"What is the meaning of this!? I demand to know!" shouted one of the contenders while stepping forward.

The armored invaders remained silent, not bothering to reply as they scanned the area around them.

"Are you deaf or something? I asked you a question now answer me —hey! put me down!" He shrieked as he was lifted up by his collar and then thrown to the side, skidding as he hit the floor.

The offender then proceeded to stalk toward him only to be stopped short as Seth stepped in front of the armored invaders target. The man in the suit sized up his opposition and then launched himself at Seth and throwing a barrage of swift punches at him. Seth began parrying each strike. As the armored man aimed a kick to his head, Seth raised an arm to block the kick and then retaliated by thrusting his weight into a punch that knocked the adversary backwards, sending him skidding into the far wall.

As Seth watched him get up, two more started throwing punches his way. It wasn't just Seth who had his hands full, everyone else was caught up in the fight as they battled the mysterious threat that had crashed the ball. The Chatelaine Sisters even had their hands full as they were teamed up on.

Dammit! what the hell is going on here? Allie thought as she looked down on the chaos below. Who are these guys, and what do they want?

Allie turned swiftly at the sound of footsteps behind her to find two of the armored attackers standing just a few feet away. Allie grimaced as they stepped forward, confident in their ability to overtake her.

And here we go with the capture the princess trope. Sorry, but I don't have any plans to be kidnapped and taken off to some Dragon-type guarded castle!

"Machamp, aux armes!" Allie shouted fiercely.

The two would be enemies stepped back a few paces as their opposition rose to a stand. While their opponent was in fact a Machamp, she was very different in appearance. Her skin was lavender colored and the ridges on her head were pink. She had a more feminine figure and had what appeared to be black one-piece on with a belt similar to that of her male counterparts around her waist. She was much thinner than other Machamp but was by no means less deadly.

Both of her adversaries reached for their own Pokémon and thrust them into the fray. Out came a Medicham and a Scrafty who charged Machamp immediately. Allie's lips curved into a smug grin as her attackers neared. Machamp bent her knees and raised all four of her arms, power coursing through her body as she steadied herself. Medicham slammed a power-driven Focus Punch into her abdomen while Scrafty delivered a High Jump Kick to her face.

Having withstood the blows without so much as budging an inch, Machamp retaliated with all of her terrifying might, the Counter assault smashing Medicham and Scrafty through the palace wall. Machamp then set her sights on the masters of her opposition who were already reaching for their next teammates.

"Still wish to play do we? that's fine with me. I need to let off some steam and you two are going to help me with that. I worked very hard on this ball and now that you've crashed it I'm thoroughly pissed off!"

"Dammit, what's with these guys and why are they so strong!?" Grayson grumbled as his Diggersby fended off the attacking Zangoose.

"Not sure, but they certainly came prepared didn't they?" Serena replied, annoyance etched onto her face as she  and Greninja stared down their foe.

This is insane! Serena thought as she surveyed the battleground that the banquet hall had become.

Those who brought Pokémon were fighting, while those who did not were being guarded by those who did. Meanwhile, Seth, Charles and Jacqueline had taken to either hand to hand combat or fighting with a weapon.

Seth caught a punch aimed at his face and then drove his knee into the offenders gut. The attacker doubled over in front of Seth who whirled around and delivered a rolling kick to the approaching foe's head. Unsurprisingly, the two got back up and were joined by a third wielding a steel staff. The staff-bearing enemy charged, forcing Seth to withdraw his sword.

Using the open opportunity, the other two jumped in, looking to overtake Seth. Without missing a beat, Seth parried the staff strike, drove his elbow into the chest of the attacker on his left while delivering a forceful low kick to the ankle of the other to his right, knocking them both over before thrusting his blade swiftly forward to force the third adversary away.

It was a motion he'd seen Mathilde do hundreds of times during their lessons. Having practiced it against sparring partners that Mathilde selected, it now came as easily as breathing to Seth. Any normal opponent was certain to have a broken rib or ankle afterwards. But these weren't normal opponents. These ones got back up.

