There was a clear reason Chryssa had bowed to the weight of responsibility, and it wasn't the stipend. It wasn't for love of her community, or some obligation to help the young blind boy she'd been assigned to watch over. The reason was simple enough: she wanted to show off. An easy mission with a ten or eleven-year-old child as a witness? How could she resist?

...But she hadn't expected Hideo to be blind. It was an intriguing challenge. 

"Why, of course I am," she said smoothly. She didn't bother to smile, just watching the striped-shirt-boy carefully like a hawk studying its prey. "You don't have any flying Pokemon, do you?" She didn't bother to mention why, just looked over the dog, the monkey, and the decorated Spinarak. "Phenomenal! I think we're ready, then."

She had a plan for making their big entrance into the foreclosed house. Fortunately, it didn't require much stealth--the insects were not alert to their approach, even with Hideo's cane tap-tap-tapping. Chryssa became conscious of her own cane as they made their way towards the front doorstep, and the uneven rhythm of her steps.

At the door, a low hum of buzzing wings seemed to come from inside, the occasional flash of a multi-legged form flickering across the glass. Well, I can take care of one of those two things. "She reaches into her pocket, and swiftly withdraws a mysterious Pokeball. What could it be?" Chryssa said, doing as she claimed. "Ah, but wait-- she holds it to the keyhole. A well-aimed beam, perhaps, could reach inside. But why? Why would she do this, Hideo?"

Dramatically, she released the catch and fired the shot of red light through the tiny hole, releasing a large, blocky Pokemon into the room beyond. "For the sake of Gravity."

An electromagnetic hum drowned out the buzz of wingbeats, and then the sound of numerous tiny forms thumping quietly to the ground fell like a shower of rain. Chryssa threw the door open, revealing a floor peppered with struggling Ledyba and Ninjask, unable to fly due to the strange pressure that seemed to have descended in this room. Around the walls, crawling bug-type Pokemon frantically scuttled away from the entrance, fleeing towards the other rooms of the house.

Chryssa spoke brightly, barely sparing a glance towards the Probopass settled like a new piece of furniture in the corner of the room. "Arran, use Block, stop them from getting into anywhere too difficult. Hideo--" She gestured, deeply breathing in the scent of must and stale air as if it was the sweetest thing in the world, and breathed out. "Take your pick."

^{Hideo Kino}

Hideo followed Chryssa to the front door - guided by the tapping of her cane. Though giddiness stole most of his attention, he’d still noticed she was using a cane the entire time they were walking here, and wondered just why she had one; with the way she acted, she didn’t seem to have any visual impairment like him, so perhaps she had a leg injury?

But it was hard to think about that when he was met with her overpowering presentation. “Nope! No flying types with me!” All he brought were the three Pokemon currently accompanying him - and his Elgyem. He wasn’t the best choice to bring along for bug eviction, but these were the only four he had. Better to have quantity on his side, just in case.

He was immediately enraptured by her display, the suspense drawing him in like an Ursaring to honey. He looked in her direction, a wide grin on his face. “Why would she?! Why would she?!” As if she wasn’t already going to do it.

And his anticipation was met with the distinctive sound of a Pokemon released from its Pokeball - followed by a humming noise. It was soon met by the sound of multiple things hitting the ground - the cries of Pokemon easy to hear from outside.

“It sounds like there’s so many of them!” he said, following her inside, the scent of stagnant air doing little to dampen his mood, “I don’t know which ones to pick! I’ll just have to let my Pokemon choose for me!”

His hand brushed against his Lycanroc’s back, before his hand shot forth and pointed ahead towards nothing in particular. “Rocky! See if you can find any nests! Pom, nail down any that’re trying to get away from Miss Glasgow’s Pokemon’s Gravity! Squeeze, see if you can’t tie them all down with some Spider Web!”

