Author's Notes:

Part three of five of a crossover with TDNpony's A New World, A New Stage.
I doubt there are spoilers, but if you see one, shield your eyes.

Ace held a hoof to the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on already. Her husband had already told her the details up until he’d been bound and gagged, something that had caused her to snort much to his annoyance, by throwing himself straight into a targeting dummy.

As such, the only one who could tell her more about the heist that she could talk to was Bit. Which was always fun, like pulling dragon’s teeth. The only ‘silver lining’ she could find in all this was despite the damage to the main room, the Casino wasn’t nearly as damaged as the first time Pokemon had crashed it. By some miracle, a majority of the machinery and gambling tables that weren’t in the immediate vicinity of the fight had come out relatively unscathed. That, and the fact that the Gemstone Roulette had been in their lobby when they opened the Guard Station this morning.

This whole thing is freaking ridiculous... it’s a pain in my flank, a waste of my time, along with every other honest Guards’, Ace thought to herself as she walked down the corridor toward Bit’s desk. I really can’t stand the idea of someone like this ‘Fox’... running around my city causing pointless problems just to get a laugh.

Her teeth ground just thinking about it. She’d devoted most if not all of her life to cleaning up Las Pegasus, and Celestia help her it hadn’t been easy. Nor was she nearly close to being done as of the arrival of Pokemon, as displayed by the Pegasus Air incident. Now however, things were so much more complicated. Not only was she dealing with day to day crime, simpering mob bosses, hostile mob bosses, the occasional costumed idiot who thought that they were a hero, murderers, and all other brand of pony crime... but she also had to deal with Pokemon. And apparently, arrogant, showboating, foxes as well.

“So, tell me, clearly, what happened from when the operation started to when Fox left the building,” Ace asked as straightforwardly as she could as she arrived in front of Bit’s desk, temporarily pushing the thoughts to the side.

Bit dinged once, his normal attitude back in place, and he began reciting timestamps and events from the previous night. “At exactly 11:30 PM, the guards and this unit were stationed in the Crown Jewel Casino’s main hall in key locations around the Gemstone Roulette,” Bit started, though he shot a quick glare at said Roulette that was sitting nearby. “Shortly after, there was a momentary blackout, likely caused by Fox in order to place herself in the building. Following that…” at this point Bit got a bit...flustered, as he now had to describe his rather quick descent into madness. That, and the seemingly impossible feats Fox had pulled that seemed to defy all conventional logic. By the time he was done giving the play by play, Ace sighed.

“So you don’t know how she did the things she did.” The mare let out a grunt. “Right then. Let’s try this another way. How would you have done what she did?”

Bit considered for a moment before an idea came to him. “A Zororak’s natural Ability is that of Illusion: if she has experimented with it, then she could easily hide her own presence. The dummies...only one move comes to mind. Substitute. It cuts the user’s own health to create a dummy that takes blows for them. Combined with the Spinarak and time and effort, she could have created the webbing balls beforehand. After which, the result is last night’s...fiasco. And all of that is guesswork, but I am ninety-percent certain that is how she accomplished those things...assuming Fox is a she. With Illusion, Fox could be a he under a very sophisticated veil.”

“I see...” Ace closed her eyes. “So basically she’s a stage show magician with a few tricks that only her Pokemon abilities let her accomplish?”

“Along with five hundred years of history,” Bit recited for the mare like he had for her husband. “Seeing as how no Phantom Thief Fox from Earth was ever caught while they were playing the role, their training is clearly not to be underestimated.”

“My husband got bound and gagged by someone who isn’t me last night, I think that much is clear,” Ace said dryly. “However...” she closed her eyes. “Is there any known ‘nullifier’ for the illusion powers of A Zoroark, or am I going to have to dig out my spell books?”

“Upon being successfully damaged, a Zoroark must drop its Illusion,” Bit stated. “As well, there is a move in my memory that suppresses Abilities. It is known as Gastro Acid...but sadly, it is not one I can use. Nine families of ‘mon learn it naturally, one can have it bred into its memory, and quite a few can be taught it...but none of the Nurem family satisfy those critera.”

“Right, next question,” Ace asked slowly as she thought that over. “Do her illusions last through anti-illusion spells?”

