In response to the Professor's call, A Pokemon behind the lab, in the garden, perked up. It's talons dug at the ground as it turned, it's black eyes glaring at the entryway to the lab. In one quick motion, it rushed forward, opening it's shining silvery wings and lifting itself off the ground with strong flaps that kicked up dust behind it. It's speed increased drastically as it flew over other Pokemon that were in a panic due to the explosions, and aimed itself strait at the lab's back entrance.

Right inside the doors, three peons were searching for the device intended to be destroyed in their mission. "C'mon! What idiot doesn't get the info before getting in the building, Skits?" One peon grumbled, as the mentioned one responded irritably. "I don't plan the jobs, Slicks! I only do 'em!" The two butted heads, glaring at each-other from behind their visors. The last of the three peons tried to be a voice of reason, as he pushed them apart. "We ain't getting this job just sittin' here, guys. We need to go find the Purification Chamber before that brightly-dressed buffoon has our heads on a platter."

"Eh..." The two peons, Skits and Slicks, were convinced by threats from the man that was along with them for this mission. "Yer' right." Skits commented, sighing. "We need to go find that damned thing." The three nodded in agreement, turning and beginning to rush down the hall in attempt to find the Chamber's whereabouts. Though, after a moment, a screech made them pause, and slowly turn. "Did... Did ya'll hear that?" Slicks questioned, and after a moment of silence, the doors flew open as a rather angry and speedy Skarmory charged strait at them. "G-Get down!" Skits yelled, falling flat onto the floor. Slicks did the same, but sadly for the third peon, he hadn't responded fast enough. The familiar outfits of Cipher enraged the Skarmory. and though the peon tried to duck, he was snatched up by his shoulders, screaming as the Skarmory's talons dug into his flesh, and dragged him down the hallway.

"What do we do?!" Slicks asked hastily, and Skits stood up, shaking his head. "He's dead! Forget 'em, let's just find that stupid chamber before it comes back and snatches us up next!" The two hesitantly followed the Skarmory for a short while, before noticing a turn that would take them down another hall. They ducked into it, Slicks shaking like a coward. "M-Man! What if that thing comes back to eat us?" 

"Shut up! I don't need you saying that!" Skits replied with both anger and genuine fear, smacking his partner upside the head. Slicks grunted as the hand connected, but ignored it for the most part, understanding Skits was scared. And angry. Mostly angry.

The two wandered on, coming to a door on their left. They could hear the commotion going on elsewhere, but ignored it to focus on their mission. Going through the automatic door, they came into a room that was filled with monitors, wires, and a strange chamber in the center. "Heeey." Skits cheered, walking in happily. "This must be it!" 

"Yeah! We've just gotta trash this crap and get outta here, right? We'll be considered big time peons for this!" Slicks said happily, and the two pulled Pokeballs off of their belts, preparing to unleash some chaos.

---

Back with the Professor, he couldn't help but glance back at the sound of someone screaming. He was surprised to see Skarmory dragging a peon along the ground, and winced as the steel-bird stopped and landed, effectively breaking both of the peon's shoulders with a loud snap. The pain alone was enough to make the peon faint right then and there, leaving the man in front of Michael mildly stunned at the sight.

"Your late." Michael scolded playfully, and the Skarmory ducked it's head down in mild disappointment for a moment, before the Professor spoke once more. "But I see you brought me a gift as an apology. So I'll let you off the hook this time if you join me for this battle. Sound good?" Michael grinned as the Skarmory raised it's head, letting out a loud, determined cry. It stepped off of the peon, before swiftly smacking him with one of it's legs, sending him rolling across the ground and slamming into the wall. Michael laughed nervously. "Still considerate of others, I see." Michael commented, before addressing the man in front of him. "So you're with Cipher? You should have said something! I have a rather nice history with them, and I would've welcomed you with open arms!"

"I didn't come here to hear you be sarcastic!" The man yelled, obviously not pleased. "You think I'm as simple as a Cipher lackey? I'm out of their league, they are lucky to have somebody as powerful as me in their pathetic organization!"