His Pokemon seemed to understand his vague commands: his Lycanroc’s nose began to glow a bright orange, his Odor Sleuth enhancing his sense of smell. The end of his Aipom’s tail glowed bright white, swiping against the air and released multiple Swift stars, striking multiple Weedles and Caterpies that had been struggling to escape from the Probopass. His Spinarak, still clinging to his arm, spewed out a Spider Web from her maw, draping over the fallen, overweighted bugs.

“That’ll keep’em down!” Hideo proclaimed, shooting a toothy grin. He couldn’t actually tell how effective it had been, but he was more than confident in his Pokemon’s capabilities. “Squeeze can make some more webs so we can gather’em all up. Should make it easier for us to clean up when we’re done.”

“Roc!” Rocky announced, his tail brushing against his trainer, his nose pointing towards a room to the side.

“You already found something? Good job, Rocky!” He brushed against his Lycanroc once more, this time brushing all the way to his head. “Miss Glasgow, let’s follow Rocky: his nose always knows where to find stuff. And we can bag a bunch of bugs in one go!”

chryssa glasgow

Well, so far, things were going splendidly. She had her charge absolutely captivated by her storytelling mastery, and the sight of so many bug Pokemon felled by a single move was a fine ego boost as well.

”Spider Web, hmm? Clever thinking, Hideo,” she said, watching the boy’s Pokemon go to work. Her Kricketune had a similar move, but she hadn’t thought to utilize it for catching the immobilized insects. As was often the case, she had put more thought into what would be dramatic on this mission than what would actually be effective. ”Release Gravity, Arran.” The electromagnetic force in the room eased as suddenly as it had come, but the wings of the Pokemon were already tangled up in the Spinarak’s net. ”Nicely done. Their wings are too tangled to move.”

They followed Hideo’s Lycanroc, her Probopass rising several inches off the ground and floating after them with the faint hum she’d come to associate with his Magnet Rise. The trapped bugs on the floor struggled as the shadow passed over them, following the two humans to the so-called nest.

“It’s too bad we have to keep this place intact, or I could show you some really exciting things, Hideo,” Chryssa said with a sigh. While the homeowners didn’t mind paying to have an infestation removed or residual Spider Web cleaned out of the carpet, blasting through the walls with Stone Edge was probably out of the question.

Stopping at what seemed to be the door to an old guest bedroom, the place the Lycanroc had led them too, Chryssa opened it a crack and peered through. It was difficult to see inside, but she recognized the faint chirping. ”Kricketot,” she said, closing the door. “Quite a few of them, too! It looks like your Rocky’s nose was right. That does remind me...”

She looked up, beckoning her Probopass. ”Arran, may I borrow your Mini-Noses, please?” Three sharp-beaked, metallic projectiles dislodged themselves from the compass Pokémon’s main body and flew to her, hovering at the ready. ”Hideo, Arran has three very deadly mobile units he can control, sort of like torpedoes. If your Spinarak can connect a Spider Web between them, they can fly around and scoop up all the Kricketot in one neat little bag.”  

If the boy complied, the Probopass would position himself in the doorway to block any Kricketot from escaping while his Mini-Noses did as ordered, perhaps with Hideo’s own Pokemon helping inside as well. Chryssa was already wondering where the real excitement was. A vicious queen, lurking in the basement? An insect army in the kitchen? Or a mutated variant, waiting for them at the top of the stairs?

”Tell me about yourself, Hideo,” Chryssa said conversationally as their Pokemon did their work. It almost sounded normal. “Do you seek knowledge? Money? Power? Or something greater?” She tried to keep from sounding overtly villainous. Why? She was just curious.

^{Hideo Kino  sorry for the wait!}

Hideo offered a thumbs up to Chryssa’s praise. “Sometimes, it takes a bug to catch a bug!” He’d spent a decent amount of time planning out their combination prior to coming here, and he knew his Pokemons’ strengths and weaknesses fairly well.

Hearing the bugs struggle to free from their restraints, even after the gravity was released, left Hideo feeling satisfied - in a “we were able to catch them without hurting them too much” sense.

He followed Rocky along, a hand on his back. “I know what you mean!” he said, brushing his Pokemon’s back, “Rocky here could really tear up the place if he gets going!” Which was why he was mainly staying in the back as support; he could definitely tear up a room if he got loose.

