[Pokémon] The Kalos Cult: From the Case Files of Lisa Northwood

A/N: Hey, it's my birthday! To celebrate, I've got a new short chaptered story for you, once again following the investigative mysteries of my own character, Lisa Northwood. Hope y'all enjoy!

Chapter 1
Lisa Northwood Residence, Baxter Village, Fort Mill, South Carolina, October 21, 5:41 PM

At the end of a quiet residential street in an upscale development was a sprawling, three story estate. Attached was a massive five-car garage with even more cars parked outside, including several wood-paneled Buick Roadmaster and Electra Estate Wagons, as well as an older blue Mercury Grand Marquis and a burgundy Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency. Under a large carport was parked a massive custom Prevost motorhome. Inside the lavish home itself, a brown-haired young lady wearing a green blouse and blue floral dress relaxed on her sofa while on her phone. In her living room, a large crystal chandelier hung overhead, while a large South Carolina state flag and numerous posters of anime girls and classic cars hung on the walls.

"Okay, so profits were up twenty-five percent this quarter? Excellent news. If you can send me that paperwork as soon as you can, I can file it in my records for when tax season comes around. Thanks again, Bill. And tell Amy thanks for her hard work with the data entry. I'd crunch the numbers myself but I've just been swamped lately. See you at the office soon!"

No sooner had the girl finished up the call when her phone went off again. She looked at the phone screen and sighed. "Looks like another mission..."

"Greetings, Special Agent Lisa. I bet you can imagine why I'm calling."

"Well, Commander, since you never call me just to chat, may I assume you have a mission for me?"

"You're partially right. I was contacted regarding this mission, but the client requested to meet with you personally. So you won't be meeting up with me this time. The client is the current Champion of the Kalos region. I'm sending you her contact information so that the two of you can arrange a meeting place and time. Please rendezvous with her as soon as you can fly out there. As always, I wish you the best of luck on your mission, and I implore you to try to keep collateral damage to a minimum."

"All right, I know. I'll be getting myself over there as soon as I can."

Clicking off her phone, Lisa let out a sigh. "The Pokemon world can't ever go for long without someone stirring up trouble. Oh well, time to pack and get ready to drive out to Charlotte-Douglas airport. Hope 485 isn't too busy."

Brushing off her dress and white pantyhose, Lisa stood up and made her way into her bedroom to prepare for another trip.

Kalos Fried Pikachu restaurant, Geosenge Commons Plaza, October 23, 9:51 AM

At a corner table in an unassuming fast food restaurant, Lisa walked in and scanned the interior. Upon spotting another girl, this one with lighter brown hair, she made her way toward her table, and sat across from her.

"Hello, are you the special agent from the League?"

Lisa replied, "Yes, I am. The name's Northwood. Lisa Northwood."

The girls shook hands. "And I'm Serena Allison, the current Champion of the region. Nice to meet you. Before we talk, let's get something to eat."

After returning to their seats with their food, Lisa commented, "Who would've thought they'd ever find a useful purpose for Pikachu?"

Serena laughed. "I know, right? They're freaking everywhere, they're ugly, they suck in battle, and they sound like nails on a chalkboard, but damn, they taste great when you deep fry them and drown them in grease!"

Lisa said, "Anyway, down to business. I heard from my supervisor that you needed the League's assistance with something. What's going on?"

"Yeah, sorry I didn't address this sooner, as we've been swamped here with the fallout from the whole Team Flare incident, as well as another issue we just wrapped up. I recently worked with two other League agents who assisted me with investigating and shutting down so-called 'Pokemon Showcases,' which ended up being cheap Contest rip-offs. Worse, they turned out to be a front for money laundering and the distribution of cocaine and illegal firearms."

Lisa said, "I had to deal with a region's Contests that were rife with corruption and embezzlement. A good friend of mine who actually does Contests helped me out with that one." Lisa smirked. "Anyway, Serena, weren't you the least bit interested in participating in those 'Showcases?'"

Serena scoffed. "Hell, no! The only way you'd ever see me in one of those is if someone made a crappy anime adaptation with me in it!"

Both girls laughed. Serena added, "It was bad enough having to sit through one of those things! Seeing people dress their Pokemon with ridiculous outfits – you could tell that the Pokemon were embarrassed by the whole spectacle and only wanted to get the hell out of there. I know my Pokemon – especially my Greninja – would mutiny if I made them take part in something like that."

Lisa asked, "So, back on topic, what major issue plagues the fine region of Kalos this time?"

"Recently this product has been advertised on televisions all over the region." Serena brought up a video on her phone and showed it to Lisa.

On the video was a tall, middle-aged man with balding black hair and wearing ceremonial robes, standing behind a pulpit in a church. He held a Bible in his left hand and a necklace with a large silver pendant in his right. "Hello, friends, it's Pastor John with a very special product for you. It is called, "The Pendant of Origins." Anointed with holy water from the land where all Pokemon life began, any trainer who wears this amulet grants their Pokemon great strength in battle! The source of this power transcends science and human reasoning. For it is spiritual! Simply offer your prayers to the Pokemon King, the great holy being that truly rules the universe and the heavens, before a battle. If he accepts your prayer, he will bestow your Pokemon with unimaginable power! This invaluable pendant is available exclusively from the Church of the Order of the King. To order yours today, we only ask of you the modest sum of $42.99 plus shipping and handling, and you can rest assured that your money will go toward the Church's humanitarian and missionary efforts. To order, please call..."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Terrific. More religious nutjobs. Who is this 'King,' anyway? Funny that they don't mention what species it is. Especially since some Pokemon religions acknowledge Mew as a god, while others revere Arceus as the divine being. And I've even dealt with cults that thought Pikachu was a god, believe THAT one or not!"

"People will believe in almost anything if you brainwash them enough, I guess..." Serena shrugged. "Same reason why so many people joined Team Flare. And back to the topic at hand, I've been in several battles to retain my title, and I can tell you two things. One – every challenger that I've faced since I had first seen these things marketed has had one of these pendants around their neck, and has prayed before the battle began. And two – I've defeated each one soundly, despite not buying the $43 trinket."

"And let me guess – if anyone said that the pendant didn't work, the church would just tell them, 'Pray harder next time! It didn't work since you didn't pray hard enough to the King!' Convenient excuse, if you ask me."

"So, where do we start?"

Lisa rubbed her chin. "I'm going to go ahead and order one of these things using what the Investigation Bureau calls an 'alias account.' I'm going to see where it ends up being shipped from. I'm also going to try to trace the 800 number in the ad, so I'll need to watch the whole thing through. Meanwhile, this 'Church of the Order of the King...' do you happen to know where their church building is located?"

"Afraid not. I really don't pay attention to that kind of thing. Never did get into the whole religion movement."

"I used to, but that was mostly as part of my upbringing. When I sat down and really thought about it, more and more of it didn't make sense."

Lisa stood up and brushed off her dress. Serena did the same with her red skirt.

Lisa said, "Since we're done here, I have a hotel room booked in Lumiose City. Let's head there and continue our investigation there."

"Gotcha."

Both girls headed out to the parking lot. Lisa was looking around, admiring the sprawling commercial development, with an intricate maze of low-rise buildings, driveways, and acres of asphalt filled with parked cars, presumably owned by shoppers. All the major big-box stores – Target, Best Buy, Lowe's – were accounted for, as well as all manner of smaller stores, restaurants, and other businesses. Lisa commented, "I like this. This is nice. Reminds me of home."

"Hard to believe this was once ground zero for Team Flare's operations."

"Really, now?"

"Yep!" Serena pointed toward a large furniture store. "That Ikea is built on the spot where there once was a huge crater caused by Team Flare." She then motioned her hand toward a car dealership off in the distance. "And the entrance to their old hideout is where they sell exotic sports cars over there. This place was in ruins after the Flare incident, but they fixed it up really nicely."

"Sure looks like it. You can't even tell what used to be here!"

Serena explained, "Well, what used to be here were a bunch of rock formations, mostly wooden homes, and a cheap budget motel with about three rooms. Just a real quiet, unassuming place. Nothing like the retail mecca it is now. It kinda feels weird with all this development, but trying to rebuild the historic town was out of the question. And, as I'm sure you know, there's no beating the convenience!"

Lisa laughed. "You can say that again!"

Lisa led them to a navy blue Lincoln Town Car. Serena whistled. "Boy, this is a pretty fancy ride you got here!"

"When I rent a car, I always make sure I get something nice!"

The pair settled into the large luxury sedan's plush leather seats as Lisa fired up the car's V-8 engine. They backed out of the parking space and headed out of the shopping district and onto the main highway out of town.

On the trip, Serena said, "I'm not really used to cars. Never had to use them until after I became Champion and had to start dealing with issues that cropped up across the region."

"Man, you missed out! I've been in love with cars ever since I was a little girl! I inherited my first car from my parents years before I could drive, and to this day I still treat her as if she's my baby. I only wish I had a car to drive around when I was collecting badges."

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say that personally, but a car is certainly much nicer than riding Pokemon, I'll tell you that!"

Lisa looked on in surprise. "Really? You had to ride on Pokemon? I couldn't imagine doing that!"

"Honestly, it isn't a terrible idea in theory, but the Pokemon I had to ride moved so slowly and it was a struggle just to try to turn them. It was a really tedious experience, and I'm just lucky I don't have to do that anymore!"

"And I can't imagine it would be comfortable in the least. Sorry but I can't do something like that!"

The girls were coming up on a massive city, with a skyline punctuated by an imposing tower that stretched far into the sky.

Serena told Lisa, "There's Lumiose City. Biggest city in the region. I don't know who the city planner was who laid it out, but I hope they got fired. This city is like hell to try to navigate. Don't get lost."

"Relax, I've got GPS."

"Man, I wish I had something like that back when I was venturing through these parts!"

"And anyway, the hotel is south of the city limits. It's in a business park not unlike Geosenge."

Quality Inn Lumiose City, 2:03 PM

The Lincoln pulled into a parking lot in front of a five-story hotel with a light beige exterior paint job and a green Quality Inn sign above the front canopy of the structure. Exiting the car, the pair made their way into the lobby, which featured leather sofas and chairs, and a granite floor. Behind the front desk, the words "QUALITY INN" were spelled out in gold letters, along with the chain's green "Q" logo.

Once Lisa had checked into the hotel, both girls headed up to room 519. Serena was working at her laptop computer at the desk with Lisa standing behind her, looking on.

"Well, this is weird." Serena pointed to the screen. "According to the church web site, their main location is at 400 Circuit City Drive in Anistar City."

"Hmmm. I know Circuit City went out of business some years ago, so I'd guess that the church bought out an old Circuit City store and renovated it into a church, and they never got around to changing the street name."

"Well, that makes a lot more sense, then."

"Especially if it's one of those damn mega-churches. They'd need that space for their thousand-seat auditorium. And their bookstore. And their coffee shop. And who knows what else what they have in there."

Serena clicked on another page. "Well, his associate pastor looks like a piece of work – looks like the guy hasn't used a razor in a decade! And... HOLY FREAKING CRAP!"

Lisa shouted, "What? What is it?"

"One of my old rivals is a deacon at this place! Look here. Calem Kronzlowski, Deacon and Head of Local Outreach."

Lisa burst out into laughter. "Wow! What kind of bizarre name is that?"

