The Platinum Syndicate Part 1: Business is Blooming

The Robbery

I held on tightly to my flower, floating in front of Dewalt as he dragged a cart behind him filled with groceries and supplies. The two of us were in charge of buying all the supplies and groceries our group required, due to being the two most innocuous-looking members. Nickel had named his part of our organization the Platinum Syndicate, but I wasn't too fond of the name – It reeked of my business partner's ego and avarice. We weren't even close enough to the size the name implied, let alone big enough to be a proper gang! My thoughts were interrupted by Dewalt speaking to me.

"Miss Thicket, I'm getting an awful feeling," he informed me. "I feel like I'm being watched. We need to keep our guard up!" I heard the sounds of footsteps all around us, before a flood of black and brown closed in on us. There were at least two dozen Rattata, but they weren't like any I had seen before – where a normal one would have purple fur, theirs was instead pitch-black. I floated upwards out of harm's way while Dewalt tried to fight off the horde, but there were too many of them. They made swift work of them, and then began to steal everything we had bought!

I knew there was no way we could defeat them all, but I could still do something about this. I looked for the slowest-moving Rattata I could find, and when I saw them, I floated towards them and summoned some bramble from beneath the earth. The fleeing thief collided into it, giving me the chance to encase his body in vines. "Dewalt, come over here!" I yelled out, the Drilbur promptly running over to me. "I got one of them. We're going to take this guy back to the hideout and get him to tell us everything about him and his friends. Be a dear and carry him for me, would you?" He nodded wordlessly, picking up the bandit and carrying him, following me as we returned back home.

---

I floated before my bound subject, eyeing him. He looked absolutely petrified. "Did you really think you could rob me and get away with it?" I asked him. "You're gonna be in a whole lot of trouble if you don't tell me where you and your friends are hiding out."

The Rattata shivered in place. "Oh no," he muttered. "Hilo's gonna be so mad when he learns I screwed up again, I'm gonna get shocked for sure!"

"Wait, what?" I asked. "Who's Hilo?"

The Rattata sighed. "He's our Lieutenant, and a Morpeko. He has these terrible mood swings, and if you slight him while he's in a bad mood, he'll fill you with volts. Then, the boss'll force you to work no matter what, and-"

"Your boss?" I inquired. "How does he treat you all?"

"He makes us do all the work and cooking," my captive informed me. "Him and Hilo eat it all, and we get the scraps. He'd thrash me for talking to you, but it doesn't really matter anymore! This was the last straw for me! He said that if I screwed up one more time, that I was out of the gang for good!"

I was angry at this Pokemon at first for robbing for me, but I now just felt bad. Whoever this Rattata's superiors were, they clearly mistreated him. I could see the fear in his eyes whenever he brought them up.

"You know, it doesn't have to stay that way," I told the Rattata. "If you help us out, we could get revenge on those two. I'm sure your friends will appreciate it, too, if they suffer through the same problems as you."

He stared at me, looking bewildered. "Why should I believe you? You're the one who had me dragged in here, and a minute ago, you were looking mighty angry! I-"

I tapped the vines ensnaring my captive, causing them to wither into dust. "You have no need to fear me," I reassured him. "I was mad because I didn't know you were just a victim in all of this. Mister, what would you do with your freedom with you had it? How would you use it?"

The question caused the Ratatta to think to himself for a few moments. "You're either naive, or r-really charitable. I'm Makau, and I'd much rather use my culinary skills freely, rather than feed those two swine gorging thems-" He cut himself off, looking startled. "I mean, I wish I could cook freely. For fun, for others; anything's better than how things are now. I'm sure everyone else in the gang feels the same way."

I giggled at how Makau corrected himself the moment he started to speak ill of those who commanded him. "You can say whatever you like about those two in here, I won't tell anyone unless you want me to," I said, trying to calm him down. "In fact, I have an offer for you. You and any of your other friends who're tired of your old boss can join me and work at my brewery. It'll take a bit of time to set up proper rooms and facilities for everyone and to teach them my trade, but I'm civilized enough to treat my employees like actual Pokemon, rather than tools."