Once they were at the room, he let Chryssa take the lead once again. And by her admittance, Rocky had found a pretty good stash of Kricketots - not a species he was familiar with, but he was impressed all the same.

And it sounded like she already had a plan for them. “Alright,” Hideo said, stepping back a little and pointing his Squeeze-bound arm towards where it sounded like the “torpedos” were, “She’s got a good idea, Squeeze, so make a nice net for them!”

Squeeze complied, firing the web from her mouth, forming a net. It'd be fairly difficult to get it off the noses afterwards, but it’d do its job. “Make sure to help them out, Pom,” he added, “just try not to damage anything.”

His Aipom made a number of eager noises, jumping off his shoulders onto the Probopass, then into the room itself. She’d be very liberal with her Swift stars and her Double Slaps, even pushing or throwing some Kricketots that were clever or swift enough to avoid the nose-net - but not enough to avoid her.

While their Pokemon were at work clearing the room, Chryssa’s question caught him off guard. “What I want?” he repeated, to help him think on it. A finger underneath his chin helped the process somewhat.

It would take a moment for him to reach his answer. “Well, I guess...I want to be able to go to new places. Meet new Pokemon, new people, new things. I’ve been cooped up in Slateport for pretty much my whole life. I was hoping that becoming a trainer would mean I could do all that immediately...but I think my parents still want proof that I can take care of myself. Maybe this job’ll help show them that.”

Probably wouldn't be the single deciding factor.  It would be part of the mountain of evidence he'd need to convince them.

His answer given, he idly tapped his cane against the wall, waiting for the group to finish clearing the room.

*tap tap tap*
*tap tap tonp*
…
*tonp tonp tonp*

It was a subtle difference, but one the boy was able to hear over the noise. He did it again, noting it sounded different from the other walls - the sound seemed to resonate slightly longer. He knelt down to the spot he’d tapped, putting an ear to the wall.

Buzzing. Subtle, but he could definitely hear wings buzzing in there. “...fly. Fly. Fly.”

“I think there’s some Pokemon behind here!” he announced. “Rocky, see, if you sniff out where they got in from.”

The Lycanroc was quick to get to work, his nose glowing once more - and it wasn’t long until he was barking out another confirmation. “Good job, Rocky! Miss Glasgow, I got a plan; we can get them when-”

Rocky had already dug his tough claws into the half-open vent cover, tearing it out with ease. It hit the ground with a loud *clang*, followed by the more-audible shouting of multiple Cutieflies. “Ah, dang it. Quick, Rocky, set up some Stealth Rocks!”

Innumerable glitters appeared around the Pokemon, expanding quickly into eye-sized rocks. They floated around the entrance of the vent, and not a moment too soon: several Cutieflies flew out of the open vent, intending to outfly their pursuers - and were met with the *whap* of stones, dropping them to the ground.

He wasn’t sure how many more there would be - it was likely that there were more in there. But this would at least cut them off from this end. “Lay out a web, Squeeze,” he ordered, pointing Squeeze at the ground, "It can be a small one."  She did as was asked, laying out another web over the fallen bugs - and for the others to fall into.

Thinking of something to talk about while their Pokemon cleared the room and vent, he realized she’d already given him something. He stood back up, facing back towards the room she was likely still standing by. “So what about you, Miss Glasgow? What do you want?”

chryssa glasgow

Chryssa batted an errant Swift star away  as their combined Pokemon cleared up the pesky swarm. The task was surprisingly easy to do, when one approached with strategy and surprise. Battling a wild Pokemon to unconsciousness could be quite difficult, even at low levels-- but immobilizing large groups, which often panicked and were unable to act cohesively? Child's play. No offense to Hideo.

She watched with brows slightly raised as the boy quickly reacted to the Cutiefly nest, working with neatness and efficiency. "You know, wild Pokemon aren't actually very dangerous, as long as you have Pokemon of your own," she said. "It's the people you have to look out for." The boy wouldn't see the gleam in her eyes, but perhaps she relished the word just a little. She was a people person, after all.

