Vincent woke up, realized the curtains stopped the light from hitting his eyes, smiled, rolled over, and closed his eyes again. The little psychic battle he'd had with Luke was incredibly satisfying and fun. He was aware that the Gallade had been holding back all along, but it was amusing watching him trying to navigate the nonsense his defenses had become. One of his favorite weapons had been the rain of pizza. The Abra sighed softly as he tried to return to the land of dreams.

That was about when Bit's alarm clock function went off. Apparently someone had set it the other day, and Vincent had a pretty good idea who it was. The Abra shot a glare at Luke, who was even now smirking slightly at the grumpy form of Vincent. You did this. I know it.

I have no idea what you're talking about, Luke replied, his smirk never fading. Besides which...is it not time for breakfast?

Vincent grumbled but acquiesced. I'll get you back for this. Just you wait.

As you said last night...bring it on.

Breakfast was an...interesting affair. Sam watched as Luke demonstrated his bubble technique, but Vincent had cooked up something new based on it. A bubble of milk and cereal hovered over his head, and portions of it detached themselves periodically and flew into his mouth.

Your control is impressive. And you understand...the real rules. Yes. I think...that your training is complete.

This nearly startled the Abra into dropping the bubble of cereal and milk, but he regained control quickly enough that nothing went splat. Once it was hovering over his head again in a spherical shape, Vincent looked at Luke with wide eyes. What? You're...you're leaving, aren't you?

Luke nodded his head and finished his breakfast before replying. You now are not a danger to yourself...or to others. I feel as though I could leave you...and that there would be no accidents on your part when I do. My staying would provide no benefit. You know how to wield your power...and how not to.

Vincent sighed and polished off his cereal before walking over to the Gallade. I'm going to miss you, though. Besides my family, you're one of the first ones who cared, y'know.

The Abra spread his arms slightly, the universal signal for 'hug?'. After a moment's hesitation, Luke nodded, but didn't have much of a chance to brace himself. Vincent jumped up to the Gallade's chest and, mindful of the spike in the middle, proceeded to hug Luke. After a few moments of hesitation, Luke softly returned the gesture before looking to Sam and Bit with an expression of 'please get him off now.' Sam merely laughed while Bit nodded and gently grabbed a hold of Vincent before peeling the smaller psychic from the larger one.

Luke softly patted Vincent's head with a psychic hand. Take care, my student. And remember, so long as you keep those you hold dear close to your heart...then they're never really gone.

Vincent nodded a few times and watched the older psychic walk out the door. It wasn't until it clicked softly shut that he even began to sniff sadly, but a deep breath or two to keep himself in check saw any signs of sadness buried for the moment.

I'm...well, I'm not fine, but I'll cope. I always do. C'mon, let's get those links up. Bit, you can head back to the station, but Sam, you need to look for other work.

The other two inhabitants of the apartment nodded even as their heads briefly glowed the same blue as Vincent's hands. "Can do. Won't be easy, but I can do it."

And thus the little psychic was left alone in the apartment for the first time.

Lucy breathed in deeply and let it out slowly, focusing her mind on the task at hand.

Before her were three boulders, easily as large as the ones she'd had to break already, if not larger. She was to break all of them with Aura Sphere, as quickly as possible.

She turned to face the first of the line and breathed deeply again. She turned her thoughts to the Aura and began to shape it, mold it into an attack. She could feel it start to ask her its questions, in its own way. She answered as well as she could.

I sought knowledge for power, and I sought power that I might defend Vincent.

The first attack was formed and fired at the first boulder. She paid the exploding rock no mind and turned to the second in the line. She began to form another Aura Sphere, and felt it ask her another question. Once again, she answered it.

I seek to defend him because he matters more to me than anything else. Rules, laws, morals. Even the world. We have been there for each other, and I will be there for him, no matter the situation. Should he call, I will answer him.

The second boulder detonated, and Lucy turned to the third. This time, she answered the question before it was even asked.

I am Lucy the Lucario, and I will never turn my back on my family OR my love!

This time, it answered her in turn.

Good.

The third boulder disintegrated, and Lucy panted a bit at the exertion. Maylene and the male Lucario stepped forward and nodded at her in unison.

"You're ready," the male said.

"I doubt I could have trained you any better were I still human," Maylene added.

Lucy looked at both of them before looking back at her work. She then looked at her paws and realized that yes, she was ready. She looked back at the duo she'd been training with and smiled softly. "Thank you, both of you. I have someone to go find now. Take care."

"Oh don't worry, I'll keep this lummox from assuming anything again," Maylene said while grabbing a hold of the male's head and giving him a noogie. "Bring your friends around sometime, if you can. We'll probably still be here."

The male squirmed his way free and glared at Maylene. Lucy laughed at the sight, and a slight tingling made itself known over her body. The spell was kicking in. She turned to the entrance to the quarry. It was time to make her way to Las Pegasus. To her family.

To home.

Sam wasn't having much of a good day. As it turns out, being a giant bug with swords for arms tends to be a detriment to being hired in a mostly pony-run world. Who'd have thought?

At least Mary was willing to talk to him before her lunch rush began.

"I'm telling you, Mary, those papers aren't doing me any favors in getting employed. Not only do some places not need me, but if some clearly do, the ponies aren't willing to give me a chance at all. How is a Scyther supposed to cope?"

The shiny Sandslash hummed and put a paw to her chin. "Well, for me, it was molto semplice. Fredrick was moaning about how he couldn't come up with any pony-friendly pasti, and I was looking for shelter. We couldn't understand one another, or more accurately, he couldn't understand me, but I made him some ottima salsa di pomodoro, and he saw the value in keeping me around."