“Unknown,” Bit stated, slightly irritated at the content of the question. “There was little to no magic on Earth, and I have yet to make any significant headway in understanding the phenomena myself, despite its status at the head of my list of things to accomplish.”

Ace was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Thank you Bit.” She smiled. It was the same kind of smile that someone took when they’d just bit into a steak... or salad in this case. “Next question... how likely is it that the Fox will try for another place in my city?”

Bit considered the question before beeping in the negative. “Unless Fox sends out a ‘notice’ beforehand, not very. Fox likely will be around for a few days to observe your reactions to what has been done, but this generation’s Fox does not steal without sending out advance notice.” He tilted his head before making another observation. “It is likely as not that Fox considers the entire thing a mere game. It makes the most sense at this juncture.”

“I picked that up from what my husband said,” Ace said. “How do you suppose she would react if things continued ‘business as normal’?”

“Seeing as how Fox’s preferred targets on Earth were generally items or targets that would attract attention...or were secretly criminals...” Bit said, ticking faster and faster as he got into a mindset unlike his own, “Then most likely Fox would not be overly enthused with your lack of response. If you are attempting to provoke the thief…” he trailed off, not sure if he should be liking where this track of thought was going.

“Oh, I’m not merely provoking her...” Ace smiled. “I’m examining her. Every normally scheduled patrol is made up of at least three members, almost always there is at least one unicorn, one pegasus, and one Earth pony. Of late, we’ve extended that patrol size to five or six depending on the number of Pokemon that squad has living with them. Now... not every unicorn can be Twilight Freaking Sparkle and carry around an Ursa Minor... but it’s rather easy to send out a spell every ten minutes to see if they can’t detect an illusion of some sort, wouldn’t you say?”

“While I agree with you on principle, Ace,” Bit stated, before shaking his head, “That is being quite speciest and narrow-minded. You would detect any and all illusions. What of unicorns with talents for such things? What of unicorns who are merely trying them out? And not every member of the Illusion Fox family is Phantom Thief Fox. Assuming she is a female, she is in the minority for her species: over eight-five percent of Zoroarks are male. Again, assuming Fox is female.”

Ace just smiled. “We’re not breaking the illusions Bit,” she said easily. “We’re just doing a few city-wide scans. Not to mention that we know the difference between unicorn illusions and your brand of illusions, or will once we feel them. No, in this case we’re just practicing and getting a feel for it.” She shook her head. “Trust me, I do not need a ‘espionage and abuse of public trust’ lawsuit on my hooves at the same time as this.”

“That still leaves you with the backlash that may occur from the Zoroarks that are not Fox, should they find out. Getting a feel for where they are is well and good, but moving on them will end in failure a vast majority of the time, unless you have some sort of ‘gender detecting’ spell as well,” Bit stated with as much snark as he could muster.

“We won’t be moving on them,” Ace said rather flatly, not liking his snark, there were only a very few she took snark from. “At least, not until the night of a heist. And yes, actually there are gender detecting spells.”

“Interesting,” the Program mused before shrugging. “And we are assuming there will be another heist done by the Fox. There is a very likely chance that the thief will simply grow bored and move on to another town.”

Ace shrugged. “Honestly it’s a no lose situation in my mind,” she said. “My unicorns get a review of their illusion detecting spells, something that they always need as good guards. Furthermore, we get to see if Pokemon are immune to our illusion detecting spells and possibly give us something to help against the Fox if she decides to stick around. Honestly though, I don’t know why she’s bothering with Las Pegasus, we do the best we can with the number of Guards we have.” She blew out an annoyed snort and grunted as she stretched her neck. “I’ll be in my office working on planning if you have anything else you’d like to tell me.”

With that said, Ace turned her back on the Pokemon and started walking towards her office. When she reached it however, she found that she had a guest at her door.

Standing at the office door was a Lucario. However, unlike most Lucario, there were several things different about this one. For starters, his eyes were a deep blue color instead of the usual red. On his chest, he wore a badge denoting him as part of the Equestrian guard, and on his right arm, he wore a silver bracelet, that despite looking a bit old, was very well maintained.

“Another recruit from Canterlot for me to train?” she asked him, getting her office door with a quick flash of her horn. “Or is there another reason you’re waiting outside my office like a statue?”