"I know, right? Though, thinking back, that position probably suits the guy perfectly."

After Lisa regained her composure, she asked, "How so?"

"Well, when I was ready to begin training, he was somehow waiting for me at my front door, along with that annoying ***** friend of his. Think Jehovah's Witnesses. And all throughout my training journey, he kept pestering me and tried to act like I was his best friend or something. I definitely got the vibe that he was trying to get me to lower my guard so he could take advantage of me in one way or another. And getting me indoctrinated into a cult was at the top of my list of suspicions."

"Whoa, creepy. Sounds like 'Head of Local Outreach' is church-speak for cult recruiter."

Serena said, "Definitely. Well, it's Friday today. What do you say on Sunday we attend a service?"

"Couldn't hurt. I haven't been to a church since I gave up on religion about five years ago. It could be interesting to see what these guys preach about. Plus, it would save our accounting department from having our 'Morgan Wilson' alias order a $43 trinket from them. Anything you want to do between then and now?"

"Try to get a trace on the phone number and P.O. Box address they mention in their commercial. Otherwise, I think we should wait till we attend their church Sunday before making our next move." Serena added some last words of advice. "Now don't get brainwashed when we go there on Sunday!"

Both of the girls laughed. "I'll try not to if you don't get brainwashed either!" Lisa asked, "Do you need a room? As you can see, I rented one with two queen beds in case you wanted to stay close during the investigation."

"Wouldn't hurt. I do live nearby, but if we need to go all the way to Anistar on Sunday, it might be helpful for us to both take off there together."

Lisa winked. "Gotcha. Anyway, do you know if the TV stations here broadcast any good anime?"

"Not sure myself, but why don't we check the TV and see. We have some time, after all."

"Sounds like a plan." Lisa grabbed the remote from atop the dresser as both girls settled in on the room's beds. Turning on the flat-screen television, Lisa began browsing through the channels.

I remember you writing something about the Serena and the rival character from Kalos, where the rival character was part of a cult and kept trying to recruit Serena under the guise of innocent friendship. I found that really funny, and though I haven't played the X and Y games, you managed to get across the rival's personality really well. I hope you'll explore them more here.

As always, I wish you the best of luck on your mission, and I implore you to try to keep collateral damage to a minimum."

Click to expand...

Somehow I don't think that'll happen. :P

It seems like this group has managed to recruit Serena's rival. That doesn't sound comforting, but maybe we'll get to see a showdown between the two of them. I'm also interested in seeing who's behind the Pendant of Origins and what the pendant's true purpose is. It's almost certainly another form of brainwashing, but I wonder how different this will be from what happened in your story about Red and Leaf.

All in all, this was a calm chapter, but I guess for a first chapter, that's to be expected. Considering the way your previous two crime fics developed, I'm expecting the action and car chases to start real soon.

Looking forward to more!

Haruka of Hoenn said:

I remember you writing something about the Serena and the rival character from Kalos, where the rival character was part of a cult and kept trying to recruit Serena under the guise of innocent friendship. I found that really funny, and though I haven't played the X and Y games, you managed to get across the rival's personality really well. I hope you'll explore them more here.

Click to expand...

Ah, my contest entry from last year :) Those characters annoyed the hell out of me in the games, so that may hint as to how they'll be portrayed here. We already know that the "main" one is a deacon there, so...

Haruka of Hoenn said:

Somehow I don't think that'll happen. :P

Click to expand...

You know good 'ol Lisa all too well :P

Haruka of Hoenn said:

I'm also interested in seeing who's behind the Pendant of Origins and what the pendant's true purpose is.

Click to expand...

You might be reading too much into the pendant. Then again, you might be right on the mark. No spoilers from me, though!

Haruka of Hoenn said:

Considering the way your previous two crime fics developed, I'm expecting the action and car chases to start real soon.

Click to expand...

They will, just not in the next chapter. Next chapter, as you might have guessed, is a church sermon. But it will give you insight into how this group operates, so it's quite important in the big scheme of things.

Thanks for reading! I hope to get the next chapter soon, but I've got two consecutive anime conventions, so things might be delayed till around the middle of the month...

I admit, I can't remember if I read/comment your other Lisa crime fics, so I'll need to catch up eventually lol. I'm assuming though I don't need to check out the previous fics to enjoy this one, though.

Serena scoffed. "Hell, no! The only way you'd ever see me in one of those is if someone made a crappy anime adaptation with me in it!"

Click to expand...

I know several people who will agree with that. =x (Hadn't watched the anime in a long while, though).

"Honestly, it isn't a terrible idea in theory, but the Pokemon I had to ride moved so slowly and it was a struggle just to try to turn them. It was a really tedious experience, and I'm just lucky I don't have to do that anymore!"

Click to expand...

I'll have to agree on that, lol.

I too remember the mention of a cult in Kalos from your contest entry last year (I was one of the judges last year, so yeah. XD ). Serena and Lisa's interactions seems fine so far, though I'm sure we'll get more of them working together throughout the rest of the story. Looking forward to the next part and how it'll play out!

Bay Alexison said:

I admit, I can't remember if I read/comment your other Lisa crime fics, so I'll need to catch up eventually lol. I'm assuming though I don't need to check out the previous fics to enjoy this one, though.

Click to expand...

You might have read, but I don't think you reviewed. Too late for the latter now but you can still enjoy reading them. Although, they're pretty much self-contained - except for a few passing references to each other, they stand on their own as separate storylines. They're only 5-7 chapters, so it's not a huge commitment - and I like that format better than the 55-chapter journey fic thing. Because it's easier to finish, both from a writing and a reading standpoint. And because guns and cars.

Bay Alexison said:

I know several people who will agree with that. =x (Hadn't watched the anime in a long while, though).

Click to expand...

Haha. I only recently had to watch some episodes to find Serena clips for a couple AMV's I'm making. I try to avoid watching it like the plague.

Bay Alexison said:

I'll have to agree on that, lol.

Click to expand...

Skiddo/Gogoat were the only ones I didn't mind riding in-game. Because it didn't take you five minutes to try to get turned around :P

Bay Alexison said:

I too remember the mention of a cult in Kalos from your contest entry last year (I was one of the judges last year, so yeah. XD ). Serena and Lisa's interactions seems fine so far, though I'm sure we'll get more of them working together throughout the rest of the story. Looking forward to the next part and how it'll play out!

Click to expand...

I don't know if I'll consider that a direct prequel to this, but the cult premise is definitely a recurring theme. I mean, two strangers show up at your door - you almost expect their first words to be "Care to know more about our Lord and Savior?"

Next chapter has been started, though with consecutive anime conventions progress is slow - I hope to have something by next week or so. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 2 is now ready. Not much else to say except sorry (not sorry) for the huge chunks of dialogue and... you'll see what I mean... Any resemblance to actual creepy money-hungry mega-churches may or may not be coincidental.. hahaha...

Chapter 2

Church of the Order of the King, Anistar City, October 25, 10:53 AM

A navy blue Lincoln Town Car pulled into a massive, packed parking lot in front of a converted big-box store. The building was painted black with gray metallic accents and red neon lights throughout, with the words "CHURCH OF THE ORDER OF THE KING" spelled out in gigantic red block letters.

Lisa let out a sigh. "Place looks more like a damn nightclub. Just like way too many churches back in the States."

"And now it's spreading to Kalos. Thanks for sharing the wealth, Lisa!"

"Hey now, you got our stores, our restaurants, our cars, and our hotels, you have to take the bad along with the good!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know! Let's just check this place out."

Both girls stepped out of the car, though they had significantly altered their look. Serena had dyed her hair blond and tied it in twin ponytails; Lisa kept her brown hair but tied it up in a bun. Serena ditched her normal attire of a black top and red skirt, and now wore a white "Espurr Stares Into Your Soul" T-shirt, gray shorts, and black leggings. Lisa was sporting an orange Clemson "Bring Your Own Guts" T-shirt, a purple skirt with a blue and green floral print, and black tights. Both girls also donned sunglasses to try to hide their faces.

The girls followed a group of people into the building. Inside they were greeted by a tall male usher holding an aluminum bucket. "Greetings, ladies, and welcome to our church! Will you be needing earplugs for our worship experience?"

Serena raised an eyebrow. "Earplugs?"

"Well, ma'am, we offer a dynamic and engaging worship experience, but we do feature a rockin' worship band, and some people who are sensitive to sound have requested that we have earplugs on hand."

Both girls rolled their eyes. "Fine, we'll both take a pair," Serena said with a sigh.

After having received the earplugs, the pair took a closer look at their surroundings. The atmosphere was not unlike a nightclub – dark, with the only lighting coming from sparsely placed spotlights and neon lights in various colors outlining the walls and door openings. Straight ahead was a set of double doors, painted red with a black graffiti-like marking scrawled on it. To the left was a table displaying books with titles such as, "Faith Living In a Pokemon World" and "How To Live Your Legendary Life." All were written by "Pokemon Times Best Selling Author, Pastor John Thornton" and featured said pastor's smiling face on the cover – the same face that appeared on the infomercial video the girls had watched a couple days ago.

On the other side of the double doors was the ubiquitous church coffee shop, with two young women working behind the counter. The coffee shop also sold T-shirts, ball caps, coffee mugs, keychains, and bumper stickers, all of the merchandise emblazoned with the church's name in the same style as the sign outside. People's attire ran the gamut from polo shirts and slacks to sleeveless tops and ripped tight jeans. Most were younger but there were a fair amount of older people also filing through the double doors.

"I suppose the sanctuary is behind those doors," Lisa said as she glanced at Serena. "Let's head in. I want to find a seat toward the back."

"Yeah, the further we stay away from their head honcho up front, the better."

The girls entered into a massive auditorium. Rows upon rows of theater-like seats all faced a huge stage with a mosaic of video monitors serving as the backdrop. Color changing spotlights moved back and forth on ceiling tracks and walkways were highlighted with red LED lights. Lisa and Serena settled into some seats about five rows from the back.

Serena and Lisa had arrived about fifteen minutes early. Once the start time had arrived, all the lights in the auditorium dimmed until the entire area was pitch black. Suddenly, bright, almost blinding spotlights illuminated the stage, revealing a full rock band. As soon as the guitarist performed his first guitar riff, both Lisa and Serena quickly stuffed the earplugs into their ears.

"Let me see you stand up as we begin to worship God!" the bass player shouted as most of the congregation complied. The two girls were among the few who didn't stand.

For the next forty minutes, the band played a set of six songs, all with a heavy rock beat. Except for words like "God," "Praise Him," and "Our Savior" sprinkled into the lyrics, the song set was almost indistinguishable from a typical rock concert. For Lisa and Serena, this time couldn't end fast enough. But the rest of the crowd seemed completely immersed in the concert, singing along, raising their hands, and dancing in place.

As the praise band finished up and the lights over the stage dimmed amid loud cheering from the congregation, the girls removed their earplugs and turned to face each other, ignoring a promotional video that began playing on massive video screens on either side of the stage.

Lisa scoffed. "Ugh, I didn't think that would EVER end."

"Is that the type of music they play in churches nowadays? It's hardly what you would expect from a church..."

"Yep, unfortunately. There's a church near me that plays the same sort of weird rock 'praise' music. Not nearly as weird as their pastor though."

Serena rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose we'll find out how weird the pastor here is."

