Pokemon Freelancer (Part 2, Episodic Story)

[Orderneri]

1: Family Life
(Book - Crystal Queen)​

On a cool weekday morning, Laurence stirred. He leaned over to his girlfriend and brushed her long ginger hair out of the way. He kissed her forehead and saw her smile in her sleep, satisfied. They'd both been woken up in the middle of the night by their son, and Sonia had insisted on handling it, causing Laurence to fall asleep sooner. Now it was her turn to sleep in.

Laurence spun and put a foot on the floor. He grabbed his sleek dark grey prosthetic and put it on. It'd replaced his right leg ever since he ran out of luck in Saffron. He got up and put some clothes on as his trusted partner, Absol, stretched. A special bond between the two of them caused them to understand each other's thoughts, so she woke up alongside Laurence. She could feel the cold laminate floor as if she were on it, despite being comfortably curled up on a large rug.

Absol used her one remaining eye to watch her Trainer. Like Laurence, she had bitten off more than she could chew, but instead of losing a limb, she had lost an eye and damaged her horn. She didn't regret her decision. What she had done was for the family. People she had grown to love. She had long since dropped the facade of a lone wolf, openly displaying anger at the loss of a family member and pushing herself beyond her limits, expending all her defensive energy but continuing to fight regardless.

As Laurence approached the door with Absol by his side, he heard soft footsteps approaching. A very young boy, a toddler, was waddling towards his parent's bedroom. Laurence moved into the hallway. The boy looked up at his giant of a father with a grin, holding his plush Charizard close.

Laurence put a finger to his lips as he crouched. "Shh. Mommy's still asleep."

Andrew, his and Sonia's son, nodded as he put a hand over his mouth. Laurence picked his son up and moved through the large estate as he poked and prodded the boy to make him laugh. The name Andrew simply came from the fact that Sonia liked the name for some reason.

As he walked through his home, Laurence caught glimpses of Pokemon. His chubby Raichu sleeping on the sofa. An ageing Arcanine with unkempt fur in the corner, an eye open and eyes twitching. The perfect guard dog.

Gardevoir was having an animated conversation with Sonia's Appletun. Gardevoir's blue hue reminiscent of a shiny was a reminder. She wasn't like that when Laurence first earned the favour of Ralts. When faced with a massive threat, Gardevoir expended all her psychic power to protect the people she loved. She sent both herself and her enemies to another dimension, and while there she mutated, changing colours. This was the same event that resulted in Absol losing an eye. Laurence had, quite literally, ventured through Hell and back to bring Gardevoir to the realm she belonged to. It would not happen again. Gardevoir had been scolded accordingly, too. There would be no self-sacrificial behaviour in this household. Laurence refused to lose anyone.

Laurence ventured outside and took a seat in a wooden rocking chair resting on a wide deck, overlooking massive fields and a large lake on the edge of the property. He'd apparently woken up with the sun as it hadn't separated from the horizon yet.

A bipedal cat, Meowscarada, noticed the moment her beloved Trainer exited the house. She bounded up to Laurence and rubbed her cheek against his, a deep purr rumbling through her body and being transferred to Laurence. He stroked her head in return, giving attention to the needy cat.

With Absol lying on one side of his chair and Meowscarada curled up on the other, Laurence settled into a gentle rocking motion and watched as animals started to wake up. Some of the Pokemon were his, some belonged to the women in his life, and some were wild, simply choosing this land to be their grazing grounds for a time.

Typhlosion and Pangoro roared at each other and immediately got into a fight, as per usual. Laurence stopped counting wins after the number reached triple digits, and that was a couple of years ago. Ever since their bout near Pallet, they'd had a score to settle and fought nearly every day.

Two sword masters meditated. The fire encased in purple armour, Ceruledge, was more casual about it considering he was a ghost. He'd already reached enlightenment and mastery of the sword. He was more so encouraging Dewott, a once wandering samurai that was drawn to Laurence's fighting spirit and good heart.

Laurence instinctively felt the thigh compartment of his prosthetic leg as he looked at Ceruledge. The one-armed knight had given Laurence a gauntlet capable of spawning a sword of ghostly fire. It rested in Laurence's thigh, custom made springs ready to throw it up into Laurence's grip if he twisted his ankle a certain way. Laurence had lost track at the number of jeans he'd ruined due to summoning his sword in a fight.

Speaking of ghosts, Gengar lingered around the property, no longer attached to Laurence's shadow. He'd been kicked out, replaced by a different ghost who commanded golden rings that created portals.

On his way outside, Laurence had stopped by the kitchen, allowing him to sip on a coffee as he rocked. Relaxing here with his son and Pokemon was pretty much the life he wanted. All he was missing in this very moment was one of his women sitting beside him. Sonia wasn't the only one. He'd become famous, or perhaps infamous, for the amount of women in his life. He couldn't help it. He had a big heart and a lot of love to share. Some called him greedy, but whatever.

Some of his partners were no doubt sound asleep in the house, as they had rooms. The estate was huge for his ever-growing family. Over forty rooms. Even so, he might have to hire construction to build another forty-room building soon.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Andrew eventually reached up and pulled his father's cheek. For some reason he liked the feeling of Laurence's short, boxed beard, a feature Laurence adopted from grandad Rose.

Without Laurence realising, the sun had risen a good amount. Perhaps an hour had passed. Now that he paid attention, he could feel his own stomach demanding sustenance. "All right, let's get you fed."

Laurence went inside and sat his son in a raised chair at the dining room table. He ate toast while watching Andrew use a backwards grip on a spoon, shovelling cereal into his mouth and spilling half the milk.

Laurence grinned as he used a towel to clean up his son. He was content. Happy. He'd earned the life he wanted. Sometimes he got the fidgets and his women noticed, telling him to go to work, but otherwise Laurence was content to stay at home as much as possible. He could afford to because his job wasn't safe or easy. He'd made a reputation for himself, mainly through arresting criminals, and had been generously rewarded because of it. Work took him away from home for a few days, maybe a week if it was a particularly big problem, but he needed the outlet. It was satisfying to clean up the world for his children's future, and he had to admit that cracking some skulls in the process was good stress relief.

Absol, like Laurence, also felt the call to fight sometimes. And due to the special connection, the feeling was amplified as it was shared between them.

Sonia soon came downstairs. She saw that Andrew had just finished breakfast so picked him up and started repeatedly kissing his ginger hair to the point where he got annoyed and tried to push away.

"Aw, don't be like that. Mommy just wants a kiss."

"You already had one!"

Sonia settled with a smile and turned to Laurence as she hugged Andrew. "Hear that? He's gettin' smart, just like his mom."

Laurence raised an eyebrow. "If you're so smart then where's the results of all this research you're supposed to be doing?"

"Soon, soon! But speakin' of me bein' smart, don't think I haven't noticed. Ya doin' it again. Gettin' antsy. This is the fourth mornin' in a row ya've woken up early."

