As Mew, Victini and the other Legendaries are unable to do much more than eat and wait, Mischief Nyte makes his next move.

---

“Are you ready for your final test?” Cobalion asked looking down at his young pupil, Keldeo. Behind him were his two fellow Swords of Justice, Terrakion and Virizion. They stood outside of their monastery, isolated high up in the mountains beyond the reach of most other Pokemon.

“I am,” Keldeo answered as he bowed his head to his masters.

“Oh, boy,” chuckled Terrakion. “It’s finally time to see if the kid’s got the stuff.”

“Could you try to contain yourself for a little bit?” Virizion asked Terrakion. “This is the moment that we have been training Keldeo for. To see if he can truly master, Sacred Sword.”

“I’m just excited is all,” he replied. “He’s been like our little brother who we’ve been teaching to be as badass as us.”

“We have not been training him to be ‘badass’ as you so crudely put it,” Virizion sighed showing agitation. “We are nobel defenders of justice as has been our duty for countless ages. Honestly, I think this age we are living in has infected your mind. You’ve allowed it to fill your head with a whole lot of rubbish.”

“You know, when you talk like that you sound like an old man,” teased Terrakion.

“Say that again and I’ll kick your ass,” snapped Virizion as he crossed swords with his fellow Legendary.

“Those two can’t get along even for something like this?” sighed Cobalion as he shook his head. Then he looked down at Keldeo, focused and determined, and he smiled. He wasn’t even phased as Virizion and Terrakion were only going at each other more.

“Is that the best you can do?” teased Terrakion blowing a raspberry at Virizion adding more fuel to the fire. “I think your sword has gotten dull.”

“If it has it’s only because of all the times I’m constantly bashing it on your head!” growled Virizion.

“Let’s continue,” Cobalion told Keldeo as he did his best to ignore the ruckus going on behind him. “For your last test, you must do as we have done before and pierce the sacred stone with with your sword of justice.”

“The sacred stone,” gasped Keldeo as he turned and gazed upon the mighty rock that stood before the monastery. It was made of a hard material that could withstand most attacks. Keldeo recalled when he had first arrived at the monastery.


“Please,” begged Keldeo groveling at the feet of Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion. “Please take me in as your disciple. I wish to be stronger.”

“It’s amazing some little pipsqueak managed to make it up here,” commented Terrakion. “He’s got guts, but what gives him the idea that we’re teachers?”

“I hate to break it to you,” Virizion said bending over towards Keldeo. “But it was a waste of time for you to come. There is nothing for you here. Go home.”

“I beseech you all,” he cried out, tears welling in his eyes. “I can’t have come all this way for nothing. You three are the swords of justice, so you can’t just turn me down like this.”

“It is not a matter of right or wrong to teach you,” Virizion explained. “We simply shall not and that is all there is to it. And if you have to resort to such disgraceful behavior as tears then that shows your immaturity.”

“Yeah, so get lost, ya runt,” added Terrakion.

“You aren’t helping by acting so immature,” Virizion snapped at Terrakion.

“Well, you aren’t getting the pipsqueak to leave by calling him disgraceful and going on about right or wrong. Give him excuses and he’ll just keep coming back,” Terrakion countered. “Just tell him to beat it and that’s that.”

“I was trying to be tactful and let him leave with some pride in tact,” explained Virizion. “Let him go with some encouraging parting words.”

“Well, I didn’t hear any of that,” argued Terrakion butting heads with Virizion.

“You interrupted me before I could get to that part,” shouted Virizion pushing back on Terrakon. Keldeo had stopped crying as the two of them argued and now he was just staring at the two of them bickering. He then turned to notice Cobalion was still looking down at him as if he hadn’t yet decided on an answer himself yet.

“Damage that stone,” he instructed Keldeo much to the little Pokemon’s astonishment.

“What the?” asked Terrakion stopped his bickering with Virizion upon hearing this.

“Cobalion, you cannot be serious,” stated Virizion.

“Let us see what he’s capable of,” Cobalion told them. “If he can damage that stone then we shall teach him. “Will that condition be enough to satisfy you?”

“Y-yes, thank you,” bowed Keldeo before turning to the rock like he was facing a great foe he had to overcome. Then with all his might he lunged at it and attacked with all his might.