Lights began illuminating the stage as a man in ceremonial robes stepped out and headed toward he center, where a steel podium bearing the church's logo had been placed. Once there, he ripped off his robe, revealing tight jeans and a red T-shirt. He resembled the man from the TV commercial and from the covers of the books in the lobby except he had spiked hair with bleached blond tips.

"WOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted into his microphone. "Man, what a worship time that was!" The crowd reacted with loud applause and cheering. "For those of you new to us today, welcome to the Church of the Order of the King! My name's Pastor John, and man, do I have a message from God for you today! But first, we need to take our tithes and offerings. The ushers will be passing the collection buckets, but you can also give online using our church app. See, we make things easy for you!"

As the collection bucket passed Lisa and Serena, they didn't put anything in, but happened to notice that some people had put in fifty dollar bills and one person had even written a check for $1500 and a couple other checks had dollar amounts in the hundreds.

"Well, someone's feeling generous today... at least we know how they're able to fund this whole operation," Serena remarked with a frown.

After waiting for the buckets to make their rounds, the pastor continued. "Thanks for your generous giving. Before we begin, a couple of announcements. First, we still have plenty of Pendants of Origins on sale in our gift shop today! If you're a Pokemon trainer worshipping with us today, this is THE must-have accessory of 2015! It's not only stylish, but it harnesses the divine power of the King, the immortal, heavenly Pokemon that is the creator of all! With this, His power is ready to use during battle to get the edge you need! Plus, when you buy direct from us, you only pay $33.99 and save on the shipping costs!"

"A ten dollar discount on something that only cost about fifteen cents to make. Huge bargain there..." Lisa said.

"Second, don't forget my new book, "Worship: The King's Key to Power" goes on sale next month, and if you pre-order it from our church web site, you get a free bonus gift! You will want to pick this up. In it, I show you the power of worship, for everything from making more money to gaining the advantage in every Pokemon battle you have. It also includes practical advice for worship in all sorts of situations, so you can be assured the power of the King is on your side every step of the way. So be looking forward to it! Anyway, let's pray."

Lisa and Serena pretended to go along with the rest of the congregation as they closed their eyes and bowed their heads.

Up front, Pastor John began. "Dear heavenly King, we are gathered here today to receive Your divine word through me, Your personal prophet and earthly liaison. Please grant me Your strength and Your wisdom so that I may preach a word that is worthy of Your greatness. And let those words powerfully influence our thinking, so that we may live lives worthy of Your majesty. And everyone in the house said Amen!"

The crowd answered with a loud "Amen!" of their own.

"Amen! Church, I have been called today to preach to you on two interconnected subjects – money and kingdom expansion. I can hear some of you groaning, and others asking, 'Well, Pastor, what's the connection?' Well, first let me say this: I don't need your money. Get that? Pastor John up on the stage, with his hipster jeans and his dazzling hair, he doesn't need your money! However, there are two things you must know. First, the church – not as in this church, but the church as a whole, as an institution created by the King to spread His word throughout the nations – needs your money. Second, you can't see it, but there is a curse on your money. It's a curse that will allow Satan and his demons to infiltrate your lives and hold you back, keeping you from living life to its fullest potential. And it is only by giving to the church what is called the tithes and offerings, that you can break Satan's curse on your money!"

Lisa and Serena glanced at each other with looks of disgust on their faces.

Pacing across the stage and shaking his fists, Pastor John's voice began to rise. "Malachi 3:9-10. You are cursed, your entire nation, for you are robbing me! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, says the Lord, so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the doors of heaven and rain down so much blessing that you shall not be able to contain it! There it is, black and white, from the mouth of the King Himself! They are under a curse. And why are they under a curse? Because they are robbing the King! When Team Flare was running around, causing trouble, you shook your fists at them and accused them of robbing you of your possessions and your Pokemon. But guess what? You're doing the exact same thing to the King! And therefore you are also cursed!

"How to break the curse? Once again, it's laid out there, clear as day. Bring. The. Tithe. Into. The. Storehouse. What is the storehouse? The church! And not just any church. The church where you are a member, where you worship and fellowship and learn about the King through preaching on a regular basis. Oh, and here's my favorite part. 'Test me in this,' says the King. He knows you're doubting His word. He knows you're like, 'prove it!' So He throws down a challenge. He's like a Gym Leader telling you, 'Bring it on!' Except this is a challenge He knows He'll win. Go ahead. Bring your tithes to the church. And what does He say He'll do in response? He will throw open the doors of heaven and rain down on you so much blessing that you won't know what to do with it all! Folks, this is why you're not getting ahead in life. This is why you can't defeat that one trainer. This is why you drive a Prius instead of a Ferrari. You're not tithing! You're not breaking the curse on your money! You're not letting the King prove Himself by raining down His blessings on you!

"So what is the tithe? Most of you, if you've been around any church for a good amount of time, knows it's ten percent of what you make. But here's the kicker. It's the FIRST ten percent of what you make. Before you pay your rent. Before you pay Uncle Fred the loan shark who'll have your cousins break your kneecaps if you don't pay him. Before you buy that custom Pokeball which will only be on sale for a limited time. Before you stock up on Super Potions to challenge the next Gym. The first ten percent of what you earn goes to the church! And once you do that? The blessings rain down. You'll have enough to pay your rent. Uncle Fred will have a change of heart and forgive your loans. You'll either get that special Pokeball or the King will convince you that it's not part of His grand plan. And you'll be able to have the confidence to face that Gym Leader without feeling you need to have thirty pounds worth of healing sprays. That's how the King's blessings work! But you need to bring the tithe first – BEFORE anything else!

"I know your next argument. 'But Pastor, that's Old Testament!' Is it? Matthew 23:23. A New Testament passage. Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees – you hypocrites! You are careful to tithe a tenth of your spices, but you neglect the more important matters – those of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Yes, you should tithe, but do not neglect those more important things. Notice those words: You. Should. Tithe. Yes, the matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness are of utmost importance to the King but once you practice them in your daily lives you are still called to tithe! And do you know why some of you are so riled up this morning? Let's stay in the book of Matthew, but go to 6:24. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will devote yourself to the one and despise the other. And don't miss this last part. You cannot serve both God and what?"

The congregation yelled in response, "Money!"

"That's right! Money! So I ask you, if your blood is boiling over this sermon, if you're raising your eyebrows and gritting your teeth, why don't you ask yourself this. Which master are you truly serving? The King? Or money? Examine your heart. You're getting mad at me because money is your master. Not God. Not the King. If this is you, then here's what you need to do."

Silence fell upon the auditorium as Pastor John made his way back to the pulpit. Slamming his fist down on it, he yelled, "REPENT! You need to repent! Stop serving money as your master! Be willing to part with it! Bring it to the church! Break Satan's curse on it! And then you can live your life to its fullest potential. Since then you will allow the King to pour down blessings so that you won't be able to contain them all! Let me get an 'Amen!' in the house today!"

The crowd reacted with applause and cheering, with numerous people also yelling out "Amen!" and "Preach it, brother!" Meanwhile, Serena just stared blankly at Lisa, who could only shrug her shoulders and frown in response.

"And remember – it's God's money! It's not your money in the first place, dawg! The King granted you your eyes, your ears, your arms, your legs, your brain – so you could go out and earn that money! He only needs you to return ten percent of that which belongs to Him anyway – not even all of it – and to not do so is akin to stealing from Him, and it's the reason you and your money are under a curse!

"Now, onto kingdom multiplication. I already told you that the Church universal was created by the King to spread His word of salvation and grace throughout the nations. Acts 1:8 says, 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down on you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.' What does this verse say? To reach the world, we must start at home. So for our church, we must be witnesses in Anistar, then to Snowbelle and Lumiose and then to the ends of the earth! Of course you know we already have campuses in those cities. And our Cyllage City campus just went live last month. But the world stretches far past the Kalos region. Which is why I'm proud to announce today that in February of next year, we will be opening our newest campus in Goldenrod City in the Johto region! Let me hear an 'Amen!' in the house today!"

The audience erupted in cheering and applause as many stood to their feet. Serena and Lisa were among the sole holdouts. Lisa whispered, "Oh great, these jokers are invading another region..." Serena could do nothing but shake her head.

"Now, we already have the building and are in the process of renovating it. But we need to expand even further and continue to spread the word of the King! Already we're looking to open another campus in Kanto sometime next year. But guess what? We've already poured a lot of money into our Goldenrod campus. We need more if we want to obey the King's command to reach the entire world! So at the end of the worship experience, we'll be taking a special offering, which will all go toward a future campus in Kanto. We're still researching what city it will be in – right now we're considering either Cerulean or Vermilion, but plans can change. But we need money for the land, the building, and the renovations. And concerning both our Goldenrod and Kanto locations, we need a different kind of sacrifice. We need manpower. We need people who hear the call of the King on their lives, where He's telling them, 'You need to move to Goldenrod, or you need to move to Kanto and help out with planting this new campus and getting it off the ground and volunteering there.' Is the King calling you to help out with these new campus plants, either by giving your money or by making a sacrifice and moving to help out directly? He might not be. But if He is, it's your responsibility to answer that call.

"Remember these words to Peter in Matthew 16:18. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it! Today, the King is telling me, 'And you are John!' And He's telling you, 'And you are Bob!' Or 'And you are Nancy!' Or 'And you are Chris!' He's getting your attention for this next part. On this rock – on solid ground, on a solid foundation that will not crumble – He is building His church! It is not our church, it is His! Though He is calling us to play an integral part of building and growing His church, we must remember who it belongs to! And His church is so powerful, so mighty, that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it! Satan, he is throwing up walls, around every city, every region. He's throwing up walls, trying to prevent the King's influence from infiltrating those cities and regions. But the King arms His followers with the tools to storm the gates, to knock them down and destroy them. That's you! You have the tools to topple the gates of Hell! All you need to do is devote your lives to the King and His church! Then nothing can overcome you! You can storm the gates of Hell and take territory in the name of the King! That's what kingdom expansion is about! That's why we're opening new campuses all over Kalos and beyond! We're creating new outposts for the King's army – that's the church – so we can destroy the gates that Satan has thrown up and take those lands in the name of the King! And spread his grace throughout the world! As we return to worship, I want to lead you in silent prayer. I'm not going to lead prayer this morning. I'm just going to wait in silence and let you pray in the manner that you feel you need to this morning. Feel free to pray as you see fit. And after a few moments, we'll play a couple more worship songs to finish up today's experience."

The auditorium lights dimmed as low murmurs could be heard throughout. Lisa and Serena remained silent. The quiet was broken after a few moments by Pastor John. "And now, let us stand and worship the King!"

As the deafening rock music began to start up, Lisa got up to leave, but was stopped by Serena. "Wait. I know the music is annoying, but if you leave now and not along with the crowds, you'll stand out like a sore thumb."

"Ooh, you're right. Dammit, I guess that means we need to sit through more of this crap." Both girls put their earplugs back in their ears, let out loud sighs, and leaned back in their seats. After what seemed like an eternity, the music ended and Pastor John returned to the stage.

"And so I dismiss you all! Have a blessed week, and may the power and the blessings of the King be with you!"

Lisa and Serena quickly made their way out of the church, following a large family, and made their way to Lisa's rental car. Once out of the parking lot and onto the main road, the girls each breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought that would never end!" said Serena. "I don't know what was worse, that horrible rock music or that creepy pastor!"