Behind her, the Mini-noses had just flown up, covered in sticky web and struggling Kricketune. She gestured for them to return to Arran, beckoning the Probopass to float after them. "Oh, what do I want? Revenge, I suppose," she said lightly as they followed along the vent Rocky had torn open, following the hollow thumping in search of the other side. They found it in the kitchen, set high over the stove. Cutiefly were buzzing loudly at the grate. "But I'd settle for a thrilling time with interesting company."

Settle, but also settle for nothing less. She would make it so. 

There was a booming thud, thud that resonated from the ceiling, like a pair of tree-trunk-sized footsteps. It shook dust down from the rafters. "Oh my! We have company on the roof. A little early for Santa..."

Chryssa was immediately distracted from their task. Making her way for the back door in the kitchen, she threw it open and wobbled unsteadily onto the back porch to get a better look. It was hard to see from the lower eaves, but there was definitely something making a racket. A big bug? A dangerous bug? A thrilling, interesting bug?

"Hideo, come on out!" she called, jamming the tip of her cane in the door. "Arran, you too, if you can fit." The Probopass scraped against the frame on either side, but squeezed through. Chryssa took a deep breath. "Hideo, you won't believe it, but there's a simply enormous Beautifly up there. It's the biggest I've ever encountered--oh, I wish you could see it!" Chryssa imagined it too, picturing wide, multicolored wings fanning over the foreclosed house like sails on a ship. "Arran, can you levitate us up there?"

Slowly, the Probopass turned to her. For a moment they looked levelly into each others' eyes. Nobody could look quite as stern as a Probopass. Chryssa refused to submit to its mustached disapproval. "Can you, can you? I have to get a closer look. You're coming, right, Hideo?" She aimed the question casually at the boy. Very innocently, she added "It might be a little dangerous. If you want, you can stay downstairs and round up those pesky little Cutiefly instead."

With Chryssa (at least) perched on top of its flat red cap,  the Probopass used Magnet Rise and ascended like a living elevator, rising towards the roof and the monster waiting there.

^{Hideo Kino   it's not a beautifly repeat it's not a beautifly}

“I dunno about that,” Hideo objected, listening as their combined efforts cleared the room, “People can be scary too, but people don’t have giant scythes for arms. Or can shoot out webs that shock you as they hold you. Or turn a house like this into their nest.” And he’d personally experienced far more dangerous Pokemon than dangerous people.

The mention of revenge brought Hideo’s smile down to something more neutral. “That’s...wow.” As dramatic as Chryssa was, he didn’t take her as the kind to be motivated by something like that. “Guess everyone’s got their own reasons, then. Even if they’re hard to guess.”

Still, he followed her along into the kitchen, letting their Pokemon grab and bag all they could find, but that loud *thud* made the boy jump, and immediately took the attention of all his Pokemon. Even the bugs they’d restrained had noticed, their cacophony of cries giving pause - something he did not miss. “Some pretty important company. They all seem scared of whatever’s up there.” Following her to the back porch was easy enough, but when she told him what it was...

He couldn’t just be the little kid that let the adults do all the heavy-lifting. If he was going to prove himself as capable as any other trainer, he couldn’t turn this opportunity down. Besides, it was just going to be a Beautifly. Didn’t even sound that intimidating. Was she calling it dangerous to test him?

He’d call that bluff.

“Of course I’m coming with you!” he announced, tapping away until he found the Probopass, “I wouldn’t miss this! Squeeze and Pom can stay down here to clean up what’s left. Isn’t that right, you two?”

“Pom!” responded the Aipom, raising an arm - the closest she could get to a thumbs-up. Squeeze was a little less eager, clinging onto his arm, but a little bit of tickling around the horn was enough to release her grip. He gently laid her down on the ground before climbing up and taking a seat.

Squeeze tried to climb up too, but Pom had the foresight to pull her off and take her back into the house. Much to the flailing Spinarak’s chagrin.