“I couldn’t even scratch it,” recalled Keldeo. “After days of trying without pause and using my strongest attacks I was never able to do anything to it, yet each of them showed me one after another how they could cut into it with their Swords of Justice when they used the attack, Sacred Sword, something I was unable to do. I had thought that was the end and I finally had to call it quits, but then they all agreed to train me so that I could pierce the sacred stone. It’s been a long time coming, but finally I will succeed. I will do it!”

Closing his eyes, Keldeo focused his energy into his sword just as he had been taught to do. He could feel the power concentrated in his forehead grow as it got channeled into his horn and it began to glow. Opening his eyes to see, it began to fade a little as his focus faltered for a second, but he was quick to regained it and made the glow increase.

“Oh, boy,” cheered Terrakion as he pulled himself away from Virizion to join Cobalion in watching the final test. “This looks like the moment we’ve been waiting for. You almost made me miss it.”

“You were the one who started it,” Virizion reminded him.

“Did not,” argued Terrakion.

“Did too,” snapped Virizion.

“Did not,” Terrakion said again.

“Do I have to ground you two?” questioned Cobalion calmly and the two of them chose to behave.

“Did too,” whispered Virizion quietly needing to get the last word in.

“Almost ready,” panted Keldeo feeling the strain of containing so much power in his sword and keep it from dispersing. It even seemed to make his head feel heavy as his neck strained to remain upright. Taking a few deep breaths, he stared at the sacred stone, covered in many marks by the three Swords of Justice, but not once yet by him. He was determined to change all that as he rushed at it with his sword drawn. Then with a mighty swing he attacked it crying out, “SACRED SWORD!!!”

He swung and it felt like nothing as he completed his attack and all at once he collapsed to the ground exhausted. His horn had already stopped glowing and a feeling of dread filled him. “I… I missed,” he gasped for breath feeling great shame. “It was working so well, but my aim wasn’t true. I… failed…”

“If that was truly a failure, then what is that?” asked Cobalion making Keldeo lift his head and gaze upon the sacred stone. His eyes opened wider and his mouth slowly dropped in awe. In all the times he had tried to damage the sacred stone he had memorized each and every scratch, cut, and hole that had been put into it. Looking at it now, there was a small diagonal cut in it that he knew for certain had never been there before and it was unmistakably different from how their attacks looked in the stone. Without any doubt, he knew this cut belonged to him.

“I r-really did it,” he breathed more hastily with excitement. “I finally did it! I cut into the sacred stone! But I was certain I had missed. I mean, it felt like I only cut the air when I attacked.”

“The power behind Sacred Sword is the very power of justice itself and true justice can pierce anything no matter how hard it may be,” lectured Cobalion. “Remember this well, because it is the very last thing I have to teach you. As of this moment, you have learned all that we can offer you. You are now free to travel the lands and seek to bring justice to the world as we do.”

“I… I will,” promised Keldeo bowing his head to his three teachers once more and did his best to not cry tears now that it was finally time to depart. In spite of this, a few did manage to leak out, but none of them said a word about it. In case they might have, Keldeo quickly turned and started his departure from the monastery right away.

“I have a feeling he will do a great many things,” chuckled Cobalion smiling.

“Heheh, I still find it a bit funny that we’ve been calling our sharpening rock a sacred stone all this time,” chuckled Terrakion. “I mean, it isn’t very just to tell lies like that, Cobalion.”

“I hate to admit it, but he does have a point,” agreed Virizion. “Sure, it’s a hard rock, but it is hardly some mystical object. Though I am a lot more shocked that kept up the lie for all these years.”

“Remember when I got him to do the sacred dance around it, as customary under the fool moon,” guffawed Terrakion. “Oh, I never knew he had moves like that. It took all my strength to keep a straight face. Same with you Virizion.”

“That’s quite enough out of both of you,” hissed Cobalion. “That’s not what matters. I gave Keldeo that test all those years back as a nice way of giving him a chance to try and prove himself. Admittedly, none of us had planned to train him and we had hoped that would convince him to leave, but instead, it showed us a Pokemon with incredible determination and heart, something that I feel has dulled in us in this current age we live in. What began as a little, white lie has grown into something miraculous. A pupil that we are all very proud of and I know you both agree with me.”

“It was still a very silly dance,” commented Virizion.

“You’ve got nothing on my mad dance moves,” remarked Cobalion. “I could take you both on with my sword tied behind my back.”