Laurence agreed. It had become obvious not long after buying this home that he couldn't sit still. He had a strong work ethic and hated letting his hands be idle for too long. At first he tried to fight it and stay with his family all day every day, but this quickly devolved into him being more of a nuisance than normal, so he was kicked out of the house until he sorted himself out.

He stood up and kissed Andrew on the head. "Time for dad to go to work, buddy. Are you ready to hold down the fort while I'm gone?" Andrew gave a thumbs up which caused Laurence to chuckle and ruffle his son's hair. "Good lad."

Sonia put Andrew down and the boy went into the living room to play with his toys. "And what about me?" She pouted, looking up at Laurence with puppy eyes.

He couldn't resist. A brief kiss turned into a deep, passionate thirty second one as their embrace tightened with the passage of time. Ever since they'd gotten together they'd been like this. Couldn't keep their hands off each other. If they weren't careful, they might have another child soon. It'd been years since they'd become gotten together but time hadn't dulled their passion.

They were interrupted by Absol jabbing the inside of Laurence's left knee. He got the hint and disengaged with Sonia. He laughed down at Absol as he walked upstairs to get ready. "Just wait until you get yourself a boyfriend. Then you'll understand."

Absol huffed. She wasn't interested. Relationships weren't for her. She had her hands full looking after the family she currently had.

Laurence got into a basic outfit and went for a run around his property, along a fence he'd begun constructing in his downtime. He had the urge to finish a bit more before looking for a job.

Some of his Pokemon joined him on his run. Typhlosion bounded along on all fours. Omastar somehow kept up, his writhing tentacles rushing over each other to move. Flygon flew overhead, and because of how fast she was she repeatedly overtook Laurence, the wind she created making good resistance training.

Laurence went to work out in a room he'd converted into a home gym and then finished off with a shower. His daily routine.

As he was about to leave, he looked through to the living room. He saw Melony with a baby boy in her arms, Andrew showing his favourite toy to his brother. Gordie, named after his late grandfather.

"Dad's going to work on the fence for a bit."

At that, Andrew dropped his toy and ran to Laurence. The boy seemed to be interested in getting his hands dirty with physical labour, but for now he just watched and prepared to replicate in the future.

Laurence made his way to a shed that looked like someone's first building project. Because it was. The poorly put together structure was one of Laurence's outlets, and looked awful in comparison to his pristine brick ranch house.

"Wait here a second, buddy." Laurence said, opening a door that was uneven and scraped the dirt floor inside. He should sort that out soon. It's not that hard to adjust the hinges.

He exited with a toolbelt strapped to him and a pile of wooden planks on a shoulder. Absol was using her body to block Andrew from getting close to the shed. He ruffled her head. "Good girl."

Absol bit back a response and put herself on the other side of Andrew so the boy was between his father and a trusted Pokemon as they walked. She had an instinct to protect.

At the fence, Laurence jammed a long piece of wood into the ground roughly a metre from the last post. It was bad etiquette, but he didn't bother measuring. He just eyeballed it. He hammered it deeper and then lined up a wooden plank. Like Professor Elm in New Bark, Laurence favoured a basic fence with two horizontal planks. It wasn't keeping anything in or out, but that wasn't the point. It was simply marking territory.

The fence had to be massive to cover the property. Laurence owned multiple fields around his home. It was nice and peaceful. If he ever heard a vehicle, it had to be directed at his home. There were no other roads around. At first glance it seemed like he picked a home in the middle of nowhere, but they were actually on the edge of a city. The nearest grocery store was a five-minute drive away, and there were schools nearby. That was a compromise. Laurence essentially wanted a cabin in the woods, but his partners put their feet down and made him pick a place close to conveniences. Sure, they could hire a tutor to come out here, but children needed socialising, and they didn't want to travel an hour to get food.

Laurence used the edge of his palm to keep the wood in place while using the same hand to line up a nail. He looked around and then to Andrew who watched with sparkling eyes. He was a curious boy, just like his father. He liked seeing things in action. He'd also watched Sonia take apart her phone to repair it recently. Laurence wouldn't be surprised if, soon, he learned that Andrew took apart his own toys to figure out how they worked.

"Come here, buddy." Laurence said, changing his grip on the hammer and allowing the excited toddler to squirm into him. "You've seen me do it enough so you probably know, but hold the grip tightly, okay?"

Andrew did so, using both hands to grab the handle of the hammer. Laurence put his hand over top of his son's and then started hitting the nail. Andrew laughed the entire time, until the nail had been thoroughly hammered home.

"Good boy. Just don't tell your mom, okay?" Laurence rustled his son's hair.

They moved to a post Laurence had previously planted and lined up the other end of the plank. All in all, father and son planted a dozen more posts and secured them to the rest of the line before they paused construction. They headed back to the house a mile away, Sonia visible on the deck.

When he was close enough, Laurence opened his mouth to speak, but he felt something in his bones. From the ground. It could be Steelix waking up, but… No, this was a different rumble.

It had been a while since trouble came to Laurence.

In just seconds, multiple events occurred. A gold ring appeared behind Laurence, linking the porch to his back. A portal. Sonia instinctively reached through and grabbed Andrew, pulling him to the house. Gardevoir appeared via Teleport as the ring closed. She used Protect to create a large green barrier to cover the house and everyone inside.

Laurence spun in time to see the ground burst open, different coloured beams working to create a large hole before shooting pointlessly into the sky. Chunks of dirt and stone rained down. Laurence saw sparkling pink mixed into the falling debris. He assumed it to be an animal. He rushed forward and caught the pink mass with one arm. Its weight was enough to drop him to his right knee, mainly due to gravity. He noticed quickly that the Pokemon itself was quite light.

He dug his foot in and twisted, causing a compartment to whip out. Springs thrust the gauntlet out and onto his hand. Using Aura, Laurence ignited the weapon and cut through a white Hyper Beam, hearing it slam into Protect behind him.

Laurence rose, sword across his body in a defensive position, pink Pokemon in his other arm. He eyed three particularly strong Pokemon. A Tyranitar covered in thick green armour, a Scolipede with poison dripping from its mouth, and a Probopass ready to unleash more beams.

Unfortunately for these attackers, they picked the wrong land to trespass upon. Laurence's Pokemon all started roaring and showing they were prepared to fight. Typhlosion unleashed immense fire from his back, Nidoking punched his fists together, Corviknight descended from his roost atop the mansion's roof and landed with a heavy thud, Steelix burst out of the ground nearby, Klawf snapped his claws together, Delphox flew in on her broom and pointed her wand forward. More than fifty Pokemon aimed their hostility towards the intruders.

The attackers were visibly shaken, sweating under the pressure, but it wasn't enough to make them stand down. They could still fight. But they had been doomed from the start. To prove it a white dragon roared and flew over the house, hovering above her Trainer, sharp blue eyes aimed at the enemies and fire burning from her tail. The Legendary Reshiram did not take kindly to her peace and quiet being disturbed.

Reshiram appearing cemented the continuation of the fight as a fool's errand. She exuded a powerful aura so everyone knew just how powerful she was. The trio turned tail, rushing back into the hole they'd made. The heavy footsteps of Tyranitar was the only sound, so once they faded out it signalled the end of the threat.