Makau narrowed his eyes at me, unsure of how to take my offer. "What happens if I refuse? Are you gonna have someone beat me up?" He asked.

I shook my head, smiling at him. "No, I'll just let you go on your way," I told him. "Happy, willing employees do a better job than those who're forced to stay working."

The Rattata let out a sigh of relief. "You don't seem to be lying," he observed. "Plus, brewing sounds like something interesting to put on my resume. I'll join you, miss, but if you're pulling a fast one, I won't be coming back to you. Got it?"

I nodded, happy at his decision. "The name's Thicket, and you're more than welcome. I'll warn you that I have a business partner that's rather abrasive, but he'll all talk, no bite. In fact, if you tell me where your old gang lives, I'll go plan our recruitment drive and counter-attack. Do you feel like telling me now, or do you want to see if I can be trusted first?"

Makau deliberated for a few more moments. "I suppose I'll tell you," he muttered. The two of us then began to talk for a few minutes. After I got the information I needed, I floated out of the room we were in and headed towards Nickel's "office".

It was a freshly-digged room that spoke to his personality. There was a desk and a chair that were too large for anyone, even Shanks, and littered all around the room were valuables such as sacks of Poke and stolen valuables. However, his precious Gimmighoul Coins were nowhere to be seen – according to Dewalt, he was instructed to create a hidden place for them during his first wave of construction that only he and Nickel knew the whereabouts of.

The strangest sight was what laid on my business partner's desk. The Gimmighoul himself was on top of it, working at a smaller desk designed for his proper size. "What's with the extra desk?" I asked him. "It's huge! Couldn't you have made the one big enough for you and be done with it?"

Nickel scoffed at my criticism. "It's for when I evolve, Thicket!" He said, defending his strange choices. "Now, I know you brought in someone who was part of a gang that robbed you while you were out getting supplies. Did you learn anything about who was behind it yet?"

"Well, Nickel, I convinced him to join me! I might be able to sway his comrades, too!" I told him. "You see, the two Pokemon that run their gang treat them terribly. Once they hear-"

"Are you kidding me right now?" Nickel responded, his tone harsh. "You just recruited some schmuck that took my property into my gang without giving him any retribution? Are you out of your mind?"

"I said "me", Nickel, not you," I corrected him. "Do remember that although the Platinum Syndicate and Over the Moon Brewery are joined rather closely at the hip, we are still technically different organizations. I recruited him as a cook and general pair of helping hands." I began to talk more slowly, attempting to speak the one language he understands – money. "If I could recruit at least half of the Rattata I seen rob Dewalt and I earlier today, I could expand my operations. Larger operations means more cash flow, and as you should know, you get a cut of all of our profits in exchange for the services you provide."

The Gimmighoul's eyes widened as he adjusted his pair of glasses, looking intrigued by my offer. "That does sound inticing, but how're you gonna convince them, let alone knock out whoever's leading them?" He asked. In spite of his shortsightedness, he still had a good eye for tactics – it was why he was valuable, at the end of the day. "Do we know their general conditions and loyalty? How many Pokemon lead them?"

"Well, my newfound employee said their conditions are pretty bad. They have a Morpeko as a lieutenant that has violent mood swings, and when I was talking to him about where his former comrades are stationed, he did mention a Raticate was their leader. Their hideout is a bit north of Capim, inside of a cave he said they all dug out by hand. The jerks in charge didn't even have the decency to hire a proper excavator," I explained lengthily. "We'll need to pack some Cheri Bombs in case they try to force the Rattata to fight, but they aren't that strong individually. They mainly rely on overwhelming numbers in their robberies – at least twenty of them swarmed in on us."

Nickel remained silent as I could see the gears in his head turn. "We'll strike in a week," he decided. "Ampere will stay behind and keep guard because she's bad at fighting in closed spaces. So, that means you, me, Dewalt, Cobalt, and that creep Shanks are gonna be fighting. You said you know how to heal other Pokemon, right?"

"Mhm!" I affirmed. "I know Wish. You might need to pack some of my goods with the boys, too, you never know what kind of tight spot they'd find themselves in."

