Chapter 15 -||

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

The shadowy bosses had met more in the last week or so than they had for months.

One Boss tapped the desk. "Estimates?"

A Grunt gathered his notes. "As there are no external supply chains detected and the internal Vending Machine supply devices are all selling at below cost, the shops and restaurants are massive profit sources."

Another nodded. "This is compounded as only sales people are being hired. No chefs are needed, no supply warehouse support groups, just those needed to clean, restock, and sell. The wages offered by this 'Theater Ball' are almost double the working average as well, and the work hours are reasonable. Also, the percentage of profit offered to those of us sponsoring various facilities is overly generous."

One of the older members was still grumbling. "I still say we should steal one of those vending machines. SOMEHOW they are being supplied with VERY rare materials, if we can force one to deliver for free it would be pure profit!"

The higher boss sighed. "No. Aside from the fact that this entire endeavor is pure profit ANYWAY, as we had no need to invest in construction, local land clearing, and so forth... Target Outsider is clearly testing us with this."

He smacked the table, making a few people jump. "I do NOT want to be responsible for pissing off a man who can restructure a city by accident. Especially not when he is insisting on giving us profit, gainful employment for our people, and good public relations."

An analyst chipped in. "Not just that, but he isn't likely to stay long. The Underling Alice reports that the entire project is a side effect of his real goal."

Several people blinked. "Which is?"

The man sighed. "He wishes to catch two Pokémon."

The grumbling one sat forward. "Legendaries? Maybe some rare variant?"

He shook his head. "No, a common Plusle and Minun."

The silence grew. One woman spoke up. "Don't we have like... a few hundred of those in reserve for new members who are compatible?"

The Boss shook his head. "If anyone asks, NO."

The glare went around and nods were given.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam grinned, standing tall on the 'Pokéball Dome' of his new Theater.

From here you could easily see the exposed open air performance area, the waterproof curtains and seating ensuring no damage should they continue being exposed to the elements. The floor had special patterns to prevent slippage if the ground was wet from weather, and could be heated to prevent snow or ice from being an issue... as well as helping keep the crowds warm on colder days.

It had all taken... WAY longer than he had expected. Not using Drones had slowed everything down a lot, but it had gotten done eventually. That said, it was a bit too late to have the proper preparation time for a play tonight... Anita would have to be told that everything would be delayed until tomorrow afternoon. Maybe later, should something else crop up.

Suddenly he felt someone tapping his shoulder.

...And he was WAY above ground level.

Turning, he saw... nothing.

His shoulder was tapped again, somehow feeling... down. And near the entrance to the Tree Wall.

The hell?

Stepping off the wall, he fell to the ground as his metallic Aura absorbed the impact and converted it to potential energy for later. Walking past the many busy people trying to get the facility running, he headed to the entrance near the Route trail.

And blinked. "Uh."

The short people waved. The tallest was about four feet tall, or a one and a third meters. The tiniest one was held in the loving arms of its mother.

Adam coughed. "Hello."

Another wave.

He nodded. "How can I help you, Mr. Mime?"

...Uh huh.

Yeah.

Alright.

Damn it, he was terrible at Charades. "Hang on, let me get little Abra back from my friend Anita, I think she can act as interpreter."

He got two thumbs up, the baby Mime Jr. was too busy sucking on his little fist.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita watched Mr. Mime, his wife (Also Mr. Mime), and Mime Jr. (Who wasn't really paying attention) make animated gestures towards a very asleep Abra. The topic seemed intense.

The tiny sleepy thing then telepathically gave Adam the gist of whatever it was being debated. Anita had no clue at this point.

The man nodded. "Right, I can see that. And I think most people would understand the need for a safe place when kids are involved."

Was this normal? Pokémon just wandered up to the guy. Forget catching them, most of the time Adam was actively avoiding the things, and stuff like this still popped up.

Adam hummed. "I'm not actually sure what the laws are about hiring 'uncaptured' or 'wild' Pokémon as staff. Not that I'd let the law stop me, honestly." He looked toward the mostly completed Theater. "Hmm."

Pulling out his VERY modified Pokédex, he made some quick motions and a call. "Hello Ms. King! I had a few questions about your backup dancers in your Husband's production troop and their legal status. Are all of them captured by your husband?"

Anita winced at the loud background voices from the call, seeing Pidgey flex EVEN HARDER in the background.

He nodded. "Right. But... yeah, alright, I can see that. Is there a work around? I may not be in the area for long, and I want this place to continue operation." Adam paced back and forth slowly. "Huh. Well, a local manager seems reasonable enough."

It's not like Anita didn't want to support Pidgey in her life choices, but she was a bird. Teaching a creature with hollow bones to become super fit seemed... unwise. Might actually make flying harder to do, for one thing.

Adam seemed inspired. "Right, but that assumes I am operating a town or guild... but what are the rules for Gyms?" He glanced at the many Team Rocket members. "Yeah, I may know some people."

Still, Anita wasn't quite able to burst Pidgey's dreams of being 'SWOL', whatever that meant. Young people today and these 'hip new phrases'... God, she was starting to sound like her parents.

He grinned. "By the way, would your Husband's team be willing to perform some shows at my new place once in a while? He would get a large percentage of the profits of course." Adam paused. "I didn't mention? I just finished building a professional theater here on Route 110. The 'Theater Ball' is going to have a grand opening... and I'll be honest, I'm inviting your husband mostly so I can take advantage of your costuming skills for future plays... Hello?"

Adam stare at his Pokédex as it flexed in half. "Huh." He nodded. "She seemed interested." Turning towards the still motioning Mr. Mime, he waved. "Guys, I have to talk to Alice first, but I think we can hire you on without problems once I get this Theater registered as a 'Performance Gym' and make Anita the Gym Leader."

She blinked out of her thoughts. "Wait, what?"

He nodded. "Right, I'll get on that." He ignored Anita's ever growing concern and questions and began searching. "I think Alice was getting the hotel staff in order, so... this way."

The little girl was getting a bit frantic, even as the Mime family casually followed the pair. "No, LISTEN Adam, there are a lot of rules about working a Gym and... Hey, pay attention!"

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Bribery rocked. In the end, it only took a half hour to get things done!