"Well, we learned one thing. That Pastor John guy is definitely after people's money, and he's got a whole auditorium of brainwashed congregants to give him what he wants."

"So, our next step?"

"I order one of those pendants. We track where they're coming from. And maybe then we can learn more, because all we have so far is a greedy pastor."

"Sounds good." Serena stretched out in her seat. "Can't wait to get back to the hotel. I feel like I need a nap after all that."

"Okay, I'll order the pendant in the meantime, and I'll have the League splurge for overnight shipping so we can kick this investigation into high gear.

The Town Car continued to make its way back to the Lumiose Quality Inn, its occupants ready to make their next move.

The church wasn't what I expected it would be. It's stranger than what I expected, actually. I was expecting a service that would resemble more of a regular church service, but with some crazy stuff about the Pokemon King thrown in. But after reading this chapter, I'm convinced that this guy's mind-control mechanisms are something powerful, since the building's design alone is enough to set someone on guard. :P Though it seems like the people he's lecturing to are convinced of his point already, since they donated money to him even before he started. I wonder how he manages to keep his hold on them. I have a feeling that the pendant has something to do with it.

Anyways, not much action in this chapter, but we did learn some important things about what Lisa and Serena are up against. I'm eager for when the pendant arrives so we can investigate it in more detail. And Lisa's "brainwashed congregates" comment made me wonder if the pastor is going to make his crowd do something other than give him money in the future. Because it definitely seems like he can.

Until next chapter!

Thanks for the review :)

Haruka of Hoenn said:

The church wasn't what I expected it would be. It's stranger than what I expected, actually. I was expecting a service that would resemble more of a regular church service, but with some crazy stuff about the Pokemon King thrown in. But after reading this chapter, I'm convinced that this guy's mind-control mechanisms are something powerful, since the building's design alone is enough to set someone on guard. :P Though it seems like the people he's lecturing to are convinced of his point already, since they donated money to him even before he started.

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There are plenty of churches like this sadly. There's one practically in my backyard, which is what the church/cult in my story is loosely based upon. Apparently church services with these sort of rock concerts and yelling in your face pastors draw in huge crowds and huge donations. And these guys can be downright manipulative in their sermons.

Haruka of Hoenn said:

Anyways, not much action in this chapter, but we did learn some important things about what Lisa and Serena are up against. I'm eager for when the pendant arrives so we can investigate it in more detail. And Lisa's "brainwashed congregates" comment made me wonder if the pastor is going to make his crowd do something other than give him money in the future. Because it definitely seems like he can.

Click to expand...

All I can say is, wait and see :) Since the girls are obtaining an address to track down, you know they're going to pay them a visit. What happens when they get there though, well, next chapter has the answers ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and be looking for the next chapter soon!

As the collection bucket passed Lisa and Serena, they didn't put anything in, but happened to notice that some people had put in fifty dollar bills and one person had even written a check for $1500 and a couple other checks had dollar amounts in the hundreds.

"Well, someone's feeling generous today... at least we know how they're able to fund this whole operation," Serena remarked with a frown.

Click to expand...

Thought the same way. =P

"Okay, I'll order the pendant in the meantime, and I'll have the League splurge for overnight shipping so we can kick this investigation into high gear.

Click to expand...

Forgot a quotation at the end there.

Like Haruka of Hoenn said, not too much this chapter with the majority of it being the pastor's sermon, but I think you did well showcasing how bad his pratices are. The several mentions of money really hits it home. More churches going to other regions defintely doesn't sound too good there, either. Poor Lisa and Serena having to sit through the concernt part of the sermon, lol.

Looking forward to next chapter!

Bay Alexison said:

Thought the same way. =P

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Giving that much money to a church that clearly isn't hurting for cash (light show rock concerts and all) isn't a good sign...

Bay Alexison said:

Like Haruka of Hoenn said, not too much this chapter with the majority of it being the pastor's sermon, but I think you did well showcasing how bad his pratices are. The several mentions of money really hits it home. More churches going to other regions defintely doesn't sound too good there, either.

Click to expand...

One of the things that has caught my attention lately are these big churches that put a major emphasis on giving. One of the big players has locations all around the city where I live currently, and another is based just down the road from where I went to college, so their influence is definitely felt, even by those who don't attend.

And yes, several times a year, these guys will preach an entire sermon on giving money to them. And they're big on expanding their reach.

Perhaps the scariest part of this story is how realistic the fictional Church of the Order of the King is when compared to actual churches.

Bay Alexison said:

Poor Lisa and Serena having to sit through the concernt part of the sermon, lol.

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I know... at least they had the earplugs, but still...

Next chapter should be coming along soon - like maybe in a week or so! Lisa and Serena continue their investigation, and maybe unlock some dark secrets!

Chapter 3 is ready! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Quality Inn Lumiose City, October 26, 9:07 AM

In room 519, the phone on the nightstand began ringing. Lisa picked it up.

"Yes, that is me... Understood... I'll be downstairs in a few minutes to pick it up. Thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Lisa turned to Serena. "That was the front desk. Looks like our package has arrived. I'm going downstairs to get it, then I'll be right back."

"Gotcha."

Now wearing a white floral dress and matching tights, Lisa made her way down to the lobby. The desk clerk asked, "Miss Northwood?"

"Yes?"

Retrieving a package, the staffer handed Lisa a small cardboard box. "Here's the package that arrived for you a few minutes ago."

Taking the box, Lisa said, "Thanks again. Have a good day."

"You too, ma'am. Please enjoy the rest of your stay with us."

Back in the room, Lisa examined the shipping label on the package. "Looks like the return address is going to be a locale in Coumarine City, on Chester Park Drive."

"Makes sense, if I recall correctly. When I was in Coumarine, I remember Chester Park Drive being in the middle of a heavy industrial area. Several factories and such. Chances are good they're using one of them to manufacture these things."

Lisa reached into her suitcase and threw a black vest onto the bed next to Serena. Then she reached into her purple bag and pulled out a pistol. Placing the gun next to the vest, she told Serena, "There's a bulletproof vest and handgun, for protection."

Serena looked at the tools, then at Lisa. "You know, I really prefer to settle things with my Pokemon."

"Well, that's all fine and good, as long as the guys in the factory only have Pokemon. But there's a chance they're going to be armed. I'd feel much better if you had protection. If nothing else, put the vest on. Don't worry about me. This dress is custom-made. It looks cute, but also has the capability to deflect most small-caliber rounds."

"Fine. But I'll also take the gun. I don't like it, but I do see your point. Not every team's going to be like Flare. And we don't know what we're going to be walking into. But I trust you've got your Pokemon in case they do choose to engage us in Pokemon battle?"

Lisa opened her bag to reveal Pokeballs of various styles and colors. "Yes, we League Special Agents have to be ready for any type of threat. I personally don't like solving things using my Pokemon since it's a slower process – and it puts my Pokemon directly in the line of fire. Now, I might be a little rusty with my battle skills, but I'll see what I can do."

"Good. I had that thought as soon as I saw my old rival was part of that church. I know he's the type to prefer battling with Pokemon. Same with that crew he hung out with, and I have a feeling we'll run into them somewhere along the line. Now, I do hate the guy, but not so much that I want to put a bullet in his brain. At worst, maybe fifteen to twenty years behind bars. In another region."

Both girls laughed. "Shall we head out?" asked Lisa as she grabbed her bag off the bed.

"Sounds good."

The pair headed down the emergency exit stairs and through a side exit of the hotel. Getting into the Town Car, Lisa turned over the big Lincoln's V-8 engine. As she maneuvered the luxury sedan onto the main highway north. Lisa asked Serena, "Are you ready? Lock and load."

"Yeah, let's get this done. This factory better have answers. The Team Flare incident may have put countless lives in danger, but that's no reason to discount the severity of this scheme. That's something that I put into place after becoming Champion. I declared that the entire Kalos League – from me, to the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four – would be more proactive in preventing crime in the future. It started by incarcerating a former Flare operative who formerly also served as an Elite Four member. I soon followed up by uncovering a professor's dark history and shipping him back from whence he came."

"Sounds like you have quite a record as a crime investigator already! Tell me more about this professor guy."

Serena sighed. "The guy creeped me out from the moment I first met him. He was pals with the former Team Flare head. But worse, when I looked into his past, I found out he was a fugitive sexual predator out of Petersburg, Virginia. Let's just say the Virginia Department of Corrections was very happy to receive my call. But really, this dude was in charge of handing out Pokemon to young trainers - most of them only ten or eleven years old, including me a couple years ago! That's just creepy, and we're looking now into whether he had any victims in Kalos."

Lisa blushed. "Sorry for having our scumbags flee to your region..."

"Nah, it's not your fault. I guess these clowns think we won't extradite them back to their home country. I can't speak for other regions, or for Kalos before I became Champion, but I can say that now, we extradite every fugitive that tries to hide out here. We still haven't arrested the four female scientists that were part of Team Flare, and that remains a dark mark on my record."

"Well, good luck in catching them. If I run into any of them, I can promise you that I'll personally deliver them back here."

"Thanks, Lisa. Though it still seems odd that I haven't encountered anyone who's fought with anything besides Pokemon yet."

"Well, you know what they say – there's a first time for everything."

320 Chester Park Drive, Coumarine City, 12:53 PM

The blue Lincoln drove through a heavy industrial area, just as Serena had described. Gray was the dominating color, with massive, mostly windowless concrete structures situated on acres of asphalt with very little in the way of vegetation. Massive smokestacks dotted the skyline, along with the thick smoke that they emitted into the atmosphere. The primary sounds were those of diesel powered trucks and the mechanical whirring and grinding of heavy machinery being operated.

Lisa had parked her car about six blocks away from the entrance to the address that she had copied from the shipping label. Both girls had put on gray worker's jumpsuits over their clothes and were making their way to the facility. As they approached the black steel entrance gate, Lisa pulled a device out of her pocket, a black box attached by a cord to a swipe card. She inserted the card end into the electronic lock's slot and pulled it out once the gate began to open. The pair proceeded to enter the large gray concrete building.

The girls took in their surroundings. The interior of the building was a combination of a small factory and a warehouse, with boxes piled high in rows. Men, in jumpsuits similar to the girls' disguises, could be seen operating forklifts piled high with the cardboard containers. Other men could be seen with notepads, examining and taking inventory of product. Off to the side, more boxes were being loaded into truck trailers backed into loading bays, with men flanking the sides of the trailer observing the loading process.

Behind the rows of stacked boxes was the factory portion of the facility. Conveyor belts snaked their way throughout. On some of them were boxes, while others were filled with small silver objects – similar in design to the advertised pendants, but from their distance, Lisa and Serena couldn't tell for certain. Electronic control panels were being manned by more employees who were pressing the buttons and pulling levers. Although a number of workers were wandering the floor and calling out instructions along with hand motions, the convoluted maze of overhead steel catwalks were by and large empty.

Staying out of sight of the employees, the two girls quickly made their way to a vacant corridor with cardboard cubes piled high on either side. Lisa approached one of the boxes. She whispered to Serena, "I can't tell if those things on the conveyor belts are indeed the church's pendants. I'm going to cut one of these open. Be sure to catch any contents that fall out – we don't need them to hit the floor and alert the workers here."

"Gotcha."