In response, the Lucario saluted, then walked into the room. “Officer Jonathan Trace, Baltimare Guard, and Canterlot Pokemon Special Division, reporting for duty,” he said, also causing Bit to perk up when he heard the name. But he decided to leave it be for now.

“Hm? I don’t remember the Guard Captain of Baltimare ever saying anything about a transfer,” Ace commented. “So, why are you here?”

“I’m not here for a transfer. I’ve been assigned Fox’s case, and I’m here chasing after her,” Jonathan explained. “I just arrived here today, and from the looks of it, she got here first.”

“Ahh...” she frowned as she walked into the room, gesturing at him to come with her. “So you’re specialize in catching this pompous stage magician, or at least attempting to I’d wager?” she inquired.

“Well, yes. No offense...but from the tone of voice, I get the sinking feeling you’re not taking her seriously,” Jonathan sighed, his memory of Canterlot still VERY fresh.

“Oh no, I’m taking her very seriously,” Ace said pointedly. “I just dislike the blatant disregard she has for the law and those who have to waste their time attempting to stop her.”

“Well, alright then. Just checking. The Guard Captain in Canterlot when I was there didn’t take her seriously and well...everyone knows how that turned out,” Jonathan nodded.

“Yes, remind me why you’re the one standing here instead of there being an actual ‘stallionhunt’ out for this fool,” Ace said, shaking her head. “No offense kid.”

“Because said ‘fool’ isn’t as much of a fool as you might think,” Jonathan said, his eyes narrowing slightly, before he shook his head. “Fox isn’t as good as she is for being impulsive. Most if not all her heists are preceded with plans and schemes she had likely prepared ahead of time. Thinking of her like any other thief just won’t cut it.”

“Well obviously,” Ace said dryly. “Doesn’t change that it’s a waste of my time and resources, but that’s neither here nor there. What are you here for in specific sir?”

“The same reason I’ve been through the last several towns for the last 3 weeks. I’m trying to catch her, but at the moment, all I can do is try and help to coordinate the local Guards to try to catch her. Something that is easier said than done due to the fact that I don’t know if and when she will move on to the next town,” Jonathan sighed, before showing her a map of Equestria he had. One that was notably marked up. “As you can see, she’s been quite a busy thief.”

Ace studied it for a moment before nodding her head. “Yes, and at this rate you’re probably never going to catch her,” the mare observed. “You’re going where she is, not where she’s going, and if she keeps getting things done in a single night and then vanishing...”

“I’m well aware of that. And I HAVE been trying to predict where she will go next...something that is notably easier now that she’s already hit most of the major cities and towns,” Jonathan sighed in annoyance. “Problem is, I can’t be sure until she sends a notice...but that’s neither here nor there. Point is, we know she’s here, and knowing her, I doubt she’s gonna stop with one of her ‘play heists’ like this. Especially in a city like this.”

“Oh? What makes my ‘beautiful’ Las Pegasus such an interesting destination for her?” Ace asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jonathan just leveled a deadpan stare at her.

“Does she enjoy the gambling or is it the sun?” Ace inquires.

“Cute,” he deadpanned. “But seriously, you DO realize that Las Pegasus is also sometimes called the Sin City of Equestria, right? A city like this is probably BRIMMING with potential targets for her.”

“Of course I realize that, which is why it’s extremely annoying that she’s here wasting my time along with the time of every single one of my other guards who have to stop doing their jobs to go and chase her on an ultimately meaningless hunt,” Ace stated flatly.

“Well I can give you some good news on that regard. She’s probably had her fun already, so the next notice she’ll send, will very likely be connected to a crime lord or something. Its the same M.O. she used back on Earth,” Jonathan sighed.

“...” Ace sighed hard. “You know, there are times that I wish this sort of person would just be a private detective instead of a thief.”

“You’re not the only one,” Jonathan sighed. “Honestly, back on Earth I often wondered what she’s doing on that side of the law considering how much good she did at times.”

“From what Bit told me, it’s a family brainwashing kind of thing, or at least a mantle of some kind,” the mare grunted. “Pass it on to the kids telling them it’s the Honest to Celestia proof and they’ll believe it.”

“There are no confirmations that any of the previous Foxes were related at all. Of course, I also thought something along that lines for the likely reason,” Jonathan simply said. “And mantel or not, it sure works. Every last Fox has been known to be very...passionate about what they do. My ancestors can all attest to that.”