Team Rocket Underling Alice nodded, and pointed at two smaller subsections. "And here... and sign there." She carefully photographed the paperwork and tapped some buttons. "And... Done! Congratulations Anita Sands for becoming the Theater Ball 'Theatrical' Gym Leader. Your account will receive your new paycheck automatically."

Adam nodded with satisfaction, even as he waved Mr. Mime forward and everyone ignored Anita's confusion and questions. "Mr. Mime, who wishes to go by the name 'Stage Hand', will be the highest authority for anything concerning the plays and productions in the Theater. Aside from special effects, which he quite impressed me with, he will also be the one in charge when it comes to hiring more Pokémon whom wish to preform but do not currently desire a Trainer."

A thumbs up.

Adam then pulled Alice forward. "Mr. Hand, Alice here will ensure that no one attempts to capture you or your people, and will act as an interpreter for any human interactions required between you and the rest of the facilities. Just to ensure no confusion occurs though when walking about, there will be a standard uniform provided to all employees, human or otherwise, so that they can be identified as staff."

Alice nodded. "You would be surprised how hard it is for some members of management to communicate normally. Being good at non-verbal interaction is mandatory for high level Team Rocket Members."

He grinned. "Good... and with Team Rocket being the ones to ensure no one tries to 'steal' my Pokémon staff, I can rest assured."

Motioning Mr. Mime to follow him (As his wife and child had already been shown to their family staff apartment), Adam walked back towards ground level. "Just in case though, I would like to introduce you to Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, in case you or your team need medical care or protection in the future."

Behind the dispersing group, Anita was still confused and trying to explain to the nobody around how impossible this was.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam was just exiting the police station (Officer Jenny was a bit intense but a nice woman), when he heard a muscular shout of passion. "GLORIOUS!"

He blinked. "Mr. King?"

What the hell, he only contacted his wife a few hours ago!

He reached the entrance to see a LARGE train of people entering the new meadow carrying all sorts of things. "I, the famous Drag-Queen King of Fashion, have arrived!"

Mr. King's tight explorer's outfit covered him completely, even if it showed off a bit of cleavage and leg. "And WHAT an AMAZING creation! Princess Muscles, where are you?"

Adam paused half way outside. "Wait, what?"

The famous Drag-Queen King of Fashion saw him instantly. "Princess! My marvelous wife heard tales of Fashion, Fame, and Fortune! A Theater that even now is astounding the Region online with tales of quality, entertainment, and potential!"

Adam blinked... and looked down. Now Simmy giving him a blue princess gown to change into after getting his other clothes filthy during construction made more sense. "I feel I must point out that I am not royalty."

The King barely moved, seeming to float into the center of attention almost by accident as he FLEXED a glorious smile. "True royalty flexes from within! But you must tell me... Are you truly offering my wife an opportunity to prepare actors for the world of theater!?"

Adam sighed.. then stood tall and FLEXED, his rippled form causing the lace trimmed dress he wore to dance in the air. "My skills are many, but when I need Fashion I need the best! Ms. King has shown me the way, but only her ideals can lead us to glory!"

Turn, point, tense, FLEX. "I do not need your wife to dress my people! I need your wife to DESIGN the FUTURE of our ART!"

Mr. King was mid-response when a tiny hand patted his head. "That's more than enough honey, thank you."

His smile was glorious. "Of course love!" And with a twist and turn, he formed muscled steps down from the pack his wife apparently rode in.

Seeing Adam's expression, she chuckled. "You think I didn't get inspired from little Abra's backpack? Once I made a version for testing purposes, my husband insisted on being my Rapidash in shining armor."

Her husband rose from his stance. "The ability to assist my love while earning a workout!? Of COURSE!"

Adam was still sort of paused mid-flex before he spoke quietly. "Would you prefer this with or without the posing?"

She waved him off. "I'm sure there will be lots of time for flexing later, tell me more about what the plans are for this place."

He nodded. "Right, high level highlights: I've turned this Theater into an entertainment facility, got an official Pokécenter and police station, stuffed it with shops and restaurants, and so forth."

Adam ignored her a bit as a bone limb unfurled from his back and began Constructing some notes to pass over. "To allow me to hire some uncaptured Pokémon, I then turned it into a Theatrical Gym with a 10 year old Gym Leader, Anita." He paused. "I think she is ten. Not fifteen, at least. You'd think this would have come up in the paperwork." Well, whatever.

Moving on. "Human Resources is controlled by Ms. Alice, she is something like the contractor lead for the area and her people work the counters, the cleaning staff, and so forth. You and any helpers you need however would be working directly under 'Stage Hand', a Mr. Mime who joined our Gym to safely raise his child and protect his family."

Adam passed the paperwork over to the woman. "You would have full creative control over ALL outfits for all plays, though Mr. Hand would be giving you any requirements needed for the various characters being preformed. You keep all rights to your works and all credit after public disclosure. If you decide to allow costume duplication to be sold by our shops, you would receive 80% of the profits, while the last 20% would be invested into the Theater itself. Any and all fabrics and materials will be provided at 10% below market cost, and our materials are top notch."

To his surprise, Ms. King instantly passed the paperwork to Drag-Queen King of Fashion, the massive man pulling thin glasses from somewhere and rapidly reading through the legal documents. REALLY rapidly. Adam's Lawyers in his home Realm didn't work this quickly.

Apparently he had some hidden depths.

The man hummed. "I should have expected chivalry and fair play from a man with your muscle density, yet I am still pleasantly surprised." He FLEXED to the next page. "I am a bit unsure why you are allowing so much profit sharing when it comes to merchandising though. This is almost TOO generous."

Adam chuckled. "Look around." He waved at the massive building. "I made this today. This was all forest yesterday, and that upgraded Route 110 forest trail you traveled? I will be building that same style of path further on my way Slateport City."

He smiled at the bustling building. "I don't need profit. I don't really need more power either. I need people with dreams that would support this place when I wander onward."

Adam paused as manly tears poured from Drag-Queen King of Fashion, his face a mess. "To cast aside worldly concerns and build such a glorious stage without concern for personal gain... To allow self expression without censorship or to push your own agendas.."

Without a pause, Drag-Queen King of Fashion and his many muscled Pokémon carrying supplies behind him all FLEXED. "HAIL PRINCESS MUSCLES, PROTECTOR OF DREAMS!"

