Even with everything it had, it had not escaped defeat.
Looking at the senseless Arbok in the crater, Vance stayed his hand and went no further.
Any further and the Arbok really would die.
So Vance took out his communicator and put through a call. At the other end was Blaine.
It liked research, did it? Then let it be researched instead.
Once the call connected Vance told Blaine the state of the Arbok at once, and let him see it through the camera.
Blaine took it in, and was very interested indeed. He said he would have it, and told Vance to put it away and send it over, as he wanted to study it.
Vance did not refuse. He tried a Poké Ball on it, and sure enough it went in.
"Clunk—"
Caught, the ball said. So it could still be put into a Poké Ball.
Vance picked the ball up and came over to the Zorua.
"Is this where you were kept?"
The Zorua nodded.
Vance took her round the place for a look. Apart from that Arbok, there was nothing living left here.
They also found several sets of bones here, some Pokémon's by the look of them, and not old ones. The Arbok's work, presumably.
The Zorua's eyes were empty. She stared quietly at the ruins around her.
Vance stood beside her without speaking, keeping her company in silence.
"Oooo—"
The Zorua had looked her fill, and turned to Vance.
"Then let's go."
Vance answered her, and his psychic power came up again and took her with him, and man and Pokémon vanished from the spot.
Following her had been an impulse of the moment on Vance's part, and it had turned out to be the right one: he had taken the Zorua out of the Arbok's mouth.
On a stretch of grass, Vance talked with the Zorua again.
"Zorua, do you still want to go? Why not stay with me, and we'll grow strong together?"
Vance asked her again, and put the invitation to her.
"Of course, I'm not calling in a debt. If you don't want to, I'll let you go all the same."
He added it afterwards; and this time he would not be following behind her.
If he could not win her over even now, he would give it up and take it no further.
The Zorua seemed to hesitate, and did not answer. Then, looking at the honest face in front of her, after a moment she lifted a front paw towards him.
"Oo-oooo—"
She would try it this once. She hoped she was not wrong.
"Welcome."
Vance reached out and took her paw, and said it smiling.
After all the back and forth, he had won the Zorua's acceptance, and caught her.
The team had a new member: the Zorua.
"Roar, roar—"
"Blaziken—"
The Gyarados and the rest came out one after another to meet the new partner.
Ringed round by so many Pokémon, the Zorua was not quite used to it.
For all the trouble it had taken to catch her, Vance did not think there had been anything false in what he had done. Letting her go had been real, and so had stepping in to save her.
If anything, it was that he hated to see talent wasted.
It was the Zorua's aptitude that he valued, and her wretched history as well.
While the Zorua stood there awkwardly, Vance looked over her details.
> **Name:** Zorua (female)
> **Type:** Dark
> **Ability:** Illusion
> **Aptitude:** Near-Champion
> **Level:** 28
> **Moves:** Scratch, Leer, Torment, Knock Off, Fake Tears, Swift, Take Down, Thief, Taunt, Agility
That was her strength in her normal state.
It was impressive enough already. With the power of three Legendary Pokémon behind her, Near-Champion aptitude was nothing out of the way.
And Vance could feel that the Zorua's aptitude was still climbing slowly. She might reach Champion-class aptitude before she ever evolved.
On that point alone, even the Zweilous and the Kirlia on the team fell a little short of her.
That was why Vance valued her and hated to see the talent wasted.
There were other things about the Zorua besides — her three Legendary forms, for one.
Vance had seen her transform, and it was done to the life — as good as having the real Legendary standing there, the presence and the bearing exactly right.
Presumably, in that base, besides having the power put into her, the Zorua had watched those Legendaries a great deal.
Hence the utterly convincing thing she became.
"No hurry about training. Those hidden injuries need dealing with too."
Vance said it to himself, planning out how the Zorua was to be brought on.
Build her up for a while first, and make good what was lacking.
Once the Zorua had had a while to get to know the others, Vance took them away from the place and back to the base.
Remembering the business of the Arbok, once he was back he used the Pokémon transfer device to send the uncanny creature over to Blaine, so that he could study it.
The Pokémon transfer device already existed, and was in use in every large city and small town.
It made things easy for a great many Trainers and researchers, who could move Pokémon with it — thoroughly convenient, and safe and quick besides.
It looked after the Pokémon as well. Some of them like cold country, and a Trainer's home, or wherever he happens to be travelling, may not be cold; then the Pokémon can be sent somewhere cold and be comfortable straight away.
After a great deal of research and argument, the League had concluded that an ordinary Trainer's energies were best spent bringing on no more than six Pokémon at a time. Six was the optimum.
It was only a recommendation, of course, not a rule.
If a man could afford to keep them, there was nothing to stop him keeping dozens, or hundreds.
That was for people with a mine at home, who could afford it.
An ordinary person could not manage it; six was what suited best.
"Excellent research material."
At the other end, Blaine looked the Arbok over, stroked his chin and said it approvingly.
He knew quality when he saw it, and he could see where this Arbok's value lay.
"I'm most grateful, Vance, for sending the Arbok over. I'll tell you when I have results."
"Ha ha ha, there's no need for that. The Arbok would be of little use in my hands. Far better in yours, sir. Specialist work should go to the specialists."
Vance answered with a light laugh. There was a good deal to be gained from staying on good terms with Blaine.
The Gyarados's leap forward last time had come of the same thing, after all.
Perhaps, with the Arbok sent over, Blaine really would find something out, and Vance would get some good of it.
Besides, the Arbok was no use to him. He could get nothing out of it himself, and he had no outstanding researchers under him who could get anything out of it either.
They chatted a little and traded some information, and then the two of them rang off.
Later that day Vance took out a Luxury Ball and crouched down in front of the Zorua.
"Oooo—"
At the sight of the Luxury Ball something in the Zorua resisted; she did not want to go inside it. Then she looked at Vance, and at the Gyarados and the others around her, and lifted a paw to press the button on the ball, and turned to red light and went in.
"Clunk—"
Caught, as anyone would have expected.
"Come out, Zorua."
Vance let the Zorua out again. From then on she was one of his partners.