“...” Ace looked at him for a long moment before shaking her head. “Son, if your ancestors failed that often they should have found another occupation.”

“...low blow,” Jonathan deadpanned. “I’ll have you know, with the exception of Fox, ALL of my family, myself included, have boasted a 100% catch rate for criminals we’ve pursued. Furthermore, my family are the ONLY officers who have ever gotten even CLOSE to catching Fox. I even managed to catch her once...then she turned the whole thing into an escape artist trick…”

Ace shrugged seeing that that particular conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “So, your advice?”

“For starters, let me tell you what I’ve worked out so far. First of all, as I’m sure you’ve probably figured out by now, Fox is a former human, same as me,” Jonathan started. “Like all former humans, we’ve lost all of our resources from back on Earth. Yet despite that, Fox STILL remains able to move from town to town with ease. That implies that…” he led on.

“That she found Equestrian friends,” Ace finished with a small nod. “Question, how much actual magic have you employed against her, Guard level casters?”

“Whatever the towns had been willing to afford. Security charms don’t do much. Magical traps? Would work, if she didn’t keep fooling some guards to trigger them for her, not to mention the traps SHE sets. Then on top of that is her assistants. The Pokemon that help her with her heists...aside from the Sceptile, all of them were the same ones she had from back on Earth. Heck, the only time so far she’s ‘failed’ is when Princess Twilight switched out the target with a decoy, and from the little message Fox left for her, she was playing,” Jonathan sighed, shaking his head. “Unicorns haven’t been so effective either, since even magical grips don’t do much against her tricks. Makes it impossible for them to concentrate.”

“Has anyone tried throwing fireballs yet, or ice, or electricity?” Ace asked, listing off the three basics.

“Tried that. Especially the fireballs. Her web balls are resistant to all three. Not to mention there’s never a guarantee that the target is real with how she works. The only times there was some NEAR success...was with that Hydreigon and his team I met a while ago, but I don’t recommend it,” Jonathan sighed. “Honestly, who uses area attacks in a building with pillars? They could have brought the house down. Not to mention we’re trying to CATCH her. Not KILL her.”

“Yes, I can see how that would be a problem with a Hydreigon,” Ace said with a nod. “We had one of those trying to do a bit of destruction on the outskirts of town, thankfully we had enough ice specialists over there to drive it off.” She frowned. “That being said, there are a bunch of AOE spells we could use that do non-lethal damage.”

“Then prep them. Our best bet to catch her is to incapacitate her,” Jonathan noded. “Just a warning though, like always, even with AOE attacks, Fox may or may not be in the area of effect. There is a very real possibility that she will try to make us take each other out of the fight.”

“My husband ran into a bit of that last night, yes,” Ace agreed with a small nod of her head.

“Good. Now, moving on. There is the issue of who her host might be. We already know that she’s travelling with someone. Problem is, we don’t know who she’s traveling with,” Jonathan continued.

“No information at all?” she asked with a frown.

“None. Assuming they left Baltimare the day after the first heist, unfortunately they did not take public transportation. And any notable records of people leaving on foot were more or less eclipsed with all the Pokemon related issues at the time,” Jonathan shook his head.

Ace frowned for a moment. “How expensive have her heists been do you think, in terms of how many bits had to be put into them to carry out?” she asked shrewdly.

“Hard to say. Many of her tricks are similar to how she did it on Earth, though some notably less extravagant. Furthermore, with her new powers, she’s more than able to make up for her lack of resources to make her tricks. As for her metal balls...we can’t be sure, since the mechanics seem simple enough,” Jonathan explained.

The unicorn nodded and closed her eyes. Another dead lead. “Maybe I’m asking you the wrong questions,” she mused before opening her eyes and glancing at him. “Tell me everything she’s done since she got here, that you’ve been aware of at any rate.”

“From the records we’ve got, she’s hit several cities, normally sticking to one heist each. However, her actual ‘play heists’ have been few in comparison. Most of her heists have unraveled a criminal element of some kind, which is why I believe she’s not done with Las Pegasus yet,” Jonathan explained. “In terms of targets, they’ve varied, though the only thing in common is that all were valuables...except Tall Tale, in the sense that it wasn’t actually anything tangible.”

“Oh?” Ace inquired, raising an eyebrow at him.

