"It was that rat of yours, wasn't it?" said Imite, looking at Satoshi's pikachu. "It's happened before. No matter. I'll kill you both right here and now!" Satoshi growled lightly and taking a swing at Imite as she got up. She fell back a little but stood up again, and punched at Satoshi's face, just barely missing. "You were trying to kill Shigeru," said Satoshi and kicked at her. "That's why you wanted to disguise as me!" "Has it finally gotten into your head, Sato-chan?" asked Imite, dodging him. "I told you I had a mission to kill two people. I didn't answer when you asked who. Can you be any more ignorant?!" Shigeru started to get up, ignoring the pain in his neck. He pulled out his gun, attempting to at least wound her. Yet her reflexes were too good, and she jumped back with a summersault, as he pulled the trigger. "Oh, so you want to do this two against one?" said Imite. "Well, then, I'll just have to even the odds, then!" She turned to her metamon, "Metamon! Pin him down!" Her metamon nodded in reply and morphed into a sandopan once again, and pushed down Satoshi, pinning him down to the ground like before. Meanwhile, Imite took a swing of her leg at Shigeru, and ended up knocking his gun away. "You're nothing without that gun, Shigeru," said Imite with a sneer. "I think you know how bad you are at manual fighting." "We'll just see about THAT!" he cried out and leaped towards Imite. Shigeru pushed her down and a deep rush of pain hit Imite as Shigeru's hands pressed against her still-aching chest. She screamed in pain. "I see I've found a weak spot," said Shigeru. "...You... you bastard," stuttered Imite, her voice starting to crack as Shigeru pushed down on her harder. "Enough!" shouted a voice. Shigeru and Satoshi looked up, seeing a man shutting the door of a large van. He didn't even hear it coming, he was so busy fighting Imite. "What the..." started Shigeru. The man dived down at Shigeru, knocking him off of Imite like Satoshi had before. Imite sat up immediately and wrapped her arms over her chest. She let out a groan in pain, making her Metamon turn its head towards her, not minding Shigeru's Burakii trying its best to bite through the hard shell of the sandopan morph or the pikachu sitting on top of its head, trying its best to shock it. "Tooru-kun," said Imite softly and smiled a little, yet he kept his eyes on Shigeru. "Keep away from her," hissed Tooru and he stood in front of her protectively. "Who are you?" asked Shigeru. "My name is Tooru," he replied flatly and quickly. "Well, Tooru, my name is Shigeru, and this is a personal fight, and I don't care what part you have in this, you better step away," snarled Shigeru. "Don't you dare," he said only above a whisper, yet as a warning and fierce as deadly as an aabo's rattle. Satoshi still struggled to be pried loose from Metamon. Its claws were planted firmly on his arms, though. Burakii tugged at its arm wildly, growling and shouting in hope it would let go of the boy. Finally, it raised its claw to push away the little black monster. Satoshi immediately punched at Metamon with his free arm, making it wince back in confusion. Satoshi ran out to Imite and Tooru, desperately trying to take out one of the two. He let out a burst of electricity, yet Tooru rolled out of the way, grabbing Imite with him, and it was only drained into the ground. "Tooru-kun, let me fight," said Imite. "I can defend myself." Her eyes were soft; and her crimson pigments glowed with love, but they still held her determination to kill. Tooru saw this and got off of her, letting her be free to stand up and face one of them. She turned to Satoshi, while Tooru turned to Shigeru, and the two stood back to back. "I can take you out easily," snarled Shigeru. Tooru chuckled a little. "Really? Oh, and what's this?" Tooru looked behind Shigeru, and grabbed the gun lying on the grass. "Live by the gun, die by the gun," said Imite, unleashing the pistol Satoshi kept at his belt, and for once she was glad she was still wearing his clothes. She pointed it at Satoshi and he tensed up in fright, seeing the poetic justice that would fall upon him. "By the way; I intend on taking that blanket from you after you die. I think you and your love affairs have caused enough trouble for me, so your public humiliation of dying naked should make me feel better. Bai-bai, Sato-chan." * Kasumi sipped the red wine. She kept her head against the back of her chair, keeping a shadow in her eyes, making her subtle beauty stand out as if it were pressed and dried petals. The color was a dull scarlet, but it was still so beautiful, like wrinkled silk. She set the glass down. It seemed to calm her to drink wine in the late afternoon. It wasn't the alcohol. It was the color. The color of the sky matched it as the sun was beginning to set. She needed to calm down everyday, weather it was watching the sunset or quietly spending time with Hiroshi. When she was only a nine or ten, she experienced the amount of stress only adults got. And it still remained inside of her. She had to release