“Dance off!” laughed Terrakion. “I’ll get the boombox.”


Several days later, Keldeo had descended the mountains and returned to the world he had left behind many years ago. It all felt so surreal to finally be back on the ground. All the green of the grass and trees, the clouds now far too high up overhead for him to reach, and the air that was no longer thin and made catching his breath effortless.

“I forgot what it’s like to be this low,” he remarked.

“Help! Help!” he heard a cry from nearby and turned his sword in that direction.

“Someone in need of justice, already?” he gasped. “I guess it is finally time to see if all that training truly paid off!”

“L-L-Leave me alone,” cried a Smoochum as a bunch of Zorua surrounded her and were making all kinds of faces, attempting to be scary, but they came out at worst silly and at best creepy.

“Heheh, no way,” one of them laughed. “Causing trouble wherever we go is what we love to do. If you want us to stop, then make us.”

“What in the name of justice is going on here?” Keldeo asked taking a stance from atop a boulder to have an epic entrance.

“We’re the Zorua Sneaks the legendary prankster group,” they declared. “Where Pokemon live boring lives we go to liven things up. It’s all for a good laugh.”

“Ganging up on poor Pokemon and making them cry doesn’t seem like a good laugh,” countered Keldeo.

“It is for us,” they laughed. “And we’ll have more fun too, after we kick your butt too!” They said this, but they didn’t move from where they were standing.

“What are you idiots doing?” whispered Smoochum when she saw them freeze up.

“Nyte, he looks really strong,” one of them whispered back. “Do we really have to fight him?”

“Just enough to make it convincing,” she replied. “I’ll take it from there. You just remember what else you have to do and do it. Now, hurry up or he might suspect something.”

“Are you guys coming or am I supposed to come to you?” questioned Keldeo. “It’s my first time doing this so is there a protocol or anything to how this goes?”

“Uh, we’re coming,” one of the Zorua shouted back. “That was the uh… dramatic stare down. It makes things more epic before the fighting begins. Now, uh, time for the Zorua Sneaks to attack!”

The group rushed at Keldeo, outnumbering him six to one. However, Keldeo didn’t hesitate as he focused some energy into his horn as he charged Sacred Sword. As his power peaked, he was ready to attack as soon as they got in range, but just as they were a few steps out of reach, the Zorua ran around him. Then rather than attacking him from behind, they fled.

“You haven’t seen the last of us,” the Zorua Sneaks shouted while they didn’t stop running. “We’ll be back!” they added quietly, “maybe.”

“Those idiots,” Nyte groaned and face-palmed. “There is no way he won’t think something is strange about all this now.”

“Are you okay?” Keldeo asked as he approached Smoochum.

“Or maybe he won’t,” Nyte thought deciding to roll with it. “Oh, thank you mister! You saved my life!”

“Those bullies were just a bunch of talk,” he chuckled. “They were no match for me. Now, you should hurry on home before they decide to come back.”

“But I live far away,” she told him. “I don’t know if I can get there by myself, especially if scary Pokemon like those guys are out there.”

“Then allow me to escort you home,” he answered. “But if I might ask, why were you all the way out here?”

“I came to pick up,” the fake Smoochum began to say. She was going to say, “rare berries,” only to realize the painted Oran Berries she had were gone and could only assume one thing.

“Urp!” belched the Zorua after having munched on all the Oran Berries. “That hit the spot.”

“Nyte said these were rare berries, but they tasted just like Oran Berries,” one of them mentioned.

“Wait,” commented one. “Didn’t he say they were important to the plan? And we just ate them all.”

“You wanna be the one to tell him?”

“No thank you.”

“Those idiots!” scowled Smoochum looking quite enraged. “They must’ve ran off with the berries. What am I supposed to tell Keldeo now?”

“You were picking up something?” wondered Keldeo approaching the disguised Nyte who quickly hid his anger and thought frantically.

“I was, uh, getting this rare… rock,” she answered plucking an ordinary stone off the ground. “See. It is of the utmost importance that I return to my village with it.”

“Then I will escort you and your rock,” Keldeo told her bowing his head. “Here, hop on and I’ll carry you. It is my honor as a Knight of Justice.”

“My hero!” Smoochum said getting on his back and hugging his neck. As she did, a dark grin spread across her face as she worked a little of her magic. It was only for a few seconds before she stopped and Keldeo shook his head.