Lysandre and Xerosic observed the battle from within the laboratory via a hidden camera they had placed on a camouflaged Joltik that was attached to the ceiling high above the floor.

"You've truly outdone yourself Xerosic. You weren't exaggerating about their capabilities," Lysandre praised as he watched his team members keep up the pressure.

Charles, as expected was doing exceptionally well in fending off his disguised teammates. His fencing skills were flawless and as Lysandre anticipated, none could match him normally. However, given the Expansion Suit's ability to enhance the reflexes of the wearer, Charles was forced to take the fight more seriously.

Jacqueline was also fairing well in her endeavors, taking her opposition head on with little restraint on her part, going so far as to lend Seth a hand by shoulder throwing one of his opponents into a table that snapped in two. And then there was Seth, whose skill was exceedingly more surprising than before. What he didn't anticipate, was the power that Allie held.

Lysandre had personally equipped each of his team members with the strongest Pokémon available. They were trained to perfection and were making quick work of the lesser threats while remaining strong against the more powerful foes, yet here was this Machamp, throwing his adversaries around like rag dolls and making sport of everything that came her way!

She's even more of a nuisance than I thought possible. Though I suppose this is a good thing. Had she not been saved from her demise, I might not have gotten to witness these events...

Lysandre grinned as Machamp hammered yet another foe into the ground while Allie remained untouched. Even the Chatelaine Sisters were easily defending against their enemies. That, however, was expected given their reputation for being incredibly strong trainers.

Still, at the end of the day, they're nothing special without their Pokémon, Lysandre thought with a grin as one of the sisters, the youngest, was apprehended.

"Help!" Nita shrieked, only to be muted by a hand over her mouth.

"Nita!" Evelyn cried out, wincing as her partner Pokémon was sent flying past her.

The enemy soon had ahold of her, the pattern continuing as more trainers fell. The tide soon began to turn as one by one the other trainers were defeated and brought into submission. The only ones left standing were the trainers who were Dana and Morgan of the Chatelaine Sisters, Serena and Grayson along with Allie, Charles, Jacqueline and Seth who were now in the center of the hall.

"This is crazy," Serena huffed out of exhaustion. "They just keep coming back with stronger Pokémon!"

"Not to mention they're able to keep up with those three physically," Grayson mumbled, indicating to Seth, Charles and Jacqueline.

"I don't know who these ingrates are, but they are going to pay dearly for ruining this ball," Allie said darkly.

Charles smirked upon hearing Allie's words. They had absolutely no idea what was in store for them next. His gaze fell upon the royal family who had been under the protection of their palace guard... for so they thought. With a nod from Charles, the disguised guards dropped the act and revealed themselves as members of the invading party, subduing the King and Queen with ease.

"Mother, father!" Allie cried out upon seeing her parents being taken hostage.

"All of you, recall your Pokémon and stand down!"

Begrudgingly the remaining trainers did as instructed, knowing full well they weren't in any position to negotiate. Allie recalled her Machamp, leaving her as vulnerable as her family. As soon as she withdrew Machamp, she was set upon by one of the invaders, much to the dismay of the others.

"Let her go!" Seth roared, stepping forward only to be halted as a dagger was brought to Allie's neck.

"Not a chance. We came prepared for you! So if you so much as move a muscle, your future wedding will be turned into a funeral!" Allie's captor warned.

Seth gritted his teeth and stood down, clenching his fists in irritation. How things had escalated to this extent was beyond him. He was tempted to think that the situation would only get worse... until a very familiar presence attracted his attention, calming him almost instantly.

"Unhand me this instant!" Allie cried out, struggling to loose herself from the tight grip of her captor.

"Struggling will get you nowhere fast, princess. Now stay still!" He snarled, tightening his hold around her.

Just when control had shifted into the hands of the enemy, a tiny sphere of energy, around the size of a golf ball came hurtling through the open doors at blinding speeds, knocking Allie's aggressor out of the way, freeing her.

