//------------------------------//
// Eight Heist 
// Story: A New World, A New Stage 
// by tdnpony 
//------------------------------//

Opening theme:


“This sucks....” Rascal groaned as he and Scep were currently covered in bandages. After the heist, Alice had told them straight that due to violating the ground rules of the contest, they BOTH lost. As punishment, they were both bandaged up nice and tight, and so they were more or less forced to spend the night healing from their fiasco in bed. 

“I would have been able to pull it off if you hadn’t gotten in my way,”  Scep replied.

“I was on your way? You were the one that tried to sabotage me first!”

“Come on, I saw how ya looked at my bag, dude! You had that dirty trick planned from the beginning!” 

“Will you two shut up? Some of us are trying to sleep here!” Shade angrily growled. “And for the record, we were watching. You BOTH had the same bright idea. Honestly, with how similar you two are, we think you’re related!”

“Are not!” both of them shouted...only to get webs to the mouth, as Charlotte and Spinner decided to shut them up for the night. 

“Thank you,” Shade sighed to the two Spinaraks, before glaring at the two bound thieves. “And you two should sit and think about how you messed up. Once you do, we’ll remove the extra bandages.” With that, she went back to where she was sleeping. 





Meanwhile, Alice was also up, thanks to the noise. Deciding to do something else since she couldn’t sleep, she decided to go to the work room, and maybe make more of her web balls, since she had used up several of the few she had managed to make on short notice. “One thing I miss about Earth...my chemicals and resources to make my small gadgets,” she sighed. As it was, she could only make a few of them till she figured out how to do so faster. Until then, she’d either have to be careful how many she used in a heist, and rely more on her own skills. As she walked into the work room, she saw that the room was not empty. Inside, reading a book, was Toichi. 

Curious, she decided to get a closer look, and saw what he was reading. It appeared to be a book on various general forms of unicorn magic. “Aiming to be a master sorcerer?” she teased from behind him, causing the young unicorn to jump a little. 

“Ah! Miss Alice! Don’t scare me like that!” he exclaimed. 

“Sorry, sorry,” she chuckled. “But seriously, what’s all this for?”

“It’s for my Cutie Mark,” Toichi replied. 

“Cutie...Mark?” Alice blinked. 

“Its the mark that shows a Pony what their one true talent is,” he explained. 

“...are they the marks on your flanks?” Alice practically deadpanned, and for the first time she noticed one thing that was different about Toichi. His flank was blank. “...which I just noticed you don’t have.”

“You don’t know about Cutie Marks?” Toichi looked surprised...before he remembered who he was talking to. “Right. You wouldn’t. A Cutie Mark is a mark that a pony gets when they find their one true talent. It basically tells them what they’re meant to do, or what they’re REALLY good at,” he explained. 

“So...its kinda like a rite of passage then?” Alice mused. “Seems kinda...restrictive if you ask me. To follow a mark just because you have it....no offense.”

“None taken. A Cutie Mark just tells a pony what they’re REALLY good at. Not everypony follows it. Its really more of a guideline than anything else, since we’re able to choose for ourselves anyway,” he shrugged. 

“Alright. I think that’s for the best anyway. So...Cutie Mark in magic?” Alice continued.

“Yeah. I’ve always felt good when I used magic, no matter the spell. I’ve always had a knack for casting,” he started. “But I still haven’t gotten my Cutie Mark yet…”

“Well, maybe you should just take it easy,” Alice suggested. 



“You know you’ve got a knack for magic. So...I’m assuming that there are different types of magic based on all these books,” she explained. 

“Yeah?”

“Well, maybe instead of looking at the big picture in one shot, take it a little bit at a time. Try doing a different type for a bit, then move on to another, and narrow it down. Who knows, maybe you’ll earn that Cutie Mark if you did,” Alice suggested.

“That’s...a really good idea. Thanks miss Alice,” Toichi smiled. 

“Any time,” Alice chuckled, before yawning. “I think I’ll go back to bed. You should too,” she said, patting him on the head, before walking away, leaving the young unicorn to his thoughts.





Several hours earlier, Baltimare

Jonathan yawned slightly. It had been a long, and boring day again, as he and his team were stuck on patrol duty again. Seems that since the Pokemon came, things have been...relatively quiet, with the most left being the odd thief or something, and when you deal with Fox often, normal criminals are child’s play. “Nothing new today either,” he said. 

“Just like yesterday,” Heat groaned.

“And the day before that,” Howl added. 

“...I can’t believe I’m saying this, but...I wish some actual crime would happen. Then at least we wouldn’t be dying of boredom!” Jonathan groaned.

As if to answer his question, he noticed a pony dart into an alleyway, carrying what looked like a bag of some kind. Only it was moving. 