Rocky had to be taken back into his Pokeball - he was too big to fit. And while he did have a way to reach the roof, it would have been too destructive. But to make up for it, he released a new Pokemon; Elga, his ever-present Elgyem, perched on his shoulder. “This is Elga. He can tell me what he sees, so Rocky can get a little rest.” Not that Rocky had really done too much yet.

Introductions out of the way, he patiently waited on his seat. Elga never moved from his perch, still as a statue save for his head, staring straight towards the roof. Hideo playfully dangled his legs as he waited, careful not to kick their ride.

It wasn’t long until they’d reached the roof. And while Hideo couldn’t see it for himself, Elga gave him enough information to understand its shape; it was a gentle slope, enough that they could walk on it if they were careful. A chimney was the only part stopping it from being a perfect pyramid shape.

Tempting as it was to jump off and walk along the roof (something he’d wanted to do for a while, but could never convince his parents to let him do), he did have some sense to preserve his safety. He’d keep his spot on the Probopass unless it needed to fight too. “Elga isn’t saying he’s seeing anything yet, so maybe it’s on the other side. Maybe we should-”

A silk string flew out straight towards the boy, from around the chimney. It would have hit him straight-on, had Elga not finally moved, jumping in front of him. The string wrapped around the small robot-like Pokemon, pulling it away as quickly as it came.

Hideo was confused, only aware that his Pokemon just jumped off of him. “Elga? Where’d you go? What’s-”

He was struck with a wave of emotions: fear, panic, distress, pain. It wasn’t coming from himself - rather, from Elga - but the message he was receiving was clear: DANGER.

“Miss Glasgow?! Something’s wrong! I think something’s got Elga, and it’s hurting him!”

For those who could see, the situation was much less ambiguous: a large stag-beetle-like Pokemon emerged from behind the chimney, holding a bound Elga in its massive pincers. Struggle as he might, the little Elgyem couldn’t free himself from its grip.

It was decidedly not a Beautifly that had caught him.

“We gotta help Elga!”

chryssa glasgow

It was not a Beautifly. But she'd already known that.

Arran was staring at her. His cap shuddered over his eyes, mustache fanning in agitation. Do something, his expression clearly said, Or I will. Chryssa turned away from the Probopass, annoyed at the rebuke but already fully prepared with countermeasures!

She began to laugh.

“Well done,” she said, “So you’ve noticed, have you? There is no Beautifly, Hideo. There never was.” She could see Arran slowly rotate to point his huge red nose at her, clearly not happy. “In fact, this place-- this mission-- everything we’ve done so far? It’s all my doing.”

Chryssa tossed a Pokeball and her Kricketune, which also had a mustache (an accidental theme?) appeared. “Play something ominous, Laina,” Chryssa said offhandedly, and the cricket Pokemon bent her forelegs together to strike a slow, dark note, the timbre wavering slightly as she noticed the encroaching Pinsir.

The girl shot her a look and Laina’s eyes narrowed in response, understanding. Chryssa turned back to the boy.

“Long ago your parents made a deal with me, Hideo. They fled here to Slateport City to protect you, hoping to escape their end of the bargain. They should have known I’d find you eventually.” Her voice dripped with wicked confidence. “And now I have you up here, all alone, with your sweet little ‘Elga’ in my…” She had to look, “...Pinsir’s jaws.”

<Prooooboooo…> Arran hummed warningly, but it sounded sinister against the harsh pluck of background music.

Chryssa waved her arms and mimed a convincing “knock-knock, I’m stuck inside an invisible dome” motion. Still playing the ominous theme, the Kricketune’s antennae wiggled back in a hidden signal, the thrum of contrabass notes resonating in her belly. On the other side of the roof the Pinsir’s jaws tightened on the bound Elgyem and it took another booming step forward, splintering the shingles.

“That’s right! My revenge is now!” Chryssa cried, throwing out one hand. “Pinsir, my dark familiar, ATTACK! Let my vengeance be completed, and the bargain be fulfilled!”