Laurence let out a sigh and straightened up, twisting his foot to open the compartment and putting the gauntlet back into his thigh. He was a little disappointed. He would've liked a proper fight. He looked up as Reshiram's shadow shifted across the field. He gave a thumbs up. Reshiram growled gently and flew off behind the house.

He looked down at the pink mass in his arm, simply knowing it was the victim and the attackers were the bad guys. He had a sense for these things. "Are you okay?"

The Pokemon was startled to the present. It'd spent the entire time looking up at Laurence and knew this was the knight in shining armour it needed.

 

[Orderneri]

2: Underground Ruler
(Book - Crystal Queen)​

The pink Pokemon floated out of Laurence's arms and hovered before him. Its lower body was that of a rock, it almost seemed to wear a white dress on its torso, and half a dozen small, shining pink crystals spawned from its head. Some were raised, but two in particular were angled in a way that made the Pokemon look like it had twintail hair.

Laurence's phone exited his pocket. It was possessed by a Rotom and was always ready to inform its Trainer.

"Diancie, the Jewel Pokemon. It is said to be a ruler of Pokemon. They tend to live deep underground, so one appearing here is an oddity." A robotic voice came from the phone's speaker. Rotom moved closer to Laurence and showed him a picture. It was a Diancie with a key difference. "This Diancie appears to be missing her crown."

Diancie repeatedly pointed at the floating phone and nodded along with what it said, using big red eyes to look between the big human and Rotom. She let out a noise almost like a squeak, not unlike a lot of other animals. Diancie tilted her head, seemingly unsatisfied with this outcome. It put a grey hand to it's throat and suddenly the air was filled with the sound of chimes, Diancie's crystals sparkling brighter due to energy running through them. After the pitch and frequency of the chiming was altered enough, a new sound appeared. That of a voice.

"Rotom is right. I am princess Diancie."

"Huh, that's neat…"

Laurence had seen many unique aspects of Pokemon, but he was still surprised and impressed by their capabilities. His best guess was that Diancie created etchings in her crystals and then ran sound through them. He'd seen something like it before, with Kali. She used sound to create a song via gemstones which she used to wake a horde of Unown. Because the etchings were theoretically infinite, there would be a combination that could mimic human speech.

He was correct. After the fact, the crystals would naturally regenerate, allowing Diancie to create a new etching and speak new words.

"Ah, thank you…" Diancie rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment at the praise for her power. Then she realised something. "Right, um, sorry to intrude."

Laurence waved away her concern. "Don't worry about that now. So, your crown was taken? Is that why you were attacked?"

Getting a good look at her, Laurence felt like Diancie was incomplete without the crown. Seeing the picture compared to the real thing, it just looked wrong. The crystals currently on her head were much shorter than the picture, suggesting the backline was extended by the crown, either through natural growth or because the crown was more than the circle headpiece.

Diancie was silent for a moment before explaining. "My ceremony to become Queen is approaching. My steward went to secure the crown from our vault and saw that it was gone. It… started an uprising. My subjects lost faith in me because I couldn't even safeguard the crown. Some stayed loyal and they urged me to leave when a fight started. But those three that followed me, they were some of my strongest soldiers. Now I have no one… I fled this way because I was hoping you'd be able to help me. You are Laurence, correct?"

Laurence raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the first time a Pokemon had come to him seeking help. His actions had been so grand over the years that even animals spread rumours of his deeds.

But more importantly, Diancie was cut off from her loyal subjects. If she was going to bring peace to her people, she needed that crown back.

There was no harm in playing along. Laurence knelt before the Jewel Pokemon. From the back it looked normal. Despite hovering, Diancie was still half of Laurence's size, so it seemed like he was simply putting himself at her eye level.

"I pledge my services to you, Princess Diancie."

"Ah, thank you, thank you!" Diancie chose to grab Laurence's hand and shake it vigorously.

Laurence stood. "I've got to get ready, so give me a minute, but-" While he got ready, he'd like to think, so he had a question. "-Any idea where your crown might be?"

"No." Diancie shook her head. "All I remember was that there was a hole in the vault."

Diancie knew what to do when she got her crown back. She would reinforce the vault. Being a dweller of the great caverns underground, her castle was etched into rock. That included the vault room. A lot of Pokemon, or even people with equipment, had the power to tunnel through rock.

"Okay, so someone or something dug into your vault. How much did you investigate? Was it a precise tunnel, like they knew where it was?"

Diancie tilted her head with a hand gently touching her chin. "Yes, I believe so… It was right above the crown's pedestal."

That was certainly a clue. He had nothing to justify his opinion other than experience. He had a feeling he knew what'd happened. "Got it. I'll give someone a call. Feel free to relax for a bit, you're safe here."

Laurence covered the remaining distance to his home and checked on his family. Thanks to Gardevoir and the new ghost in his shadow, everyone was fine. He went upstairs and got ready, donning his red shirt and black jacket. He tied a green bandana to his sleeve, dangling from it a colourful clear stone with a pattern like DNA imprinted inside. He took his phone out of his pocket and called a friend.

"Laurence, it's been longer than normal. I wondered when I'd be hearing from you." An ageing feminine voice came through the speaker. "How's life treating you?"

"Hi, Argenta. Not too bad. I hope you're doing good."

"That I am, boy. So, what do you have for me this time?"

In his travels, Laurence had used the services of Argenta numerous times. She was a useful friend to have. The old woman was an information broker. She had sources all over the world. Many people listened for anything of interest, and they were ready to share their knowledge with Argenta. Someone heard a rumour at a bar. A receptionist overheard coworkers discussing something criminal. There was no end to the information Argenta received.

"Heard anything about a Diancie crown recently?"

"So that's what you're getting dragged into. I should've known. I've been hearing rumblings about it for a few weeks now. I wrote it off. Looking into them, they're a group of amateurs that haven't succeeded in any of their schemes. I didn't think they'd pull it off. Honestly, I'm impressed. That's quite the heist."

Laurence's hunch was correct. In his time as a freelancer, he'd come across a lot of people who were motivated by money. A Diancie crown was no doubt valuable. If he'd been wrong, then Laurence would've assumed a rival Pokemon kingdom. It was the only other option, in his mind.

"Maybe they hired an expert without you knowing. You're slipping, Argenta."

"If I were with you right now I'd give you a good walloping. Speak to your elders with respect, boy."

Laurence continued after suppressing a laugh. "They dug into some underground vault and took the crown right before the… What's it called?"

"Inauguration? And here I was thinking you were smart. Apparently I'm not the only one slipping."

Laurence grinned. He deserved that one.

"Regardless, you're in luck, boy. I have an address for this gang. That should be all you need."

"That'll do nicely, thanks. I'll deal with the rest."

Argenta cackled from her seat overseeing a horde of screens. "Just another gang that messed with the wrong man. But keep an eye out. If something really did slip by me then they hired a competent professional."