“...okay, if that doesn’t just SCREAM ‘suspicious’, the I don’t know what else will,” Heat deadpanned, before the trio looked at each other. “Take a look?”

“Take a look,” Jonathan and Howl answered simultaneously. 

Walking after the pony, they made sure to keep a distance...well, Howl followed closely, while Jonathan and Heat...especially Heat, kept their distance since they weren’t exactly the most stealthy Pokemon, partially thanks to their bright coloring. Fortunately, it was not needed, as the Pony was more preoccupied with what was in his bag. They would have continued following him, if it weren’t for the next thing he did. 

“Oh shut up you mangy animal!” he grunted, before bucking the bag, causing a pained whimper to come from it. 

At this, Jonathan decided to step in. “Hold it right there!” Jonathan barked. 

The stallion turned, and upon seeing him, tried to bolt. However, that plan was stopped cold when all three of them dashed forward with a Quick Attack each, meaning that they were upon him before he could barely blink, and in short order, Heat and Jonathan had him restrained. 

“Unhand me, you filthy beast!” the stallion protested, only to be silenced by a glare from Heat. 

“Watch your mouth, cause from what we see, looks like you’re about to be going to jail soon,” Heat said, as true enough, Howl came back after ripping the bag open, and in his jaws was a Poochyena, a battered looking one at that. 

“Alright, you. Talk! Why were you trying to smuggle this Poochyena?” Jonathan growled, his eye glaring angrily at the stallion. 

“Or you’ll what?” the stallion challenged.

“How about a trip to the police station? I’m sure this little guy would have an interesting story to tell,” Howl said with a glare, as he let the Poochyena lie on his back. 

“Please, you gotta help them!” the Poochyena groaned. 

“What’s wrong? Who’s in trouble?” Howl asked. 

“Those bad ponies caught some of my pack, and made them fight in those awful arenas. Lots of us got badly hurt, but I managed to get away before he tried to bring me back. I saw other Pokemon in cages too when I got out, along with some weird looking Pokemon who couldn’t speak...or use moves,” he explained. 

“I see…” Jonathan mused, the gears turning in his head. He should probably report this to the guards first, but if he did, then there would be an inevitable delay, and from the looks of it, not only were Pokemon lives on the line, but also the lives of the local wildlife. With that in mind, he made up his decision. “Can you show us where this place is?” he asked the Poochyena. 

“Yeah, no problem!” the Poochyena brightened. “Will you...help us?” the nod he got made him smile. “Thank you!”

With that done, Jonathan turned to the stallion. “Its your lucky day. You’ll be having a delayed meeting with the authorities. But for now, good night,” he said, before he punched the pony’s lights out. “Okay then, let’s go guys.”

With the help of the Poochyena, they made their way into a series of alleyways, leading to a building in some desolate alley, the kind of building most folk would steer clear of. “There’s another way in. I could get in, but…”

“We’re probably too big to fit,” Heat deadpanned. 

“Yeah…”

“Well that complicates things. I mean, sure we could bust through the door, but we’re just a few Pokemon. A few thugs we can handle, but there’s no telling how many thugs there might be in there. Not to mention its a pretty dumb move to charge in blind...unless we have no choice,” Jonathan sighed. 

“Or, you could ask for help,” came a small voice from above them. 

Looking up, they were greeted to the sight of a Noibat hanging upside down, looking at them. A very familiar Noibat at that. “I was wondering where you two went. Who’s the Lucario?” 

“Echo?” Jonathan blinked, before smiling widely, and before the little bat could respond, he had jumped up, plucked her off her perch, and promptly caught her in a bear hug. “It is you!”

“Ack! Who...wait...Jonathan?!” Echo sputtered. 

“Yep. Its Jonathan, Echo,” Heat and Howl snickered. Eric had been getting worried about Echo since they couldn’t find her. Now he was just showing how relieved he was.

“Sorry, Echo. I was just worried,” Jonathan apologized, letting her go. 

“Well, its nice to see you too again. But if I’m not mistaken, weren’t you supposed to be human?” she said, her tone amused.

“Yeah, we all thought that too at first,” Howl said with a smile. “But it’s Jonathan for sure.”

“Yep. Who else would it be but the big lug,” Heat added with a grin. 

“You jerks…” Jonathan snorted in amusement. “...so, yeah. Weren’t we about to storm a gang hideout or something?”

“Right,” Both Heat and Howl nodded, much to Echo’s amusement. 

“Okay then, what do you need me to do? You can’t exactly fit into the small hole over there,” she chuckled in amusement. 

“Yeah, that’s what we need you to do. I want you to get in, and when I give you the signal, use Supersonic on the entire room. That should give us the opening we need,” Jonathan ordered. 

