his face that bordered between easy-going and confident.

Mimikyu held up his scribbled words for Lucian to read, and N took a glance as well. “エスパーが好きじゃないですよね。”

Well then. Not the approach he was going for, but N supposed that telling the Psychic Type trainer that you don’t like Psychics was one way to go about this.

Lucian’s eyebrow raised, but the smirk didn’t leave his face. “Is that so? Unfortunate, but understandable, given what happened.” He started walking towards them, but to N’s relief, he moved out of the way, walking past them instead. But he paused when he was within arms reach. “I can respect having a fear like that, so I’ll leave you two alone. But… I would advise that you work on that. It’s unlikely that this will be the last time we meet.”

N stood still as Lucian walked out of the room, doing his best to interpret that line in a way that wasn’t a threat and failing.

“Is it jus’ me, or did that guy manage ta come off as a prick withou’ directly insultin’ us at all?” Mimikyu asked after Lucian was well and gone.

“His team might still be able to hear us.” N pointed out, even if he couldn’t be certain that any were out of their balls at all.

“If he wants ta listen in on this, then he deserves ta hear it. Eavesdroppin’ ain’ exactly polite.”

That was true, but with the immediate dangers gone, N found himself thinking back to what had led him here in the first place, trying to piece the new information into the puzzle.

Why would an Elite Four member be trying to get Pokemon Eggs from Nurse Joy? He knew for a fact that the League had personal breeders, and relationships that involved quite a bit of funding to all the breeders within League territory that were still “privately owned”.

Something wasn’t adding up here.

With the injuries that Piplup and Buizel sustained being relatively minor, the group hadn’t stayed at the Pokemon Center for long, continuing down route 205 and making their way towards Eterna City.

In fact, the rooftops of a few buildings could be seen over the horizon, making N wonder why a Pokemon Center would be out on the route, but still so close to it. Surely they were close enough that there was no need for a second, right? Eterna looked big enough that it would definitely have its own, especially since Ash was apparently doing a Gym battle here. Though now that he thought about it, the Pokemon Center near the Valley windworks hadn’t been very far from Floaroma either… maybe it was a precaution to help out trainers fleeing the Eterna forest?

Something to look into.

But there were other mysteries that probably needed solving with a bit more urgency. “So did Nurse Joy end up telling you the details in regards to the egg?”

Brock frowned, looking down at the egg in his arms. “All she would say is that there’s a rare Pokemon inside, and that I should be on the lookout for anyone trying to get their hands on it.”

“She didn’t even tell you what was in it?” If she knew that it was a rare Pokemon, then she should be certain of what kind of Pokemon it was. What point was there in hiding that information?

“Well it’s a Happiny egg, ain’ it?” Mimikyu chimed in.

“Happiny?” N repeated. “I’m not familiar with that Pokemon.”

Brock stopped walking.

“Did you say Happiny?” He asked, doubt in his voice.

“Sure looks like one ta me.” Mimikyu affirmed, his disguise nodding towards Brock.

“I’ve never heard of Happiny, is there something special about it?” Dawn asked, looking between Mimikyu and Brock.

Brock started walking again, carefully observing the egg before he responded. “Happiny evolves into Chansey.”

“Well I guess Nurse Joy having an egg like that makes sense!” Ash pointed out. “All Nurse Joys have Chanseys that work with them, of course they’d get eggs from time to time!”

“What?” N was confused by Ash’s assertion. “That’s not true. Maybe here in Sinnoh, but in Unova their assistants are Audino.”

“No way! Every Nurse Joy I’ve ever met has had a Chansey partner! I’ve never even heard of Audino!” Ash insisted.

“Well, from what I know, Chansey is only the standard within the League.” Brock interrupted.

“Isn’t Unova part of the League too?” Dawn pointed out.

“That’s true,” Brock agreed, “but Unova joined the League relatively recently and they’re physically isolated, so while they are a part of the League, it makes sense that they would do things differently there. I’ve heard that Nurse Joys use different Pokemon in every region outside of the League. That said… I’m surprised that she was willing to give the egg to me, even in those circumstances.”

While N very much appreciated the respect Brock was giving to the egg, he was a bit lost. “Are they really that rare? The Audino that the Joy family uses back home are actually pretty common.”

“Incredibly rare,” Brock reassured. “They’re practically nonexistent out in the wild. You can find them in certain areas if you really try, but even someone dedicated to the task would struggle to find one. They keep some in safari zones, just to make sure that there’s always a population that lives somewhat naturally, but…” He hesitated. “Honestly, the Joy family has a near monopoly on the Chansey line. With their healing abilities, it makes sense that they would work together, but if somebody was trying to get that sort of work done without the Joy family… maybe that’s what they were after…”

Trying to undercut the Joy family? To call that “daring” would perhaps be an understatement. Though if anyone could do it, the League would probably be the most likely… Had they finally grown tired of the Joy family doing things their own way? Trying to gain control over the few things they hadn’t already dipped their fingers in? It wasn’t like the League didn’t have some influence over the Joys already.

It seemed that he had gained yet another reason not to trust the League…

“Woah, what is that building?” Dawn asked the group, pointing to where the route started to morph into Eterna City proper.

There was a large, two story building before them, its lawn and shrubbery looking pristine, its solid concrete walls broken up by large windows. Two statues stood guard to the sides of the entrance, visages of unfamiliar yet intimidating Pokemon. Even if they were carved out of stone, there was something about them that seemed.. more.

“Looks like a museum to me.” Brock looked over the place with an appraising eye. “I know we just got to Eterna City, but do you mind if your Gym battle waits a bit Ash?”