“Felt a little light-headed for a second,” he said confused. “Guess even if I don’t use it to attack, Sacred Sword takes a lot of strength from me.”

“Maybe you’re hungry,” suggested Smoochum. “I think there might be a place we can get some food on the way.”

“I didn’t have much of a chance to eat on my way down the mountain,” he admitted. “Only a few berries here and there. My teachers did tell me that justice cannot fight on an empty stomach. How could I have failed to remember such a crucial rule?”

“It’ll be okay,” promised Smoochum. “We’ll go and get you all filled up in no time.”


“Are you guys okay?” asked Mew as he and all his friends were sitting at a buffet and he watched them stuff their faces with trays full of food. Along with Victini, Jirachu, and Celebi, they had Manaphy and Shaymin with them now. “You’re all eating a lot.”

“Cause the food here’s good,” smiled Victini. “And you know how that song goes, ‘Gotta eat ‘em all! Food is yum!”

“That song is about Pokemon,” Celebi corrected.

“Why would I want to eat Pokemon?” chuckled Victini.

“Seriously, everyone,” Mew continued. “You’ve all been eating quite a lot and it looks like you’re all putting back all the weight you managed to lose.”

“We do seem to be getting a tad rounded,” admitted Jirachi patting her belly and watching it wobble. She then went back to munching on some fries she had on her plate casually.

“Too bad we haven’t had as much time to lose weight as you all did,” commented Manaphy. “It won’t take us much longer to pass the weight we were at after we were pranked.”

“That is worrying,” agreed Shaymin between mouthfuls of food. “But why are we letting this happen? I mean we’re aware of it, after all.”

“I think this is more of Mischief’s doing,” commented Mew looking quite concerned. “That’s the only thing I can think of.”

“Why do you think that?” questioned Celebi. “Do you think he’s here pranking us again?”

“Not exactly,” he replied tugging at his chins with one paw and shoving three slices of pizza in his maw with the other. After he swallowed all that down, he continued to talk. “There was something I’ve never told you about Nyte. While he is a Mew like me, he isn’t able to use all the battle moves like I am able to.”

“That’s perplexing,” admitted Celebi. “Typically the unique genetic pattern of a Mew is capable of allowing it full access to all available combat techniques with the exception of those possessed through an incompatible genetic mutation in certain species. Is it your implication that he possesses some alternate capability as a result of this irregularity?”

“What?” asked all the other Pokemon unsure what Celebi just said.

“Does Mischief Nyte have some other power that differs from a typical Mew?” he shortened and simplified.

“That’s just it,” Mew explained. “I don’t know. Between the two of us I was typically the stronger battler with a lot more moves to draw from. I suppose that since he couldn’t beat me in battle he turned to pranking me as an alternate way to be on top. Unfortunately, I think he’s learned to enjoy pranking Pokemon a little too much.”

“I can agree to that,” stated Manaphy munching on a triple bacon cheeseburger. “I usually associate pranks with a bucket of water on top of a partially opened doorway or a whoopie cushion on a chair. You know, something unexpected, a little silly, and, most importantly, not permanent.”

“Yeah, making us all obese is really taking things too far,” agreed Shaymin shoving his face into a pie. “And we seem to be stuffing our faces now on top of it. Why did we think coming here was a good idea?”

“Cause we were hungry and wanted to stuff ourselves fatter,” chuckled Victini looking the most overweight of them all as he got up and waddled his way back to the buffet for another helping.

“As I was saying,” Mew continued after Victini had left. “I had always wondered why Nyte was so different from other Mews, but seeing what’s happened in the aftermath of all these pranks and especially seeing us here as Victini just said, ‘enjoying stuffing ourselves fatter,’ I think he might actually have the ability to change a Pokemon’s nature.”

“Our nature?” questioned Celebi pondering that for a moment as he grabbed a slice of cake and managed to fit half of it in his maw before taking a bite. He finished thinking after he swallowed. “I think you might be onto something, but even if he does how such a power, when would he have gotten the chance to use it?”

“I don’t recall him using any ability on us,” commented Manaphy. “We had the appetites of Snorlax when we were stuffing ourselves at the time so he hardly needed to do anything beyond wet our appetites.”