Lisa pressed a switch on her wristwatch. A red laser beam shot out from the front of the timepiece, and Lisa used it to cut a small hole in the box, with Serena squatting directly below the opening. Nothing fell out of the hole, but they were able to observe its contents – the same silver pendants that the church was advertising.

Lisa smiled, clicked her tongue and formed a 'V' with her index and middle fingers. "Bingo."

"Well, we know that this is where they make these things. But what do we do now?"

A voice behind the girls called out, "Hey! You aren't supposed to be in here! We don't have any female employees at this location!"

"Crap!" Lisa and Serena threw off their jumpsuits and sprinted down the corridor of stacked boxes, knocking down a few to try and block the path behind them.

The employee yelled into his walkie-talkie, "We have intruders! All staff, be on the lookout for two females! Shoot to kill!" The sounds of pens, clipboards, and electronics could be heard falling and slamming onto the concrete floor amid chaotic yelling and running. Many of them now brandished guns, ready to protect the factory.

Lisa said to Serena as both girls pulled out their guns, "See, I told you! First time for everything! You okay with using a gun?"

"Yeah, I'll manage!" She quickly pulled her own gun out of her purse as she sprinted across the factory floor.

"There she is!" one of the men yelled out before firing his revolver at Lisa. She took cover behind a support pillar and returned fire, targeting the man's leg. He dropped to the floor, screaming and writhing in pain.

Serena, meanwhile, was crouching behind one of the conveyor belts, dodging bullets and returning fire when the aggressors stopped firing to reload. When she got a chance, she also grabbed fistfuls of pendants off the line and threw them at the assailants. Hearing footsteps running up behind her, she gracefully leaped over the conveyor belt and ran back toward where the merchandise was stored – taking cover whenever possible and disarming a couple of the men with well-aimed bullets to their hands.

As one of the men crept down one of the corridors, Lisa sneaked up behind him and put him in a headlock, putting the squeeze on him until he fainted. She retrieved his weapon and ran toward the loading dock just as a truck peeled out.

One of the assailants came rushing toward Serena, guns blazing. The girl jumped into the air, performed a midair flip as she unloaded her firearm and struck the man in the hand, causing him to drop his gun as he yelled out. She quickly took cover behind a steel storage container and reloaded her gun.

Though one final truckload of pendants had taken off from the factory, Lisa remained undeterred. She commandeered a forklift and began driving it toward the back of the factory. A worker near the loading dock jumped into another forklift and began pursuing Lisa. As the vehicles raced past Serena, she took aim at the tires of the second forklift. The resulting blowout caused the man to veer into a row of boxes as the forklift overturned. Several boxes came raining down onto the wreckage.

Serena, now crouched against a row of boxes, noticed one of the men walking toward her in an intersecting corridor. She also noticed an overhead light fixture held by a chain. Waiting for the right moment, she fired her gun at the chain, causing the dome-shaped lamp to crash down atop the stunned man as he turned in the direction of the gunshots.

Lisa was still behind the wheel of the forklift, now being pursued by two other men driving their own forklifts. One of them pulled alongside the girl and slammed into her side, trying to force her to crash into the side of the aisle lined with boxes. Lisa jerked the steering wheel and fought back, sparks flying as the two vehicles continued to rub against each other. As the man attempted another sideswipe of the girl's forklift, she saw an opening and darted right onto a perpendicular corridor. The worker's swerve missed its mark and he slammed into a row of boxes, with his partner slamming into the back of his vehicle.

Making use of whatever she could get her hands on, Serena had picked up a clipboard and silently crept behind one of the men with ninja-like stealth. Before he knew what hit him, he was struck across the back of the head by Serena's improvised weapon.

Lisa, meanwhile, had made it to the catwalk, jumping out of the still-moving forklift as it crashed into a support pillar. She quickly climbed up the steel steps and made it up top. From this vantage point, she was able to get an overhead view of the action below. She noticed one of the men preparing to attack her partner from behind, so she fired a few rounds at his leg to stop his attack. Serena noticed this, spun around, and kicked the gun out of the thug's reach before delivering a knockout blow to his head.

As Lisa continued to try to take out trigger-happy workers from her vantage point by shooting at their hands and feet, one of them made his way up the stairs onto the catwalk.

"Lisa! Behind you!" Serena yelled out, before diving behind a control panel to avoid an incoming attack herself. Bullets bounced off of the steel console housing the controls.

Almost on instinct, Lisa delivered a roundhouse kick to the man as she spun around. The impact caused the gunman to lose his balance and fall over the low railing, landing hard on the conveyor belt below. At the same time, Serena had subdued her attacker by literally shooting him in the foot. Afterward, the sound of gunfire ceased. Lisa scanned the facility before yelling, "Clear!" She made her way down from the catwalk to meet up with Serena. After making a call to dispatch police and ambulances to the factory, the pair approached one of the men, who was still writhing in pain from being shot in the leg.

"Dammit! You're from the Pokemon League, aren't you?"

"And you would be correct. I think you know what we want now. Answers." Lisa was armed with her Glock pistol in her right hand and a portable recording device in the other. "Your cooperation is appreciated. And highly recommended."

"F-Fine! I'll talk! God!"

Serena smirked. "Funny you should mention 'God.' I guess we'll start off with this question. Are the items being produced and stored here the 'Pendant of Origins' being sold by the Church of the Order of the King?"

"Yes..." the man admitted. "We were instructed by Pastor John to manufacture these."

"Which leads us to our next question," Lisa said. "The pastor claims that these pendants are infused with holy water from some sacred land. Is this true?"

"No... they're just cheap necklaces. The whole thing about holy water is a complete lie."

Serena rubbed her chin. "Cheap, huh? How cheap are we talking here? These things are being sold for about forty-three dollars, you know."

"Honestly? It would surprise me if the things were worth forty-three cents. Nothing but cheap metal with silver plating. So yeah, huge profit margin there, which is why we accepted Pastor's request to start making the things in the first place."

"And any reason you guys came at us with guns blazing? We at the League really don't like that."

"Sorry – orders from Pastor John. He said that we were to protect the factory at all costs, and supplied us with the guns. Said that if we didn't, we'd face a fate worse than jail – an eternity in Hell for defying the King's wishes. We failed and we'll go to jail, but at least we won't face eternal damnation since we remained loyal to our Savior."

As police officers and medical personnel burst into the facility, Lisa told the man, "Thank you for your cooperation. I think we have all the testimony we need. But we'll leave you with a word of advice. Rethink your faith in Pastor John and the King. You got shot in the leg and are headed to jail because of your 'faith' in them."

As the man was lifted onto a stretcher, he yelled back, "Never! Our loyalty to the King is absolute! Our earthly lives – and this earthly punishment – are insignificant compared to the eternity that we'll spend with the King in His heavenly kingdom!"

"Suit yourself," Serena muttered under her breath as the rest of the employees were rounded up. She and Lisa made their way to the factory's office. Lisa took a seat at the desk and logged onto the computer. After hunting around the computer a bit, she called out, "Found something that could be useful!"

"What is it?"

"Look here. It's their financial records. They're hauling in huge amounts of money, but our financial investigators will look over the numbers later. What I'm looking at is the account where all the money is flowing into. I'm taking down the information, then I'll try to trace the address and owner of this account. That should lead us right to the front door of whoever's in charge."

"Hey, Lisa, would it be okay if some of the agents from the Kalos Bureau of Investigation take the computer and hold it in their evidence room until the League is able to retrieve it from us? Some of them are still here collecting other pieces of evidence."

"Sure, I don't see any problem with that. In fact, that saves us the hassle of having to carry the equipment out ourselves and store it in our hotel room."

"Okay, I'll let them know."

Bank of Kalos, Coumarine Branch, 5:05 PM

It had taken the girls longer than they expected to gather evidence and report their findings to the investigators at the factory. But they had another stop to make. They pulled into a bank parking lot just as they noticed the manager locking up the building. Lisa ran up to him and showed him her badge.

"League Investigation Bureau, Special Agent Lisa Northwood. I'm sorry to approach you just as you're closing up for today, but we need your assistance."

"Okay, please come on in, and I'll see what I can do," the well-dressed man replied as he unlocked the doors. Lisa and Serena followed him in.

"I'll be quick. The League suspects that this bank account is being used for illegal activities." Lisa handed a slip of paper to the manager. "We need to know the address associated with this account number."

Looking at the paper, the manager said, "All right. You have a League badge and our Champion is with you, so I figure that this is a legitimate investigation. Let me look it up on the database."

The man sat down at one of the computers behind the teller desk. After a few minutes, he printed off a document and handed it to Lisa. "Name and address are printed on there, but the name on there is very nondescript – just TRM Group, LLC."

"Okay, thanks. The name doesn't tell us much, but this address might. We'll look it up back at headquarters."

"Good luck in your investigation."

"Thanks."

The girls headed out of the bank and got back into their car. Serena said, "It looks like we have another piece of the puzzle. Hopefully the final one, too."

"Well, we'll see once we get back to the hotel."

Quality Inn Lumiose City, 7:09 PM

After leaving the bank, and picking up some dinner at a seafood restaurant on the way back, Lisa and Serena finally made their way back to their hotel.

"Hey Serena, I must say for your first time using a gun, you're pretty good at it!"

Serena laughed. "Well, I guess when your life is on the line like it was back there, you can do things you never thought you could. My agility, though – that was a product of taking ballet lessons as a girl. Looks like they finally paid off!"

"That flip through the air you did was very impressive."

"Thanks."

"Equally impressive is the fact that Kalos has its own Bureau of Investigation."

"Yeah, that was one of the first things I helped put together after I became Champion. I didn't want my reign to be undermined by another group running rampant like Team Flare, so I made sure we put a good, dedicated law enforcement organization in place to make sure criminal threats are quickly dealt with. I'm actually disappointed with myself that we didn't catch these church characters sooner – I know they've been in operation since before I've been training."

Lisa said, "I know that Kanto didn't have a good, unified law enforcement agency – each city just had their own individual police departments, and the regional Pokemon League there had no oversight over them. And I think that's the main reason that a huge criminal conspiracy involving a fake Champion, rampant drug dealings, and an unethical big-time corporation was able to operate there for so long. It didn't help that some of the higher ups in a handful of those independent police departments, not to mention the Indigo League itself, were corrupt themselves. It only got resolved after the international League sent me and the rightful Champion there to clean things up."

"Wow, that seems like an interesting story!"

Lisa sat down at her computer. "Well, if you can take some vacation time after all this, I can schedule a meeting between the three of us. I'm supposed to be meeting up with her in a few weeks anyway. I wouldn't mind having you along as well. But we can discuss the particulars later. I just did some online searches, and I think I've finally untangled the web."

Serena leaned in. "Okay, so what have we got?"

"The address given to us by the bank manager is connected to a private residence. Property records show that the house is owned by something called the 'Barclay West Revocable Trust.' So I did a public records search for that. The owner of that trust is a Mr. Rick Hunt. Rick Hunt is also the name of the executive pastor at that church. So the plan is simple. That home is either the residence of Rick Hunt, the executive pastor, or John Thornton, the senior pastor. Whichever one it is, it's probably going to be the mastermind of the operation. Without a doubt, the one living there is the one who controls the finances. What's also interesting is that although the proceeds from the factory are from selling a product, the factory is registered as 'Barksdale Ministries, LLC' and the money sent to the other bank account is being reported as charitable donations. I'm surprised that having big donations sent in every week didn't raise any red flags earlier."