“The mayor was ousted for being in league with several criminal groups. His reputation and good name were completely shattered,” he said simply.

“Right,” Ace mused with another nod. “Bit said that it was something similar to that, at least that she mostly targeted criminals. So... I guess we know where her next real heist will be, the biggest criminal she can find because when you’re a magician, why bother with the small stages.”

“Not always. She is also efficient. Most if not all the criminal groups she ousted….once she was done, they never got back up again,” Jonathan said. “She might also aim for those she can permanently ‘kill’.”

“You know, the more I hear about her, the more I want to give her a lecture about wasted talents...” Ace muttered.

“Get in line,” Jonathan chuckled. “So...now what? We play the waiting game again? Cause at this rate, unless Fox makes a move, it looks like we’re stumped.”

“Personally, I’m going to finish filing the paperwork she created last night that my husband was too busy getting ‘unwebbed’ to do, and then go back to the job of keeping the ponies from starting a streetwar with the Pokemon,” Ace said with a sigh. “No offense, Jonathan was it? But this is really a rather minor blip on the radar, and one that doesn’t seem to have much long term effect in good ponies or Pokemon’s lives.”

“None taken. Fox may have been on the most wanted list, both here and on Earth, but her priority level...really kinda low since comparatively speaking….she’s harmless,” Jonathan nodded.

Ace nodded and frowned faintly. “I can offer you one of our Temp Desks near Bit, a few of the guards if you really need them, and access to a ‘moving library’ of knowledge but that’s about all unless you have something really solid for me,” she said, shaking her head.

“Hm….if only we could narrow the search. Fox wouldn’t appear as anything but a Zoroark. She’s too proud of her title to not be anything other than the symbol of every Fox, but that won’t work. We can’t just go catching random Zoroarks,” he sighed.

“Yeah, a sheriff by the name of Lonestar was employing one as a detective last time I checked a bit out of the city,” Ace said, shaking her head. “I’m not the kind of mare who goes after people based on Race, hence why we have a few griffon guards and such.”

“That’s good. I hate those kinds of people. They don’t do good jobs since they’re too bigoted to see the reality,” Jonathan nodded. “Well, so all we know is that Fox is definitely a Zoroark, is here, and really that’s about it.”

“You know, Bit mentioned something interesting,” Ace commented. “He said with illusions, she may just be a he, disguised as a she.”

“Fox is a she. I have dealt with her enough to know that. If not….” Jonathan suddenly looked a little green when he thought of the implications.

“Actor like that could do a lot of things to your mind,” Ace replied with a soft smirk before frowning. “And how would you know for certain?”

“....for starters, she kept flaunting her...assets at times back when we were on Earth,” Jonathan sighed, before adding, this time moving closer to her, “And between you and me...we kinda locked lips in Canterlot when I had her pinned down. She did it to get away, but I was still caught off guard okay,” he said, blushing slightly at the last part.

“Uhuh,” she said before shrugging. “In the future if that happens again, throat punch her. If nothing else it’ll stagger her.”

“...not a good idea. I’m still not 100% used to my new strength. I’d rather not risk caving in someone’s throat,” Jonathan sighed. “But this has got me thinking...Zoroarks are mostly male, and assuming that Fox wasn’t acting as a girl the whole time, and by the way, please stop pointing that out, I think I’m gonna hurl if I keep having that image in my head, but anyway, that could be a good search criteria…” he mused.

“Yes, yes it could,” Ace said, then frowned. “Would she be ‘mated’ with anyone, or have pups?”

“...as far as I know, she isn’t, and Howl, my Mightyena, never said anything about her being mated. He’d have smelt it,” Jonathan shook his head. Though for some reason the idea wanted to make him growl.

“Well then, you know what the factors to consider in your search are?” Ace asked. “You’re looking for a female, un-mated Zoroark who’s new in town. Start there. If you can think of more then add them to that search.”

“Good idea,” Jonathan nodded, before glancing at the clock. “Wow, time sure flew. I didn’t realize we’ve been here for over an hour already,” Jonathan blinked.

“Keep going at this rate and my paperwork will go bad,” Ace smirked and shook her head. “So, anything else?”

“I dunno. I think that’s about it for now. I’ll see what I can do about that search,” Jonathan nodded, as he was about to leave.

Ace frowned for a moment before speaking up. “You could pay a visit to the Nurems, Vincent can scan the city last time I checked.”