“True, but we’re normal now and I think we’re just as hungry as if we were Snorlaxes,” worried Shaymin.

“We never saw Nyte either,” Jirachi pointed out. “How could he use a power if we aren’t even in range? I cannot imagine him being able to use it without being in close proximity.”

“Mischief can also transform into just about anything,” reminded Mew. “Who’s to say that he wasn’t pretending to be a Chansey in the hospital while we were recovering? Without us even aware, he could have given us severely gluttonous natures to ensure we don’t lose weight as a part of his plan.”

“A valid theory,” agreed Celebi. “But we were losing weight for a while as we worked to slim down. Now we’re unable to resist packing on the pudge again. I would assume there would be some delay, but there was a gap in time between when you and Victini were pranked and when Jirachi and I were pranked. Also, Shaymin and Celebi were pranked recently and it has taken effect right away so we all pretty much had our nature changed at the same time. I can hardly call that a coincidence.”

“Do you think he was able to delay the effects?” suggested Shaymin. “Wanting it to affect us all at once as a prank?”

“If it is a prank, he would do it like this to ensure we wouldn’t realize what he was doing till it was too late,” reasoned Mew. “If we figured out he was doing this to us while we were in the hospital we’d be on guard and checking to see if all the doctors and nurses weren’t him in disguise. But he snuck past us once again.”

“But if he is going to do that to another Pokemon,” pointed out Manaphy. “We’d be able to catch him in the hospital next time, for sure.”

“That won’t work,” replied Mew. “Mischief didn’t do this just to prank us. He’s also gloating cause everything is going his way.”

“I think I understand,” stated Shaymin. “You’re saying that right now he’s already in the middle of changing the nature of our last teammate.”

“And there’s nothing we can do to stop him,” sighed Mew.

“I’m back guys!” answered Victini in a happy tone as he carried over his latest tray stacked high with food. None of his friends seemed nearly as enthusiastic as he did, however.

“Nothing we can do at all,” Mew said again, grabbing a burger off of Victini’s tray to eat.

“Hey!” cried Victini.


“Any idea if where that place to eat is?” groaned Keldeo feeling painfully hungry. He carried his traveling companion, Smoochum, across the plains and was now in a dense forest. “I’m starving.”

“I’m fairly certain that there is a ramen shop around,” the Smoochum assured him with a nervous laugh at the end.

“Oh, where did those idiots set up the trap?” fumed Nyte. “It should be here. If Keldeo gets too hungry he might leave to look for food elsewhere. I need to fatten him up quickly before he realizes something is wrong!”

“Is something wrong?” asked Keldo as Smoochun gripped at his ears tightly. “You seem a bit tense.”

“Oh, I am just hungry too and hoping we can find it-” she replied trying to hide the truth. Fortunately, she saw their search was over. “There it is!”

“Thank goodness,” sighed Keldeo turning to where Smoochum was looking and saw a ramen stand in the middle of the forest. “I’m glad we found it, but isn’t this a rather strange place to have a ramen stand? There is even a tree right in the middle of it. That’s really… something.”

“Heheh, it really is, isn’t it?” laughed Smoochum.

“Of course it is,” Nyte inner monologued. “Those useless sneaks were supposed to set up the stand in the cleaning back there. I figured they were screwing up again, but how could they screw up so bad that they set up the stand around a stupid tree?!?”

“Ow, my ears,” cried Keldeo. “You’re gonna pull off my ears!”

“S-Sorry,” apologized Smoochum gently rubbing his ears to make them feel better. “I just got overly excited is all. Let’s go eat.”

“Gladly,” nodded Keldeo as he walked them over to the front of the stand. Looking at the sign at the top of the stand it said, “Really Ramen.”

“Heya there!” a Cyndaquil greeted the two of them. “Welcome to Really Ramen.”

“A real ramen stand,” added a Buizel. “You can’t get much realer than us.”

“Freaking idiots!” cried Nyte on the inside. “You might as well just say that this is all just an elaborate trick.”

“Real ramen, eh,” grinned Keldeo. “I’ll be the judge of that. I think I’m somewhat of a Ramen connoisseur.”

“You are?” asked Smoochum.

“Back when I was training with my masters,” he explained. “We ate instant Ramen… pretty much every day… for months. It was about the only thing they could stock up on that would keep and that they knew how to cook. So besides learning Sacred Sword, I also learned to distinguish between over thirty different flavors of ramen by the taste of the broth alone.”