Ms. King giggled at Adam's shocked expression. "Well, too late to stop this now. Let's head inside while the boys work all this out of their systems and we can talk details."

Adam absently was led inside and eventually provided Ms. King a tour, while the wandering Trainers and curious people coming to visit the new Theater (Gym?) watched the many muscled Pokémon flex with a muscular god out front. It turned out to be good advertising, oddly enough. At least, it was trending well online.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita was trying not to cry. "HOW did you get a Gym badge designed already!?" It looked like a tiny stage. But cute or not was not the issue! " I can't make Pidgey fight people! Not so early in my career, not against the thousands of Trainers that will show up!"

Alice laughed and pulled the panicking girl into a hug. "Don't fall into the trap of trying to solve all your problems with violence. This isn't an elemental Gym or whatever. Didn't you read the paperwork?"

The girl looked back at the tower of paper. "No." And she would have too eventually. Damn it.

Alice chuckled. "Short version, Gym Leaders can do what they want mostly. They fight because that is considered the easiest way to judge the bonds between Trainers and their partners. But there ARE other ways."

She waved towards the stage, hidden at the moment by the many walls. "As the 'Theater Ball Gym Leader', if you attempt to get things done through fighting alone, I'm sure it would disappoint people."

Anita forced herself to consider the situation. "So... I should act like the Contest Hall? Have people prove how well bonded they are to their Pokémon by how well they can preform?"

The Team Rocket Underling nodded. "Make a series of challenges. In a fight, it is more than possible to 'get lucky' or even pull tricks like challenging a leader until their Pokémon are too tired to fight well. But on stage?"

The girl blinked as her thoughts raced. "I can make them preform a script together to show how good their teamwork is, have them do a skit with other trainers to show how good they are at improvisation, do a play in front of an artificially harsh audience to show perseverance and resilience... and how they handle adversity."

Alice blinked. Huh. She was just going to suggest having challengers do silly things for personal amusement, but that sounded actually useful for determining how advanced the abilities of Trainers actually were. She would pass the concept up the chain, Team Rocket had a history of giving performances anyway. "Right! Exactly what I was thinking."

Anita seemed to be on a roll. "I bet I can get Adam to make different environments, so I can see if the Trainer can adjust to unfavorable terrain while still accomplishing missions... and those that do really good can be hired as assistants and even future performers, we can show off the most amazing performances online and in videos and it would basically be free advertising..."

The Team Rocket Underling blinked as the little girl began rapidly designing one HELL of a 'Gym Challenge' setup. Ironically, the new 'Gym' would likely be one of the most harsh but fair progress evaluations in the region if these plans went as well as they probably would... And people would likely throw themselves into the hell challenges to get a chance at becoming famous and being shown online.

Maybe Target Outsider knew something they didn't when he put the girl in charge.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Narwhal was starting to regret throwing a party to watch Adam's play on his video stream.

Not because the play was going poorly, but because somehow Simmy had convinced her man to preform on a stripper pole with slick skin and no shirt. While singing.

And he was doing a good job, not that it mattered much as most of the women and a few of the men had checked out mentally while watching sculpted muscles twist on stage.

She glanced at Nightmare Moon. She had drifted away from Adam's circle over the last few months, and was now mostly dating Twilight Sparkle when she could be pulled away from her research... but she may be showing up again for one of her random 'visits'. Possibly with Twilight, depending on what her current project was and how progress was going.

At least Dragon and Armsmaster wasn't an issue. The woman was digital and had been for a long time, the internet helped keep her more than a little grounded.

Armsmaster however grunted. "That dancing class is STILL the most awkward thing I have ever been dragged to participate in. Couldn't wear armor either. Would have damaged the pole."

Several people turned to stare at the armored man. He frowned. "Adam made some logical arguments that learning such skills would eventually increase efficiency."

Narwhal grinned as the gazes turned towards a VERY blushing Dragon... who nodded. Well played, Adam.

Betty squealed from the couch. "OOH! He dove into oil!"

All eyes snapped back to the screen. Mmm, efficiency.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Ms. King again tried to get her man and his Pokémon to settle down, even as she internally knew it was a bit unlikely.

The play was going well.

Little Abra was in an adorable modified princess outfit with a cute little crown, the materials and workspace provided by Mr. Burns very acceptable and easy to work with.

Anita's armor was outside her abilities with the time available, but she had been able to suggest modifications that Adam could put in place near instantly... it was much quieter and easier to work in now, even if awkward to actually put on and take off.

Adam's dress had to be slightly altered to allow the tearaway sections, and to better hide the stains that the heavy oil would leave after his dousing. Her husband always had a quantity of high quality sensual oil for emergencies, so she had lots of experience with finding lighter materials that could handle a good soak.

She grin widely as Pidgey worked her lines in that adorable muscled outfit. Apparently it wasn't exactly the costume the play originally described, but the bird had been VERY insistent and happy with the results. Of course the Drag-Queen King of Fashion approved highly, but for some reason little Anita seemed a bit put off. They reached some sort of compromise, and Pidgey was having a lot of fun out there tonight.

Another animated stuff prop acted like living vines to prevent the young knight from her handsome princess, much larger apparently than previous rehearsals as Mr. Hand had taken over the 'Telekinesis' portions of the job so Abra could relax a bit more. That Mr. Mime truly had skills when it came to projected force manipulation, and the play had benefited greatly from his talents.

Oh, the big musical finale!

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita gasped for air, her face (Partially hidden by her helm, thank goodness) beet red and her body sweaty. The bright lights of the stage and the heavy work had burned all her energy, even with her costume being so light and comfortable. Pidgey had flown around inside the Theater, too worked up to join them onstage.

Adam, the jerk, seemed fine as he joined her on stage again, accepting another wave of applause and bowing to the crowds.

And what crowds! She had been shocked when the seating down there rose up to become a sort of half globe styled stands for better viewing, but even as everything was prepared for their performance some part didn't really believe anyone would show up. The idea itself seemed too hopeful and unlikely.

She had severely underestimated the communication abilities of Team Rocket.

Even now, the facilities were near bulging from the crowds. The (slightly more) normal theater on the other side of the stage dome was even now showing movies she had never heard of. Meanwhile, a number of smaller, more normal sized theaters had been constructed by Adam underground and were now full of visitors and likely to stay that way.