She was right. Laurence had encountered a few mercenaries over the years. The typical gangs could be seen as mere bandits. Hunters were a step above, skilled fighters who would do anything for money. Then far above them were mercenaries. They were a nightmare to deal with. Some of the strongest Trainers around, and they had no problem with personally fighting, like Laurence did with his Ceruledge sword. This request might turn out to be harder than he first thought.

He hung up after saying goodbye and immediately saw a text appear, followed by an invoice. Argenta had to fund her operation somehow. She didn't work for free. She paid for information and needed to be paid for information.

Laurence moved through hallways to the other end of the house and went down a different stairway. He came to a storeroom mainly for the large amount of food his family needed, but he had other items here too. He rummaged around a bottom drawer until he pulled out a handful of Pokeballs. He had an impressive roster already, but he never refused a Pokemon that wanted to come with him. Who knew when his next teammate would appear. He pocketed the balls and left.

After some walking, Laurence reached the living room. He saw Diancie enjoying the soft sofa, gently bouncing on the edge while Andrew showed off toys to her. She leaned forward heavily at every new item she was shown, intently observing the toys. It seemed like she wanted to engage fully by playing with Andrew, but she was reluctant to do so. Maybe she thought it was unbecoming of her position, or maybe she was just shy. When she saw Laurence, she jumped into the air and hovered over to him.

"I've got to put a team together, but otherwise we're good to go. I think I might know where your crown is."

Diancie's red eyes sparkled as brightly as her crystals did under direct sunlight. She watched Laurence say goodbye to his family, giving them kisses and hugs. She stuck to him as they exited the house.

Outside, Laurence called out to the big metal bird sitting on the roof. "Corviknight!"

Corviknight, when resting and comfortable, looked like a sphere of fluff. It was his plumage, not the fact that he hadn't gotten any good exercise recently. He rose and spread his wings with a hefty caw. He dropped down next to his Trainer, standing a couple of feet taller than the tall man. He leaned over and let Laurence ruffle the feathers on his neck.

Laurence could ask the master of portals in his shadow for help. Hoopa could get Laurence anywhere in an instant. But the Pokemon wasn't formally his. Hoopa hung around because it was fun and he liked to help. Hoopa occasionally acted on his own, causing problems that Laurence had to clean up, but his actions came from a good heart. Laurence had no problem cleaning up Hoopa's messes because it always led to bad people being punished.

"You up for some flying? We have a job."

Corviknight was always ready. He considered himself to be the hero's trusty steed. Whenever he was needed, he would be there.

Laurence turned to some of his Pokemon who had approached sensing it was time to work. From the small but mighty Maractus to the heavy Aggron, Laurence had attracted many good Pokemon over the years that were more than happy to put their skills to use if it meant helping someone.

As per usual, Laurence picked a team of six. Five, really, since Absol was mandatory. He liked filling his belt holster, but thanks to Rotom had always had access to his entire roster. Rotom could teleport his Pokemon to him in a split second. There was no strict team limit, someone could have as many Pokemon on hand as they wanted, but due to the popularity of the sport, holsters tended to hold six Pokeballs or less.

Thinking of the sport, it'd been a while since Laurence had entered a regional tournament.

"...We should enter a League again soon." Laurence spoke quietly to himself, but a few Pokemon with good hearing picked up on what he said and agreed, nodding and chirping happily. "Well, for now we've got a job to do. So..."

Laurence looked around, briefly catching a glimpse of the ground. Someone had filled in the hole created when Diancie showed up. It was a patch of dirt on the otherwise pristine lawn, but eventually grass would spread to it.

Since she was here, jumping about with a stern expression like she was ready for a fight, Laurence picked on the bunny cactus. "Maractus, are you up for it? I don't know what kind of trouble we'll find, but I need a hero with me."

Maractus hopped a dance while shaking her hands, creating a pleasing sound like beads in a bottle. When she calmed, she flourished an arm and created a cape using Cotton Guard. She was ready to go.

Laurence nodded, being given her ball by Rotom. On one part of the house was an external, sheltered shelving unit similar to what Gyms used. Whenever Laurence needed them, his Pokemon would go into their Pokeballs so they could be teleported to their Trainer. And they knew to expect a fight immediately.

The rest of the team came easily. Absol, Maractus, Typhlosion, Dragapult, Omastar, and Aggron. He didn't know what threats he'd be facing, but he didn't want to underestimate his opponent, so he took some heavy hitters. And while he had some Legendary tier Pokemon, he didn't like to use them unless it was absolutely necessary. He wasn't against calling them in to make sure a bad guy didn't get away, but it felt unfair to rely on them so heavily. Plus he didn't want his regular roster of Pokemon to slack off and become weak.

Another Pokemon passed through his mind, but he left her alone for now. She was quite a diva that would gladly cause problems for her own satisfaction to show how she was superior to others, and because of that she only listened to Laurence, someone she saw as better than her. Leaving her with the family could cause problems, but Laurence had spoken to her multiple times about this issue. He hoped she finally took what he said to heart and calmed down around others.

Despite her cute appearance, Maractus had proven to be a fighter time and time again. Her weapon was Wood Hammer, and she moved her Cotton Guard cape around like a shield so she could stay in battle longer than expected.

Typhlosion was one of Laurence's strongest. Especially because he had undergone a Strength Evolution. Pokemon with exceptionally strong desires could evolve in a way that benefited their dream. Because of this Laurence's Typhlosion had way more fire pads than normal, allowing him access to greater amounts of power. He kept the mohawk from Quilava. It stretched down his back and split to either side of his tail. There were also pads around his wrists.

Omastar had been with Laurence since Kanto and, while he hadn't fought much recently, he was instrumental in Laurence getting as far as he did in the Kanto Regional League. And to think he was once a sickly little Pokemon.

Dragapult had been continuously growing in power since being caught by Laurence years ago, when she was just a little Dreepy. She had been abandoned by her family for being the weakest of the species. It'd taken her a long time to earn her strength, but now she was unstoppable. She took pride her in power and the new family that showered her with love. She would do anything for Laurence.

And then there was Aggron. Whenever the aggressive mother was around, Laurence's side burned, because she was the very same Aggron that scarred him before he became a Trainer. Their reunion had been unexpected, but a welcome surprise. Laurence was in a heated battle against a strong foe. Out of nowhere a rock taller than Laurence barrelled through the air and struck his foe. Aggron had sensed a familiar presence and felt she owed him, so came to help. With her child having grown up and left home, she didn't have much else to do so she ended up sticking with Laurence.

As for Corviknight, because he was outside of the six, it was dependant on the situation. Sometimes he came home via Rotom's teleport, but other times he flew above the clouds and waited to be needed. Depending how this job went, it could be handy to have the bird stick around. Corviknight was a great lookout on the estate, but Laurence had other Pokemon at home that could keep the peace.

Laurence put Absol away and climbed aboard the metal bird. Diancie sat in front of him like a child, nestled into his body. The stone dangling from Laurence's arm bandana lit up as he grabbed it, infusing Corviknight with enough power to create Mega Corviknight. A twelve-foot beast that could manipulate the wind in a way that gave him a massive speed boost. They'd reach their destination in no time. He also gained new combat abilities, like being able to detach metal feathers from his body and control them at range.

"Let's get going, Corviknight."

 

[Orderneri]

3: Sometimes They're Smart
(Book - Crystal Queen)​

Laurence found himself circling above a warehouse in a small Galarian town. Dewton, on the east-side of the country. Known for its excellent farmlands producing high tier fruits and vegetables.

The warehouse looked to be the size of a football pitch, a normal sport that Laurence knew of but had never engaged with. The metal roof was rusted and worn down, some parts having already collapsed. The interior was no doubt damaged due to weather getting inside over the years. This was exactly what Laurence had come to expect from a gang hideout too. They used an abandoned building that time had forgotten.

There was no time like the present. Laurence slapped Corviknight's neck and pointed straight down at the roof. Corviknight obliged. He tucked his wings in and flew almost straight down, crashing through the metal roof and kicking up dust as the concrete floor underfoot cracked. He flapped his wings to disperse the fog and Laurence hopped off, an arm wrapped around Diancie. He let her go so she could float by his side.

The warehouse space was wide open. No equipment remained. There were only metal pillars holding the roof up and the smell of oil stuck to the floor from years of service. In a corner, a group of four men sat around a broken table, using chairs of various types. One sat in a plump armchair, while another had sat atop a bar stool. They jumped to their feet and looked Laurence's direction. They reached for pockets and brought out Pokeballs.

Laurence scratched his beard. He touched the stone on his arm, causing Corviknight's form to revert to normal. "You know what, how about you handle this, Corviknight?"

The metal bird leaned forward and let out a booming caw. Just because he was commonly used as a mount, didn't mean he was weak. Far from it, Laurence's Corviknight had taken on multiple Legendary Pokemon during his Journey and, while none of the bouts resulted in a victory for Corviknight, he stood his ground longer than most.

Corviknight flew forward at his Trainer's command, his entire body wrapped in a blinding white light as he used Giga Impact. The ceiling was thirty feet up, so Corviknight had enough room to fly around, destroying pillars as he went. By the time the bird reached the gang, they'd released a Houndoom, a Beedrill, and a Simipour. The fourth thug decided to abandon ship and was scrambling through a window. The taunt of disengaging Corviknight's Mega seemed to have worked on one of the enemies. It was Laurence saying he didn't need the extra power to win. It was quite a boast, and one that Laurence could back up.

Corviknight slammed into Houndoom and took it through a brick wall. Further clashing could be heard as Corviknight went on the defensive outside. Corviknight had destroyed the wall right by the escaping thug, causing him to fall out of the other side. Another enemy exited through the hole to command his Houndoom.

"Absol, corner the runner. Don't let him escape." Laurence spoke casually, a ball on his holster letting his partner out. She made her own hole nearby using Flame Charge. She skidded to a halt as brick fell around her, looked at the running man, and bolted after him.

The other two gang members awkwardly looked at each other and then at Laurence, deciding to attack. Beedrill rushed at Laurence and Simipour prepared a ranged Water-type move.

Diancie moved behind Laurence and grabbed his hand, but there was nothing to fear. Corviknight burst into the building between his Trainer and Beedrill. Houndoom hit concrete and Corviknight landed atop the dog with a talon wrapped in brown energy. Rock Smash. The floor cratered, the sound echoing throughout the warehouse. Corviknight used a wing to smack Beedrill away, twisted and aimed his open beak at Simipour.

A beam of water releasing a frosty fog left Simipour's mouth. Chilling Water. It was completely overpowered by the Flash Cannon that came from Corviknight. A blinding silver beam imbued with steel energy. The much stronger beam completely negated Chilling Water, then engulfed the monkey and carried on to damage the building some more.

Houndoom recovered from being hurt and aimed its mouth up, embers spewing from between its teeth. It couldn't get up. Corviknight was keeping his weakness in check, keeping the dog pinned. The bug came in from the side, its drills coated green from Lunge. The energy covered more of its body as it flew.

Corviknight arced a wing, letting energy leave like a flying blade. Dual Wingbeat. It didn't stop Beedrill. Corviknight brought his other wing around so it clashed with Beedrill, bug energy meeting flying energy for the other half of Dual Wingbeat. This broke through Beedrill's attack and caused it to recoil, falling away.

Fire struck the bird's side where a wing would usually rest. Corviknight jumped with a heavy flap of his wings, spun and tossed Houndoom up. When the dog fell into range, he used Rock Smash to lash out, kicking Houndoom through another wall.

Laurence heard creaking metal, cracks working up weakened parts of the brick walls and rubble the size of pebbles dropping from places he hadn't damaged. Should've seen that coming. He watched the three thugs return their Pokemon. Clearly they were not winning this fight. Perhaps he could've played it smarter, but people referred to Laurence as a meathead for a reason. If he could solve a problem with his fists, he would.

"All right, play time's over. I came here for information. Can we talk about this or are you going to be annoying and run?"

There were hushed voices as the thugs argued, before one spoke up.

"Er, we'll talk. Can we just, like, get out of the building?"

Laurence nodded and casually walked over to them, leaving with the gang through one of many holes the fight had created. Corviknight hopped along with his Trainer, his naturally glaring red eyes dared the thugs to run. They gulped hard and committed to talking.

Absol had a paw atop the escapee's back, pinning him to asphalt. Laurence expected nothing less.

"So, start talking. I'm here for the crown. Where is it?"

One of the thugs seemed to light up in realisation. He punched the arm of his friend. "Man, I told you we shouldn't have messed with that guy." He turned to Laurence. "It weren't us. We heard stories about this Pokemon kingdom and how they have royals and stuff. It was just a joke. Thomas there-" He pointed at the guy pinned to the ground. "-He said royalty meant a crown, so we should steal it. You know, like a cool heist from the movies." He pointed at Diancie. "It's for that one, right?"

Laurence accepted the man's words at face value. It would be the sort of thing some friends banter about. He was going to speak but a different thug butted in.

"Yeah, and some guy overheard us. Butted in and started saying he could help us get it."

The third thug spoke up. His voice didn't match his appearance. Way too high pitched. He was embarrassed about it and kept his words to a minimum. Laurence was starting to think these guys weren't really capable of anything bad. They seemed genuine to him. Just a group of friends hanging out, trying to appear tough.

A particularly loud creaking sounded behind Laurence. He looked at the warehouse and went back to what he was thinking. "So who was this guy?"

"I don't know, man. Said his name was Filian, but it has to be fake, right?"

Laurence agreed. If his plan was to use these guys and bail with the crown, he wasn't going to be honest with them. Laurence was going to ask what Filian needed these guys for, but he realised last second. Filian knew of the crown but not its location. This gang boasted about knowing the myth, so Filian probably thought they knew the underground kingdom's location. That would also explain why Argenta said the rumour had been around for weeks. They rushed to do some serious research, putting off the heist until they had a decent enough guess. Or maybe the actual location was recorded somewhere. Either way, they were lucky. They made the right guess or stumbled onto information no one else seemed to have pieced together.