"Oh, yeah?" Michael seemed mildly amused. "And who is this powerful person they are so lucky to have?" He asked, and the man seemed irritated enough to answer. "My name will be known to all of Orre soon enough, as I bring Shadow Pokemon into the ethics of Realgam Tower, and control one of the most impressive locations in the entire world! That name is Perdey, and you'd better not forget it! You'll consider yourself fortunate to have had me tell you myself!"

Michael shrugged. "You are way too confident in yourself." He stated bluntly, smirking as Perdey expressed more irritation. "I have the right to be so confident! I am one of the, if not THE strongest trainer in Orre! You think I'd be scared of somebody like you? Don't even answer, because you are obviously blind to not see the power behind the Pokemon before me! I'll have to crush you in this battle to prove my superiority!"

"Alright. If you insist..." Michael said calmly, tossing his Pokeball into the air. The ball opened, and shot out the usual white-beam, revealing a four-legged creature. As the bright light faded, the Pokemon was revealed to be a Jolteon, which shot out sparks as it let out a fearsome cry. Michael caught the ball, before slipping it back into his pocket and mentally preparing himself. "Jolteon. Skarmory." He spoke their names calmly, as he gestured a hand forward. "Shall we show this member of Cipher what happens to those who threaten our companions? Our home?!" His words caused the two to stand steady, staring down their opponents with very violent intentions. The Smoochum and Froslass did the same, ready for combat at a moment's notice.

After a brief stare-down, Perdey was the first to call out an attack. "Smoochum! Charge at that Jolteon!" His command was followed by the small, adorable Pokemon jumping into the air and diving down towards Michael's Jolteon. Michael wasn't sure how he was impressive with such strait-forward tactics, and decided to shut him down. "Skarmory! Shut down it's approach by blocking it's path with your wings!" Michael's Skarmory quickly did as told, it's left wing opening and blocking the path for Smoochum to get to Jolteon. Perdey simply seemed fine with it. "Smoochum! Grab onto it's wing and use that upper body strength I know you have to launch yourself higher!" Michael was actually surprised, as the Smoochum caught the top of Skarmory's wing and used it's strength to push itself higher into the air. Skarmory and Jolteon glanced upwards, surprised as their trainer. Soon Perdey was on the path of commanding again, this time for his Froslass. "My darling Froslass! Attack Skarmory with Ice Shard!"

As the words came, so did the attack. A swift throw from Froslass released a shard of ice that flew towards Skarmory, and caused it to pull it's wing back to block the attack. The shard shattered as it connected with Skarmory's steel wing, though Perdey expected nothing less. "Smoochum, sweetheart! Now is your chance to attack Jolteon with a stunning Shadow Ball!" Perdey's Smoochum smiled deviously, raising it's tiny arms up and forming a ball of pure darkness in her hands. Seconds later, she tossed it down at her opponent, the force behind the attack making it approach quite fast. 

"Jolteon! Use Quick Attack and move towards the wall!" Michael called out, his Jolteon following his words as it dashed forwards, dodging the Shadow Ball that then exploded once it hit the ground, knocking Skarmory off balance and also causing Michael to retreat somewhat. As Jolteon reached the wall, Michael continued his plan. "Use that wall to get yourself into the air and attack Smoochum with Thunder-Fang!" 

Jolteon leaped at the wall, planting it's paws on lightly before pressing against it heavily to launch itself off the wall and towards the Smoochum. Growling, it's mouth sparked viciously as it approached, planning to bite down on it's opponent and slam it down onto the ground with all possible force. Sadly though, this wouldn't be the case. As Jolteon opened it's mouth to catch it's prey, the Smoochum managed to grab onto Jolteon's ears and pull itself up on top of it's head. "What?!" Michael shouted, as Perdey cackled. "Yes! Nicely done, darling! Now show them what a real move is and send that pathetic overgrown rodent to the floor!"

The Smoochum kept it's grip on Jolteon's ears, pulling back and causing the entire Pokemon below her to shift, making it begin flying headfirst towards the floor. She planted her feet firmly on Jolteon's forehead, pushing down while also pulling it's ears up, causing it to cry out in pain as it collided with the ground, Jolteon's skull cracking the tiles it landed upon.