"You got a point there," Nickel offhandedly observed. "Leave me alone for a while, I gotta draw up plans. Do whatever the heck you want; I don't care." I took that as my cue to leave, exiting his office and floating around until I found Makau in the communal bedroom, sleeping on one of the numerous hay beds that were provided. He was currently itching at himself, his fur perhaps being irritated by the accomidations. That was something that needed to be fixed at a later date.

I needed him if my plan was to be successful, but I could wait a few days. Patience is important – this fact was something very few Pokemon seemed to understand.

A Few Days Later... I helped Makau fix breakfast for everyone – I always needed a hand when cooking anyway, and it was a good way for me to build up trust with him. In spite of the limited ingredients we had, the meal was superb, thanks to his knowledge and guidance. After everyone was done eating, I pulled him aside to speak with him. "Makau, there's a favor I want to ask of you," I started to say. "Can you come with us when we raid your old bosses? I think you'll be playing a very important role in it all."

Makau gazed at me, slightly confused. "Important? It was fun being able to cook without getting yelled at for once in my life, but I'm just a pickpocket and a chef. I'm not exactly a specimen of masculinity like Nickel's boys are."

"There's more way to influence things than just violence", I informed him. "I want to give your compatriots refuge and a better job than what they have now, and you know better than any of them what life is like here. You'll be vital in helping me convince them to join me."

"I don't wanna go back there, though," Makau murmured, a bit of fear showing from his posture. "Hilo and that fatass Gula would tear me to pieces for double-crossing them! I can't face them again-"

"We'll make sure you're safe," I promised. "I can even teach you how to use Cheri Bombs, and you can pack extra in case either of them try to to hurt you. It doesn't matter how big or small they are – one of those things will send them flying through the roof!"

Makau weakly smiled, snickering to himself. "I dunno what those are, but they sound kinda like Blast Seeds. I'd love to blow those two up," he told me.

"They're stronger than Blast Seeds! Come to the storage room. We'll get some, and practice throwing them on the surface," I instructed him. He followed me without hesitation, and what followed was a rather fun practice session. Makau was a natural at using explosives, and he seemed to share my sentiments – if someone does you wrong, bomb them to the ground!

The Raid

All six of us approached the entrance to the gang's hideout, Nickel perched on Dewalt's shoulder. "So, here's the plan," he started. "Dewalt's gonna fight that Morpeko since he's a Ground-type. Everyone else is going to clear the mooks if they get pressed to fight. If you got to use Cheri Bombs to clear out groups of them, then do so. Did you morons get all of that?"

All of us nodded, except Shanks. He was staring blankly into space, seeming to not even register his surroundings. It was better than him being angry – I only saw that once, when Cobalt accidentally woke him up from one of his naps. He stabbed him with his shell so much that if it weren't for my brews, he would've had to go to a hospital. Everyone else kept their distance from him after that.

We all descended into the cave Gula's crew called home. It took a few moments for everyone's eyes except Dewalt's to adjust to the dim lighting, and what we saw was nothing short of chaotic. There were stoves, pots, bowls, and more scattered about everywhere, with at least two dozen of those black Rattata darting around frantically, trying their hardest to cook. I could faintly hear a wheezing voice issuing out what sounded like orders, but it was far enough away that I couldn't make out what they were.

We drew closer, capturing the notice of a round, obese figure. "Hey, quit cooking for a second!" It rasped. "Why is there a bunch of strangers breaking into my kitchen?" The Rattata all froze in place and frantically put out the fires of their stoves, all of them scrambling into our view. There were at least thirty of them, if not more. Trailing right behind them were two other Pokemon; a Morpeko and Raticate – Hilo and Gula.

"Well, hello there, guys!" Hilo cheerfully greeted us. "What're all of you doing here?" His eyes drifted to and from each person on our team, before eventually settling on Makau, who instinctively flinched. "Oh, did you come here to bring one of our own back? The others did say he went missing! Gula, didn't you say something about this one?" He asked his leader.