“Impressive,” grinned the Buizel. “So, how’s about we see how good you are.”

“Go on,” Keldeo replied quite intrigued. “Also, why is there a tree in the middle of your stand?”

“We thought it’d be nice for the atmosphere to eat under the shade of a tree and it is,” answered Cyndaquil. “But I guess it does look a bit silly.”

“Yeah,” laughed Keldeo. “Well, bring on the ramen!”

“You got it,” nodded Buizel as he and Cyndaquil tied some bandanas on their heads with the words “Ramen Warrior” on them.

“A bit shaky earlier but things are moving much more smoothly now,” sighed Nyte with relief. “If they can keep this up he’ll end up nice and overly fat in the end and my plan will be that much closer to completion.”

“Hey, lil Smoochum,” Keldeo said. “How about you? Don’t you want some ramen? You said you were hungry too, didn’t you?”

“Oh, uh, no you first,” she smiled. “Fill your belly first. I insist.”

“Then ramen time for me!” grinned Keldeo as he licked his chops in anticipation. Cyndaquil was still heating the water while Buizel made the noodles before adding them and the other ingredients into the pot. A few minutes later and the aroma was filling the air and Keldeo inhaled the wonderful scent. Before long it was all cooked and ready to be served to the hungry hero of justice. Pouring the contents of the pot into a huge bowl, they both carried it over to the counter in front of Keldeo.

“Which flavor do you think this is, o’ ramen expert?” asked Buizel.

“Hmm,” wondered Keldeo taking a sip before coming up with an answer immediately. “Chicken.”

“That was just an easy one,” Cyndaquil stated. “We’ll get the more common flavors out of the way first before we go into the real challenging ones.”

“Just means I’ll be guaranteed to get the first few bowls right,” smiled Keldeo as he somehow picked up a pair of chopsticks with his hooves and used them to gobble up his ramen before tilting the bowl to down the broth inside. He finished with a belch and patted his belly with satisfaction.

“Are you full already?” asked Cyndaquil seeing him rub his belly.

“No way,” Keldeo told him. “I’m just getting started.”

“Then let’s get your second bowl ready,” Buizel replied as he started to cut more noodles while Cyndaquil prepared the pot of water once more. Once all the ingredients were cooked, they were poured into another large bowl and served to Keldeo once more.

“The first bowl was tasty,” he commented. “Now let’s see how this one is.” Taking a sip, he quickly had his answer as fast as with the first bowl. “This one is pork flavored.”

“Ding! Right again,” Cyndaquil answered. “That’s two bowls in a row now. Wanna go for three?”

“I’m on a roll so why should I stop?” he asked as he started to eat his second bowl with chopsticks and fill his already partially stuffed gut more. “I wanna see just how many bowls I can guess. Urp! And finish too.”

“Wow! You’re so great!” cheered Smoochum as she hugged Keldeo while he started to down the broth. “I bet you could eat a hundred bowls if you really try.”

“I don’t know if I could stomach that much ramen,” chuckled Keldeo. “But I’ll sure give it a try.”

“Yes,” grinned Nyte silently to himself. “You just keep trying and soon that little bulging belly of yours will turn into a mountain of blubber. It is only a matter of time now.”

“Next bowl is up!” announced Buizel.

Taking a sip, Keldeo quickly reached his answer once again. “This one is beef.”

“You might eat us out of business at this rate,” joked Cyndaquil already getting the next ramen started before Keldeo even started on the beef bowl.

“Miso ramen,” Keldeo answered a short while later once his third bowl was done and he was now guess at his fourth with as much confidence as the ones preceding it.

“That’s it,” cackled Nyte. “Keep eating! More! More! Get fatter!”

“You say something?” Keldeo asked, making Smoochum break out into a cold sweat.

“W-what?” she stuttered.

“You were mumbling about stuff and you were making weird faces,” commented Keldeo. “And now you’re sweating. Do you feel sick?”

“No, I’m fine,” she answered with a weak smile. “Just keep on eating. Don’t want your ramen to get cold after all.”

“Maybe, but after we’re done here we should take you over to a hospital, just in case,” he suggested.

“If you say so,” Smoochum answered happy that he was still blissfully unaware.

