Every now and then she would catch a glimpse of Aubie’s dark silhouette against the night sky, comforted to know his KEEN EYES were always watching them. Lex turned her gaze over to Killian as he spoke. She nodded along, “I was thinking the same thing,” her lips pulled into a grin, great minds think alike, and all that. The problem was she didn’t know what the end of a ritual looked like.

Using Mirage was a smart idea, the psychic-types wouldn’t be able to sense the dark-type’s illusion. Lex didn’t bring along Nova precisely because Killian brought his new Zororak, “Having Mirage ready, regardless, will be helpful. It can camouflage your approach,” both physically from sight and from the psychic reach of the Gardevoir. Hopefully they’d be too concentrated on whatever it was they were doing to notice anyway.

Lex’s shadow shuddered despite her standing still. The Gengar’s red eyes peered out from the darkness, watching and listening, but not materializing. After a moment of silent thought Lex spoke again, “Perhaps I’ll approach from the other side,” It would block any sort of escape and if they noticed one of them first, the other may still hold the element of surprise.

The thief drew her hood over her head, indicating that was her final decision. It came as the group started to settle into their circle and begin their soft chanting, the Gardevoir hovered in the center.

Lex’s shadow dashed off into the night before she did. She stole one last look at Killian with a tight grin, “Glad you’re here. See you on the other side, babe” and with a few soft footsteps, she was lost in the shadows.

notes: Good plan, babe. Let’s do this.
Killian Decker

Lex and Smoke had made their way around the group and were now sitting out of sight opposite of Killian and his pokemon. Well, she hoped that was the case. She actually couldn’t see them anymore to be sure.

Regardless, whatever was happening in that circle didn’t look good. Lex frowned as energy poured from the Gardevoir, trickling to the ground like rain. Lex too recognized it immediately: Psychic Terrain, “God damn it,” The Gengar materialized beside her. Smoke’s lips were still pulled into a malevolent grin. The Psychic Terrain wasn’t necessarily good news for the ghost type on the receiving end of psychic attacks. However, Smoke has some tricks up his sleeve where Psychic Terrain worked in his favor.

That realization made the thief smile. Maybe this would be easier than she thought.

Maybe.

It was the people Lex worried about the most. No doubt they had other pokemon stashed away somewhere. Preventing them from releasing more pokemon to deal with could be the difference between success and failure. With a curt nod from his trainer, the Gengar pushed forward, stepping carefully through the foliage. To feed off the Psychic Terrain himself, he needed to remain grounded and present in this plane or existence. The energy of the Gardevoir seeped into the ground, spreading like tendrils through the earth. Smoke channeled the energy, using it to fuel his HYPNOSIS. The super-charged psychic-type move pulsed from him in the form of a powerful wave. The invisible energy washed over the group, the ones closest to him being affected the most. The heavy, suggestive weight of sleep pressed down on its victims.

The two closest to the Gengar shuddered, wavering in their posture and slurring their words before limply keeling over and falling to the ground. The other members seemed dazed, the attack not quite powerful enough to force them into a slumber.

The Gardevoir stirred, the sudden onslaught of psychic energy awakening them from their trance.

notes: Complications or opportunity?

Smoke channels the Psychic Terrain to boost the power of his Hypnosis, targeting multiple people instead of just one. Two of the five people are asleep, the rest are dazed by the Hypnosis. The Gardevoir are starting to come out of their trance.

Killian Decker

The sudden movement to her right tore her attention away from the scene in front of her. Immediately put on edge, Lex tensed until the shimmering form phased into Killian’s Inteleon. Her brows furrowed, did he really send Insidious with her? It was only a momentary pang of irritation. Her gaze followed the blasts of ice towards the other people, swiftly taking them out of commission. It was then Lex stood up to her full height since there was no one to worry about spotting her.

She drew her hood back while she approached Killian, “Well looks like you didn’t need me for this,” she teased, placing her hands on her hips while she eyed the Imprisoned Gardevoir, “I could have just been relaxing in a Hot Spring instead,” There was a sense of truth to her words, she had come to quite enjoy their new home in Lavaridge. It had a much more relaxing environment than Slateport.

“Smoke,” she snapped her fingers to break the ghost away from his current feast (DREAM EATER) on the sleeping humans. There was a mild annoyance in his eyes from the interruption as he drifted over toward Lex and Killian, “The Gardevoir,” she lazily flicked a wrist towards the caged psychic-types. She didn’t have to say anything else, this work was routine for the Gengar.

Smoke started harnessing the Pyschic-terrain while working to put the Gardevoir to sleep. Lex moved towards the two sleeping cultist and began rummaging through their gowns, “Ah, here’s one,” she tossed a pokeball over her shoulder towards Killian while continuing to frisk the male before moving on to the sleeping female.

notes: Some sleepy Gardevoir and an empty pokeball

Killian Decker

As her hands danced over the limp body, her lips curled into a grin at Killian’s teasing. A subtle eyeroll solidified her amusement. She’d always been a sucker for his corny jokes, “Yes, cool indeed,” she encouraged, glancing back at him briefly.

This was going to take too long, and Lex didn’t have the patience for it. Her mind tended to dwell on worse case scenarios like cultists waking up, “Umbra,” she firmly spoke as she stood up straight. The large form of a Dusknoir materialized from the spectral plane at her call, “Frisk them, find me their treasures,” the command was simple, one they had practiced many times.

Umbra drift towards the female’s limp body, her sixth sense running over the hidden compartments through its robes. A black energy materialized around the hidden object, lifting them towards Lex. A few pokeballs and a curious, amethyst stone.

“Ah, here’s another,” she took the empty pokeball in hand and pointed it towards a Gardevoir, sucking it back into it’s prison.

Her amber eyes watched Cinder thaw the others. Umbra stood at the ready to Frisk the remining humans. Lex’s lips pulled into a frown at Kiliian’s question. He knew the answer, he just wanted to hear her say it, and that’s what he would get: No secrets, “virgil roach,” she simply stated, placing her hands on her hips. She’d leave the part out about how their business arrangement came to be, how she was desperately trying to replace Killian before he slipped back into her life. Without him, she didn’t really know what she was doing. That was painfully obvious when she came to Hoenn. Sure, she could steal, but after that she was clueless. Killian always took care of the rest. Roach was an easy way into the underground market, someone she came to trust to not rip her off but move her product.

notes: FRISK to move this along

Killian Decker

Lex certainly did have to “grow up” without him. She had never realized how heavily she relied on Killian for so much before. She hated their year apart. She missed him every damn day and now it was even worse since she knew what he was going through. But a part of her was kind of grateful to the quick jolt of required independence. It forced her to step outside her comfort zone, “Well, I did learn from the best,” she grinned stepping back over to his side while Umbra finished frisking the now thawed out cultists.

More than ready to get out of here, she jumped at the opportunity to head home. Well, Ritual first, “Great! . . . You can buy me a drink when we get there,” Smoke’s shadow rushed across the ground to blend with hers as she led the way, “And then home,”[/font . Home. She still loved saying it.

notes: Aaaand we out

Killian Decker