"I told the runt that if he screwed up again, he's out!" Gula yelled. "Knowing how much of a whelp he is, he's probably the one who ratted us out to these nobodies! Now, all of you, go and kick their asses! They can't beat all of you!" The Raticate began to cough and wheeze from raising his voice, while his gang members charged at us.

I floated back and started to observe the battle. The scene was nothing short of chaotic! Cobalt's fighting style expressed his aggressive, yet cautious personality well – he used his thick tentacles to block attacks sent his way and counter-attacked with as much force as possible, sending each Rattata he hit flying. Dewalt, in spite of his polite, soft-spoken demeanour, fought far more aggressively, using his claws to tear through the opposition. Makau hid behind the two, shivering in fright not only due to the violence around him, but specifically because of Shanks.

The Slowbro fought half-heartedly, not even bothering to raise his shell to block attacks. He whacked the Rattata around him as if it weren't a tense battle, but a boring, monotous job. He was a hard Pokemon to read, but I could see the total apathy with which he treated the entire conflict. It didn't matter how many opponents swarmed over him – he wasn't phased in the slightest. It was clear he was levels above the rest of us, and that was a cause for concern for me. I knew how unpredictable and violent he could get.

Thanks to the items Nickel had our fighters stock up on and copious uses of Wish, we all managed to survive the initial wave of attack, leaving only Hilo and Gula standing. The latter looked at the former, clearly irritated by this course of events. "Quit being lazy and shock them," Gula told his subordinate. "Do I have to do everything myself?"
Hilo looked at his comrade, the yellow on his fur shifting to a dark purple. His eyes began to glow with red malevolence as he glared through them. "Don't tell me what to do, fatty!" He snapped back. "I'll be sure and give you some volts after all these idiots get fried, too! Don't think just because you're my boss, that means that you can do whatever the heck you want to me!"

The Morpeko charged at Cobalt with surprising speed, colliding into him with a Spark. In spite of his defenses, the force of the attack caused him to flinch. Hilo followed this by ramming his opponent again, prompting Nickel to rudely punch Dewalt. "It's your job to beat this punk, you nearsighted nitwit!" He reminded him. "Quit gawking and give him a taste of some Ground moves!"

Dewalt nodded and tried to charge at Hilo with a Drill Run, but he used his natural agility to evade it. However, this gave Cobalt an opportunity to attack, using Bind in order to lock our foe in place. "Attack him while he's bound!" Nickel commanded. "Hit him with everything you've got!"

Dewalt rushed towards Hilo, burying into him with a Drill Run straight to the stomach. The force of it was enough to cause them to gasp in pain, prompting the Morpeko to release a large burst of electricity all around them. Dewalt, being a Ground-type, was unaffected, but Cobalt was forced to release them. "That hurts, you prick!" Hilo exclaimed. "I'm gonna make you regret that!"

He latched onto Cobalt with a Thunder Fang, biting them repeatedly. Dewalt tore into the Morpeko's side with a Crush Claw, drawing away their fury. Hilo began using Crunch on the Drilbur repeatedly, all the while he desperately tried to pry them off. Cobalt had the opening this time around, slugging their enemy in the back with a Brick Break. The force of the attack was enough for Hilo to freeze in pain for a few moments, allowing Dewalt to attack him with another Drill Run.

Things looked optimistic for our team. Dewalt was heavily injured, due to not possessing as much durability as Cobalt, but Hilo was badly hurt as well. All it would take was a couple more minutes, and he would be defeated. Yet, in spite of this, the Morpeko kept his stride, leaping away from the other two fighters for the moment. I began to use Wish to heal Dewalt, unsure of what trick our enemy was going to use next.

"So you think you're a couple of wise guys for ganging up on someone with a type disadvantage, huh?" Hilo said mockingly. "Well, that's further from the truth. The both of you are a couple of idiots for not realizing something..."

Energy began to build around the Morpeko, forming a wheel shape around them. "I could've ran you off the road at any time, but I was trying to be charitable!" He said to them both. "Well, I'm not gonna be mister nice mouse anymore. You and your friends are all going to turn into pancakes after I'm finished with you."

