"Boss, I finally caught the ones stealing our electricity!"
Latina strode into the training hall, the chain in her hands clinking ominously before she dropped it onto the wooden floor with a heavy clang.
"That's great news," Lin Shou exhaled, relief flooding through him. Blaziken — standing beside him — let out a similar sigh. So long as the trouble wasn't connected to them, it was a good day.
At the end of the chain huddled four palm-sized Oricorio, their feathers a mess of tangles. The yellow one's wingtip was singed black, its pink crest flopped over one eye. The purple one was missing two tail feathers, and the red one was busy pecking at the metal anklet of its pink companion.
Lin Shou recognized the species immediately. He'd seen Oricorio before, each feather color tied to a different elemental style.
"Oricorio? And this tiny bunch is what's been stealing electricity?" he asked, baffled.
The question made Latina bristle. She yanked the chain sharply, making all four birds wobble unsteadily. Then she whipped out her tablet, her fingers tapping rapidly across the screen until a surveillance still appeared.
Four shadowy figures were caught slipping through an exhaust vent into the roof's crawlspace. "They built an illegal stage on the steel beams — old wires, shattered glass, and broken billboards," Latina said with thinly veiled fury.
Zooming in, Lin Shou saw crackling arcs of electricity leaping through the image. At the center of the makeshift stage was the yellow Oricorio, wings beating to send out blue-violet sparks. The other three danced in a rhythmic shuffle around it, talons tapping like they were putting on a midnight concert.
A chill prickled down Lin Shou's back. If there'd been anything flammable up there, the whole hall might have gone up in flames.
"Pazipazi Style," Latina growled, naming the yellow one. "Their 'show' runs every night from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. The electromagnetic interference blinds our surveillance until the system restarts. Lucky for us, we caught them right after a power cycle…" She punctuated her words with another yank of the chain, sending the purple Oricorio bumping into the corner of a table with a muted thunk.
Lin Shou still had questions, but Latina's stormy expression told him not to push his luck.
"So, what's the plan now?" he asked instead.
"They're going to stay here and work off their debt — for life!" Latina declared. "Boss, I need four empty Poké Balls."
With a flick of her wrist, four gleaming, empty Poké Balls opened in her palm. In moments, four very reluctant Oricorio had "volunteered" to become official staff of the training hall.
Latina listed their stats with military precision:
Red Oricorio – Baile Style: Female, Level 20, Fire/Flying.
Yellow Oricorio – Pom-Pom Style: Female, Level 20, Electric/Flying.
Pink Oricorio – Pa'u Style: Female, Level 20, Psychic/Flying.
Purple Oricorio – Sensu Style: Female, Level 20, Ghost/Flying.
Lin Shou stared at the lineup, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. "Your name will be Moltres," he said to the red one.
Then, pointing at the yellow: "You'll be Zapdos."
The pink one earned a moment's thought before he decided: "And you'll be Articuno."
Everyone present blinked in stunned silence. Finally, Latina broke it: "Boss, the legendary Articuno is Ice/Flying, right? Aren't you… mixing things up just to match the set?"
Lin Shou put on his best "you're too uncultured to understand" face. "In some regions, Articuno does have Psychic/Flying typing."
He didn't bother explaining that he was thinking of alternate regional forms from the Galar region, which in his old world's games was based on England. Whether it was true here or not was irrelevant — he said it with such confidence no one could argue without risking his temper.
Even so, the Pokémon around him exchanged doubtful glances. But a name was just a name, and they decided to let the matter drop.
That left the purple Oricorio. Lin Shou studied her graceful, spectral wings. Flying/Ghost was rare — besides Oricorio, he could only think of Drifloon and Drifblim.
After a long pause, he said with mock solemnity, "You'll keep your original name. Oricorio suits you just fine."
The other three Pokémon were speechless.
Before anyone could voice a complaint, Latina swept the quartet away again, chains rattling as she barked orders: "Go on! You've got jobs to do!"
Lin Shou watched her retreat, already guessing which department she'd assign "Zapdos" to.
"At least I'm the boss here," he sighed, before sinking back into his rocking chair to resume his game.
——
The next morning, Lin Shou stood before his mirror, tightening the knot on his tie. The reflection staring back at him looked more corporate executive than battle trainer — though the Pokémon flitting around him shattered the illusion.
Moltres sent a tiny ember to press his suit's stubborn corners. Zapdos perched high on the chandelier, fine-tuning the lighting. Articuno floated the hairspray can with her psychic powers, while the ghostly Oricorio shaped Lin Shou's shadow into a slicked-back hair silhouette for dramatic effect.
"Line up!" Latina's boots clicked against the hallway floor as she strode in. The four Oricorio snapped into formation at the door.
"Don't embarrass me later," she warned, fists clenched for emphasis, before retreating to her basement to watch the security feeds.
Moments later, a taxi pulled up outside. A young woman in a sharp gray suit stepped out.
Before Lin Shou could even give the order, his four "legendary birds" were already breaking into a welcome dance, wings flaring in perfect — if slightly chaotic — rhythm.