"Looks like we might be able to put an end to this creepy cult," Serena said. "I think we can charge them on various fraud charges, including obtaining money under false pretenses, tax evasion, and money laundering. Not to mention that they were the ones who issued the order to fire upon us when we raided the factory. All right then, I'll contact the Kalos Bureau of Investigation and have them issue warrants. The only question is, when do we want to launch our infiltration?"

Lisa rubbed her chin. "Hmmm.... I noticed that the factory sends money to the church bank account on Fridays. Since it's Monday night going into Tuesday, and I don't believe that anyone at the factory had a chance to alert their superiors before they were arrested, there's a very good chance we can take these guys by surprise. And I want to give these guys a very rude awakening. What do you say we crash their place at exactly 5:00 tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds like a great idea! Where is this house?"

"Not a house – a mansion. The property records list the place as having eight bedrooms and over 24,000 square feet of living space. This place is freaking huge. Anyway, it's located in the Riverchase Estates neighborhood of Anistar City. Even the name of the development makes it sound like it's a wealthy neighborhood."

"And you'd be right. Riverchase Estates is filled with massive mansions, and it seems the people there own nothing except exotic cars."

"Hey Serena, we better turn in early. It's a long drive to Anistar and we want to get there by five."

Serena nodded. "Then I better shower and change into my nightwear first."

"Okay! Meanwhile, I'm going to get a few more things ready for tomorrow morning."

Serena sighed. "The guy creeped me out from the moment I first met him. He was pals with the former Team Flare head. But worse, when I looked into his past, I found out he was a fugitive sexual predator out of Petersburg, Virginia. Let's just say the Virginia Department of Corrections was very happy to receive my call."

Click to expand...

Well, I'll never look at Xeorsic the same way again. D=


Not the first time in fics I've seen the issue of evil teams using Pokemon instead of weapons being brought up, though for the context of your story it makes sense weapons are the prefered choice. The action inthe warehouse itself has quite a few things going on and not surprising those pendants are fake and such. Makes sense Kalos would have their own Bureau of Investgation after the Team Flare incident. Seems Serena and Lisa got some leads now, looking forward to more!

Bay Alexison said:

Well, I'll never look at Xeorsic the same way again. D=

Click to expand...

Oops, that was actually supposed to be Sycamore :P Maybe I should I go add in something like "Can you believe that guy was in charge of handing Pokemon out to ten and eleven-year-olds?"

The guy just creeped the hell out of me

Bay Alexison said:

Not the first time in fics I've seen the issue of evil teams using Pokemon instead of weapons being brought up, though for the context of your story it makes sense weapons are the prefered choice.

Click to expand...

It comes up in my two previous mystery fics too. In the last one, Lisa makes a pretty detailed explanation as to why she would rather solve problems using methods other than Pokemon. But it came down to the arguments she made here: It's faster (a prolonged battle with subordinates gives the crime bosses more time to escape) and it keeps her Pokemon out of the line of fire.

(Plus I'm better at writing car chase scenes anyway :P)

Bay Alexison said:

The action inthe warehouse itself has quite a few things going on and not surprising those pendants are fake and such. Makes sense Kalos would have their own Bureau of Investgation after the Team Flare incident. Seems Serena and Lisa got some leads now, looking forward to more!

Click to expand...

I think that was my first factory/warehouse fight scene I've written, though I had the layout of the Kalos Poke Ball Factory in mind when writing it out. The whole thing with the forklifts actually came about after I had written the draft - more proof that Lisa's a terror behind the wheel of ANYTHING :P

Thy mystery runs deeper, stay tuned for (maybe?) the exciting conclusion!

BTW, some real life churches use a similar confusing network of LLCs and revocable holding trusts to try to hide financial details.

"Thanks, Lisa. Though it still seems odd that I haven't encountered anyone who's fought with anything besides Pokemon yet."

Click to expand...

Yeah, I get that feeling too, sometimes :P

Anyways, that pretty intense "battle" they had there with the guards. There were moments where I was afraid one of the girls would get hit, honestly, because you described it pretty violently. :P Some "Pastor" that Pastor John must be, giving his guards instructions like that... but from the looks of it, we'll be finding out very soon, as Lisa and Leaf are about to storm the head honcho's mansion. I'm not the least surprised that the pendant turned out to be the cheap trinket I suspected it was, though I'm surprised that the factory workers, knowing about this, continue to have faith in Pastor John and the Pokemon King despite that.

Lisa said, "I know that Kanto didn't have a good, unified law enforcement agency – each city just had their own individual police departments, and the regional Pokemon League there had no oversight over them. And I think that's the main reason that a huge criminal conspiracy involving a fake Champion, rampant drug dealings, and an unethical big-time corporation was able to operate their for so long. It didn't help that some of the higher ups in a handful of those independent police departments, not to mention the Indigo League itself, were corrupt themselves. It only got resolved after the international League sent me and the rightful Champion there to clean things up."

Click to expand...

This is the first time I've stopped to think about this, but I suddenly find it funny/interesting how the regional Pokemon League, an agency whose members battle with pokemon, is in charge of controlling crime, of the kind where people don't use pokemon. In my stories, the Pokemon League and regional law enforcement are separate, but in yours, the League fulfills a double function. And there's no reason it can't -- the League has lots of staff and buildings in pretty much every city in the region. I guess when members like Lisa get immersed in the crime aspect, they naturally start drifting away from the pokemon aspect. And also this helps understand how having pokemon and being able to train them can be a form of self-defense for average civilians.

But I don't want to go off too much on a tangent, so I'll stop there. I can't wait to find out how the rest of this plays out, especially how the mansion's owner will react to two intruders barging in on his evening massage session. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the pastor's fanatics, either.

Until then!

Haruka of Hoenn said:

Anyways, that pretty intense "battle" they had there with the guards. There were moments where I was afraid one of the girls would get hit, honestly, because you described it pretty violently. :P Some "Pastor" that Pastor John must be, giving his guards instructions like that...

Click to expand...

Haha :) Things can get pretty violent - especially when religion is involved.

And yes, this does speak volumes as to how important it is for this source of money to continue uninterrupted.

Haruka of Hoenn said:

I'm not the least surprised that the pendant turned out to be the cheap trinket I suspected it was, though I'm surprised that the factory workers, knowing about this, continue to have faith in Pastor John and the Pokemon King despite that.

Click to expand...

Oh, it can be downright frightening how dedicated some people can be to their religion. And it seems the more bizarre the religion, the more fanatical people can get.

Haruka of Hoenn said:

This is the first time I've stopped to think about this, but I suddenly find it funny/interesting how the regional Pokemon League, an agency whose members battle with pokemon, is in charge of controlling crime, of the kind where people don't use pokemon. In my stories, the Pokemon League and regional law enforcement are separate, but in yours, the League fulfills a double function. And there's no reason it can't -- the League has lots of staff and buildings in pretty much every city in the region. I guess when members like Lisa get immersed in the crime aspect, they naturally start drifting away from the pokemon aspect. And also this helps understand how having pokemon and being able to train them can be a form of self-defense for average civilians.

Click to expand...

I always pictured the League as a sort of governmental organization, where the "8 gyms plus Elite Four" are the training arm of the organization, and they have other divisions dedicated to law enforcement, running the region, and so on. I also have an International League (of which Lisa is a part and which is most proactive about stopping crime) which has authority over each region's League (but there isn't a separate Gym network/Elite Four at the international level - just law enforcement and governmental affairs). And the International League actually has problems with the regional Leagues under it not always operating like they should.

Haruka of Hoenn said:

But I don't want to go off too much on a tangent, so I'll stop there. I can't wait to find out how the rest of this plays out, especially how the mansion's owner will react to two intruders barging in on his evening massage session. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the pastor's fanatics, either.

Until then!

Click to expand...

It should make for a very rude awakening :)

Merry Christmas, everyone! Next chapter is scheduled for tomorrow!

A/N: Chapter 4 is now up! please enjoy as the investigation comes to its epic conclusion :)

Chapter 4

400 Riverside Place Drive, Anistar City, October 27, 5:01 AM

Only making a brief stop at a fast food restaurant for a steak biscuit breakfast which had gone uneaten, Lisa and Serena pulled up in front of a massive gated mansion. Serena was wearing her normal black top and red skirt, and had dyed her hair back to its original light brown color. Lisa was wearing her trademark blue floral dress and green button-up blouse. Serena carried her take-out breakfast in its bag, while Lisa dug into her bag and pulled out her card-key deciphering device and inserted it into the gate's control panel, opening it.

Serena whispered, "Talk about storming the gates of Hell and how they won't prevail against us." Lisa smiled as she put her device away. Both girls proceeded into the estate's massive gardens. Even in the darkness, the outlines of towering sculptures and massive hedges trimmed in the shapes of various Pokemon were visible. Both girls sighed in disgust when they noticed the Pikachu-shaped one.

"Figures..." Lisa muttered under her breath.

The girls began sneaking forward toward the main building, crouching low to the ground and using hedges and statues as cover. As Serena began to move forward past a Charizard statue, Lisa stopped her.

"Wait. Look overhead."

Serena looked to where Lisa was pointing. Barely visible in the night sky was the outline of a dome-shaped drone unit flying overhead. The only other things alerting to its presence were small red LED lights on the unit.

"Careful. Not sure if that thing will fire lasers at us or whether it's just a surveillance drone, but either way, best to stay out its range of vision."

The pair waited until the drone flew past before proceeding. Now the girls had to scan the black sky above them as well as their surroundings before proceeding past hiding spots.

As they passed a huge fountain with a massive gray granite statue of Gyarados as its centerpiece, the girls stopped in their tracks. Loud barking and snarling could be heard.

"Here come the dogs... So much for getting in here undetected," Lisa whispered.

Rounding the corner was a pack of about half a dozen hairy orange dog-like Pokemon, each one looking ready to kill with bared teeth and flames dripping from their mouths.

"Relax, I've got this." Remaining calm, Serena just tossed her breakfast toward the incoming guard dogs. They stopped and began sniffing at the bag before tearing it open with their claws. Meanwhile, Lisa and Serena used the distraction to sneak by them.

Serena scoffed, "Bah, Arcanine. So damn predictable. And so easily dispatched."

Lisa agreed. "Seems no matter where you are, those things are the preferred guard dogs of criminal lowlifes everywhere. You'd think they could at least use some variety. But I guess if you want a Pokemon to fit the 'vicious and bloodthirsty' stereotype, I can't think of one that more accurately fills that role. I guess they do well enough at scaring away your average Joe trespasser, but once you figure out how to outsmart the hairy things... And hey, good thinking on using breakfast to distract them. As for me, I carry around a squirt gun to take care of them."

"Either idea works. But yeah, I wouldn't eat breakfast from that place myself, their biscuits are disgusting!"

"Haha, I'm not a breakfast person either!"

The girls approached the four-story mansion's front door, constructed of thick steel and adorned with gold handles and a decorative door knocker in the shape of Lucario's head. Here, Lisa used her wristwatch laser to cut the locks. Once inside, they were greeted by a massive entrance hall. Chandeliers hung from the walls while two massive circular staircases with gold railings flanked either side of a set of double doors leading further into the home. Above the doors hung a massive photo of Pastor John and what was presumably his family – a woman about his age along with four younger boys. Underneath their feet was black marble flooring. More statues of various Pokemon were positioned throughout the room along with plenty of black leather couches and overstuffed easy chairs. Thick red velvet curtains covered up the windows.