Alice's people had somehow gotten permission to show all kinds of current and popular films on the market, and those underground theaters were giving advanced showings of stuff that technically shouldn't be out yet for the general public. Something like 'Advanced Screenings', which implied that Team Rocket's reach was... very wide and diverse.

As for the other facilities... The park up top was filled with bustling people, Trainers, and Pokémon. The Hotel was pretty much booked solid for weeks. As were several of the smaller clubs and dance halls. The 'Contest Hall' area was hopping with confusion and interest, the Game Corner ripoff of Adam's was operating at full speed, and the many shops and restaurants had such customer turnover that they would have run out of stock by now if it wasn't for Adam's magical supply vending machines supporting the whole mess.

Her dazed confusion was broken as Adam pulled her away from the overwhelming noise and clapping, the crowd still causing her to feel lost slightly as they retreated to the shadowed sides of the stage. "I... I can't believe we did that."

Adam was pulling her to a resting room, where he collapsed onto a couch and carefully sat Abra back in her cocoon. "It was a bit of a turnout, yeah. Went well I think."

She snorted. 'Went Well' would have been having a dozen people show up. But with the amount of fame the internet threw at them, it had gone nuts. "Oh god, the things I said!"

He relaxed into the furniture. "Meh, I had Simmy check. It technically only hit PG13 at most."

She grumbled. "So I can't watch my own performance?"

The door opened before Adam could ask, some Staff pulling in serving trays with snacks and drinks as Alice floated in. "That was AMAZING! Who was working the lights?"

Adam chuckled. "Stage Hand is amazing at his arts. He used 'Telekinesis' to animate the props, control the lights, set off sound effects, and move the curtains." He nodded. "Yeah, I'm doubling his pay. If you single handedly do the work of a dozen people, you need the paycheck to show for it."

Alice seemed focused on her Pokédex, face lit brightly. "The hotel is stuffed and reservations are being fought over, the stores are basically just shoveling cash into the accounts, some of the strange food on sale has started a craze on the internet, and your merchandise has been selling like Rare Candy! It's amazing! And the sales predictions are breaking the model, I can't get accurate numbers beyond the 'Unbelievable' range. We need to wait for the visitor rates to stabilize over the next few weeks."

Adam nodded. "Yeah, but I'm glad we are done with that honestly."

Anita and the others (Except little Abra) blinked. "What?"

Adam waved a hand. "The purpose was accomplished, we can now leave things to you and Stage Hand from now on. Just have to wait for the specific Plusle and Minun's to show up and we can get back on the Route towards Slateport City"

Anita blinked. "I thought we had to do this play for that?"

He shook his head. "No, the point of the play, this theater, and all that was so I could gather enough data to make this."

From his hand a swirling globe of energy pulsed.

Lights! Stage! Action! Bright Lights! Big City! Gotta Dance!

Anita felt soft costumes, smelled hot lights and grease paint, could hear the squeaks of equipment and a wooden stage, the pulse of overhead speakers and the pounding of her heart as the world looked on! No, as she looked upon the world! Words of unknown, tunes of lost times, movements never seen... the hearts of strangers all performing, all creating, all together!

Her fingers wanted to tap, her toes twitched to move, her hips needed to swing, her shoulders to shake...

For a moment, she was blinded by the stage again, the feeling of her pulse racing as she fought to remember the next line. Just an instant, she cooled with triumph at the last word, the last line of script, the feeling of flying as her world darkened and the crowd burst into raging applause!

Adam held the pulsing light softly. "Theater Aura." He waved at the walls. "Now that I have a good solid sample of that energy, filled with the thoughts and feelings of active crowds of people, Trainers, and their partners, I have a good... no, a high quality sample to work with. The play was designed to have different themes and sections to appeal to a wide range of possible Aura patterns. This is the final product."

He waved absently back towards the stage, that would act as the Gym's 'battle' arena. "All the emitters in the building will now be able to convert ambient Aura into 'Theater Aura' from this point forward. Any Pokémon that works with acting, singing, dancing, and so on will benefit just by being in the area. Art and such things will be easier to accomplish as well when training nearby or even just relaxing in the building."

Alice's shocked expression made him chuckle. "Stole the idea from Mauville City. Wattson Ogata accidentally began converting his cities ambient Aura into 'Electric Aura' due to how many electrical devices he built into the walls and structures. I'm just a bit more efficient at the same process."

Alice nearly dropped her device. "You... you can just MAKE area's conductive to training different Pokémon types?"

He blinked. "Yes? Why, do you think people would want that?" He hummed as Anita just slid into her chair and seemed to be close to falling asleep. "I guess I could add some training rooms under the Entertainment Wing with an exit next to the Pokécenter in case of emergencies. I would have to add some Aura absorbing devices and special materials to protect those rooms from damage, but it should be easy enough."

Alice... sighed. "Yes. Yes it would be something people would want. Please do that thing you said, while I try to tell my Bosses about this. Somehow."

He chuckled as she drifted out of the room before reaching for the dishes brought in. Ooh, little bread poof things with some sort of cheese spread inside! Awesome.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

The forest, so long filled with the energies of life and nature... began to pulse.

A rhythm, a rhyme. The natural beat of existence slowly began to line up and follow the more powerful energies being released by the strange area walled off from the wilderness. It wasn't so much a change of elements, such as the explosion of volcanoes or the flooding of land, but more an... alignment adjustment. Creatures that focused on being alone, on fighting, on avoiding human society... they could feel the familiar energies slowly merging into their territories and begrudgingly began to shift to more comfortable areas.

On the other hand, some wandering and hidden Pokémon began to feel the call.

A song they had searched for their entire life, but could only find short verses and thin acting... now in the dark, there stood a stage.

It was wide, it was imposing, and from the nothingness the lights were beginning to glow.

Here, you can sing.

Here, you can dance.

Here, you can act.

Here, you can be who you were meant to be.

Come, and join us! Come, dance with glee! Our song is our people...

And here we be free.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

The side effects of so much purified 'Theater Aura' showed up disturbingly quickly. And were slowly ramping up.

Adam hummed as he finished another 'Training Stage' below the Entertainment Wing. The exit and entrance actually passed THROUGH the Pokémon Center, and Nurse Joy would have permission to forbid Trainers who seemed to have adverse effects when training down there. Safety first after all.