it somehow. Death, love, silence... and she was being granted all three. She fell in love dear Hiroshi, she had the joy of relaxing almost everyday... but most of all... most of all..... "Satoshi and Shigeru have been successfully killed, Kasumi-sama." She looked in front of her, seeing Imite, now wearing her regular uniform again. The woman was standing casually, looking straight into Kasumi's eyes. She hadn't even knocked before walking in. She was rude like that, but her good work paid it off. "It took you quite a while," said Kasumi. "Almost two days." "I'm very sorry, Kasumi-sama. I was temporarily slowed dow-" "Don't tell me what happened! I already know," interrupted Kasumi, so fiercely her togechiiku flapped its wings a little. Imite could feel her cheeks feel hot and red and lowered her head so it couldn't be seen. She hated that. Kasumi knew everything that her employees did. She watched them on their every mission somehow... "However, you have accomplished your task without serious trouble for me," continued Kasumi, settling down. "and there will be no punishment for your slacking. You may go now." Imite nodded, her face still blushing red. She started towards the office door, but Kasumi noticed a net dragged at her belt with a tuckered out pikachu and burakii in it. "Wait, Imite," she said. "Nn?" Imite turned around. "What's this?" she asked, pointing at the net. "Two pokemon I decided to steal away before killing Satoshi and Shigeru. I'm turning them in to Roketto Dan," she replied. Kasumi nodded and she left. It was just so her to be associating with another criminal orginization. It didn't matter that much, though. * "Taichi?" asked Seiyou. Taichi turned his head to her. "Yes?" "Have you... have you heard from Shigeru lately?" she asked, a worried tone in her voice. "Shigeru? Umm... well no, not really. The last time I saw him was a little after Satoshi ran off into the northern forests. He told me and Nanako that he was going to fight Kasumi." Seiyou pressed her lips together tightly. "Just as he has promised me," she said. "Excuse me?" asked Taichi. "Nothing," she snapped and turned around with her back facing him. "Please, leave." Taichi didn't bother to nod at her tone of voice. He left the hut. Seiyou sighed and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Kasumi is too dangerous... I don't care if she sends out people to kill, she must have something up her sleeve. I don't care about the risks of getting into Kasumi's building. I can't just let Shigeru-koi get killed like this," Seiyou stood up and picked up her bow and arrows. "Damn it, I love him, and if anything happens to him... I... I...." "Seiyou-sama?" asked Nanami as she walked into the room. Seiyou abruptly stood up straight. "What is it, Nanami-san?" "Have you seen Satoshi anywhere?" she asked. Seiyou shook her head. "No, I haven't. Why do you ask?" "I just haven't seen him around, and I'm getting a little worried," replied Nanami. Seiyou narrowed her eyes. "Why would you be worried about Satoshi? You barely know him." Nanami's pupils thinned for a moment. "Well... umm, he still needs a checkup incase any of his digestive organs have developed a bruise of some sort." Nanami started to walk back to the small hospital clinic, but Seiyou stood up and stopped her. "Wait, Nanami-san." "Yes, Seiyou-sama?" "Can you please do me a favor?" She nodded and waited for a reply. "I need you to recruit Taichi and Nanako, immediately," she said firmly. "Yes, right away," said Nanami and she walked out of the hut. * The three stood on the top of the building. They could see almost the whole entire city stretched out from afar. The moon was full now and it shined brightly in the clear night sky. The stars were twinkling brightly, as there was no cloud visible. However, such a beautiful night will have to stand a death. Seiyou peered through the opening with Nanako and Taichi. They could see the whole entire room. There they saw Kasumi, sitting silently and alone with her togechiiku. "Shigeru's right," said Seiyou. "She doesn't seem that tough to me." Nanako glared at her. "Are you insane? You haven't seen what Kasumi can do..." "You have?!" Seiyou glared at her. "Ssshhh!" hissed Taichi. "Let's go," said Nanako. -- Kasumi sighed. She was starting to get a little tired. Perhaps it would be best if she were to go to bed now. Apparently her expected visitors hadn't arrived yet. Yet suddenly three bodies dropped from the ceiling above. She abruptly stood up at the rude entrance. Togechiiku flapped its wings a little, but settled back down, sitting silently on her shoulder. She couldn't quite make out who they were. She got closer to them and saw their blue uniforms. "You're the top group of the police force," she said. "All considered to be the heroes little children look up to." Kasumi smiled. The three stood up immediately. They were surprised at Kasumi's image up close. She wore a beautiful white and blue kimono that dragged down on the floor and small pink jewels were dotted along the hem. Was something like this the cause