“Gotcha,” Echo nodded, before flying towards the hole. 

“Actually, what are we gonna do with this guy?” Howl commented, motioning to the unconscious stallion. 

“You’re right...we can’t exactly leave him here. He might run off while we storm the hideout,” Heat nodded. 

The four of them paused when they realized that. Fortunately an answer came to them. Almost very literally too. “Hey, isn’t that...?” Howl pointed out upon seeing a familiar mare apparently out for an evening stroll. 

“Trixie!” they all called out as they moved towards the mare. 

“Huh? Jonathan? What are you all doing here?” Trixie asked in surprise, not expecting to see them. 

“Trixie, we need a big favor from you,” Jonathan said quickly. 

“Er...very well. What is it that you require Trixie’s help?” she said, a little take aback. 

“We need you to take this guy,” Heat said, motioning to the unconscious stallion. “To the guard station. He’s apparently part of some illegal group in this street, and we’re about to storm right into their hideout...without permission, though we have proof that would do the trick anyway,” Heat finished.  

Trixie blinked in surprise, before looking at the stallion carefully. “Trixie supposes she can do that. But...Trixie is also concerned that…” she was about to explain her worries, before Heat promptly shook the stallion, waking him...only to send him into dreamland again. 

“There, he’s out cold again,” Heat stated plainly, causing everyone to sweat drop at the Combusken’s...brash action. 

“...sometime I worry about you,” Jonathan deadpanned. 

“...Trixie will be taking the stallion now,” Trixie deadpanned. She liked to think of them as friends, but sometimes...they were a little crazy for her taste. 

“Thanks Trixie. We owe you one,” Jonathan smiled. 

“Trixie will be sure to collect,” she joked, before walking away with the unconscious stallion. 

With her gone, Echo immediately moved to her position as she snuck inside. After a few moments, Jonathan got into position.

“Okay, everyone. Ready?” Jonathan asked. 

“I’ll be right here in case anyone tries to escape,” Howl nodded. 

“And I’ll be right by you when we bust in,” Heat grinned. 

“Alright then. 3, 2, 1,” Jonathan said, before knocking on the door in a sequence. “Knock, knock!”

(Play Jonathan's theme)
Hearing the signal, Echo giggled. “Hope you brought earplugs,” she chuckled, before she let loose a Supersonic inside the building, disorienting the ponies inside, making them all confused. In fact, one was even just about to answer the door. “Who’s…” then he felt woozy. Then it happened. The door promptly came loose from its hinges, when a Lucario and a Combusken broke it down with a double flying kick, the door splintering, and their feet connecting with the unfortunate pony’s face. 

“Dynamic Entry!” Jonathan and Heat shouted as they sailed through the air. Their unfortunate victim on the other hand…

“MY FACE!!” the pony screamed as he clutched his face, which now bore a paw print and a bird foot print. 

“Baltimare Guard! Freeze!” Jonathan barked. However, despite having all the coordination of a drunken Spinda at the moment, some of the more burly ponies tried to charge at them...with all the grace of a Grimer. Unsurprisingly, that idea met little success, as Jonathan and Heat grabbed a piece of the door each, and hit them in the head with the boards, before grabbing them, and unceremoniously drop kicking them out the building. “Anyone else want to try being stupid?” Jonathan deadpanned. 

Several of the guards shook their heads to clear the confusion, before looking at each other, and promptly charging at them. 

“I love it when they pick the hard way,” Heat grinned, cracking his knuckles. 

“You’re enjoying this a little too much, aren’t you?” Jonathan sweat dropped at his partner’s...enthusiasm. 

“You kidding? I live for this!” Heat laughed, half joking, before he dove right into the fray. 

“Hey, save some for me, buddy!” Jonathan couldn’t help but laugh, before he jumped in. 

And now we close the curtains on this scene of gratuitous violence for a moment...note that from behind the curtains are sounds of pain, agony, and grown thugs crying like foals. 

“Well, that was easy,” Jonathan commented as he dusted his paws off. 

“Yeah. Good thing we found this nice rope too,” Heat added as they walked deeper into the building...behind them were the thugs, battered and bruised, all of them hogtied together with a single rope. 

“Nice rope by the way,” Echo idly added with a chuckle as she flew by the groaning thugs, one of them muttering something about pretty birdie. 





Inside the building, the ring leader of this illegal arena paced, an annoyed look on his face. “What in Tartarus is going on up there?” he growled. 

“Err...sounded like someone screaming in agony, boss,” one of his body guards, a big burly Pegasus said. 

“I don’t remember asking your opinion. No matter. Pain! Panic! I want this room locked up tight. Make sure whoever is coming doesn’t get in here.” 