After some discussion with Alice, they decided that there would be a total of 20 of these 'Training Stages' being built, and none of them were dual Typed or whatever. Because that would take forever, and could be duplicated by visiting one Stage after another anyway. It would also cut down profits, as one had to pay a fee to rent the stage for a set amount of time... dual natures meant dual fees!

He tapped the finished door's electronics, watching the emitters inside Gather and Construct the entire field. It would happen after the Trainers left the Training Stage, ensuring that after using the place no long term damage would built up in the facilities... but it also seemed to accelerate those same side effects caused by the Theater.

Rocks became foam, Trees were transformed into cutouts or models... basically, everything in these 'Training Stages' were being slowly replaced with stage props. And themed music was starting to play automatically EVERYWHERE in this stupid Gym.

Deep breath. Calming thoughts. Anyway, back on topic.

Of the stages he needed to build, he had completed 'Normal', 'Fire', 'Fighting', 'Water', 'Flying', 'Grass', 'Poison', 'Electric', 'Ground', and 'Psychic'. They may each look like scenes from a play, but that only BOOSTED the effect those Types had on anyone training inside, thanks to 'Theater Aura'. The same Aura also reduced the damage caused by attacks, preventing self harm and allowing precision to be more easily improved.

Adam sighed and moved on to the next, lower level to finish the next ten: 'Rock', 'Ice', 'Bug', 'Dragon', 'Ghost', 'Dark', 'Steel', 'Fairy'... and his two special Training Stages.

First, 'Null Stage', which absorbed ALL Aura in the room as soon as it appeared, converted it to 'Theater Aura', and pumped it out of the training area into the buildings. Waste not, want not... or whatever.

And Second, the 'World Stage'... which (aside from the purified 'Theater Aura') tried to push an even amount of each Type, evenly distributed. The air in the test room had felt thick and heavy, but it was bearable.

Unlike normal background energy, the 'World Stage' was artificially created. Each of the 18 Aura Types were refined and purified, then pumped in equal amounts. NORMAL ambient energies included all sorts of sub-types, dual or triple affinities, and so forth. This stuff was like a concentrated soup in comparison. It was good for any new Pokémon that needed to grow, but was unsure which Type would be best to focus on at the moment. It may also unlock weak Type abilities, but Adam wasn't sure about that yet.

The 'Null Stage' felt strange to the skin when Adam tested it. However, the true benefit he was aiming for would be to help Pokémon clean their systems of the many odd Aura's they may have been exposed to, reaching a cleansed base state where outside influences were cleared away. It should reduce difficulty in growth and training, without fighting off those other odd energies.

Both of these custom stage concepts had really impressed Alice when he showed them off, and the Team Rocket PR committee had started a campaign to advertise the new features heavily already. To the point where Adam had to expand the Hotel by another floor and increase the floor space in the other facilities in the Gym. It was what delayed him from completing these 'Training Stages' already, really.

He blinked in the middle of setting up the 'Rock Stage', which unlike the 'Ground Stage' had no soil, grass, moss or whatever... just pebbles, rocks, boulders, and so forth. Somehow one of the rocks had been replaced with a cardboard cutout that had the words 'Rock Substitute' written on it. In crayon.

This... this just felt cheap. It only took a second to replace the thing with another foam-fake-facade of big-bulging-boulders. Seriously, sometimes things went odd now that the concept of 'Entertainment' was becoming part of the natural Aura type. He would need to carefully examine the entire structure after this.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita's 'Gym Leader Throne' was surprisingly comfortable, but her small size made this feel more than a little embarrassing. "And you wouldn't mind helping out?"

The Drag-Queen King of Fashion had a huge, flexing smile. "Mind? To work in a Gym that focuses on Art and the Theater? Where I and my wife can both pursue our passions, and my Pokémon followers can both train, dress fashionably, AND perform!?"

His body twisted, the room shrinking a little as his smile glinted. FLEX. "I would LOVE to help!"

Anita couldn't hold back a smile. "Then... Thank you, Mr. King. Staff Leader Alice had me more than a bit worried about running the place, but since I am so young the Pokémon League has provisions like this available."

She passed over some paperwork. "You would be my stand-in when I need to go to school or travel, like with Adam. There is also a requirement that you help guide me during my first few years as Leader, which I would greatly appreciate."

He nodded regally. "Being a leader of men is not something easily understood, but... I must say, you have a dream I admire." He held up the long term plans she had developed. "The concept of bestowing Gym Badges based on the ability to preform, to show your talents under the critique of the people, to prove your worth through the lights of the stage... I tell you, I feel a calling."

Her smile was a bit crooked. "I'll be honest, the whole thing was a surprise to me... but the idea of helping people who are unsure about their own future feels like helping myself from the past. It is easy to assume that power and rapid strategy is all that one needs to succeed in life, and I met many people who were very strong and could easily win normal battles... but the world could use more entertainment."

Anita blushed. "Hopefully less embarrassing entertainment, at that. I can't BELIEVE I let Adam talk me into preforming that play... Oh god, when my parents see it..."

Drag-Queen King of Fashion grinned. "Speaking of which, my people REALLY want to work that play ourselves. My wife especially liked the oiled pole scenes, said I had enough talent to handle the part."

She glanced at his massive, defined muscles... "Yes, you would likely be popular trying that role." Anita hummed. "Then... do you want to handle the other showings of the play then? We were just amateurs, and now that Adam got what he wanted I'm sure he wouldn't mind letting you guys give it a try."

While she was honest about how well Mr. King would likely preform, and understood that letting his muscular partners take over the other parts would be quite a spectical... well, to be honest...

She just couldn't handle saying those perverted lines again.

God, the embarrassment.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam hummed as he left one of the many clubs and bars, having already visited the ones on the second floor. The same effects were showing up here on the third floor as well.

There... there may be a slight Master component to this Theater Aura.

Each of the bars had initially been fairly similar, but NOW...

The 'Feedback Soundtrack Club', 'Spotlight Saloon', 'Catwalk Canteen'... they all had different energies, interesting themes, and even their own individual soundtracks.

Yesterday? They didn't even have customized signs! But on stage, if it wasn't interesting enough then it wouldn't be included in the production, would it?