Nickel's eyes lit up with recognition, then annoyance. "Of course this guy knows Aura Wheel!" He complained. "Keep your eyes on him at all times! Meet his charge, and give him everything you've got! Nip it in the bud while you can – he'll only get faster the longer he stays standing!"

Hilo used his move to gain distance from the others, before he rode straight towards Dewalt. Expecting the move to be another Electric one, he simply poised his dominant claw to strike, and used the other one to guard. Yet, when the Aura Wheel connected, it sent him flying back – it wasn't what he thought it'd be at all! The Morpeko turned and began to drive straight into Cobalt, who looked to be ready to catch him.

It didn't work. He, too, was sent hurtling across the cave. Dewalt was unable to move, and Cobalt was struggling to get up. I began to prepare another Wish, but a strange noise captured my attention. I turned to look at the source – it was Shanks, who fell asleep in the middle of the fight. Why did that old man always have to be a detriment to the group? Whenever we needed to fight he did nothing useful, only to assault his allies later! Why did Nickel have to cave into his intimidation and accept him?

Hilo turned, the speed of his Aura Wheel only having increased, making his way towards Shanks' slumbering, yet standing form. He collided with the Slowbro, halting his movement entirely. The wheel cracked, then shattered, while Shanks let out a yawn. As he woke up, he stared down the Morpeko with a look in his eyes that sent a chill down my spine.

His gaze was empty, yet full of rage and a strange quality I couldn't put into a single word. It was a cousin to confidence and arrogance, yet distinctly different. Arrogance would've implied that the feeling was unwarranted, and confidence didn't capture the absolute certainty of what he thought. He instinctively knew of his superiority to his opponent, and was completely unafraid of them.

"You woke me up," Shanks said blankly, raising his shell arm. "Goodbye." The Slowbro attacked with his shell arm faster than my eyes could see, stabbing Hilo dozens of times. Then, using the blunt part of his shell, he whacked them and sent them reeling, wordlessly watching as the Morpeko struggled to stand upright.

Nervously, Hilo stuffed an Oran from his bag into his mouth, healing the worst of his injuries. The purple part of his fur returned to a normal yellow, and the hostility in his eyes was replaced by fear. "O-okay, you win!" He cried out. "You can do whatever you want; take whatever you want! Just don't hurt me!"

Shanks took a single step forward, pointing the end of his shell towards his enemy's position. "No," he responded. "You are not running." He took aim and fired a Gunk Shot towards Hilo, who only got out of the way due to their enhanced speed and his adversary's poor aim. Shanks continued firing numerous ranged attacks towards the Morpeko – Flamethrowers, Mud Shots, and Shadow Balls were among the projectiles, but Hilo was able to evade them all, barely surviving against the Slowbro's onslaught.

Shanks planted his feet firmly on the ground, his eyes tracking Hilo. I could see a twinge of annoyance within them. "That is enough," he uttered coldly. "No more games." A Sludge Wave was shot out from his shell, sweeping up everything in its path, Hilo included. As the Morpeko sputtered and coughed, Shanks fired multiple Mud Shots into them, injuring them to the point where they could no longer fight. He slowly made his way towards his defeated opponent, standing ominously over them. He raised his shell, clearly preparing to finish them off. This was very clearly an execution.

It was only stopped by Shanks feeling someone's eyes upon him – he turned to see Nickel glaring at him. "I thought I told you that I didn't want any bodies!" He yelled. "We can't afford to attract that level of heat while we're small! What are you thinking?" The Slowbro stared back at him, his gaze causing Nickel to shift in place. He then looked back towards Hilo, frowning.

"I'm done," Shanks said. "I'm bored. You're all cowards; no fun to fight. I'm going home." He turned around and began to walk away from the battle, aiming to leave the cave we were in entirely. As soon as he was sure Shanks was gone, Gula marched towards Cobalt.

"Thank Arceus that old-timer's gone," the Raticate muttered under his breath. "Now, as for all of you – I'm going to take everything you've got! I deserve reparations after all the grief you've caused me!" Cobalt blocked a Crunch with one of his tentacles, meanwhile Nickel scrambled into the former's bag, ready to direct the movements of his "talent".