"A banquet hall brawl, and I wasn't invited? I'm offended!"

Everyone's eyes snapped toward the entrance to see a woman with blonde locks and icy blue eyes staring back at them. The armored woman had a look of displeasure on her face as she surveyed the scene.

"It would seem that the game has just gotten more interesting..." Lysandre mused, sweat dripping down his face upon recognition of the woman in the midst of his strike team.

"She's quite bold if she thinks she can handle my Expansion Suits. She's in no position to—"

"Don't be arrogant Xerosic. That woman is far more dangerous than you know!" Lysandre growled, gritting his teeth in frustration. "They'll be lucky if she lets them out of there alive..."

"I don't know who you think you are, but in case you haven't noticed, we're the ones in control here. So I suggest you stay back unless you want to see these royal heads roll!"

To make a point, the one holding the Queen withdrew a knife and held it to her throat.

"Really? is that so?" Mathilde replied with a raised brow, turning her gaze to the floor above where the King and Queen were held hostage.

"That's right, don't move or else!"

"I see," Mathilde paused, a playful smirk forming as she spoke, "so that's all I have to do? Fine, have it your way,"   Mathilde chuckled, her eyes lighting up with a brilliant azure light.

Moments later, the offenders holding the royals soon found themselves in the firm grip of a powerful psychic aura. Losing all control of their bodies, they were forced to let go and were then hoisted into the air and flung to the floor below with a loud crash!

The room fell into stunned silence as Mathilde progressed into the hall at a leisurely pace.

"My my, you all went through a lot of trouble to wreck everyone's evening didn't you? I'm not sure if I should be impressed by your accomplishment or livid because of the way you treated my friends," Mathilde growled.

"Now, you all have two choices. One, you release the others and get your sorry asses out of here and never set foot in the palace ever again, or two... I force you to leave and make you lament the day you were born," Mathilde spat venomously.

"You don't know who you're dealing with bitch! there's one of you against all of us!" One of them snapped, stepping forward defiantly.

That fool has no idea what he's doing! Dammit, I didn't take the possibility of her showing up into account. That idiot just made the worst mistake of his life and he's about to pay for it. What's more, Jacqueline and I can't help him without being ousted as accomplices. Even if we did, she'd tear us to pieces...

Mathilde narrowed her eyes at the man who'd insulted her.

"There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity. I admire bravery, but what I cannot tolerate is stupidity. And you sir," Mathilde paused, her body fading from view and reappearing behind the armored man, "have made a very stupid mistake," she finished before swiftly knocking him into the air with a roundhouse kick that sent him toward the ceiling.

"Don't just stand there, take her down!" shouted another invader as he reached for a ball.

As the others reached for either weapons or Pokémon, Mathilde moved again, her blade carving through the air as she flitted about at unprecedented speeds, her sword breaking through the armor plating with ease, leaving puncture wounds and bloody slash marks in her wake. Pausing, she sheathed her sword with a click, and the bodies of the attacking party started  falling over unconscious. The invasion was over as quickly as it had begun.

Glancing down at the time, Mathilde blinked.

Shoot, I need to get back! My husband to be is getting off soon and I promised him some... quality time, she thought blushing, her eyes turning to find her student, Seth, checking on Allie.

Seems like he's finally taking this more seriously. To think I almost missed this.

Making her way down the stairs, stepping over unconscious bodies, Adélaïde scurried over to Mathilde to thank her, her husband in tow. After a brief conversation, Mathilde drew Adélaïde into a hug and then made her way to the exit. She looked back and met Seth's eyes, a smile forming on her face as she saw the expression of gratitude in his eyes.

It wasn't just gratitude for the rescue from the sticky situation. It was gratitude for the hidden lesson she had just given him. With a wink, Mathilde turned and exited the palace while everyone was moved from the banquet hall to the garden.

"So the rumors of her power weren't exaggerated after all," Lysandre sighed heavily.

"Leader... just who was that woman?" Xerosic stammered.

"Tell me Xerosic... are you familiar with the tales of the Steel Hand?"