Pinsir, which had been going to attack, stopped. It wasn’t a particularly rebellious sort--just big and violent--but being given orders with such familiarity made it pause. Had the girl actually thrown a Pokeball and caught it when it hadn’t been paying attention? Surely it would have noticed literally being captured, right?

Confused, it crunched down… slower. Pinsir had never been captured before. Was it possible it had just been following orders? It had thought it had come up with the idea to grab the Elgyem all on its own, but what if this whole time it had just been doing this human’s bidding without knowing it? Was its whole life a lie?

<PIIIIIIN!> the monstrous bug-type screamed, clutching its head. Its rows of teeth wound up and down like piano keys and it threw the bound Elgyem aside, sending it tumbling down the sloped side of the roof. It charged Chryssa and Hideo like something from a horror movie, all thorns and gnashing teeth and disproportionate limbs.

And ran straight into a Protect shield covering the both of them, faintly shimmering in the air.

Chryssa liked to have a good time and she did act recklessly, often with little regard for herself (whether that be her life or her reputation.) But while she might tempt danger, she wouldn’t actually put herself-- or Hideo-- in harm’s way. Not that he could see her efforts, though he might have heard the oversized beetle tonk into the dome like a bug on a car windshield.

The girl exchanged a triumphant glance with her Kricketune, who’d cleverly executed the move without missing so much as a beat, and snapped her fingers to indicate a new, faster tempo. Laina picked up the pace, now sailing down the musical scale with sawed-off, breathless notes. It was time for the finale.

“And now,” Chryssa cried, spinning around, “Pinsir: Mega-Evolve!”

  
^{Hideo Kino   ...but also it's not a mega pinsir}

All that fear, that horror, that desperation that had welled up inside the boy, too paralyzed to act to save his suffering Pokemon - all thrown off when Chryssa made her dramatic reveal, that she was the one responsible for all of this.

Hideo looked towards her, dumbstruck.

The Pinsir looked at her, confused.

Elga looked at her, ceasing his struggles.

The boy heard her offhandedly ask another Pokemon to include ominous music - and for a moment, it invited doubt into his mind. That she was just messing with him again. That this was all part of the test, to see if he could handle a surprise betrayal and save his captured Pokemon.

He silently listened as she explained her “motives”...and it left him stone-faced. It was too absurd for him to believe; there was no way his parents could keep all that hidden from him, without any of his siblings spilling the beans at some point.

Still, if that’s what she had planned, he’d play along.

He took in a deep breath, slowly breathing out. “I should’ve known,” he said, his hands balled into fists, “It was all too much of a coincidence. You choosing this job, leading me along like I was tied to your pinky. I don’t know how you got all these bugs here, but you drew me in to get your revenge! The guy that bought this house was just your lackey, isn’t he?!”

Yes, that was all too ridiculous to believe. Yes, he was pointing towards her, as if all those accusations were real.

With the order to attack, Hideo quickly withdrew his remaining Pokeball, ready to release Rocky - only to notice the Pinsir was hesitating; no sounds of it moving, no noise.

Until it screamed. And tossed Elga, who finally spoke: “Elgyeee*tonk*eeeeeee*tonk*eeeeem!” he shouted, interrupted each time he bounced against the roof tiles. He tried to grab on to something, but a lack of fingers made that difficult, and he could do nothing until he tumbled off the roof.

But Hideo could trust him to save himself; he could float with Psychic energy (and if Chryssa checked, he would already be enveloped in it, slowly descending to the ground). “I’ll thwart your trap, Ms Glasgow! And I’ll avenge Elga!”

He received a quick mental message from his fallen companion, assuring him that he was still alive. He didn’t react to it.

He could hear the Pinsir start to approach, and he was ready to release Rocky - but hesitated on a realization. “Wait, if you’re here too, won’t the attack also-”

*tonk* Oh. Ok, good, she planned for that. He could get back into character.