"J-Jolteon!" Michael called out, shocked that Perdey's tactic got the better of him. Jolteon grunted quietly, as the Smoochum jumped off of him and onto the floor, putting her hands onto her hips and standing proudly. "Wonderful, sweetie! You did so well! Daddy's proud of you-"

Perdey's words were cut off by Skarmory's screech. In the moment between Smoochum and Jolteon, even Michael had been distracted from his other Pokemon. Skarmory was currently pecking it's sharp beak at Froslass to no avail as it swiftly dodged each violent strike. Perdey shook his head. "This is pathetic! I expected more out of someone The Boss fussed so much about. Instead, I get a weak trainer with pathetic Pokemon!"

Perdey's gloating angered Michael, but he kept calm as Skarmory continued striking at Froslass. He looked at Jolteon, and frowned. "J-Jolteon! We can't let him get away with saying that! You haven't had enough yet, have you?!" Michael's words didn't seem to have much of an effective on the injured Jolteon, who simply twitched on the floor. The attack had obviously done serious damage, enough to leave Jolteon unable to respond or hardly even move. Looking towards Skarmory, he could almost feel the pure anger coming from it at the thought of Cipher. Michael remembered the difficult task of purifying that one quite well, and was surprised by how loyal the Pokemon had became after purification. It aided him in many battles against Cipher, and always fought on. "Hang in there, Jolteon. You've got to take a breather, I understand. Me and Skarmory will hold out for you!" He took in a deep breath, before calling out a command as he let it out. "Skarmory! Use Steel Wing, and get some revenge for Jolteon!"

Skarmory let out a cry signalling it's agreement, it's left wing glowing a brilliantly bright white as it pushed itself off the ground, taking Froslass off guard. Skarmory's attack connected, knocking it back a few feet and leaving it laying on it's back, vulnerable to a follow-up. "Nicely done!" Michael commented, feeling back in the battle. "Now land on top of Froslass and follow up with Peck, Skarmory!" 

As it was told, the Skarmory landed on top of Froslass with all of it's weight, pinning it down as it began bringing down a barrage of pecks, causing the Froslass to squirm as much as it could to try and avoid the assault, kicking Skarmory's stomach with it's feet in an attempt to fight back. The steel type wasn't effected much by the measly attempt at a defense though, and kept on the attack, worrying Perdey. "Smoochum, attack that overgrown bird with a Shadow Ball, would you?!" He asked hastily, and Smoochum raised up it's arms to prepare yet another Shadow Ball, this time targeting the wide-open Skarmory. As it charged, the nearly fainted Jolteon behind it slowly began gaining it's footing. It noticed the seriousness of the situation, that Skarmory was in trouble, and rushed forward, opening it's mouth and biting one of the Smoochum's arms. The Shadow Ball dispersed as the small Pokemon cried out.

"Smoochum!" Perdey looked down at the sight before him, and the Jolteon's persistence angered him. He raised a foot to bring down upon Jolteon, but it was perceptive enough to notice and dodge the attack, dragging the Smoochum along with it. Perdey cursed under his breathe as his Smoochum was dragged away. Michael, unlike Perdey, was seeing this positively. "Alright, Jolteon! How about returning the favor from earlier! Show it what you've got!"

Jolteon threw the Smoochum upwards, causing it to spin around in the air uncontrollably, before it stood on it's front legs, and pulled his back legs in as far as he could. As the Smoochum approached, he pushed his hindlegs out and connected with a powerful Double-Kick, hitting the Smoochum in it's back, causing it to cry out similarly to how Jolteon had earlier. Perdey stared, speechless of the move, as Smoochum fell to the ground. He swallowed hard, noticing his Pokemon not moving whatsoever. "S-Smoochum, sweetie! Now's not the time for a nap! We have a battle to win...!"

"You aren't winning anything today!" Michael yelled, raising one hand into the air. "Skarmory! Finish Froslass off with Sky Drop!" 