"Hey! Who goes there!"

Four people ran down the left staircase, and Serena instantly recognized their faces. "Oh, crap..." she muttered.

A tall boy in blue pajamas and with a dark brown bowl cut asked, "We heard the Arcanine barking and... Neighbor? Is that you?"

Flatly, Serena answered, "Helloooooo..... Calem..."

"Hey! It's S-kins!" called out the only girl in the foursome, a short, brown haired girl with tanned skin and pink Jigglypuff-print pajamas. "What are you doing here?"

Angrily, Serena retorted, "Don't either of you two know my name by now? It's not 'S-kins' and it sure as hell isn't 'Neighbor!' God!"

A short boy with orange hair resembling a basketball said, "We might know each other, Serena, but you should know you and your friend aren't allowed in here. This is private property."

The fourth individual, a larger boy with black spiked hair said, "Sorry, we can't let you go any further!"

Lisa whispered, "Friends of yours?"

"Hell, no! Stalkers, yes. Friends, not on your life!" Turning to face the foursome, Serena told them, "We are here on official police business. I suggest you step aside!"

"Neighbor, I need to tell you again that you are heading down a path of doom and eternal damnation! I still consider us friends, ever since we greeted you at your front door in Vaniville..."

"You mean when you were waiting there, in the creepiest way possible, just like the Jehovah's? No, that's not 'greeting.' That's called 'stalking!' And we're only 'friends' within your delusional brain!"

The young girl whined and stomped her left foot in a tantrum. "But S-kins, we gave you a nickname and everything..."

"One I didn't want, and one that sounds so stupid, I can't put the absurdity of it into words!"

"Neighbor, you've rebuffed our every attempt to befriend you and introduce you to the grace and salvation of the King! Why would you turn that down?"

"Because, first of all, I don't magically become friends with random people, especially when they're as creepy as you four stalkers are! Making the wrong friends would have led me down a dark, disturbing path. Second, this 'grace and salvation' you talk about is ********. You know it, and I know it."

"I fear for you, S-kins! You're living in sin and are destined for an eternity in Hell if you continue to live your life without the guidance of the King!" The girl turned toward Lisa. "S-kin's friend, do you want to get to know our Lord and Savior, the King?"

Lisa laughed. "Are you friggin' serious? How unbelievably stupid do you have to be to even waste your time asking me that?!"

Serena told Lisa, "That's only a taste of the crap I've had to put up with from these asshats."

"Ugh..."

Calem continued, "It is my divine calling as a church deacon to lead people to follow the King! Without him, you will burn for all eternity in a lake of fire! No good deeds will save you from that fate! The only way to avoid eternal damnation is to give your life to the King and follow Him and His teachings! It's the only way to salvation and an eternal life in His heavenly paradise! I need you to join us! It's for your own sake! That's why we've continued to follow you and ask you to join us! You need His Grace and forgiveness!"

Lisa scoffed. "Cut the ********. You know and I know that all you're looking for are more mindless tithing drones to line your pockets!"

"No! That's not it at all! We're not after money! We're after saving human souls, helping them find grace, and helping them live life to its fullest potential!" shouted the little girl in the most whiny, high-pitched voice she could muster.

"Neighbor, you've turned us down over and over again, but I still have faith that both you and your friend will soon hear the call of the King on your lives, repent of your sins, and finally see that joining us is the only way you can be saved!"

Serena let out a sarcastic laugh. "Well, while we wait until that magical, sparkly, rainbow-filled day, why don't you move aside? We've got business to attend to. We need to take 'Pastor' into custody." She placed her hands on her hips, leaned forward, and scowled menacingly at the two in front of her.

The little girl cowered in fear. "S-kins, that face is really scary!"

The one called Calem turned around. "We are called to save these two but we are also called to protect Pastor from those who may trespass against him! Trevor, Tierno, let me handle Neighbor. Shauna, you can take on her friend there." Turning back to face Lisa and Serena, he said, "It's been awhile since we battled, but... Neighbor! I challenge you! Go, Altaria!" The boy threw out a Pokeball, revealing the sky-blue Pokemon with cotton-like wings.

"For the last time, my name is Serena, you dumbass! Greninja, sorry we have to battle this nimrod again, but let's get this job done! Ice Beam!"

Serena called forth a blue amphibious Pokemon, slender in build with a pink, tongue-like scarf around its neck. The Greninja immediately launched an icy blue energy beam, which easily struck the much slower Altaria and brought it crashing down to the floor with a deafening slam, its wings now encased in ice.

Meanwhile, the girl, Shauna, had sent out three Pokemon to face Lisa. "Goodra, Delphox, and Pikachu, let's go!" Motioning toward Serena, she yelled, "Look! S-kins! I finally caught that Pikachu in the forest that I wanted!"

Serena shot back, "Think I give a ****?"

Lisa sighed as she pulled three Pokeballs out of her bag. "Persian. Electrode. Flygon. Please neutralize those targets."

Shauna's Pokemon consisted of a reddish fox Pokemon with a body resembling a wizard's cloak, a lavender-colored creature that appeared to be covered in slime, and a yellow rodent that was all too familiar to all parties involved.

Lisa's Electrode was the first to strike, with the red and white smiling sphere blasting Delphox with a massive bolt of electricity. Persian was next, as the cat Pokemon slammed its head right into Pikachu's plump body and sent it flying across the room. The rodent smacked the wall and flopped lifelessly onto the floor. The winged green Flygon came at Goodra with a slashing claw strike.

Meanwhile, Serena had already finished Altaria and now faced an olive green creature half covered by a massive shell. Calem yelled out, "Alright, Chesnaught, let's show her how much we've learned! Needle Arm!"

As the big Grass-type lumbered forward to strike, Greninja quickly blasted it with an Ice Beam before being recalled by Serena.

"Espeon! Finish it! Psychic!"

Replacing Greninja was Serena's light purple Psychic-type, which wasted no time in hitting its foe with mysterious mental energy. Chesnaught was thrown backward by the barely-visible attack.

On the other side of the room, Shauna was facing a bad situation. A badly injured Delphox was her remaining line of defense, and it was facing down the trio of Electrode, Persian, and Flygon. None of them appeared to have taken any damage at all, and indeed all three were grinning menacingly at their foe. As was Lisa herself.

"Finish it! Shadow Ball! Thunderbolt! Crunch!"

"Oh no!" Shauna called out as she quickly recalled her Pokemon just before Lisa's attacks would have hit it. At the same time, Serena had wrapped up her battle against Calem, as he recalled an unconscious Absol. The two girls then recalled their own Pokemon and quickly stowed away their Pokeballs.

Serena crossed her arms across her chest and smiled. "Now that we've entertained you clowns, and once again exposed how weak you are, please kindly step aside."

Calem hung his head and obliged, along with the other two boys, but Shauna tried to pull one last desperation move. She grabbed onto Lisa's right leg as she tried to walk past.

"Get off me, you little parasite!"

"No! I won't let you go in there, S-kin's friend! You'll go to Hell if you wake up Pastor!"

Serena had to grab Shauna and pry her off of Lisa, but not before Shauna had ripped a hole in Lisa's tights.

"Ugh! You little piece of... You'll pay for that!"

Off in the distance, the sound of a door slamming could be heard.

"We've got more important matters to deal with, Lisa! Looks like they bought the pastor enough time to escape!"

Both girls sprinted off toward the front entrance. "To the car! Serena, can you phone for backup?"

"Sure thing!" The pair raced through the massive garden as fast as they could. Fortunately, the guardian Arcanine pack were now sleeping on the job, presumably after enjoying their snack. The girls made their way through the still-open front gates and jumped into the Town Car. As soon as they slammed the doors, they noticed a black Mercedes-Benz round a corner and speed off. Lisa quickly started the car and began her pursuit, stomping down on the accelerator.

"Hah! I was wondering when we'd have the car chase!"

It didn't take long for Lisa and Serena to catch up with the black sedan as the pursuit made its way out of the upscale development and into the open plains outside of town. Inside, Lisa could see two occupants in the car ahead. The passenger stuck his head out the window and began firing a gun at his pursuers. Lisa slammed on the brakes and swerved to avoid the gunshots.

"Serena, do you still have that gun I loaned you yesterday?"

"Yep, and I know exactly what to do!" Serena leaned her head out of the window and fired a bullet herself. But hers was aimed at the right rear tire of the suspects' car. With the ensuing blowout, the Mercedes began to swerve violently across both lanes of the narrow country road, and the driver was jerking the steering wheel back and forth to attempt to regain control of the car. Finally, the car's motions began to stabilize, albeit with the blown tire shedding chunks of rubber.

Lisa accelerated and tapped the rear bumper of the suspects with her car. They reacted by speeding up and firing more gunshots toward the girls. But this only accelerated the disintegration of the right rear tire, and soon the metal wheel and brake rotor were in direct contact with the asphalt, emitting a shower of sparks that lit up the pre-dawn morning like a fireworks show.

Lisa smiled. "They're not going to last much longer now." The sounds of sirens could be heard off in the distance.

"Looks like my backup finally decided to show up," Serena said as the girls could now see Ford Crown Victoria police cars in the rear view mirror.

The passenger in the black Mercedes resumed firing upon the pursuing Lincoln and its occupants. Bullet holes began to splinter the windshield.

"Uh, oh, the rental company isn't gonna like that!" Lisa said. "At least the League's footing the bill!"

Apparently not hearing her partner, Serena was focused on the passenger's movements as he continued to shoot at the pursuing luxury sedan. Spotting a chance, she quickly pointed her gun out the window and took a carefully aimed shot that knocked the gun right out of the man's grasp. His hand recoiled in pain as he screamed and ducked his hand and head back into the car.

Flooring the accelerator, Lisa said "Thanks for disarming that guy, Serena! Now I can do this!" She inched up toward the suspect's left rear flank. Seeing this, the driver veered left, missing Lisa's car by inches as it darted directly in front of it. The man then slammed on the brakes, and Lisa had to swerve herself to avoid rear-ending the Benz. The even larger Town Car hit the embankment and gained about half a foot of air before landing on the grassy fields flanking the road. But Lisa never lost control of the vehicle. With precision and skill, she forged a path through the grass and back onto the blacktop without missing a beat. The suspects had gained considerable distance on Lisa and Serena. But now three police cruisers had taken up the slack.

Putting pedal to the floor once more, Lisa quickly caught up with the chase as one of the patrol cars was now riding the rear bumper of the suspects' car. But a wayward piece of shredding rubber flew off of the Mercedes, striking both the hood and windshield of the Crown Vic. Stunned by the piece of tire that smacked their car, the officers spun out, with both another police car and Lisa's Town Car having to swerve to avoid wrecking.

