Steam Eruption

<Previous Arc> <Overview> <Next Arc>

Unable to locate Adri the morning after their head-splitting night in Pyranile's Casinnoh, Theo, Brandi and Kenny board the lavish Nidorient Express – a vast steam engine with a caravan of multi-layered carriages in eclectic styles. They have their eyes on the Slowpoke-shaped ChUrch of SlaSlo car, knowing it to be Team Nautilus's likely target, but enter the train via the daycare car to keep a low profile. Inside Theo spars with the day care man, an eccentric Mr. Rime impersonator named Hoity Toity. In victory against Hoity's Delibird Theo wins the attention of Enya, a small girl whose parents are on the train attempting to join The ChUrch of SlaSlo.

The trio then head to their assigned seats only to discover a bedraggled man with untidy hair and patchy facial hair sleeping inside their booth. Despite their best efforts they are unable to convince Cassius Flash, S-class trainer, to leave their booth. He despises other S-class trainers on the train and will do anything to avoid hanging out with them in the S-class trainer lounge. Kenny agrees to swap tickets with Cassius and hides in Cassius's sleeping bag whilst ticket inspection occurs.

All seems to be going fine until Kenny notices that his sister, Melissa Mullet, is one of the ticket inspectors. Not only that, the inspectors are using Team Hellsing scanners to scan for Pokepowers in the passengers. Before Kenny is discovered a woman with sleek gray hair and feline yellow eyes is targeted by the Pokepower Scanners on the other side of the carriage. As the inspectors attempt to restrain the terrified woman, Brandi looks to intervene, but is sucker punched when the woman possessing Meowstic like powers fires a psybeam directly at her. Chaos ensues before the Meowstic woman is finally subdued and Brandi is rushed to the medical car bearing a vicious S-shaped scar across her midriff.

As Brandi recovers, our heroes gather in Kenny's Mind Palace where Kenny finds a mysterious egg. The team discusses their next move and Kenny suggests using Pokepowers to move his consciousness into a tiny Pokemon and scout the carriage from afar. Kenny spies the perfect Pokemon outside the train – a Combee! His attempt to transfer consciousness however is less perfect. With the Mind Palace's bond not quite severed he unwittingly takes Theo's and Brandi's minds with him, each occupying one of the Combee heads. This 'a-combee-nation' flaps its wings with the power of the Combee Flap Rap and makes its way to the holding cells of the ChUrch carriage where it witnesses a horrifying sight: Mrs W, a high-ranking ChUrch member, and her brain-sucking Malamar attacking ChUrch members. Theo recognizes both their mentor, Cainan, and the sage-like Hillary from Pyranile in the Malamar's clutches. Acting swiftly, the trio attack the Malamar in their Combee form to help Cainan’s escape. The Combee delivers a devastating blow which results in both the Malamar and Jason the Combee being simultaneously knocked out, returning Kenny, Theo and Brandi to their bodies.

The trio, now human once again, go back to the ChUrch car. On the way they investigate the Pokeballs swallowed by Snorleone the Munchlax on the top of the Pyranile Obelisk and each gain a new member of their team: a Honchcrow for Kenny, a Barbaracle for Theo and a Bunnelby for Brandi.

Once inside the ChUrch car they flummox a pair of Paladins and reach the upper prisoner level they had been to previously in Combee form. Theo rescues Jason the Combee, and they find Hillary, but Mrs W and Cainan are nowhere to be found. Theo approaches Hillary and realizes that they are badly injured, presumably by Mrs W after their Malamar was knocked out. Theo's Togekiss attempts to heal Hillary but they are too far gone. Hillary passes away peacefully, their pain soothed by Togekiss's tears.

They find Calico, the Team Nautilus recruiter they defeated at the Sephiroth Tree, among the other prisoners. Theo frees him on the condition that he helps them find the Team Nautilus's spy they know is aboard this train.

Brandi challenges the on board gym leader, the despicable Kaiton and triumphs in a tight contest, earning the Exo Badge. From the sidelines Theo and Calico search the crowd for the Team Nautilus plant until Calico identifies her disappearing towards the train engine at the end of the fight. Theo is perplexed to see that it is Enya, whom they had met in the daycare car.

Another inspection is called and the gang splits up: Kenny goes to the S-class trainer lounge with Cassius's ticket, Theo looks to pursue Enya and Brandi heads for the team's assigned seats with Calico and Cassius impersonating Theo and Kenny respectively.

Kenny experiences life in the S-class lounge: Battling and losing to the experienced trainer, Caribbean Blue. Kenny's charade as Cassius is rumbled, however, when Melissa Mullet enters the lounge and instantly recognizes her brother. Kenny convinces Melissa not to turn him in to the other inspectors, vowing that he is doing all the can to help their sister, Dora, and to make sure that he never hurts anyone like that again.

Theo confronts the Nautilus spy Enya. Enya explains working with Nautilus to punish The ChUrch of SlaSlo, expressing fury for her parents giving up everything material in their life in order to pursue their spiritual dream. Theo masterfully commands Sewaddle in battle against Enya, defeating her Lanturn with ease. The leafy bug evolves and Theo finally nicknames their first Pokemon: They honor the memory of Hillary by bestowing their name on Swadloon. The terrified Enya, in over her head, throws an Electrode into the bowels of the train’s engine, warning Theo that it is too late to stop Nautilus's mission.

Brandi is forced into the engine room of the train after she lies to a train inspector about having information on Pokepowereds hiding on the train. There she is confronted by Train Chief Arnod and Reporter Ulma of Team Hellsing. Ulma dangles a sizable fortune in front of Brandi if she agrees to a scathing interview demonizing Pokepowered people after an encounter with the Meowstic woman. Brandi refuses. Not just horrified by the veiled extortion, but also the enslaved Meltan operating the engine. As she looks out to the poor malleable metallic Pokemon she notices an Electrode descending into the heart of the Nidorient Express's engine and before she can warn Arnod, the red and white sphere explodes, setting the Nautilus assault into motion.