of a huge crime wave? Perhaps Shigeru was correct. She didn't look that tough. But where was Shigeru? He would have been fighting her about now, especially if she were still alive. "Where's Shigeru?" asked Seiyou. Nanako and Taichi gave a brief expression of embarrassment. Shigeru seemed to be the only thing on her mind. Kasumi laughed a little. "That's all that's on your mind, ne?" Seiyou sucked in her breath and worry washed over her. "Y-yes," she stuttered out. "He's dead." The two words hit her like a boulder. So simple, and yet it was so effecting to her. Seiyou's throat tightened and she gulped, trying to soften it up. She felt her eyes start to ache as she tried not to let herself cry. "Well," said Kasumi and she stepped back a little, turning her back towards them. But she tilted her head so that one eye looked at them. "You got Takeshi. He was my employee and he was my friend, and I just had to get back at you." "That sounds like a very sweet thing to say, Kasumi, but we've come here to hunt you down," Seiyou said, ignoring the shiver in Kasumi's voice. She aimed her gun at Kasumi, her finger on the trigger. "Really," she said, and there seemed to be both apathy and playfulness in her voice. She pushed down her sleeve a little bit. "And I'm guessing you want to prove a point that good will always conquer evil?" "Well, I..." started Seiyou, but she trailed off in both disturbance and a silent surprise as Kasumi started to undress herself. Yet, what was underneath, was what looked like a battle uniform. She wore a belt with eight monster balls that were lined up, four on each side. She opened the office door, and stood in front of it. "Follow me," she said and walked through. Seiyou, Nanako, and Taichi exchanged looks and nodded. they followed her down the hall and into a large empty room with blue and white tiles. However one bunch of tiles was pink and the other yellow. She walked over to the pink set of tiles. She gestured the set of yellow tiles and the three walked over to it, a little confused. "Begin match!" she yelled. The three officers exchanged looks again, wondering if they were supposed to start shooting or not. But suddenly, two platforms from the pink and yellow tiles raised under her and the group. A few bunches of blue and white tiles raised as well while water streamed onto the floor, creating a whole entire water arena. "We won't battle with elements," she said and put two gloves on her hands. "No, I'm not in the mood. We'll battle pokemon style." "You can't be serious..." said Nanako. "But I am," said Kasumi. "Now then," she said. "I trust you all train monsters. Your party will use three, and so will I. Those are the rules." "I'll go first!" announced Taichi, and stood in front of Nanako and Seiyou, eager to fight. "As you wish," replied Kasumi and smiled. She took out one monster ball. "Gorudakku." She threw it into the water, and a bright light shined under the water. Foamy bubbles started to rise and the ball shot up into Kasumi's hand, along with a Gorudakku that sprouted up and onto one of the raised tiles. Taichi kept a firmed and determined face. "Ibui!" He threw out a monster ball onto one of the tiles and his Ibui came out. "Ibui, kamitsuku!" "Iiuuu!" it squealed and charged at the goruduck, leaping to the next bunch of tiles. It lunged towards the monster's arm and bit it fiercely, digging its teeth into the slimy blue flesh. "Guruuu," growled Goruduck and it swung its arm to the side, making the small furry creature to fall into the water. "Gorudakku," said Kasumi. Her voice was calm, and so was her pokemon. "use kanashibari." "Goru!" it said with a quick nod and dived into the water with ease. There was a glow of red light for a moment, and a few bubbles popped up to the surface. The gorudakku jumped up onto one of the tiles. The jewel on its forehead glowed red and it kept its hands on its head in focus. The ibui was brought up from the water in a stilled position, except for the expression on its face as it struggled to move. "Nenriki," ordered Kasumi. Gorudakku tossed its head to the right, moving Ibui along with it until it was hit against the side of the platform the officers stood upon. "Ibui!" Taichi shouted in shock. The small animal slid down against the white surface and into the water. It breathed faintly, but still didn't move. Taichi got out his monster ball and opened it, letting his monster back in to rest. "I'm hoping that's not your only pokemon," said Kasumi, leaning over the railing. "No," said Nanako, "I'm going next!" Kasumi returned Gorudakku to its monster ball and threw another one, and a Rapurasu was released into the water. "Mmmmm," it growled. "Pijotto!" shouted Nanako and she threw a white apricorn ball into the air. The pijotto soared in a circle like a vulture, over Rapurasu. "Rapurasu, reitou biimu," said Kasumi. "Mmmm...." it said and reared its head back. It let out a beam of ice aimed out at the bird. "Quick, oumu ga eshi!" ordered Nanako and pointed at Rapurasu. Pijotto eyed at the giant turtle monster as it shot