This move enabled the two men to extend the gap between them and their pursuers. But the normally high-performance German luxury sedan was hampered by a shredded tire and sparking wheel, and it didn't take long for the two girls and their marked police backup to close in again. As one of the police cruisers attempted to pass the suspects, they sideswiped him and knocked the patrol car off the road and into the ditch. But even more backup units were fast approaching behind Lisa's car – a total of seven cars, not including the two wrecked cars, were now involved in the pursuit. Lisa now assumed the position directly behind the Mercedes. She inched up on the other car's left rear fender and gave it a light tap – but the strike was enough to cause the black car to spin out. To seal the deal, the police car directly behind the Lincoln slammed into the out-of-control suspect vehicle, destroying the front ends of both cars. Momentum continued to move both cars off the road and into the embankment.

"Wooo! Another perfectly executed PIT Maneuver!" Lisa yelled out.

Lisa slammed on the brakes, as did the rest of the backup cruisers behind her. Backing up to where the two demolished vehicles rested, Lisa aimed her gun out the open window and pointed it at the front door of the Mercedes.

"Step out of that car with your hands up!" Both girls and each of the pursuing officers now had their guns trained on the two men.

No movement. Lisa got out of the car, as did Serena. An officer issued another warning to the men. "I don't think you want to fight us! Cooperation is your best option!"

After a few more tense moments, the two men finally emerged from their car, hands over their heads.

"Cuff 'em. Make sure they're unarmed!"

The suspects put up no further resistance. Lisa turned to Serena. "You studied the church web site, right? Either of those two guys look familiar?"

"Yep, looks like it's both Pastor John and that Rick Hunt assistant pastor guy. Looks like both of them were in on it."

"Thought so." Lisa walked up to the two handcuffed men and began reading them their Miranda rights. "You have the right to remain silent..."

Kalos Bureau of Investigation, Anistar Branch Office, 10:05 AM

Serena and Lisa now faced the two pastors in an interrogation room. Serena glared at them. "Let's just cut to the chase. We already know about the financial improprieties. We already know your pendants are not infused with holy water, and that you're attempting to conceal sales of a product by calling them charitable donations. And we know that you and your followers like to play with guns. But what I want to know is this: Is your religion based on any semblance of truth, or is it just something you made up with the help of a few randomly chosen Bible verses?"

'Pastor' John Thornton sighed. "There's not a shred of truth to any of it. Hell, although we came up with the idea for this religion, we never even decided on what species of Pokemon the 'King' was. And honestly, not one congregant ever brought up the question. We just studied the cults of the past, as well as modern mega-churches, and saw how they operated. So we ran with that idea, added Pokemon elements to it, and the Order of the King was born."

Rick Hunt added, "John and I were after money. We saw how these guys used fiery sermons and specific Bible verses to convince their followers to hand over their money. I mean, what better way than religion to brainwash people and convince them to fork over cold, hard, cash?"

"Can't argue with that," Lisa said. "I gave up on religion because I saw how people lost the ability to think rationally and started to mindlessly follow the pastor's commands."

"And that's exactly what kept our church going for so long," John replied. "That's how we got all that money, that's how we convinced followers to start making those pendants in the first place, and that's how we got them to take up arms."

Serena said, "You know that those pendants were your big mistake, right? If you had just stuck to taking tithes, legally we couldn't do anything. But when you started marketing a product using false claims, and followed up with trying to conceal the nature of the money made from selling them, well, you just opened up a can of worms."

Lisa began reading off a laundry list of charges. "False advertising, collecting money under false pretenses, wire and mail fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, false reporting of income – lots of financial crimes committed right there. And I'm not even touching on the charges as a result of that factory shootout or the car chase this morning."

"Yes, we know," John said as he took a drink from a nearby water bottle. "We were making plenty of cash just through collections. But we got greedy. We wanted more. And therefore we crossed the line. And with this, I'm going to end this interview. You have our computers and financial records now. The answers are there."

"Fair enough. Guards, please escort these men back to their holding cells."

The men were led out of the room, now leaving Serena and Lisa alone. Serena said, "So in the end it all came down to greed and arrogance. This is a story I've seen played out many times before."

"Same here. Some things never change. Well, I guess we're finished here for now. What do you say we headed back to our hotel and relax for a little while?"

"Haha, you read my mind, Lisa! Let's grab lunch on the way back. Suddenly I have a craving for deep-fried electric rat!"

Both girls laughed as they headed out of the interrogation room.

The scene with the Arcanine being distracted I chuckled. Like real life dogs, food often does the job haha. As for the part where both ladies meet with Serena's "friends," I can tell their presence made them uncomortable (well, more annoyed). While those four aren't my favorite characters and I know you sort of established that in another fic of yours, I do feel their behavoir went off a bit too strongly there. With the theme you're going on now, not exactly sure how you can change that unless you go for original characters, but I'm assuming it's already too late for that.

Both girls sprinted off toward the front entrance. "To the car! Serena, can you phone for backup?"

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Hm, "To the car" sounds a bit silly but maybe it's ust me. If you want a little more urgency, maybe, "Let's chase after them!" or something similar. Otherwise, the car chase itself was a pretty fun read there! Good thing they got their suspects there.

With the interrogation out of the way and those men in the cells, looking forward how you'll wrap all of this up!

Bay Alexison said:

The scene with the Arcanine being distracted I chuckled. Like real life dogs, food often does the job haha.

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Works every time :)

Bay Alexison said:

While those four aren't my favorite characters and I know you sort of established that in another fic of yours, I do feel their behavoir went off a bit too strongly there. With the theme you're going on now, not exactly sure how you can change that unless you go for original characters, but I'm assuming it's already too late for that.

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To be fair, the games don't portray Serena as a gung-ho law enforcement agent or Sycamore as a depraved sexual deviant either :P A large part of how I characterized in-game trainers for this story was based on how they came across to me personally as I played through the games. Sycamore did come across as a creeper to me. Shauna did seem like she had the mental capacity of a four year old. And Calem was just... odd in a way that I can't quite explain. And don't get me started on that whole <insert stupid nickname here> and "Neighbor" bull crap.

Plus, this takes place two years after the games - plenty of time for more crazy sermons and brainwashing from Pastor John to further mess with their brains lol

Bay Alexison said:

Hm, "To the car" sounds a bit silly but maybe it's ust me. If you want a little more urgency, maybe, "Let's chase after them!" or something similar. Otherwise, the car chase itself was a pretty fun read there! Good thing they got their suspects there.

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Eh, I've got '60's Adam West Batman on the brain right now, and "To the Batmobile!" was said quite frequently on that show IIRC. As you can see, I'm much better at writing car chases than Pokemon battles now haha

Bay Alexison said:

With the interrogation out of the way and those men in the cells, looking forward how you'll wrap all of this up!

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It will be a cool-down chapter most likely, but you never know who might make a cameo appearance ;)

Thanks for reading! Only one chapter to go!

At last we get a look inside that mansion! And realize, to no surprise, that the Pastor is living large thanks to his Pokemon King scheme. Though I have to give him credit for including his family in his portrait; the stereotype I have of this situation is for the wealthy, selfish boss to fill his place with pictures of himself. xP

But before Lisa and Serena get to the pastor, of course, they have a run-in with some old acquaintances. This was a pretty satisfying scene; at last we get an explanation of why the "friend" characters acted the way they did around Serena, and some long-awaited revenge in the form of a pokemon battle. I think the general idea of them belonging to a cult group is pretty funny -- while I've never played the X/Y games, I can tell just from their dialogue that they must have been pretty annoying. (And it looks like they're still quite good at hitting Serena's berserk button.)

And what would a Lisa fic be without a car chase? :P At long last Lisa manages to get the two pastors into custody. I was surprised at how sanely the pastors conducted themselves in the interview and how quickly they surrendered. Part of me expected at least one of them to be just as into the cult as the followers were, or for them to be more stubborn to give in to the League. But I guess you have to have a good head on your shoulders to be able to control a big business like that. And it goes to show how detached they were from the entire business, their only purpose being to make money.

Well now, at last, Serena can have some peace, knowing that the Pokemon King group won't be sending any more of its followers her way. Though I'm wondering how the people of Kalos will react to the cult's disbandment , and how many people in the region were following it in the first place. If it's a large enough amount, then the League could have a situation like Leaf's on their hands, with the disorder caused by millions of people being snapped out of their illusions.

I'll be looking forward to the conclusion!

Haruka of Hoenn said:

At last we get a look inside that mansion! And realize, to no surprise, that the Pastor is living large thanks to his Pokemon King scheme. Though I have to give him credit for including his family in his portrait; the stereotype I have of this situation is for the wealthy, selfish boss to fill his place with pictures of himself. xP

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Our local big church pastor only has a 16,000 square foot mansion :P And things are different in the church world, even the big guys try to portray themselves as wholesome family men, parading their wives and kids around like trophies. And some of the wives are just as crazy :P

Haruka of Hoenn said:

But before Lisa and Serena get to the pastor, of course, they have a run-in with some old acquaintances. This was a pretty satisfying scene; at last we get an explanation of why the "friend" characters acted the way they did around Serena, and some long-awaited revenge in the form of a pokemon battle. I think the general idea of them belonging to a cult group is pretty funny -- while I've never played the X/Y games, I can tell just from their dialogue that they must have been pretty annoying. (And it looks like they're still quite good at hitting Serena's berserk button.)

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Believe me, those four pressed my "Can I reach into the game and physically strangle you?" button :P But yeah, the whole setup in that game was weird, like they were forcing themselves on your character to be friends with them. And the two worst offenders, in game, actually appear at your front door just like the Jehovah's Witnesses. The only things missing were the Bibles and the Watchtower tracts... And the girl, Shauna, literally comes across as a toddler with her absurdly immature dialogue. It's so corny and cheesy it almost feels like Game Freak was trying to troll us.

Haruka of Hoenn said:

And what would a Lisa fic be without a car chase? :P At long last Lisa manages to get the two pastors into custody. I was surprised at how sanely the pastors conducted themselves in the interview and how quickly they surrendered.

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Some folks know when to give up. Some need Lisa's foot to their face to give up :) I don't think Lisa herself is satisfied with a mission unless there's a chase lol

Haruka of Hoenn said:

Part of me expected at least one of them to be just as into the cult as the followers were, or for them to be more stubborn to give in to the League. But I guess you have to have a good head on your shoulders to be able to control a big business like that. And it goes to show how detached they were from the entire business, their only purpose being to make money.

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The two head pastors were the ones running the show and brainwashing everyone else. They were above the chaos, you could say, and among the only members of the church who knew what was up.

Haruka of Hoenn said:

Well now, at last, Serena can have some peace, knowing that the Pokemon King group won't be sending any more of its followers her way. Though I'm wondering how the people of Kalos will react to the cult's disbandment , and how many people in the region were following it in the first place. If it's a large enough amount, then the League could have a situation like Leaf's on their hands, with the disorder caused by millions of people being snapped out of their illusions.

I'll be looking forward to the conclusion!

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Probably nothing on the scale of Leaf's situation. Somewhere in the tens of thousands is the norm for real life churches like this. Here in my city we have the big dog church with about 18,000 to 20,000 members, then a number of copycat/wannabe churches with 5,000 or 8,000 or so, then a whole lot of smaller ones which may or may not be copycats in their format (the whole rock concert/light show/screaming pastor thing). Individually, it's going to wreak havoc on a person's belief system and their faith but in the grand scheme of things, probably not mass chaos.

(Yeah, I've been reading way too much into cult-like churches, probably because we have one of the more notorious ones operating in my backyard)

And your wait for the final chapter will be very brief - it's getting posted next!