“I’ll consider that,” Jonathan nodded. However, suddenly there was a small disturbance in the office, as the receptionist’s voice was suddenly heard. “Hey! You can’t go in there without permission!” Before the door swung open, revealing an out of breath Zoroark. A FEMALE out of breath Zoroark. The moment she saw the Lucario, she recognized his eyes, and the bracelet he wore. “Jonathan?”

Jonathan stood there, his mouth gaping slightly. Here they were talking about looking for female Zoroarks, and one comes charging into the room. That was when he recognized the voice, and the reading glasses. “A-Alice?”

“It really is you!” she laughed, before promptly tackling him with a hug.

Ace just eyed all of this for a moment before sighing. “Jonathan, I have paperwork to do, can you fraternize with your apparent long lost lover outside of my office please?” she asked.

“Wait, but Ace, Alice and I aren’t like that!” Jonathan panicked, and somehow, Alice didn’t seem to notice. “I’ve known her since we were KIDS for Arceus’ sake!”

Ace shrugged. “You’re still hugging in my office,” she said, though she winked at him. “Besides, you don’t want an ‘old mare’ like me to ruin your reunion, go get her a coffee.”

“R-right,” The Lucario nodded, but very much hesitantly. “Alice, let’s talk outside. This...isn’t really the best place for this….”

“Ah, right. Sorry. I was just so excited when I heard you were here,” Alice smiled, before they both walked out of the office.

“Kids,” Ace said shaking her head before she frowned. “Hrrmmm add a note to have this ‘Alice’ looked into, if nothing else it’ll help us get our search parameters down a bit better.” Then she went back to her paperwork.

The brown pegasus mare was cautiously, optimisticly happy. It had been a long, hard road, calling in all the favors her previous employer had been owed, building up the reputation she’d once had. But it paid off in the end. While barely only half of its former self, her new enterprise in Las Pegasus was profitable. She scheduled a trip for herself, just for a bit of closure, and sat in the chair opposite her once-boss.

“Hello, Mind.”

The unicorn said nothing.

“I just thought you should know, your investments are doing well. Maybe in a little while, they’ll be something everypony knows again.”

The unicorn across the table remained silent.

“You know, there was something I learned from that last day, from your last order. Don’t attack Pokemon. In fact, I’m employing a few score of them myself. Apparently there are a few things they miss from Earth, and would pay through the nose to get them.” The pegasus paused before finishing that statement. “Those that have noses.”

Once more, the unicorn was quiet.

“I just wanted you to know that despite what happened, I’m making my way through the city in your hoofsteps. So thank you for showing me what to do, and what not to do.”

Finally, the unicorn spoke.

“Vincent, no...Vincent...please, no, I’m sorry…”

The pegasus’ eyes widened a touch as she recalled how her former employer had been brought low. “Oh yes, him. Thank you for reminding me. I’ll have to figure out what to do about that...maybe try recruiting him? Might work…”

Mockingly, she leaned forward and lifted one of Mind’s hooves before miming placing a kiss on it. “Well, it was wonderful seeing you again, Mind. Try to pull yourself together.”

Those were the last words Quick Notes, former secretary to the mob boss of PegasusAir, spoke to her broken employer.

She had a business to run, after all. She couldn’t stay here all day, even if that was what she once did when Mind was in charge of her paycheck.

Lala took notice of the new tenant returning after her sudden, rushed departure with nothing more than a nod. Her motion attracted Wobbuffet’s attention, and he too greeted the Zoroark. Presumably. You could never really tell with him. After that, a small stretch of time passed in silence as she read the paper.

With a small flash, Vincent appeared in the lobby and sat himself down in one of the chairs. Lala, having gotten used to this after the third time, didn’t even flinch, but instead passed along her copy of the paper, switching to one of her books as she did. Vincent turned the page to read about the rest of the heist Bit had attempted to stop, tisking as he did. Poor guy. No wonder he seemed so determined to work on his projects today. He’d only gotten a brief overview in the morning edition, whereas this version had all the details, including the return of the Gemstone Roulette.

Lala nodded and turned a page of her book as she sat behind the desk in the lobby. “He does not take failure well, does he?”

Might be literally against his programming, Vincent mused. I’d have to look, but Bit’s head is just...gah. All machine code. And my brain is not made of silicone.