“You got it boss!” the twin pegasi said with a salute, before doing as they were told. 

The entrance to the arena was promptly shut with the large metal door that was as thick and strong as the door on a small safe, and was promptly bolted shut. “I’d like to see whoever was dumb enough to come here just try and get in,” one of the guards laughed, his friends joining in as well. When they heard knocking on the door, their laughter only doubled at how stupid the intruder seemed to be. 

Then there was a big thud as something impacted against the door. HARD. 

“Heh, this guy must be pretty good,” one of them whistled, before adding. “But not good enough.” with a laugh. However, the laugh died an instant death when they heard the door groan...and promptly break off the hinges, flattening them in the process. 

“SWEET CELESTIA!!! MY BACK!!!!!” they shouted as they were promptly crushed by the metal door, before the ones responsible for demolishing the door stepped in...and stepped on the door on the way in, much to their...displeasure, if the additional cries of pain were any evidence. 

When Jonathan got a look at the room, his glare became one that could vaporize steel at the sight of the Pokemon and animals in cages, all of them in various states of injury. Upon seeing the pony that was clearly the ring leader. He growled. “You! This is the police! Come quietly if you know what’s good for you!” he barked. “If not, then come unconscious.”

At this point, the ring leader didn’t look so confident anymore. But he wasn’t about to give up. “Pain! Panic! Break them in half!” 

“With pleasure!” His bodyguards laughed, and lunged forward at the Pokemon...and the boss got what he ordered...just not on the Pokemon. 

“Heat. Flamethrower,” Jonathan ordered, to which Heat nodded, then fired a massive flame thrower, catching both Pegasi head on. The fire raged for a moment, and when it cleared, both Pegasi were covered in soot with a silly look in their eyes. Looking at each other, they laughed deliriously, before passing out from the burns. 

“Pegasi barbeque, order up,” Heat laughed. 

“Any other dumb moves you’d like to try? By all means, PLEASE dig yourself deeper,” Jonathan goaded. 

The Ring leader visibly gulped, before his expression hardened. “Yeah, you’re dinner!” he shouted, before pulling a switch, releasing two BIG bears into the room. And they looked hungry. 

“Ursaring? Nah, these must be native wildlife,” Jonathan calmly analyzed. 

“So...this is your last stand? Kinda disappointing, really,” Heat deadpanned. 

The Ring leader gritted his teeth in annoyance. “Shut up! Don’t you get that you’re about to be mauled by vicious bears and probably end up their dinner?!” 

“I’d be quaking if it weren’t for the fact that I literally have bones of steel,” Jonathan deadpanned. “But still, just in case...Echo.”

“Right!” the small bat grinned, before letting loose a Supersonic on the bears, disorienting them, followed by an Air Cutter, which softened them up a little. “All yours,” she giggled as the bears tried to lunge at them in their drunken stupor. However as expected, the movements were sluggish, and completely easy to see. Naturally, that made dodging VERY easy for Jonathan and Heat. 

“Now then, what say we give the good pony there his teddies back?” Heat grinned. 

“Sounds fine to me,” Jonathan nodded. 

The two immediately ducked under a swing from their opponents, and with a quick move, drove their fists into the bears, the force pushing them off their feet, and causing them to sail in the air, right at the Ring leader, who just stood there, gaping as the stared at the two oncoming bears until….

CRASH!!

“MY SPINE!!! SWEET CELESTIA MY SPINE!!!” the bears crashed into him, crushing him under their weight. 

“Had enough?” Jonathan asked, peering down at the pony.

“YES! MERCY! FOR THE LOVE OF EQUUS, MERCY!”

“Good, so then, I see a bunch of cages, but no keys. I trust you don’t mind if I borrow the key,” he continued, only for the keys to be shoved into his paw. “Thank you.”
(End theme)





With the key, releasing all the captive Pokemon was easy, and after a quick trip to the guard house, the animals that had been held captive were all set to be returned to the wild. Poochyena was especially happy to be with the members of his pack that had been caught, as they returned back to the nearby forest. Likewise, the entire gang was rounded up and arrested in short order, a simple thing to do since Jonathan and his team had left them in a state that they couldn’t exactly resist. 

As for the guard chief, while he was a little miffed that Jonathan and his team had acted on their own, he still congratulated them on account of apprehending the entire gang. Even Trixie got some praise and thanks for her part in alerting the guard. So all in all, it was a pretty good night for all of them. 

Later, at a small cafe…

“To all of us being together again,” Jonathan smiled as he raised his cup, before it was clanked against against 3 other cups. And with that, the former human and his team shared a laugh, happy that even in this new world, one thing they could always count on was that they always had each other. 

Ending theme: