"We want a raise or we quit!" boomed the loud voice of Team Volt leader Manectric. Everyone was definitely caught off guard by this strange turn of events. Serperior responded with a calm voice.

"Manectric, you know that the Society's treasury funds are really low right now. Your getting as much as we can give you," said Serperior.

"You have more money. It's in a safety fund," yelled Manectric.

"The safety funds are for repairs in the building. They're definitely not for raises or bonuses," said Serperior.

"Manectric, she already said no. Let's just go," said Minun as he nudged Manectric's leg.

"I'm not done yet! The other buildings around us are paying way more! Why should I stay here, when I could go over their!" yelled Manectric.

"For pride in your friends!" yelled Serperior.

"Let's go Manectric," said Plusle. Manectric saw the sadness in Plusle's eyes and agreed to leave. The wooden door shut.

"What the heck was all that!" shouted Pikachu.

"They're upset because they're pay has been lower than usual. The problem is that we don't have enough money to pay everyone," said Azumarill.

"Why would they come in and make a scene about it in front of us?" asked Pikachu.

"Have you ever known Team Volt to not make a huge scene or show?" said Snivy.

"But they have such a good job. I love working here," said Pikachu.

"The other Investigation buildings around here are paying more than us recently. If money is what they want, they'll be gone pretty soon. They don't have pride in their own place," said Snivy.

"Well that sucks. I'm gonna go talk to him," said Pikachu. He rushed out the door in a hurry and forgot to shut it. Usual Pikachu thing.

Manectric was now walking to his house alone. Minun and Plusle had gone to their homes and left him alone. Pikachu dashed up right next to him. He stopped to catch his breath.

"Manectric!" he shouted. Manectric looked back.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want kid?" asked Manectric. Manectric was pretty exhausted.

"I just wanna talk to you about earlier," said Pikachu.

"Kid, you don't need to get into my personal business. My decision is mine. I'll do whatever I want," said Manectric.

"I don't care. I want to help. Why would you quit such a fun job like this? You have so many friends that care about like Minun and Plusle," said Pikachu. Manectric sighed.

"Fun isn't everything in this world. You need money. Other places are offering us more. Friends are great, but can you use a friend to pay rent and buy food for yourself?" said Manectric.

Pikachu tried to speak in, "Yeah but..."

Manectric cut him off, "That's enough kid. My decision is mine! Go away!" he yelled. Pikachu turned around and quietly trudged away.

Pikachu showed up the next day to see Minun and Plusle sitting at a table with a depressed look. Manectric was not in the building. Pikachu ran over the the wooden table that Minun and Plusle were at.

"What's wrong? Where's Manectric?" asked Pikachu.

"He's not here. We think he might be trying to work out something with Seprerior," said Plusle.

"I'm worried that he's going to make the wrong choice. I like it here. We usually don't get a say in big decisions though," said Minun.

"I'm sure it'll all work out. Hey, you wanna come on a mission to Mt. Silver with Snivy and me? It'll help you forget about your troubles for a little bit. It'll be fun. It's just a retrieval of a lost item. Somebody lost a keepsake item and wants us to find it and get it back to them," said Pikachu.

"Sure. We do need to get our mind off of this big deal thing. Let's do it!" said Plusle. Pikachu called over Snivy. They set off for the nearby Mt. Silver.

Since they weren't in a hurry, they decided to take the longer but not as steep path.

"So how long have you known Manectric?" asked Pikachu. Snivy knocked him in the head.

"You idiot! They're trying to take their minds off of Manectric!" scolded Snivy.

"Sorry. I was just trying to start some conversation you spoil sport," said Pikachu.

"What did you call me?" asked Snivy.

"Nothing," said Pikachu.

"We've known Manectric for over sixteen years. He's the one that helped us join the Society. Without Manectric, nobody took us seriously. That meant that nobody would hire us for jobs. That led to no money. Manectric saw us in need and helped us boost our image with cool shows to get our name out their and shows of power," said Minun.

"That's nice, but I think we've come up to a spot with high gang activity lately. We'll have to keep our guard up," said Snivy. They continued to walk at a normal pace, but now they were more aware of their surroundings. Something rushed behind them. A black shadowy figure rushed around in front of them.

"Who are you?" yelled Snivy. The shadowy figure slashed at them. They couldn't make out what Pokémon it was though.

"Leave us alone! What do you want from us?" shouted Pikachu. The figure didn't answer. It rushed straight towards the group and knocked them out.

They woke up at about noon. Pikachu rubbed the bruise on his head.

"That was unconventional," he said. They were all covered in bruises and scratches.

"What the heck was that? Should we report? Did he take anything from us?" asked Snivy.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Probably just some other Pokémon playing pranks anyway," said Minun. They continued their walk up the rocky mountain.

"So how long did it take you guys to rise up to second strongest team in the Pokémon Investigation Society?" asked Pikachu.

"It took us about two years. First we started out doing small missions along side Team Nightslash. Next, we started doing missions like this on our own. The one job that got us to the top though was a major mission. We were in charge of defending an ocean village from a mob of wild, primal Sharpedo. After that big job, Serperior ranked us up as second best team in the Society," said Plusle.

"So how long should it take me?" asked Pikachu.

"Since your alone, ten years," said Minun.

"Ten years? That's like ten years away!" shouted Pikachu.

"You should try and find a team. You'll grow stronger like that. Having friends all around you is a big help," said Plusle.

"Maybe I could team up with Wynaut," said Pikachu. They found the valuable item of their customer. It was just a photo with sentimental value to the guy. They returned the item to the person and made their way back to the Society building. They arrived by night. Pikachu swung the doors open.

"We're back!" he yelled. Everyone had solemn faces unlike the usual cheery ones.

"What's wrong? How'd everything with Manectric go?" asked Plusle. Nobody spoke.

"Uh? Hello? Is anybody going to answer us?" shouted Minun. Torkoal sighed.

"I'm sorry to say this but Manectric is gone. He disagreed with what Serperior offered him and quit," said Torkoal. Minun and Plusle teared up.

"What? No! He wouldn't!" yelled Plusle.

"We didn't believe it either, but Serperior said it was true," said Azumarill.

"If you ask me, Manectric is a jerk. He's always chasing the dollar," said Gengar. Whimsicott smacked him in the face.

"Shut up!" she yelled.

"Why would he go?" asked Minun. Behind Pikachu, rushed in Magnezone. He shoved Pikachu aside.

"Hey! What was that for?" yelled Pikachu.

"The Soul Dew has been taken from Mt. Silver!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Up next is the part one finale! Like I said before, I will be going on a short hiatus after the next chapter.

Remember to Vote! Comment! and Follow me for more content!

Up Next: Lockdown