Any further conversation was put on hold, as Rascal came down the stairs. “Hey, uh...Vincent, right?”

The Kadabra nodded and folded the paper, putting it on his lap and clearing his throat before responding. “And if I recall correctly, you are...Rascal. It’s nice to finally be able to meet you.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you too, I guess,” Rascal said a little uncertainty. “Er...look, sorry if we just met and I’m already asking, but do you have anything for headaches. Alice has a real bad one right now, so….”

“Ah, if there’s one thing I have a slight excess of, it’s headache medication from my time as an Abra. Nasty thing, overextending yourself with Psychic powers at such a stage. Hurts like...well, I won’t say.” Vincent closed his eyes and opened one hand, causing a small bottle to appear above it in a flash of blue light. He held it out towards the Weavile while saying the next part. “For her...she could probably get away with two tablets like the instructions say, but I’d watch her if I were you. If this medication makes her the slightest bit loopy, she’ll need someone making sure she doesn’t do anything she shouldn’t until it wears off.”

“...duly noted. Thanks again. I’m sure Alice will be too,” Rascal nodded, before running up the stairs with the pills.

“...And give him about ten seconds to realize what he was talking to a Kadabra about…” Vincent muttered before picking the paper up and reading again. “Oh...well now, that’s amusing.”

It was a good half-hour before Vincent finished the paper and nodded once. “Well, the average state of Las Pegasus appears to be on an even keel as compared to yesterday,” he observed.

Lala quirked an eyebrow before putting a bookmark in her book. “Oh?”

“Yes, despite the theft of last night and a few other minor cases,” here Vincent’s eyes flickered to the basement as he thought of Bit, “there were just as many cases of Pokemon and Ponies reaching out to one another. So, even. Especially when you consider what the long-range effects of Fox appearing in the town are going to be.”

“Fair enough,” the Leavanny agreed, before picking her book back up.

“Nurem!” came Shade’s angry voice as the Liepard ran down the stairs.

“Yes?” he replied with a quirked eyebrow. “What’s the problem? Did the pills not work?”

“Oh, they worked alright. What I want to know is why Alice looks like someone set her to slow motion. Heck, even WALKING takes her much-much longer than it should physically be possible,” the Liepard angrily said, but in the process, made herself a bit unclear.

Vincent blinked a few times before extending his hand again and resummoning the pill bottle from where it had been taken to his hand. He turned the small plastic thing around and paled. “Oh shit,” he said. “I gave her some of my headache medication, not the over-the-counter stuff.”

“Well that’s just perfect. I hope you have a way of fixing this. If not, you’d better pray its only temporary,” she growled.

Vincent glared, a light blue glow coating his form for an instant before he seemingly calmed down and looked at Shade sadly. “I got these for when I was an Abra, training with Luke, so that I could go to sleep without feeling like my head was on fire. They aren’t permanent or habit-forming, but seeing as she shares your Type, I really, really doubt I could do anything to fix this. I swear to you, had I known, I would have never given you this bottle. Her headache will be gone, but I wouldn’t ask her to do anything quickly. There, ah, is a quick cure, but she won’t thank you for it,” he finished, rubbing his moustache and looking away.

“...I’m afraid to ask, but what is it?”

“About three cups of coffee to help her shake off the feeling of moving through molasses,” Vincent replied to the Liepard. “Of course, once the meds and caffeine wear off, she’d wind up feeling worse than when she started unless she drank a pitcher of water as well.”

“...fine. I’ll write a note, then strap her into bed. I just hope she’s patient. If not...I guess knocking out is an option…” Shade groaned.

Before she left to enact her plan, Vincent called her name to get her attention again.

“What?” Shade sighed.

“Please...I am so very, very sorry. Please believe me when I say that. I didn’t mean to do this to her. I never would do this to anyone intentionally.”

“Yeah, I know. Still doesn’t make this any easier…” Shade sighed. “Trust me kid, I may not look it, but I can tell when people have bad intentions. Its all in the eyes. And you? I get the feeling you wouldn’t hurt a fly if you could.”

“Oh, you got me mostly right...right up until my family is hurt.” Vincent folded up the newspaper, unintentionally showing Shade the headline before continuing. “As Bit and I say to one another, you don’t hurt a member of the Nurem family. Once Lucy’s out of her Heat, I intend to find this Johnathan that he told me about and see if we can’t corner this blasted Fox and make her understand that statement.”