Skarmory gripped Froslass' arms with it's talons tightly, letting out a cry as it stopped it's assault and flapped it's wings, sending it into the air. It flew directly upwards, and shot through the glass dome ceiling of the lab. It soared up into the clouds, with the Froslass crying out in fear of the height. As sudden as they had gone up, they began coming back down. Perdey and Michael both watched on, as Froslass let out a final scream as Skarmory came back into the building, slamming Froslass onto the floor. Dust kicked up and the wind was enough to cause Perdey and Michael to retreat from the scene. 

"Froslass!" Perdey called out, stunned from the sudden display. As the dust cleared, Skarmory stood victorious, with Froslass beside it, fainted and probably in need of medical treatment. Perdey quickly called both of his Pokemon back into their respective Pokeballs, realizing this battle was lost. Though that didn't mean he was willing to accept it as so. "You got lucky! Smoochum just went easy on that rat of yours!" 

"Right." Michael replied, crossing his arms. "Now how about you tell me what Cipher is planning?" 

"What can I really say? I'm not in it for their goals, only for my own. I don't know squat." Perdey answered, and Michael was skeptical. "So you came here by your own will? And had peons to follow you?" Michael gestured over to the peon against the wall, and Perdey laughed. "Okay, so maybe I was sent here. But I had my own agenda. The Boss sent me to destroy that stupid purification chamber of yours."

[B]"Perdey, sir!"[/B]

Perdey blinked, glancing upwards as he put his hand up to his earpiece. "What is it?" He asked, ignoring Michael and his Pokemon for the moment. They stared on, wondering what was happening.

[B]"This is Stiks! Me n' Slicks lost Trix, but we found the Purification Chamber and trashed it, heh!"[/B]

"Wonderful news, gentlemen! Don't worry about Trix, I... Already found him." Perdey looked over at the individual he assumed was dead. He shrugged. "The Boss will be proud to hear about our mission... Mostly. Report back to base as soon as possible."

[B]"What? We're leaving together, right? ... Righ-"[/B]

Taking off his earpiece and throwing it to the ground, Perdey smirked as he crushed it beneath his shoe. "Well, Professor. I suppose this is where we say our farewells. If I were you, I'd worry about the peons in the Daycare. They certainly must have had some success." Perdey turned, glancing back for only a moment. "We'll meet again, Professor! And I won't go easy on you next time!"

Skarmory almost flew after Perdey as he bolted out of the lab, but Michael put a hand in front of him. "Skarmory. We have bigger things to worry about." He said calmly, and gestured over to Jolteon. "Please take him to the reception desk and allow him to get some rest. We must worry about our friends before dealing with our enemies." With his words commanding him, Skarmory slowly approached Jolteon, and began carefully scooping him up onto one wing. He lifted the electric-type up slowly, and began walking down the damaged hall, making sure not to drop his friend.

---

"Now, then." Michael said to himself, turning and running towards the daycare entrance. As he ran in, he was prepared to have to take control of the situation, but was surprised by what he saw. Two peons were bolting out the hole in the wall, and one was laying near Velis seemingly knocked out. He was surprised to see them retreating, but knew it hadn't happened without cost. Noticing Elizabeth and Rudy, his eyes widened at their injuries. "S-Sweet Arceus! What happened to you both?!" He asked, running over to them. He looked around at the breeders working quickly to try and calm the Pokemon that hadn't ran from the Daycare, before focusing his full attention on the two children.

Desmond slowly managed to his feet, noticing everything had seemed to be mildly taken care of. "You alright up there...?" He questioned, the Slakoth on his head nodding. He walked over to the knocked out peon and crouched down, searching his pockets for the Pokemon he had stolen. Pulling out two Pokeballs, he turned them around and looked on the back, noticing small heart symbols. He sighed in relief, standing up. "Thank goodness I didn't lose you two..." He muttered, focusing his attention on Velis. "I suppose you're the one who did this?" He questioned, though the fact she and her Pokemon were near the peon was enough for him. "I owe you one for doing that. You rescued my Pokemon from that thug, and I can't thank you enough for it." He offered a small smile, though the chaos around the area was still apparent. "I suppose the best thing to do now is try and address the Professor on the subject of who those thugs were, after everything calms down." His suggestion was truly the only one he had in mind, because he was, for the most part, completely lost.