Cobalt counter-punched with a Rock Smash, but thanks to Gula's sheer girth, he was able to stand his ground. "That's the ticket, calamari-for-brains!" Nickel cheered. "Endure everything that fatso throws at you, and then punch back twice as hard! He can't dodge you with all that extra weight on him! Be sure and drink some of Thicket's booze if you need it, too. Those teeth look pretty sharp!"

The two continued to fight in a messy, yet straightforward brawl. Gula used his various fang-based attacks to tear into Cobalt, while the Clobbopus slugged him with as much force as he could muster. Neither of them had much technique to them, but the winner was clear to me. Even with me using Wish to keep my ally standing, Gula's bulk and fangs were more powerful than what Cobalt could take. Soon enough, he ran out of items, and I became too fatigued to use any moves.

With a single Sucker Punch, Gula sent his battered and fatigued opponent to the ground. "You made a big mistake in coming here," he wheezed, struggling to breathe. Even if he had power to him, it was clear he was unused to such physical exertion. He looked at Nickel, who was trying to creep out of Cobalt's storage. "Don't think I forgot about you, shrimpy. What made you think you and your boys could win against all of us?"

"If Shanks didn't get upset and bail, you'd be on the ground just like everyone else," Nickel scoffed. "Besides, my gang isn't even at its full potential yet. We'll just come back and annihilate your little outfit some other time. You could stand to loose a few pounds, too – you look like you're about to pass out from exhaustion."

Gula began to laugh and cough at my business partner's declaration, ignorant to the fact that Makau had snuck up behind him. The Rattata withdrew a Cheri Bomb from his sack, shook it, and threw it at the back of his former leader's head, causing an explosion to envelop him! Gula was knocked over by the sheer force of the detonation, his eyes wide open in animalistic panic.

"H-here's a parting present from me to you!" Makau shouted. "It's a dish so spicy, even you can't handle it!" He threw another Cheri Bomb, knocking Gula further away from Cobalt and Nickel. He cackled madly, clearly savoring his moment of vengence. "Eat up, fatty! This is what you get for scolding me for being slow! I kept on telling you that you gotta take your time when cooking a good meal, but that wasn't good enough for you!" A third Cheri Bomb was lobbed, Gula being too weak to try and get up at this point. "All you ever wanted us to cook was slop, slop, and more slop! I'm done catering to you and your buddy's whims!" He dashed towards his opponent's downed form and kicked him in the head for good measure. "You're going to have to cook on your own now – oh, wait, you can't cook worth a crap! That's why you forced me and everyone else to do it instead!"

Makau took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. "Man, that was cathartic," he mused. "Now, fellas. Can you all hear me?" The numerous Rattata that were a part of Gula's gang had resigned themselves to looking at the battle on the sidelines in fear. Many of them reluctantly nodded. "The Pokemon that barged in have no quarrel with you, only with the two that have used and abused us for ages. In fact, one of them made an offer to me, that also extends to all of you."

Makau stepped forward, the fear and neuroticism that defined him melting away for but a moment. He pointed towards me, smiling. "Thicket here said that she'll take in any one of us that wants to join her brewery. She treated me a lot better than Gula did, and she even helped me cook. That's something he would've never done for us. It'd take a bit to dig out new accomidations for everyone, but I'd say that's better than suffering any longer. Of course, if you want to leave and pursue a better life for yourself, that's fine too! Just stand by me if you want to join Thicket and I." The other Rattata discussed their options amongst themselves for a bit, a few of them seeming hesitant. However, a large portion of them did go to Makau. My plan had worked! I had new employees, and they wouldn't have to endure any more pain!

"Okay, everyone," I said, addressing my new employees. "Welcome to Over the Moon Brewery! We'll need to get the wounded out of here, but after that, it's not a long way back to home! Now come on, everyone, we've got work to do!" As Nickel's men were healed and helped up, I noticed that Dewalt looked especially tired – he must've known that this would mean only more work for him. As we made our way home, I noted to myself that I should employ more diggers for our expansion. I wasn't going to force him and the Rattata to do all the work, that'd be cruel!