Sam groaned a bit. "That doesn't help me at all. Nobody wants to hire a giant bug with swords for arms." The Scyther looked at Mary to see her slumped forward a bit, her gaze locked on to something in the distance. He grew concerned when she didn't blink, and waved a claw in front of her. When she didn't respond, he carefully checked her over, and was surprised by what he saw.

There, sticking in her tail, was a small, red dart. It reminded him of a tranquilizer dart. But...who would use one on Mary?

A slight vibration on his back armor gave him an answer, and he turned around to see a pegasus colt with a blowgun in a nearby alleyway. The pony seemed shocked at something located near Sam's feet, and he looked down to see another red dart lying on the cobbles. Looking back up revealed that the pony had recovered enough to load another red dart into the blowgun and raised it up to his mouth again. Sam raised his claws and said a simple word. "Don't."

The pony didn't listen and fired again, this time hitting his chest armor and having it bounce off. Sam sighed and walked forward. "Why didn't you listen? Now I'm gonna have to knock you out and drag you down to the station, and Ace is going to be such a bi-"

Whatever Sam was about to say never crossed his lips, as a dart found its mark in his neck just as he entered the alleyway the colt was located in. In seconds, he was out.

The last thing he felt was a sensation of terror through the psychic link, and all was blackness.

Bit, Sam's just...I don't know what's happened, but I know it wasn't good!

Describe it, please.

Vincent breathed deeply and calmed himself. He was talking to Mary at the Cafe, then he noticed that she wasn't responding. When he went to look at why...that's where things get blurry. His mind is shut down, but the link is still active. I can pinpoint where he is, but he doesn't respond to my pings. What is going on?

The silence across the link lasted for a good five minutes. Eventually Bit spoke up again. The most likely conclusion is that he was taken as part of PegasusAir's operation to export Pokemon from the city so they may regain some measure of control over it. This campaign of theirs seems to have stemmed from the desire of the manager to eliminate evidence of their operation by attempting to get at me...I feel so...guilty.

Don't! Vincent shot back instantly. Don't ever feel shame or guilt for the actions of another! This was not your fault, you didn't do this to Sam, or Mary...or anyone else they've tried to take. Blame them, not yourself, and then act on that blame!

...You are right. I assume you are tracking Sam's location with your link even now and intend to Teleport in and out to rescue both him and Mary?

Yes, why?

Take me with you.

Vincent was stunned for a moment before he could reply. Bit, if this is about you feeling guilty-

It is not. It is because I can still provide aid, if only as a distraction. Which you will need, at the very least. Please, allow me to help. I would be remiss if I did not.

Vincent sighed, but extended one paw and yanked Bit to the apartment. Fine, you're coming with, Vincent said, which caused Bit to turn around and look at the Abra on the couch. But the second you get in more trouble than you can handle, I want you to run, understand?

Bit nodded. "Un-un-understood."

It took another five minutes for Sam's end of the link to stop moving, and Vincent nodded once. Okay. Let's try and make this as quick as possible. I'll grab Sam...and any other Pokemon I see, and get them to safety. If I end up needing it, you distract them. Understand?

Bit nodded again, and Vincent motioned him closer. The two clung to one another, and Vincent flung them through a Teleport to Sam's location.

They came to within a warehouse, in front of a box that had bars on one side to allow others easy viewing of the contents. The one they were looking at was empty. The duo turned to see Sam and Mary in another, still out cold.

Gah...Okay, let's see here. I'll Teleport in and see if I can't rouse them. Keep a look out for me, Bit.

Bit nodded once, and Vincent warped the five feet he needed to wind up in the cage. Placing a hand on both their heads and closing his eyes, Vincent caused his arms to glow blue before shaking his head. No good, whatever they used to knock them out was some high-grade stuff. It'd take a few minutes worth of work to purge it out of one of them, and-

"Look, it's that blue and red one the big boss mare wants!"

"Get him and we're set for life!"

A small gang of ponies rapidly gathered ten feet away from Bit, who stared at them calmly. He then looked at Vincent and sighed. "I am sor-sor-sorry I have to do this, Vincent. But this is the on-on-only way I can buy you enough time. Think well of me."

Before Vincent could question what was going on, Bit had turned back to the ponies and closed his eyes. Then he raised off the floor a good five feet, and things just got weird from there.

First, his head was kept perfectly stable, but his body rotated clockwise. Second, Vincent picked out that the colors on his body were inverting, then returning to normal, quite quickly. And finally, there was the rapid ticking noise that culminated in a ding.

The twirling stopped, the ticking stopped, the colors returned to normal, but Bit didn't come down. Only once everything was in its proper orientation again did the Porygon-Z speak. And while Vincent was startled by the lack of a stutter, the ponies were scared of what that voice was saying.

"Simulator systems: Engaged. Combat mode: Online. Moves: Loaded. Missions: Protect family. Defeat ponies. Save Pokemon. Download activated: Special Attack raised one stage. Mercy setting..."

Here Bit opened his eyes, and for the first time since waking up from the Crown Jewel, Vincent was afraid. Bit's eyes weren't normal anymore. They had been black circles set inside one another over a yellow one.

Now the yellow background was red, and cross-hairs connected the black circles.

"NONE. EXTERMINATE!"

Elsewhere, a brown-coated earth pony stallion would pause in his repairs on one of Derpy's clocks and shudder briefly.

Author's Notes:

Let me just check my notes here...
"Porygon-Z has the highest special attack base stat of all Normal-type pokemon."
"Download raises Porygon-Z's attack or special attack one stage. It picks based on foes' lowest current defensive stat; if they are equal, special attack is raised."
*Looks at massive array of moves that utilize special attack that a Porygon-Z can learn, especially the ones it can be taught via TM*
...
Sooooo who brought popcorn?