“We’ll go to the hospital alright,” Nyte cackled more cautious to keep it internal. “But it’ll be for you!”

Continuing to watch with devious delight, Nyte watched the unsuspecting Keldeo down bowl after bowl after bowl of ramen, his belly bulging bigger with each huge portion he finished. To the Buizel and Cyndaquil’s surprise, he managed to correctly guess each flavor of ramen they served him, even after they moved from the more common flavors and started to serve him much more obscure ones that had very questionable ingredients added to it, like little calamari and things that turned the broth purple and gooey when added. The Mew in disguise looked grossed out seeing Keldeo take a taste without any hesitation. He looked ready to gag when the ramen connoisseur continued to eat it after his initial taste.

“Never have I seen a Pokemon that was either more brave, stupid, or possessed a cast iron stomach,” Nyte thought. “Can that glop even be called ramen anymore?”

“Best ramen yet,” praised Keldeo as he woofed it down and licked his chops. Just seeing him eat such slop almost KOed the phony Smoochum, though none of them noticed. “Bring on the next one!”

“Well, we’re out of flavors,” admitted Buizel. “We didn’t think you’d get as far as you did.”

“Yeah,” agreed Cyndaquil. “Those last few bowls were even ramen flavors we made up on the fly and you still somehow guessed right.”

“You guys aren’t the only ones who have ever tried inventing new ramen flavors,” chuckled Keldeo. “But if you’re out of flavors does that mean the game is over?”

“It wouldn’t be right to end it like this without some huge prize for you,” stated Buizel. “Hey Cynda, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Buizi, you don’t mean we’re going to give him the Big Bowl Challenge, do you?”

“Big Bowl Challenge?” asked Keldeo looking at the stacks of bowls from all the ramen he had already eaten. “You mean bigger than these?”

“A bit bigger,” Buizel replied revealing a bowl that that could have fit all four of them in it along with a Snorlax.

“Where were you even keeping that?” questioned Keldeo as he could clearly see there was no place in their little stand to be able to hide something that big from sight.

“Good question, but not important,” Cyndaquil told him. “What is important is if you can finish a mega bowl of ramen.”

“Very doubtful,” he admitted looking down at his massively swollen gut that looked as huger than a Hariyama’s belly and wobbled like a water balloon. “I’m already well beyond my normal limit for food as is.”

“You can do it,” encouraged Smoochum with another deceptive hug to further manipulate his nature. “You’ve eaten so much already and this is nothing to you.”

“I guess,” considered Keldeo. “But just look at my belly. It’s down past my knees and all solid and sloshy. This doesn’t look like the belly a hero would have.”

“It is for you,” added Smoochum. “You’re an eating hero after all.”

“I am wha?” asked Keldeo confused by what she said at first, but as Nyte’s power sunk into his mind he found he liked the sound of that. “Yeah, that’s right. I am an eating hero!”

“Then eat up all that ramen!” she cheered Keldeo on.

“And get nice and fat, you weak-minded fool!” cackled Nyte.

“No food can beat me,” declared Keldeo staring down the huge bowl as it was getting filled with ramen. “And that goes for this ramen too.”

“Heh, well it’s all ready for you now,” Buizel told Keldeo. “So, you can dig in when you’re ready.”

“I’m ready,” Keldeo replied licking his chops and diving into the massive bowl. “Now come to Keldy! Omnomnomnomnom!!!”

“Bwahahahahah!!!” laughed Smoochum as she transformed back and became Mischief Nyte again. “Another devious prank accomplished and now all the pieces should be lining up for the finale.” He grinned looking quite satisfied with himself as he floated up to look down at Keldeo swimming in the giant bowl of ramen as he guzzled it down. “Yes, that’s it my wonderfully naive hero. Eat and grow ridiculously fat for me!”

“You sure seem to be in high spirits,” commented Buizel. “And you’re a Mew?”

“Oh, I’m way more than that,” he said sounding extremely elated. “It was a bit touch and go at first, but you Zorua Sneaks sure brought your A-Game for this. And here I was thinking of adding you all to my bubble collection for your utter incompetence.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Cyndaquil replied. “But… uh, Zorua Sneaks? We are nether Zorua or Sneaks.”

“...” Nyte was speechless for a moment as he heard this. The entire forest was silent too, save for Keldeo slurping up his ramen with gluttonous abandonment. “You mean to tell me that this is a real ramen stand in the middle of nowhere set up with a tree in the freaking middle of it?”