No, that wasn't fair. Maybe together this group of friends was capable of something. Smart enough to figure it out on short notice.

"Okay, what did this Filian guy look like?"

"Um, short brown hair, brown eyes, about my height…"

"Great, so just some average guy. How do I know you're not trying to pass the blame onto an imaginary friend?"

"No, seriously! He was normal looking, man. I don't know what else to tell you."

For the first time, Thomas spoke up from his position on the ground. "I saw something." He pushed up against Absol's weight. The wolf looked at her Trainer, who nodded. She let Thomas sit up and he continued after shuffling to spin and face Laurence. "Multiple somethings. He had a scar on his shoulder, near his neck. It was pretty nasty, not some little scratch. I saw a glimpse of it when I was grabbing a book at the library and he was below me. I think it carried on over his back and chest."

Laurence nodded. That was good. Real good. He had no doubt Argenta had information on this guy. Average guy with a very specific scar. "And the other thing?"

Thomas huffed and gestured with a hand. "One of them could've told you. It's his Pokemon."

"Oh right! Man, I completely forgot about that. He used a Mega Aerodactyl to make the hole. It like, spun really fast and burrowed straight down."

That was also incredibly useful. Not many Trainers had an Aerodactyl. Before Laurence could ask one last question, the warehouse finally gave up and collapsed. Everyone turned to look as the metal creaking got even louder and brick started to crumble and hit the ground. The metal roof fell, the sound deafening. Corviknight spread a wing to cover his Trainer as dust and debris was kicked into the air, which by chance also covered the gang.

When the building finally went silent, Corviknight rose into the sky and used a strong wind to get rid of the fog. Laurence swept his eyes across the thugs.

"Erm, are you arresting us?"

"That depends. What have you done in the past?"

"Nothing, man. We just wanted to hang out and be left alone. Like I said, the crown heist was just a joke. Filian did it."

Laurence sighed. He was confident in his ability to read people. His impression of this little gang was that they were just a group of friends hanging out, not really doing anything. They looked pretty normal too, not like the usual thugs he dealt with. They weren't a problem. "Okay, but if I have to come back here, I'm arresting you. Don't go causing any problems." He scratched his beard. "Honestly, I'm impressed you figured out where the crown was. Maybe use your brains for something worthwhile, yeah?"

The praise didn't go unappreciated. It was evident that they were smarter than the average gang. That was obvious just from the way they stood down and talked to Laurence. That didn't happen often. Usually, the police had to give the criminal a deal before they spoke, convincing them they would get some benefits like less prison time if they confessed and implicated other gang members. Laurence liked it when it was easy like this, and knew it was probably a one off. This Filian guy was likely a mercenary, so he was going to be a real headache to deal with.

"I just have one more question. Where did you meet Filian?"

"At a bar." Thomas answered. When Laurence raised an eyebrow, Thomas realised and gave an exact name for a location the gang frequented.

Laurence walked off as Corviknight rose above the clouds. He ran through the options on what to do next. He could ask Argenta, but he didn't want to rely on her for everything. He wanted to ask around, see if anyone else had information on this Filian guy. He had a bar to check, and Thomas did mention how they went to the library together.

It didn't take long for emergency services to arrive. They'd received reports of a collapsed building. Firefighters were here to rescue trapped civilians, and medical workers would treat people if necessary. The gang decided to stick around because they were smart enough to know the police would be coming to secure the area. They confessed everything, talking about some tall guy with a shiny Absol. The police knew it was Laurence immediately and wondered what mission he was on this time.

 

[Orderneri]

4: Less Talking, More Fighting
(Book - Crystal Queen)​

Laurence walked into town, aimed at the bar that Rotom was directing him to. For situations like this, Laurence preferred to have a wireless earphone, allowing Rotom to talk to him discreetly. It worked wonders when he got an important phone call.

On the way, he took in the fact that he was in Galar. The last time he spoke to his brother, he hinted that he'd be in this country. Laurence was tempted to call his brother and ask if he wanted to join in on the hunt. You know, a bit of brotherly bonding over kicking ass. But with a smile, Laurence decided against it. His brother wanted to train. Laurence thought it would be more fun if, the next time they met, it was when his brother had completed his training. It sounded fun, satisfying, to enjoy a full power battle against his sibling after some time apart.

But blood was thick. A little friendly competition was not as important as safety. His brother knew that if he was ever in trouble, he should call Laurence immediately. The big brother would sort it. And vice versa, the little brother wouldn't mind being useful sometime.

He made it to the bar. They were open even though it was early afternoon. A bell above the door rang out and Laurence mused that the place felt like every other establishment he'd been visited. Music, a colourful carpet with a circular pattern, tables against the walls, a long wooden counter in the middle. He sat down at the main bar and ordered a lemonade. Didn't want to drink on the job. He lifted Diancie into the stool next to him since it was too high. She had attempted to lift herself and failed, but looked cute doing it.

The bartender gave Laurence his drink. He looked at the scar running up the side of Laurence's forehead and into his hair. While many had been intimidated by Laurence, the bartender didn't seem to care. "You're here for something."

"Is it that obvious?"

The man shrugged. "I've had the pleasure of getting to know the type. You look like the detectives who sometimes ask questions. Head on a swivel, wondering who to ask. You don't want to cause a scene, which is making you hold back. You're new at this."

"You caught me. I'm looking for a guy called Filian."

If the bartender knew the name, he didn't show it. Not a single tell. His face remained static like carved stone. Something told Laurence that the bartender played poker and he cost a lot of people a lot of money.

"I know the guy. Showed up a few months ago. Looks pretty average, but there was something in his eyes. I knew he was trouble, but as long as he didn't do it in my bar, he was someone else's problem. He hasn't been around in a few days." He shrugged. "I guess he's skipped town because he's wanted."

A few months was an interesting detail. So, what, he'd been trying to find the underground kingdom alone until he overheard the gang? Finally got his lucky break. The boasting of the gang reached Argenta's ears, which was why her timeline was different. But that meant Filian was after the crown from the beginning. It wasn't a spur of the moment decision. Laurence didn't know if this detail mattered though. His assumption was that this was done for money. Of course there'd be a bounty out there for a Diancie crown. It was no doubt extremely rare, maybe one of a kind, so it was valuable to someone. It'd probably be treated as a status symbol.

Laurence drank from his lemonade and placed the glass down, eyeing Diancie. She practically had her chin on the bar, watching the bubbles form in the clear liquid.

"You want some?" He asked, pushing the drink to her.

He watched Diancie sit up straight and put her small hands on either side of the glass. She lifted it unsteadily, to the point where Laurence hovered a hand near the base just in case. He was ready to grab it and pull it away. But Diancie managed, pouring lemonade into her mouth and slamming the glass down. She looked up at Laurence with an open mouth like she was surprised, before smiling brightly.