“Ah...I see. Well, good luck with that...though personally I think that sounds kinda excessive...especially since nobody has really been seriously hurt or anything during one of her heists. Lasts I read, any and all injuries from Fox related crimes tended to be either superficial, or purely accidental,” the Liepard chuckled nervously.

“Wounds are more than just the flesh, and more than the skin can scar. Bit doesn’t take failing in his duties well...actually, that’s an understatement. He was as close to breaking since the Lab when he came back from helping the Guard.” Vincent clenched one fist shut, blue light dancing before he calmed himself. “Type restrictions be damned. I will not let this stand.”

“Well alright. But word of advice, I know through Alice that Fox isn’t the number one thief in the world for no reason. The moment the heist begins, some say that anyone trying to stop her are really dancing at her fingertips,” Shade said cryptically, before walking up the stairs.

Vincent turned the paper over and glared at the headline. “You’d either better run or hide if you’re still here, Fox. If I find you’re in Las Pegasus still, if I find you...I’ll let Bit take his frustrations out on you until he’s stable again.”

With a sigh, Vincent passed the paper back to Lala and teleported himself up to the living room, setting himself down next to Luke with no small amount of force and grumbling as he did.

My son, you really must be more careful, Luke said to him with a small look of concern. You could have seriously injured them if the dosage had been too high.

You heard that, then? Vincent thought back, already slipping into this mode of communication around Luke reflexively.

Yes, that and the great amount of praise that the Fox is receiving, Luke said, nodding. Though mostly Vincent, this is about you being more careful.

I went for ‘headache medication’ and accidentally got mine. It was first on the list and I wasn’t thinking. I’m...rattled by Bit being so...so damn broken, Vincent said with a sigh.

Luke let out a sigh and put a hand on his son’s shoulder. My son, I know that when others that you care about are in pain or ‘broken’ it can cause you a great deal of stress, but I also know for certain that if you allow that stress to rattle you too greatly you will only end up causing more of the pain. Luke was silent for a moment. Believe me, I know.

The closest he got to this state was the Lab, Vincent replied. I’d...he’s something kith and kin to family. He passed on information that he could, or that wasn’t forbidden. When possible, he didn’t stand in the way of the escapees too badly. He doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t deserve to have his logical mind broken so badly.

Indeed he does not... but I believe this is not the sort of thing that can be solved with logic, Luke said. Or if it is... it is not the kind that he is ‘efficient’ at. He’s a known system and the Fox is good at decoding those. Truly, if you could find a way to bombard her with an ever changing situation you would win; a magician, no matter how good, can only have so many tricks prepared ahead of time.

Yeah, and she’s a Zoroark, Vincent replied with an eye-roll. And the other two known associates of hers, Spinaraks, aren’t things I can actually affect effectively either. Both are immune or resistant to Psychic, and I’m not very good with Charge Beam yet.

Honestly my son, and I know this is going to shock you coming from me but... Luke was quiet for a moment. They are bugs. Squish them.

...And while that is a lovely image you’ve given me, Vincent said with no small amount of sarcasm or shuddering, that still leaves Fox herself. Dark-type. I’d be lucky to detect her, much less affect her.

True, Luke nodded his head. In that case, what I truly suggest is that you simply let this case pass you by. Honestly Vincent, there is nothing good to be found trying to stop the Fox.

Closure for Bit, the younger psychic responded instantly. That’d be worth it. Blackstone gave him an order the other night, and it’s probably a part of his code that he does not fail orders.

Luke closed his eyes. Vincent, as much as I hate to support the ‘divinity’ of the Fox, I will say that there is a reason that the Rangers gave up any pursuit of their line long ago.

...Fine. I’ll let this go for now, and I’ll try to help Bit get over this, but I swear, I run into her ever again, I will punch her in the face for what she’s done. It’s no less than what I’d do for you.

The Gallade smiled and squeezed his shoulder just a little tighter with his hand. Don’t punch her in the face Vincent, punch her in the stomach so that she bends over out of reflex, then punch her in the jaw and break it.

That...is a wonderful plan. The smile on Vincent’s face was just a touch too large to be sane. I like it. Got any others?

Luke just smiled.