“Uh… yeah,” answered Buizel being very cautious while agitation was now on Nyte’s voice.

“Hey, Nyte!” called one of the real Zorua Sneaks hurrying over. “We spaced on the ramen shop, but we just got it set up and we’re all set for the next part of the plan.”

“And the real Zorua Sneaks really are that incredibly stupid after all,” he continued with a vein throbbing on his forehead.

“I-Is something wrong?” the Zorua asked nervously.

“Just that the planned somehow worked perfectly, even though you guys just bungled it up,” he explained. “I should end my association with you all with the use of fire, but I think you can all redeem yourselves if you do two things for me.”

“Sure,” he nodded. “Anything.”

“First, promise that you’ll be much more vigilant in your jobs from now on,” Ntye answered. “The final part of my plan is close at hand and I will not have it ruined by your screw ups.”

“We’ll give it our all,” he promised. “Causing trouble and mayhem is what the Zorua Sneaks do best after all!”

“Just make sure the trouble and mayhem is not aimed at me,” he added in. “And for the last thing, bring all the other Zorua over here and stand beside that bowl over there.”

“Y-Yes!” he replied and scampered off. “I’ll get them right away!”

“You two,” Nyte said turning back to Buizel and Cyndaquil.

“Something you need?” Cyndaquil asked.

“How’d you two like to cater something for me?” he asked. “Of course, I assume you can make more than ramen.”

“Sure,” Buizel nodded. “Plenty, though ramen is usually the best we can afford to make.”

“I can offer you both an expense account for the event that’ll allow for much more flexibility in that regard,” he replied. “I’ll give you both some time to think it over. Just wait for my call.”

“Then you’ll need our number,” replied Cyndaquil. “It’s-”

“No need,” interrupted Nyte. “I have my own way to contact Pokemon when I require their services.”

“W-Well, we should be heading on home then to wait for it,” Buizel replied nervously. “Out of ramen as it is. So… see ya!” The two of them quickly fled, not sure if they should be happy or frightened by their new business associate.

“I got them,” the Zorua called to Nyte as he and all the other Zorua arrived and stood where he told them to stand. “Now what?”

“Excellent,” praised Nyte as he created a small bubble and floated it over to the bowl on the opposite side of the Zorua Sneaks. It burst with a surprising amount of force, tipping the bowl over and making the blob of a horse known as Keldeo spill out and plop right onto the Zorua, nearly squishing them flat underneath his mass. “I want you three to deliver him to the nearest hospital. It shouldn’t be long before my brother and the others come to see him and add him to their roster.”

“Can’t you just float him on one of your bubbles,” they groaned as they slowly carried his massiveness forward inches at a time.

“Think of this as a lighter punishment compared to what you would have gotten,” he chuckled.

“There is nothing light about this,” groaned one of the Zorua as they kept trudging forward.

“What’s going on?” wondered Keldeo seeing he was somehow moving forward without even trying to. He also saw he was incredibly obese. “What happened?”

“Awe, my hero,” cooed Nyte pinching Keldeo’s fat cheeks. “Seems you still are not aware of what has happened to you.”

“Who are you?” asked Keldeo confused.

“Oh, you don’t recognize me?” asked Nyte giving him a kiss on his nose. “The little Smoochum you rescued?”

“Then all this was some sort of trap? Why?” he asked. “Why me?”

“More a prank than a trap,” answered Nyte. “As for why, a prank needs no reason beside the punchline and as for why you… that’s because I needed you to round out my team and you certainly are round now.”

“How dare you humiliate a hero of justice like this!” growled Keldeo angrily. “I am a Sword of Justice not a Fork of Feasting!”

“Oh, that’ll be a great headline for the article I write on you,” grinned Nyte as he took out a camera. “I’ll also need pictures.”

“I will get you for this!” he snapped.

“No you won’t,” cackled Nyte. “And, perhaps, I should alter your nature a bit more. I’d say you hardly seem the nobel hero-type now. More the passionate devourer of food-type now.”

“I will not allow it,” glared Keldeo, but his words were useless as Nyte already got to work without any need to be subtle about it anymore.

“It doesn’t matter if you do or don’t,” he replied. “This is my game and I decide what is going to happen.”