"It's bubbly!"

Laurence rubbed her head and went back to his conversation. "Anything else you can tell me? Anything he said in passing that might help me find him?"

The bartender grunted. He made small talk for this exact reason. He wanted detectives out of here fast. Give them their information and chase them out if necessary. "I spoke to him occasionally. One time he realised he messed up. Told me that he was visiting family. I asked him where he was from and he said Wyndon, up north. He avoided eye contact after that."

"Thanks." Laurence said, putting a hefty tip on the bar and finishing his drink. It looked like he was headed out of town. He decided to skip the library.

Diancie felt that Laurence wanted to go, so hopped off the stool after waving goodbye to the bartender, who nodded back. As they exited the building, Laurence couldn't help but think of Diancie as a cute little girl. Children shouldn't have to worry about conflicts like this. Now he was really motivated to get that crown back for Diancie so she could hopefully return peace to her kingdom.

He found a quiet corner, a little park with few occupants. Just a few parents with young children matching Laurence's own. He whistled and Corviknight descended. They flew north, to the great city of Wyndon. It was a sunny day up here, the light in the sky unobstructed by clouds.

When he saw the city in the distance, Laurence felt a strong sense of comfort. He'd grown up in Galar, in a city just like Wyndon. The orange brick buildings and occasional distinct, taller structures like a tower, a Ferris wheel, and a giant clock, made him feel at home.

After dropping off his Trainer in a park, Corviknight soared again. Laurence rested on a bench, Diancie happily sitting next to him. He was about to call Argenta and give her the information he'd gathered to see if she knew anyone like Filian, but Rotom flew out of his pocket and showed him something.

"I believe this is who you're looking for." Rotom spoke to Laurence through the earpiece.

Laurence eyed the screen. It was an entry from a list of local bounties on the police's website. The modern wanted poster. There was a large picture of a man. Given the greenery behind him, the image was taken without the man's knowing, while he walked through a public area. He looked at just the right angle for the image to be clear, without directly looking at the photographer. He was indeed the most average person imaginable. He didn't look like a troublemaker or a mercenary. Below the image was relevant information.

Duratane Bishop, 24. Born in Wyndon. A strong identifier of a scar over his shoulder.

This was the guy. The problem was, why would he come back to Wyndon? Surely he wouldn't. Laurence had made a mistake. He tapped his legs as he thought, Diancie joining in and creating a gentle chiming to match his rhythm.

He read more of the bounty. Wanted for trespassing and assumed thievery of goods within multiple museums in the city. So Laurence was dealing with a serial thief. But how could a painfully average, petty criminal, pull off a precise heist?

Laurence switched gears, thinking about the museums and what someone might try to find in them. The fact that Duratane had broken into multiple museums meant he didn't find his objective. Or, Laurence supposed, Duratane didn't quite know what he was looking for. Maybe he just had a theory that a museum might have a clue on the crown. That was definitely a detail of note, the museum heists had happened months ago. It was the start of Duratane's important actions. Whatever he thought was in the museums, he didn't find. Laurence entertained the idea that there was a clue leading to the gang in Dewton, but he dismissed it. He was confident that the gang was irrelevant now.

There was one easy way to learn more. "Rotom, how many people in Wyndon share Duratane's last name?"

"Seventeen people. Three distinct families. A woman recently married into a family. Her husband has no siblings and isn't named Duratane. That leaves two options for relations." Rotom claimed after scanning social media. The husband lacked an online presence, but his new wife was always online and had mentioned his name.

"What can you tell me about these two families?"

"One Bishop has a son and daughter, both adults." Rotom went silent as it scanned through an amount of information that would take Laurence hours to sift through. "A few months ago, the father was admitted to hospital. He's got a terminal illness."

Laurence perked up. He ran through it in his mind. This guy looked average because he was average. He wasn't normally a troublemaker, but he'd been spurred to act now knowing his father didn't have long left. Desperate people can act out of character.

The Aerodactyl. A fossil Pokemon. His father was something like an archaeologist. Maybe he'd found the crown once. But if so, had he also covered it up? Laurence assumed it'd at least been a few years since the father found the kingdom or the crown, and that was plenty of time for rumour to spread and for bad actors to try their hand at a heist. Maybe he had regrets. Wanted to see the crown one last time. The motive was becoming clear. The son was just trying to help his father in his final days.

"Rotom, who is the father? Has he published any books?"

"His name is Filian. And yes, he published 'The Myth of the Underground Kingdom' forty-two ago."

Laurence rubbed his hands down his face as Diancie kept happily playing her tune, her body swaying from side to side. He should've gone to the library. If he had to guess, there was some kind of cipher or puzzle in the book. Duratane couldn't solve it, but when he realised the gang was smarter than they looked, he got them to figure it out. The fact that Duratane used his father's name as an alias also highlighted how he wasn't the smartest person around.

Neither was Laurence. He may be acting like a detective, but he felt like he'd failed. He'd missed obvious questions. He should've asked what the gang was doing at the library. He put the puzzle pieces together a certain way and assumed the father was an author, or at the very least the gang had been after a specific book. There had been a chance that Laurence was reaching and going the complete wrong path, but thankfully his assumption had been correct.

There were still unanswered questions, but that didn't matter. Laurence assumed visiting the true Filian would bring an end to this little chase. With the problem solved in just a few hours, Laurence was free to act however he wanted, and he wanted to sate his curiosity. He wanted to learn what was really going on even if he didn't need to.

Laurence scooped up Diancie and whistled. He began running. Corviknight flew down to his side and angled himself so Laurence could easily jump on. "Rotom, take me to the hospital."

Minutes later, Laurence was spiralling down to a hospital parking lot. Corviknight landed on a quiet edge, out of the way of people. It was a big building with a lot of people coming and going. Laurence hopped down and was about to speed walk into the hospital, but the moment his feet hit the ground, he was stopped. Someone was behind him.

"Don't move."

Laurence could hear a rumble coming from Corviknight. He raised his hands because 'don't move' usually has an implication that someone had a weapon trained on him. He pat Corviknight to calm the animal.

"Duratane?"

"How do you know my name?"

The voice wasn't immediately behind Laurence. Duratane had the sense to keep his distance. It meant Laurence couldn't easily fight back, he wouldn't be fast enough to close the gap. He guessed, because it had happened a lot, that Duratane was armed with a taser. Laurence could probably take it. but being tased might limit him just enough, which would allow Duratane to truly incapacitate Laurence. He wasn't going to risk it.

"The bounty."

"Oh, right."

The fact that he knew about the bounty but couldn't figure out why someone knew his name further suggested Duratane lacked deductive skills.

Bishop must've had his eyes entirely on Laurence too, because he didn't seem to have notice Diancie on Corviknight's back. She had blended into the bird's feathers.

"It's been a while since someone snuck up on me. How'd you do that? Got a Pokemon helping you? Or maybe I should be asking why you did it?" Laurence spoke.

"My sister always said she couldn't hear me around the house. She said I was light-footed. And you looked like just look like a problem. I assumed you were a bounty hunter or something."