The carpets everywhere were now warm red colors, the lights seemed more appropriate for the stage, the noises of the people wandering around was actually developing into a harmonious background hum of all things... it was odd.

Then there were the subtle things.

Clean places, like the restaurants, the hotel, etc? They were becoming self regulating now. Spills and stains seemed to vanish over time. Chairs and counters were slowly shifting... they were becoming idealized versions of themselves, slightly exaggerated in much the same way that makeup was overdone to make it easier for the audience to see effects from the distant stage.

Dark areas? Shady clubs or restaurants? They weren't becoming dirty or whatever, but the night sort of stuck to you... the shadows would cling. Several edgy and dark clubs now had a slightly haunted vibe, with no actual Ghost Pokémon present.

Well, NOW they were in the area. Trainers who specialized in Darkness or Ghost Type Pokémon flocked to those clubs and diners, it called them like a Siren from the shore would call sailors.

Oh, and the gambling area was now marked as the 'Gambling Futures Casino'.

The Casino had almost gone a bit cartoonish, the lights a bit too bright and the devices slightly shivering when someone won. Heck, it had already been a bright wonderland before any changes had occurred, but NOW it seemed to be partially made from dreams and desires! Heck, the slot machines would occasionally produce play tickets or Pokémon related items instead of tokens, for example. Adam didn't design that! NO one designed that!

Pulled in customers like crazy though.

Adam loved the changes to the hotel, which was relabeled 'Opening Night'. While the place seemed to have more room than he had designed or built, the many high quality options had interesting themes... Narwhal would love the room with Adam's body painted on the walls, mid-twirl. Not sure how he felt that 'his' room was a wedding suite, though.

So yes, the changes were many and very varied.

At least the changes were mostly positive. Hygiene for example... because the people on stage always looked perfect (Thanks to a TON of behind the scenes work), visitors would slowly become cleaner, better smelling, even healthier.

And if there was something interesting going on, you were more likely to bump into it... so that could be useful. Or horrifyingly bothersome. Depends on luck really.

Heaven help you though if you were TRYING to look like a bad guy though. You may end up with an evil, twirl-able mustache. At least robbers would be easy to spot, the area would likely force you to wear stripped clothing an carry a big bag with a dollar sign on it. Adam would have to let Alice know about that.

Adam paused as a small crowd of kids dashed by, heading towards the swimming area. The previously boring square pools were now strangely shaped, and had interesting fake reefs, sunken ships, and other story related such for people wanting to sight-see.

He blamed the Gather and Construction emitters that were supposed to ONLY clean the pool for that massive modification. Still, it was a popular change... yeah, if anyone asked it was totally on purpose. As was the ever expanding designs on the walls.

Well, at least the building wasn't alive yet. Or at least, not sentient. And the effects OUTSIDE were more restricted... the black bark tree wall was taller, the wood looked like the night sky from recent color changes, and small glowing fruits looked like stars.

And the grass was now a thick green moss that was slowly modifying itself into an ever growing and complicated pattern. And smelled more like freshly vacuumed rugs than grass.

...Were they slowly transforming into plastic? The hell?

No, more importantly: Why was 'Harmony' detecting SONGS from the damn artificial plants!?

Adam watched the path leading from Route 110 into the building slowly changing color from green moss to something more fluffy and red. But still technically living plants.

So overall, minor changes. Mostly.

As he felt the many tiny but unending changes continue to shape the Gym, he began hoping Simmy and Sammy's future friends would show up sooner than later. Plan 'Adam be subtle' may have slightly gone awry at some point, though he was not sure when. With a nod, he headed back in to make sure Abra stayed close by at all times in case he had to run. At this point it was pure luck that the powers-that-be hadn't showed up here already!

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

In one of the less popular gardens on the top floor, a pink bubble bounced between the strange plants. Plants that were slowly changing into plastic props... but still somehow living and growing.

She floated upside down and poked the strange not-a-banana.

How odd! How fun!

Her gaze turned towards the fishbowl that, even now, was bumbling around and poking life and reality.

How interesting.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam coughed and continued wiping the dust off his outfit.

Right. Time for a break.

Climbing back to the upper levels, he blinked as he entered a busy Pokécenter full of Trainers and visitors staring at his dust covered body.

Glance behind... nope.

He coughed. "Right, so the twenty 'Training Stages' are all up and running, see the lovely Nurse Joy for details, but the lower levels are under construction."

Oh, there is Anita!

Oh... she looks exasperated.

Adam blinked. "I mean, there ARE no lower levels, and so don't worry about it."

Was that enough? That was probably fine then. "Also, don't try to make 'Explosion' style training arenas, because that was surprisingly unstable."

Good enough, now ignore the creepy looks and see if Anita can show him where Stage Hand ran off to.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita sighed as Adam scampered off to meet the new 'hired' Pokémon in the theater area, the tour of the facilities fully disrupted. "That was my head of construction, Mr. Burns. He is... eccentric." REALLY eccentric.

A boy somewhat close to her age raised a hand. "Why was his head on fire?"

She shrugged. "Never asked. Seems to just be something he does. Now, before we continue I would like everyone to check in with Nurse Joy, a requirement for anyone attempting to challenge my Gym. I will not have your performances sullied because you did not ensure the health of your actors."

Half the fight getting her gaggle of tourists together was basically implying that she both knew what she was doing AND was too bored to explain anything else. Such as WHAT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.

Deep. Calm. Smile.

She beamed. "As Mr. Burns mentioned, let's talk to the lovely Nurse and introduce the Training Stage facilities."

Please don't ask me things.

Another hand went in the air... dang it.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam shook the hands of the Jynx, her purple skin slightly glowing. "I'm just glad you are enjoying the change of pace."

Little Abra sent him more mental translations... her work was beyond amazing here. And all while sleeping too! What a oochie goochie woochie woochie.

Whoops, focus. "No, we are just staying here for a limited time period. My wives have two partners that will be visiting the area, and I am waiting for them to meet up."

Had to build a room under the facility wing too, one that blocked nearly every detectable energy he could find. THEN cover THAT with layers of 'normal' energy, then THAT with layers of 'Nothing to see here', etc.

Because introducing a Plusle and Minun to Sammy and Simmy would make some waves. Heck, half the energy fields he was preparing as cover were honestly guess work. Never made a 'Not My Problem' field before, not idea how Pokémon would react to the stuff.