out the ice. It flapped its wings furiously, creating a strong wind that blew across the arena, lifting up Kasumi's short black hair. She squinted her eyes. Pijotto gave one last beat on its wings and the beam of ice started to curve up and around, back at Rapurasu. "Soak it in," said Kasumi, now yelling as the wind blew hard against her. The rapurasu faced the ice and held its head high, almost in pride and a glint in its eye let everybody know that there was no way a returning attack would be the end of the battle. It opened its mouth, and the beam was shot back into its original place. It took a while for the shards of ice to finally make its way into the mouth of the turtle pokemon, but it kept its mouth open, and let the ice be drained into its throat. As the last wisp of mist and ice disappeared and the wind died down, leaving a bitter silence except for the sound of water gently hitting against the raised bunch of tiles. Rapurasu bit down once and then finally closed its mouth, and faced back at Pijotto. "Fuki tobashi!" ordered Nanako. The large bird cooed and beat its wings again. There was a blast of warm wind that blew against Kasumi, while a blast of cold air hit the police. The two winds started to circle around in front of Pijotto until finally the warm air formed a whirlwind, and the cold wind blew in the center and a whirlwind broke out. The pijotto continued to flap its wings, sending the wind at the rapurasu. Caught in the wind, the rapurasu was forced into the side of the whirlwind, and was flung back to the side of the marble wall. "Rapurasu!" shouted Kasumi. "juuman boruto!" "Juumon boruto?" repeated Seiyou, "How does a Rapurasu know an electric-element attack?" Rapurasu opened its mouth, and rather than water and ice, a ball of electricity started cackling and sparking. It moved its head forward, and spit out the lighting, making it bolt through the air and it hit the panicking pijotto on the side, electrocuting it. It was held in the air for a moment and lights flashed throughout the room. Some sparks were let down onto the water below, making it flash even more brightly. Finally it dimmed down, and the pijotto began to fall down. "Pijotto!" screamed Nanako and returned the bird before it hit the water. Kasumi returned Rapurasu as well and waited for the next monster from the police to be sent out. "You," she said, looking at Seiyou, "Are you going to battle now? I suppose you might actually be a challenge to me." Seiyou grinned and stepped up, but Nanako pushed her out of the way. "No, Seiyou-sama," said Nanako, "You only have rock and ground types. I have a leaf-element beirefu that might be able to beat her with its advantage." She threw out her next monster ball and her chikoriita jumped onto one of the raised tiles. "Beiii!" it said and bent its legs in a battle stance. "Gyaradosu," said Kasumi, no longer shouting. She threw the monster ball into the water. There was a flash of light and it returned to her hand. Everybody kept silent as hundreds of bubbles rose to the surface and popped. Finally, after a moment, the large dragon uprooted, slowly, at first, until all twenty-five feet of it was in the air, and it moved about while roaring, circling the frightened chikoriita. "Hey, give us a chance!" shouted Seiyou. "How dare you send out a huge thing like that against a little beirefu!" "Give you a chance?" repeated Kasumi. "Do you really want me to give you an actual chance at beating me? My, don't you sound very lowly and confused." "You wanted a monster battle and a challenge, so at least give a challenge to some other pokemon," said Taichi. "You're just being mean to us!" Taichi's last sentence wrung in Kasumi's head and she closed her eyes and cocked her head to the right a little. She was acting like a school bully. She couldn't turn into that. "Fine then," she said and returned her gyaradosu. "Togechiiku, you can fight." "Toge!" it said and flew out into the water arena. "Togechiiku, use yubi wo furu," ordered Kasumi. "Chiiiiiku!" it squealed and closed its eyes. It swayed back and forth in the air smoothly in front of the beirefu. It started to become dizzy, watching the flying creature go back and forth, beating a chant each time it turned. Finally, it suddenly stopped, hovering in the air and opened its eyes with a fierce, yet almost mystical look on its face. Togee..." it said softly and its body started to shine brightly. It's transparent wings shone with a bright yellow and its skin turned to a light red shade with orange triangles. "It used tekusuchaa ni. That means it's switched to the element that fights well against yours," said Seiyou to Nanako. "Good luck on this." Nanako started to sweat. What would happen if she loses this battle? Would they get killed just like Shigeru? Kasumi didn't show any mercy in this battle, and now that their only "chance" of surviving was over, she would take all the advantages she could. Time started to slow down, as well as Nanako's thoughts, and she glared at Kasumi with determination. She has to win, no matter what.