Ash and Pikachu sighed, but didn’t say no. “You want to check out the museum? It’s probably a bit late for the Gym battle anyway. Who knows if they’re even at the Gym right now, and if we have to hunt them down…”

N thought it odd to assume that, but Roark had been at the mines instead of his Gym. Was it a recurring theme with Gym leaders or something?

Regardless, they found themselves walking up to the museum.

“These are some pretty impressive Pokemon,” Ash remarked as they passed the statues, “I wonder what they are…”

“Palkia and Dialga...” Mimikyu said almost reverently. “The Legendary Pokemon of space and time.”

N turned to Dawn as they walked into the museum. “Do you know anything about Palkia and Dialga? This is your region.”

Dawn blushed. “Ah, well, you see-”

Her words were cut off by the sound of shattering glass and then an ear piercing alarm.

“That sounds like trouble, we should check it out!” Ash exclaimed, barely audible over the alarm as he ran off ahead of them, Pikachu’s cheeks sparking on his shoulder.

The rest of the group gave each other a single look before chasing after him, not wanting a repeat of the Eterna Forest.

When Ash finally came to a stop, and they caught up to him, it was before an empty display and a field of broken glass. Up on the balcony above were…

“Seriously?! Stealing Pokemon isn’t enough for you, you have to do this as well?!” N found himself angrily shouting at Team Rocket. Their usual uniforms were nowhere to be seen this time. Instead, James was dressed in a strange green jumpsuit with a small mask tied to his face. Meowth was in a rather impressive outfit that he could only assume was meant to be a grass type he was unfamiliar with. Yellow flower petals surrounded his head, obscuring his ears from sight, and his arms were encased in giant leaves. And Jessie… she was in an outfit that somehow matched James', but was skintight and a shade of purple that went well with her hair. She held a large crystalline orb in one hand, holding it up as if she were displaying it.

Once he tore his eyes from her, he noticed their Wobbuffet standing in the background, a simple purple mask that was similar to James’ wrapped around his head.

Even with their masks hiding half of their faces, he could see the way that Jessie and James paled when they saw Mimikyu on his shoulder.

“How is it you twerps manage to cause us problems when we’re not even going after your Pokemon?!” Jessie shouted down at them.

“Stealing the Adamant Orb was supposed to be an easy gig!” Meowth complained.

“I had to trade in my precious bottle caps for these outfits and you saw right through them!” James whined, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

N didn’t quite understand that last complaint, but he couldn’t allow these thieves to escape this time.

That was when the alarm stopped blaring.

“Stop right there, you crooks!” A familiar voice yelled out.

When N turned to see the newcomer, he spotted an Officer Jenny, though he doubted it was one he knew. The gold star emblem on her cap was unfamiliar at the very least.

“Stunky, ten hut!” Jenny commanded, and that was when N noticed an unknown Pokemon with her. A furry quadruped, the Pokemon had a large bushy tail and a set of whiskers poking out of its cheeks. With most of its fur being a deep purple color, it was only broken up by a white stripe straight from its forehead to the tip of its tail.

He watched as the Pokemon stood up on its forelimbs, waving its rear into the air.

“Do you think one measly Pokemon will be enough to stop us?!” Jessie demanded. “Wobbuffet, you’re up!” The blue Psychic took its place at the front of their formation, ready to protect them from attacks.

“Go!” Jenny ordered, and the Stunky… the Stunky…

His nose burned. He fought to keep himself from gagging as he was subjected to a stench that was arguably worse than a Garbodor coming out of a dumpster. He heard the rest of his group coughing and gagging, trying to protect themselves from it. He felt Mimikyu squirming around and was forced to move his friend to his arms so that the ghost wouldn’t fall to the ground. With a better view on what Mimikyu was doing, it looked like he was trying to seal up all the gaps in his disguise. With how thin the material was, N wasn’t sure that it would make a difference…

But as bad as they had it, the Rockets had taken whatever that was head on. The whole room was suffering, but it must have been concentrated where Stunky aimed. Jessie tossed the orb down at them as the Rockets ran off, desperately trying to find fresh air.

Luckily, Ash managed to catch it, and they made their way out of the room, gasping for every breath of clean air they could get.

“I think-” Jenny coughed, “-you might have overdone it, Stunky!”

The Pokemon at least looked a bit embarrassed, but N was worried about how long this smell would linger.

But while that was definitely a more pressing concern, he couldn’t help but wonder.

Why would Pokemon thieves start trying to steal museum displays?

The only thing that could even remotely be looked at in a positive light about this heist was the fact that the Stunky spray was so foul that none of the police tried to stop them as they escaped on foot, too worried that the smell would wind up on them.

“That was such a waste of time! All that effort and all we got out of it was this stench!” Jessie complained, her eyes watering.

“At least we didn’t blast off this time!” James pointed out.

“This is definitely worse than being blasted off!” Meowth scolded him. “I never want to work with those Galactic punks again! Not if their requests are gonna end like this!”

If those Team Rocket wannabes needed something done from this point on, they’d need to do it themselves! See how they like getting blasted by a Stunky! No good criminal organizations these days… couldn’t even do their own dirty work!

“Ugh, we can worry about those losers later. James, how do we get this smell out?!” Jessie demanded.

“I’ve heard that Tamato berries can help…”

“Perfect! We’ve got a few of those, right?”

“You have to wash anything affected with the juice…”

“Then we’re selling the rest of your bottle caps to buy some more!” Meowth declared.

Jessie and Meowth ignored the way that James’ eyes teared up even more.