“*ahem* I’ll take on your Pinsir! Rocky, come on out!” The Lycanroc was freed once more, quickly gaining footing on the roof, his claws digging in. Even when Chryssa announced that she was going to make Pinsir “Mega-evolve” (whatever that was - Hideo didn’t know), he was ready. “Rocky, strike fast and hard! Hit it with an Accelrock!”

The Lycanroc charged at the Pinsir, his body covered in white light. Hideo could hear the impact, and nearly cheered his Pokemon on - until he heard the retaliation; it grabbed Rocky with its massive pincers, throwing him to the ground with a loud *thunk* (accompanied by the sounds of roof tiles flying off).

But it didn’t sound like Rocky was down for the count. The Pinsir went in to grapple him, but he rolled away before it made contact. Back on his feet, Rocky snarled at the massive bug, his claws glowing as he was already preparing his next attack before Hideo spoke: “Finish him off with a Rock Climb! Show Ms. Glasgow just how strong we are!”

He charged once more at his foe, his bright claws tearing out panels with each step. Hideo tried not to cringe at the mistake, but there was no way that wasn’t going to get noticed. “Uh...the Pinsir’s really tearing up that roof, huh?”

Regardless, Rocky slashed at the Pinsir with his claws. The bug tried to counter again, but the force of the attack was far greater than it had anticipated; it lost its footing, pushed back by the strike - and Rocky just kept going. Strike after strike pushed it further back - until it was caught at the edge, rapidly flailing its arms to avoid tipping over.

One more shining claw to the face, and the Pinsir was down - literally; it fell off the roof. It hit the ground with a loud *thud*.

“Sorry to say, Ms. Glasgow,” he said, a triumphant smile on his face, “But you ain’t gettin’ your revenge today!  No matter how 'Mega' your Pinsir is, it could never overcome Rocky!”

His taunt made, he paused for a moment. “...think we should check on it?”

A quick look would reveal that the Pinsir was still there, incapacitated - and surrounded by three very unhappy Pokemon: an Aipom, a Spinarak with a blue bow, and an Elgyem patched with dirt.

They were all hitting the downed bug with their limbs - no actual attacks, and their small size wouldn’t lend to much power, but it was clear they had some frustrations to let out. Even the Elgyem was stomping it with his stubby legs.

As to be expected when they were told their trainer nearly got grabbed and crushed.

chryssa glasgow

One of these days, Chryssa would have to come up with an alternative to spinning around when she was delivering her most dramatic lines. She almost fell off the roof, barely jamming her cane into the shingles in time to catch her balance. Fortunately, Hideo hadn't been intimidated by her overwhelmingly wicked presence and had sent out his Lycanroc to keep the Pinsir distracted. 

"Nooo! Not that! Not Rock Climb!" the girl cried, throwing up her hands to ward it off as if the glowing claws were too bright to look at directly. She kept forgetting that Hideo couldn't see her, but she liked getting into character anyway. "My--" she had to look again, "--Pinsiiiiiiir!" Her tone fell and faded, mimicking the bug-type's crashing descent down to the garden below. 

The triumphant smile on Hideo's face surprised a small, bright smile of her own, which she quickly concealed. "I'm afraid you're right. My revenge will have to wait. You've grown far too powerful to take on my own-- I should have made my move before you became a real Pokemon Trainer." She heaved a great sigh, timed with the final stroke of the Kricketune's song. "I concede."

And with that excitement over and done with, Chryssa was perfectly content to finish rounding up the rest of the little pests throughout the house and then deliver Hideo back home. She was preparing to climb onto Arran again to levitate back down when she noticed that a small hole had been torn in the roof. She suspected the "Pinsir" had broken through a weak patch with its claws. 

Underneath, like distant music, she could hear the sound of buzzing wings. 

"What's this? I've found a shortcut, Hideo!" Chryssa announced, eyes gleaming again. "Your Rocky uncovered a secret passage! Aren't we lucky?" Who could say what other insectoid horrors lurked within this swarm-infested house? She, for one, couldn't wait to find out.

  
^{Hideo Kino   end thread! thanks for a good one!}