That lined up. He managed to break into multiple museums, and he'd gotten away with it. He'd have to be pretty stealthy to do that. Even so, Laurence wasn't going to rule out a Pokemon. The fact that Duratane got the drop on Laurence right as he jumped off Corviknight was special. It was a wide-open area, just flat grass around the edge where Laurence had chosen to land. Based on distance and timing, he should've seen Duratane.

"I'm sorry about your father, Duratane. I'm just here for the crown. I figure you wanted to show it to him. Ease his regrets or something. Once you're satisfied your dad's happy, I'd like you to return it."

"It's not about the crown." Some venom came with those words. There was definitely more to this. Enough to make Duratane angry.

It made Laurence freeze. He thought hard about it. Ran through his questions. What was Duratane searching for in the museums? Did he not know the location of a special item? There was the new question: How was this not about the crown? He'd assumed, rightfully so because it was the one and only stolen item, that the crown was important. Was there really a cipher in the book? It hit him. That was it.

"The book. It's about the kingdom, not Diancie or the crown. There's something else in the kingdom…?"

Was the crown a key? Laurence was still missing information, and it was starting to bother him. This would be a lot easier if someone just gave him a straight answer.

"...You're annoying."

Laurence didn't like that. He felt the air shift behind him. He spun as fast as he could, catching a fist aimed at the back of his head. Duratane had been bluffing. He didn't have a weapon pointed at Laurence. Bishop caught Laurence by surprise by jumping, headbutting the big man and causing him to wince. But he hadn't let go of Duratane's fist. With the enemy off the ground, it was easier to move him. Laurence swung Bishop around and tossed him into the nearest car, denting the sheet metal. The alarm went off, alerting nearby civilians to a problem.

Duratane rose quickly as Laurence approached, his average stature making him faster. He sent a couple of jabs into Laurence's gut, the big guy only blocking the third and fourth hits. Laurence countered with a punch, which Duratane ducked, causing Laurence's fist to shatter the passenger window. Bishop aimed a kick at the inner knee of Laurence's right leg, but recoiled after he hit something solid. The prosthetic was specially made because Laurence always found himself getting into fights. It wouldn't buckle so easily.

The shock of a failed takedown gave Laurence enough time to send a punch into the side of Duratane's head. He had already been low to the ground for the takedown, so the hit put Bishop fully on the ground.

Bishop was stubborn if nothing else. He spat blood and grit his teeth, his pristine pearly whites now stained red. He rolled back and up to his feet before Laurence could grab him and pin him down. He was a little dizzy as he stood up, but otherwise he could keep going.

"We can talk about this." Laurence tried to defuse the situation.

Duratane didn't reply, but the words seemed to annoy him, his scowl towards Laurence growing deeper. Duratane put a hand into his pocket and it came out pure white. He wore a glove. As Laurence tried to figure out why, Duratane flicked his wrist and snapped his fingers and now… His hand acted like he held something. The flat creases in the glove made it look like he gripped an object. If it was a sword, it'd be pointed at the ground with the way Duratane held it. Was that it? An invisible weapon?

Since there was no other choice, Laurence put weight on his right foot and twisted it. The thigh compartment shot open and Laurence put his hand into a purple gauntlet as it sprung into the air. He ignited it by running Aura through it, a flaming sword three feet long burning the air. Laurence could fight thanks to the gauntlet being a Remnant. A piece of a Pokemon that retained power, among other things. Part of the 'other' was knowledge. The gauntlet passed sword techniques into Laurence's mind.

Duratane was surprised by this, but quickly recovered, his widened eyes returning to normal. He took a deep breath and ran at Laurence.

Laurence brought his sword up and put the wrist of his other hand behind it to brace it. He aimed for a deflect to the side and a quick swipe forward. He wanted to end the fight fast.

He didn't get to do that. When he deflected a thrust from Duratane, something cut into his side. Laurence quickly backed off and adjusted his imaginary view of his enemy's weapon. It wasn't a sword. It was a polearm. Duratane had multiple advantages, and he knew it. As soon as Laurence backed off, Duratane rushed forward.

They clashed multiple times and moved around as they did so, the ground being cut by Duratane's polearm, the cars losing mirrors and gaining flat tires from Laurence's sword.

During their little bout, it became clear that Duratane was an amateur with weaponry. He wasn't a warrior. He was simply swinging his spear about, hoping to land a hit eventually. When he was parried he simply swung or thrust where Laurence's sword wasn't.

Laurence deflected the polearm into rubber. Great, more damage he was going to have to pay for. But more importantly, the rushing air from the tire interfered with Duratane's weapon. Laurence saw a faint highlight of the blade for a split second. Just under two feet. He could've made an educated guess, but he made a promise to keep the recklessness to a minimum. Because his idea was to grab the pole. Aiming for the pole when he didn't know the length of the blade risked wounding his hand, and he'd receive complaints from his women because of it.

Although there was no doubt that after complaining, at least one of them would become soft. Maybe that'd be a fun. At least one of them would pamper him until he healed, doing tasks like feeding him so he could rest. Images flashed through his mind. Maybe he should grab the blade on purpose.

Laurence was brought back to the present as Duratane charged again.

"Duratane!" A feminine voice filled the air. "You stop what you're doing right now, young man!"

Laurence looked to see a woman approaching. She was dressed smart, in a black suit and trousers. She had a long brown ponytail and rectangle frame glasses so her brown eyes could see clearly. The white shirt was clearly strained, and she had a mole, or more affectionately a beauty spot, under her left eye. She looked young still, so Laurence assumed she was the sister, because if this was the mother… He wasn't going to finish that thought.

He hadn't checked who was the elder, but the interaction made it clear. Durtane was the little brother. The sister didn't look that much older though. Maybe a few years between them, which meant she roughly matched Laurence's age.

The fight left Duratane instantly when he heard her voice. His shoulders slumped and revealed him to be just a boy trying to make his father proud but knowing he'd likely done the wrong thing. He clicked his fingers around the pole and pocketed the glove while keeping his eyes glued to the ground.

Once she was by his side, the woman slapped Duratane's arm lightly, more a gesture of annoyance than to actually hurt him. "What in Arceus' name do you think you're doing?!" She turned to Laurence. "I'm so sorry for my brother."

Laurence looked at the damaged area as he disengaged the gauntlet, putting it in his thigh. "What makes you think he attacked first? What if he was just defending himself?"

"Because he's a fool." She glared at Duratane, who's shoulders sagged even more. "See, he can't even look me in the eyes. He knows he's done you wrong. So go on, what was it this time? This man at least deserves an explanation as to why you attacked him."

Duratane briefly looked up at Joe and then back at the ground. "...He's smart."

Laurence laughed at this, to which the sister treated him to a glare. He covered his mouth and looked away. This was the first time someone had attacked Laurence for such a reason. He didn't even care about the conflict anymore. After all was said and done, the crown back with its rightful owner, something told Laurence that he was going to get on well with Duratane.