Sigh... a disturbing amount of his life was basically 'I am doing my best and hope everything is fine' really.

Shaking hands with a young Mankey wearing a stylish hip-hop outfit, he smiled. "I'm sure you will do great, I've heard you and your partner really surprised some people. After fixing the small issues from the audition, of course."

The room shook slightly as the Mankey's partner grumbled. "Tiny, I already made sure the stage is reinforced, promise. That won't happen again. Just get Mr. Hand to schedule your training times and you can preform without any damage to the structure."

No, he didn't name Snorlax 'Tiny', it was his own choice. And as expected, he was a massive, massive thing to see in person, both in regards to height and width. When the guy moved into the room, the ROOM noticed.

His dance slippers were reinforced now though. Ms. King did amazing work. "Have you... ever practiced ballet before? I assumed the duet thing was your staple act. Or is this a new passion?"

Tiny's voice... well, it was more a low rumbling grumble, as if it was too much effort to fully communicate. The sheer size of his lung capacity just made the room vibrate with a feeling of lazy Sundays and sleepy every-other-day.

Adam glanced down. The reinforced metallic foam was holding up surprisingly well! "Well, I wish you the best."

He meandered through the crowd. He felt a bit bad about not knowing half these Pokémon without cheating using his Pokédex, but at least it was easy enough to be polite as he moved around practicing acts, confused actors and actresses, and bustling assistants.

He caught a slip of blue paper. "Finally, I was really starting to feel out of my depth." Waving a hand to Mr. Hand, he worked his way to the 'meeting' room. Designing the Glyphs to encourage the right Aura's, block Endbringer signatures (hopefully), and trying to have small talk with Pokémon when he was barely able to communicate... it was stressful.

Adam stepped happily into the meeting room, missing the pink bubble drifting behind him.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

They came from the wilds, and followed the song.

He pulsed with interest, she slummed in intrigue.

They followed the busy, they listened to the excited.

In the depths of the forest, they found a cavern of art! People and Pokémon were called, pulled, summoned to this hole in the dense growth. Yet within this glade, it still grew densely... just not of the earth. Sounds. Ideas. Dreams.

He found young ones eager to prove worth. She observed adults desperate to share concepts.

They moved in a building reshaping itself to desire. To dance, to sing, to build, to show... to perform!

Yet inside, he felt the call of Adventure, she wore the emotions of Excitement.

They danced inwards to their own stage, prepared for them alone.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam shuffled. These Pokénuts were supposed to be like a snack, not catnip or whatever. And in the end, it was a request from Simmy, so why not!

...Unless she expected him to NOT do it, and he was messing things up by being too 'helpful'. Or she expected him to self doubt, and thus didn't require the nuts at all and was leaving him something to do while waiting.

Smart wives were scary.

He blinked as the door opened. "Hello?"

A red eared yellow Plusle cartwheeled into the room! "Plus Ploos!"

The blue eared yellow Minun slowly entered, closed the door, and bowed. "M."

Then the Plusle jumped on the nearly stationary Minun, his tiny hands sparking electricity... which turned into tiny pom-poms as he balanced on her form. "PLOOOOOOS, Plus Plus PLUSLE!"

Adam grinned and clapped. "Oh, very impressive."

There was... a cycle here. His over abundant chaotic energy was refined by her slow methodical refined power. A Yin-Yang situation of some sort.

His electric pom-pom nearly clipped his partners head... and she vanished.

...What?

Adam blinked. The Plusle had taken a bit of a tumble, but seemed more confused than concerned or hurt.

"M."

Oh. Adam moved his backpack, seeing that Abra had somehow made enough space to share nap time with her new Minun friend. Dawww.

Adam shifted slightly, looking at the other Pokémon that had begun to slowly poke his friends head. "Right, my wives really wanted to meet you two... is it alright if I call them over?"

Seeing the interest in the energetic Plusle, Adam focused.

"Summon:Simurgh."

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

She bounced behind, feeling the world tilt slightly as the strange fishbowl seemed to pulse.

Sort of turned inside out, then didn't, but did. Her bubble moved to the side to see how the strange letters and such seemed to act as a tiny porthole in the fishbowl.

And from the aquarium, two beautiful fishes swam forth. One of thought and dream, one of might and muscle. Blue and Orange, Dark and Light. Born from one soul, sharing one portion, mute but full of song.

How odd. How strange. How new!

Without thought she flicked away the thoughts and queries the others tried to use. She was busy here, they could have fun later.

She chirped when the blue one secretly gave her some sort of white peanut.

How delicious!

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam shook his head. Seriously, how handy WAS it that Simmy and Sammy only needed one socket? The Faith one was enough for this two-for-one special.

Though something felt a bit odd... he just couldn't place it. Something like a background hum?

Better to focus. "Right Plusle meet Sammy, she enjoys... and you're both gone already."

Looking back at his backpack, the remaining Minun nestled in Abra's bag was now being hugged by Simmy, her arms and wings wrapped around the two tiny Pokémon as they slumbered.

...Daww.

Looking back at where Plusle and Sammy had vanished from, he sighed. All that effort to be secret and hidden, and she just... left. Somewhere.

Well, she would be fine.

His eyes flashed blue. She had BETTER be fine.

Adam sighed... and unfurled his bone limbs. A few modifications to the room and Simmy was relaxing on the finest bed he could construct... and he joined her.

It had been a LONG time since his last cuddle, and it got lonely. One arm made sure to pet Abra as she slept, as he just... relished. Treasured the feeling of his arms full with love, Simmy's warmth soaking into his skin like sunshine piercing the shadows, rain on the sand.

He didn't sniffle, because he was a manly man, and therefore any so called 'tears' were simply leaky masculinity thank you very much.

...Hopefully Sammy will take her time.

He would wait here until then.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita blinked. "What?"

Officer Jenny glowered. "Suspect is around nine feet tall, bright orange, winged, and nude."

Anita nodded. "What."

The Officer sighed. "I thought it was some sort of performance or whatever, but the reports were all very consistent."

Adam. It had to be Adam. "One moment."

She tapped on her probably illegal Pokédex. In front of an actual Police Officer. Cause damn it, this was important. "Alice."

