Nemona saw it all.
Inspired by Dragonite's power and Lucas' composure, Nemona stared wide-eyed, letting out a quick gasp.
So this… was what it meant to be a Trainer?
She remembered the helplessness when she was kidnapped, and in her heart, made a decision.
Lucas didn't notice Nemona's change of heart. After checking that his message had been delivered to Flatplate Town PD, he glanced at the warehouse and murmured, "This side's done. Luxray and the others should be almost finished too."
Lucas jumped off Dragonite and then lifted Nemona down.
Nemona, her chin resting on Lucas' shoulder, blushed at how reliable he seemed.
Suddenly, as Nemona enjoyed the sense of security, she noticed a pair of sharp, eerie purple claws stretch from Lucas' shadow toward his legs.
Nemona's eyes widened in alarm.
—A moment earlier—
Led by Luxray, five Pokémon burst from their Poké Balls and rushed toward the warehouse.
As they charged, Luxray's yellow eyes shone, turning nearly golden.
Luxray's golden eyes, a trait of its species, activated its special "X-Ray" ability. The iron and stone walls posed no barrier—Luxray could see everything inside the warehouse.
At a glance, he saw:
Pokémon guarding the east and west windows.
Five people in the center—three weak, prone children and two adult kidnappers.
Luxray narrowed its eyes, considering how best to rescue the children without mishap.
A direct charge would be too obvious—their size would give them away instantly.
Using intimidation like Dragonite was the easiest, but might frighten the already-traumatized kids.
The only way was to selectively direct the pressure.
But neither it, Swampert, nor Gallade could manage that level of control.
That left Serperior.
Luxray growled softly, sharing its plan.
Serperior, now at the warehouse's edge, replied, "Ssska!" (No problem!)
Luxray nodded, assigning Gallade and Swampert to the west window Pokémon, while it covered the east.
As their entrance drew the kidnappers' attention, Serperior would use pressure to immobilize the adults, then use her vines to rescue the kids.
As soon as the plan was set, the four Pokémon sprang into action.
Luxray, clad in electric energy, smashed through the wall and window, instantly shocking three Golbats unconscious.
Swampert raised its muscular right arm, and Gallade leaped up—Swampert threw Gallade through the west window!
Gallade's flaming sword-arms blazed with vengeful fire, slicing through three Raticate and the wall, leaving them fainted but alive.
The three Pokémon were careful—not lethal.
Serperior, seeing the bearded leader and tall guy stunned, sent a tidal wave of pressure at them, freezing them in place.
She controlled it perfectly, not touching the three children.
At the same time, vivid green vines whipped out, snatching the three terrified, rope-dragged kids away.
Everything ran smoothly.
Except for Mimikyu, who stood dumbly at the door, looking around and realizing it had been overlooked.
This happened a lot—it wasn't that the others meant to ignore Mimikyu; it was just so easy to forget.
Still, Mimikyu, a bit hurt, stretched out its steel-tearing Shadow Claws, pouted, then decided to go find Lucas for comfort.
After all, the others had wrapped things up.
Mimikyu slipped through the grass shadows, traveling from shadow to shadow until it reached Lucas' shadow as he jumped off Dragonite.
A few breaths later, Mimikyu reached out from Lucas' shadow, trying to tug on his shorts to get his attention.
But then Mimikyu saw the girl on Lucas' shoulder, her face panicked, and tilted its head in confusion, making a soft sound.
"Mimikyu?"
"Huh? Mimikyu, what are you doing here?"
Lucas reacted quickly; as soon as he heard Mimikyu's questioning cry, he knew it had slipped into his shadow.
Nemona's panic froze, then quickly turned to confusion and daze.
This Pokémon called Mimikyu was his partner? So, she'd panicked for nothing…
Thankfully, Lucas hadn't noticed her expression—otherwise, she'd have embarrassed herself in front of her idol.
Yes, in such a short time, Lucas had become someone Nemona admired as much as her parents and sister.
Mimikyu carefully withdrew its sharp claws and crawled onto Lucas' left shoulder, melting into a blissful puddle, greedily absorbing its trainer's energy to heal its little wounded heart.
Suddenly, Mimikyu noticed Nemona, who'd let go of Lucas and was now watching it from Lucas' right arm.
For some reason, Mimikyu felt a subtle, incomprehensible emotion.
Before it could think about it, it realized something odd.
Dragonite and the others only noticed it because Lucas spoke.
But this girl seemed to notice it from the very start…?
Not long after Lucas subdued the kidnapper trio, sirens finally wailed in the distance.
A very expensive-looking luxury car followed the police cruiser.
Seeing Nemona comforting the rescued children, Lucas smiled slightly, then looked at the kidnapper trio, now tied up like criminals with Serperior's Frenzy Plant.
Serperior had even helpfully gagged them, so they couldn't spew filth at Lucas or the kids.
Lucas grinned, "Congratulations, gentlemen, on winning a shiny pair of silver bracelets!"