Hearing her acknowledge, she sighed. "I need you to find Adam... I mean, Mr. Burns, and ask him why there is a naked orange angel throwing electricity pom-poms at the Gothic and emo Trainers."

Officer Jenny scowled. "Please don't call them that, it is just a... phase or something."

Anita glanced at the makeup wearing Trainer, his black clothing and 'dead' face not matching the massive poofy ball his hair had become. Every now and then a spark would pulse over the hairdo. "Right." Back to the call. "Ask him why the giant flying naked woman is harassing the perfectly normal, non-emo young boys and girls who enjoy angry loud music in dark environments with loud laments and doom comments."

She started to pace. "Oh, and make sure your people don't try to do something like attack her or something. If this IS related to Adam, it will either do nothing, set off the Apocalypse, or set off Adam... which is probably worse." Thinking back on the dark limbs that consumed Marshadow, she nodded. "Definitely worse."

Alice's voice was hesitant. "What?"

Anita threw her other hand hard into the air. "That is what I said!" She pointed at the grinning Drag-Queen, King of Fashion. "And no, Flexing is NOT the answer."

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

She scowled hard. "I can not BELIEVE that Flexing was the answer."

Mr. King was taking one step at a time with furious focus, his muscles twitching and oil following sweat as he pulsed his way towards Adam's visitation room. The Orange Angel was acting like climbing bars so the over-hyped Plusle could comfortably cheer, his pom-poms bouncing like thunder as the electricity destabilized with each flex.

Needless to say, the crowds were really busy watching closely and telling everyone and their neighbor to look away. Any time now. Yep.

Anita groaned. "I just... I don't want my Gym to be synonymous with nudity. Not after all that paperwork."

Officer Jenny was even MORE frustrated. "Well, I can't believe that this is legal. I hadn't even heard of half the forms that winged woman filled out, I had to call headquarters to verify they were even legal."

Alice was just staring blankly. "Side note, if you DO decided to go the x rated route, I have people for that." She watched the oiled muscles FLEX followed by the angelic nudity. "Just... let me know."

Anita grumbled. "I still say she doesn't count as a foreign dignitary. I've never heard of those places, how can she be related to some Queen? And who would name their kid 'Administrator' anyway!?"

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam woke, warm and wrapped around his girl and two little Pokémon... feeling wonderful.

True, there was a muscular man flexing nearby with Sammy and her Plusle cheering him on, but hugging his wife made everything alright.

That said, he had plans. "Right, everyone up! Except you two cuties, you two just sleep all you want."

Abra snored. Good girl.

Absently his back unfolded and began rebuilding the meeting room as the 'bedroom' dissolved. "Anita, have you caught Alice up on our plans?"

She nodded, waving at Mr. King. "I got a Gym Assistant officially recorded, and Mr. King has temporarily led a Gym or two in the past. Plus, I left a lot of notes."

He glanced at the flexing man, who nodded. "Great! Let me just warn Alice about the mess below the 'Training Stages', get some people to clean that up."

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Team Rocket Underling Alice stared at the text message. Again. So much hassle caused by so few words.

Right, best pass this up.

Her Pokédex connected with a click. "Report."

She took a steady breath. "Target Outsider has had an issue when experimenting with the 'Training Stages' design."

The voice hummed. "How long a setback? Marketing is pushing those training facilities hard."

Alice paced. "The requested 20 stages are all completed, operational, and currently undergoing testing. No, the Target attempted to make some unusual stages further down and had... issues."

Her Boss was set back. "Really? I thought construction would take at least a week. Still, what issues?" He paused. "He didn't destabilize the foundation or something? I remember the fiasco on base 322 when they did unauthorized underground expansion."

She winced. Yeah, that had been a disaster. "No sir." Deep, calming breath. "I need top mining teams and some experts shipped down here. And a subtle way to export high quality, possibly illegal material."

Feeling she got his attention, she nodded. "While trying to create an 'Explosion' type training stage, he accidentally exposed rock and soil to high intensity energy waves. A large portion of the ground below the Training Stages is now composed of Evolutionary Stones of various types. I've been informed the majority are previously unseen 'Theater Stones', as that is the energy that the Target has been establishing here."

She paced. "I've sent some of my followers who can be trusted to stay quiet to get some measurements, but the Target says that the conversion process is not stopping yet. Thankfully it is only converting downward, otherwise there would be a crystal mine on the surface by now."

The phone was quiet. Suddenly, noises of papers being sorted and messages being typed came over the line. "I'll have survey teams over in 40 minutes or less, an overseer and manager for the mining operation will arrive by the end of the day, at the very latest. Keep that site locked down, keep Trainers away, and keep the Target happy."

She saluted the empty room. "SIR!"

Thank goodness it wasn't HER responsibility now.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Ms. King passed on her templates, her assistants helping to keep the room tidy and her next work load ready to begin.

The new facilities were amazing! Not only were there seemingly unlimited amounts of material and so many specialty tools, but her more esoteric creations could be put in the scanning device and easily duplicated to prevent damage during adjustments or to provide replacements for a performance! It was now standard policy to make templates of all uniforms and costumes before a production, and had come in handy twice already.

Mostly due to the new Pokémon not normally wearing clothes, fashionable or otherwise. And little Mime Jr. was so cute in his new little hat!

Her hands slid slowly as the material adjusted, her fingers checking for consistency. Just the opportunity to work with these high level materials would have tempted her to join this new Theater Ball Gym, but the high paying positions offered combined with the little girl tasked with giving direction... Well.

She hadn't seen her husband so motivated, so hopeful and energetic... not for some time. It made the entire crew pulse with passion, and each performance so far had gotten larger crowds than expected, the online streaming services had subscribers in ever growing numbers, the saved past performances (Not even a weeks worth!) had sold numerous copies online...

All because little Anita had a dream. It was something Ms. King could taste in the air, that longing for self establishment, the desire to show others how to avoid those past mistakes.

That little girl reminded her of her man, once upon a time.

And to be honest, she reminded her of herself.

Of course, the extra living quarters didn't hurt the situation either.

Years of gathering those people and Pokémon abandoned by society meant the fashion couple had very little free room in their home... but in this Gym, they almost had TOO much space.

It was lovely.

She flipped the cloth... no, the edge needed redoing. It would work fine like this, but a powerful Flex would weaken this after only a few hundred days or so.